Disclaimer: Tenchi and his universe
are owned by AIC and Pioneer, who
make a lot more money than me. 
Kazekera and The Tenchi O-Rusuta© 
universe arrangment are copyright
of The Jetset (Jinchi, Kage Maru 3:16
and Diabolo).

If you managed to read the last episode 
through (and enjoyed it) then I hope I 
can keep you going with this one- 
as I said it follows on from the last
in a quite straightforward manner, and
it had lots of Ayeka and Ryoko in.
So, enjoy!
-Jim 'Diabolo' Moore


	  TENCHI O-RUSUTA©: KAZEKERA
	  PART 4 - AN EVENING STROLL

The next day, Washu was having a 
difficult time in her lab. She just couldn't 
figure out how to manipulate the dark 
matter surrounding the universe. 
It was so irritating and frustrating 
KNOWING that dark matter was simply 
EVERYWHERE but there was no way to get to it.
It was pure luck that Kaz happened to walk 
in at that point, looking for something in his luggage. 
"Hello, Miss Washu." He said "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." She answered testily, 
tapping her pencil on the desk, red head resting 
on her arms. "I'm having problems with this." 
She lit up the diagrams of her theories on dark matter. 
"Hmmm..." the Dryad thought. These 
diagrams seemed a little familiar.
"Aha!" he said. Washu had been teaching 
the very same subject when he had been in 
her class. Something started filling his vocal chords.
The sound of music filled the air, as it so often 
did in these situations.
"What are you doing?" asked Washu, intrigued.
And then Kazekera started inexplicably to 
sing, and dance, all over the place.
Washu was soon caught up with it, and they 
started to work together...

(The song they sing is "Modern Theory" 
from the Misc. Fan Fics- Jim)

The echoes of their song died away.
"I don't know EXACTLY how you did it." 
Washu said, scratching her head thoughtfully 
"But it seems the power of song had solved all our problems."
"Yes." Kaz was looking puzzled as well. 
"I'm not exactly sure how we did that either..."
But nevertheless, on the computer screen 
wheew the precise, correct and proven theories 
on the subject of quintessence and dark matter 
(N.B.: Quintessence is actually a serious scientific 
idea about the nature of energy in the universe, 
if your at all interested- Jim) .
If you had actually watched the two at work and 
song you would have noticed that neither of them
had touched that particular computer at all...

And after that odd little incident, Kazekera finally 
had a job around the house. A lab assistant and 
general 'Igor' type lackey to Washu. 
Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki came down into the 
lab all the time to see why he wasn't playing 
with them, and it usually turned out that he 
was being used as a slave carrying heavy things 
around while Washu looked at things through 
microscopes. He told them once he was very 
afraid of becoming a ginuea pig, and so took 
every opportunity to get out with his love and 
the playful cabbit.
For example, one small meeting went like this:
Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki jumped down the stairs 
of the lab to find Washu staring intently at a 
graph of growth in plants and animals, and Kazekera 
rummaging through a shelf of jars and bottles.     
"Get me a soil sample 32A, would you Kazekera?"
(It would have be a 32B but the lingerie shop didn't 
have them- Jim)
"Yes, Miss Washu." 
"I've told you to call me LITTLE Washu!"
Kazekera recoiled
"Sorry." He said and disappeared into the back.
"I'm afraid he's never going to be able to do that, Washu." 
Said Mihoshi, sadly.
"What?" Washu's head flipped round to the blonde G.P.
"Why not?"
"Because in his culture, there are some things which 
are impossible to change. Their highest ideal of all is 
respect- they have to show the proper respect to everyone, 
or they would be betraying their race."
"And your saying what? He can't 'respect' my wishes 
enough to call me what I chose?"
"No..." Mihoshi thought for a moment, before replying.
"I think it's because you were his teacher. 
He can never think of you as anything else 
except an authority figure. Proper respect for authority 
is everything in Dryad society."
"Is that you talking, Mihoshi?"
"Yes! What's the matter?"
"It's just you don't sound like this usua...oh, forget it. 
Anyway, I guess I'll have to live as an authority figure. 
I don't know how I'll ever manage that, it's so much 
pressure and...Kazekera! Where the hell is that sample?"
"I'll be there in a minute."
"You'd better be! What was I saying? Oh yeah, 
I'll never be able to put up with being an authority figure."
Mihoshi grinned and thought about poor Kazekera 
being bitched at by this red headed vampire all day. 
Of course, there were times when he just has to put 
up with being vamped by a blond headed bitch! 
With this clever little reciprocal, self-depreciating 
revelation, she fell about laughing.
At this moment Kaz came out holding the soil sample, 
a gently laid it on the desk for Washu. Then he laid his 
eyes on the giggling Mihoshi, and he lit up.
"Now, now, Miho-chan! That secret chuckling might 
disturb a great scientist at work! You know what you 
get for disturbing a great scientist, don't you?"
"No, don't!" cried the helpless Mihoshi. But it was too 
late and Kazekera started to tickle her. He started at 
her ribs, then under her arms and finally her toes, 
still bare from the warm weather. She was utterly at 
his mercy, hysterically spluttering with laughter and 
gasping for breath, she even carried on after he had 
stopped, and she only managed to dry up when finally 
he kissed her fully on the lips.
"Mffphff!" she tried to say through the entanglement 
of mouth and tongue.
This relieved Washu, who couldn't get to work with 
all these insane lovers merry making and throwing 
themselves on each other all the time.
"You two, get out now! I need my peace!"
"Okay, Little Washu!" said Mihoshi, ecstatically. 
And they left, Kazekera being chased by a Mihoshi 
eager to get revenge.
"Maybe Ryoko is right in what she's always saying" 
she said after they had gone.
"They SHOULD get a room. I still can't believe their not 
committed, can you Ryo-Ohki?"
"Meow!" replied the Cabbit, and hopped off to see Tenchi.
Washu was left with a very important invention to complete, 
but she was struck for a moment about how, as 
she had mentioned many times, 
how lonely it was to be...a pioneer...



...or an AIC. 
(It's a  terrible joke, I know, but I couldn't resist it! -Jim)

That same afternoon, Ryoko and Ayeka were feeling
to bored to mess around and too hot to watch T.V. 
They lounged on the sofa together, until Ayeka 
decided to breech the gap. 
"Ryoko?"
"Hai?" replied the space pirate drowsily.
"It's a little quiet in the house without Tenchi. 
Should we go and find him?"
"Where do he and his grandfather train?"
"By the river...but I don't think he would stay 
training for so long usually. He's probably sneaked 
away somewhere."
"Well, why do you want to go together Ayeka? 
Wouldn't you prefer to be alone?"
"I'm...I'm a little lonely Ryoko. And if we don't 
find him soon it could get dark."
"Scared, eh?"
"No!" Ayeka was taken aback "I'm not scared of 
anything! But I just don't want to be out alone, 
that's all." 
"Well who am I to reject such an offer?" 
Ryoko spun in the air. "Where should we start looking?"
"I think near the training spot, as you suggested."
"Okay." 
And so the two went off to find the object of their 
affections.

"Damn it!" Ryoko over turned a small rock, 
presumably to see if Tenchi might be hiding 
there like an elf with a stoop. They had searched 
the training spot and all around nearby, but there 
was no sign of Tenchi or his grandfather.  
"He has no right to just swan off without telling us 
where he is!"
"That's right. We're still his guests, you know!"
"Well, I guess he most be somewhere else. Where 
can we look now, Princess?"
"Hmmm..." Ayeka went into deep thought. 
"He could be just resting somewhere in a clearing. 
There are lots of those in the woods."
"Yeah, but which one?"
"I suppose we shall just have to search through 
each of them."
Ryoko shrugged. They were two independent 
girls - they had the time to search anywhere and 
(lucky them) almost an eternity.
They had been systematically searching every 
clearing they knew for Tenchi for almost half 
an hour, and had cleared almost half a mile radius 
of the Misaki house when they decided not to 
worry about actually FINDING Tenchi- it was 
more fun just looking around. The two had of 
course explored the forest before, but not in such 
detail. Ayeka had found a beautiful little pool in 
a clearing, the water clear and glittering with the 
late afternoon sunlight. In it were frogs which both 
Ayeka and Ryoko thought were very sweet- although 
neither would admit it. Ayeka refused to touch them 
because they were 'so slimy', and Ryoko said they 
reminded her of some reptilian beasts she once had 
to fight for Kagato's amusement.
Ayeka very foolishly asked about this.
"His amusement? What could be amusing about that?"
"Pretty much a whole load of things with a 
twisted sense of humour like Kagato's. 
Either side getting killed would be a bundle of laughs." 
The Pirate replied acidly.
Ayeka was once again reminded of Ryoko's past. 
Really she knew very little about her green haired 
companion and what she could remember was 
blurred. She had been brought up by the horrible 
Kagato, then locked up in a shrine for thousands of years. 
Here was where she had said she had used astral 
projection to see Tenchi when he was still small...it seemed
funny at the time, but now...
Well. She had seen her little sister fuse with a goddess, 
parallel dimensions open before her eyes, clones and 
shape-shifting robot's which slaved under mysterious 
beings with hidden agendas.
Now it seemed a little more credible.
She suddenly caught her breath.
What if Ryoko WAS telling the truth? That would mean 
that she, Ayeka of Jurai, might have mocked another's 
deepest feelings. Even if it was Ryoko. 
'I mean, it would be the better if she was out of the way 
but even so...' she thought.
Ayeka had decency and kindness-she even prided 
herself in these things. She finally decided that, 
if she was in the wrong, she would now make 
good and clean the wound.
"Ryoko...you know when you said you had known 
Tenchi before he...well...you actually met?"
"Yeah." Said Ryoko, guardedly.
"Was it...really, I mean REALLY...true?"
"And I would lie to you...why? I could have said a 
million other things which would be better lies than that one."
"I thought that you thought that if you said that then 
I wouldn't have any chance with Tenchi because 
you knew him so well."
"Well I was stupid and told you the truth, Ayeka. 
That's all I can say."
Ayeka paused for a minute.
"I'm...I'm sorry for laughing at you. I just knew 
that if I let it pass I really wouldn't have had a 
chance...Tenchi's pity is so consuming, you see...
he would worry so much if he thought he had hurt you..." 
Ayeka's speech descended into guilty sadness as she 
thought of the terrible pain she must have caused 
her rival- even if she was a space pirate, and a criminal, 
she must have feelings...just like
she had feelings for Tenchi...
"Well. Thanks for the apology, Ayeka." 
"I'm sure he cares for you deeply..." Ayeka, still sunk 
in the depths of remorse
"Wow now!" Ryoko said, sobering up 
"This is just getting too weird! Half an hour ago
you would have been convincing yourself I didn't 
have a chance! Let's just stop with the guilt and carry on."
"Okay. I'm sorry."
But Ayeka really had altered. The self-protective 
politeness and prima donna like snobbery were 
torn away the instant she left a social circle- what 
was on sight now was the glass fragile Ayeka of the 
inside. Fortunately for the pair of them Ryoko's 
protective layers went much deeper, never revealing 
her vulnerable nature, except to someone who was 
very special. A bitter and criminal upbringing with 
Kagato had forged this iron-hard personality armour, 
and she intended to keep it there until it became necessary 
to finally leave the battle ground.
Right now, her battle was with Ayeka. 

They had got back almost to normal terms in a while.
As they strolled down a stony yellow path, worn 
by the passage of life, again Ayeka started the speaking.
"I was wondering, Ryoko..."
"What's that Ayeka?"
"What on earth do you think of that Kaz creature 
of Mihoshi's?"
"Creature? Have you any idea how intelligent he is?"
"I didn't mean that kind of creature. He just seems 
a little...suspicious to me."
But Ryoko was going to stand up for Kaz. 
She had often been referred to as a 'creature' but Ayeka, 
and she wouldn't abandon her fellows.
"If you don't mind, Princess- I would re-phrase that 
question. He is not a creature, and he does not belong 
to Mihoshi and neither of them are responsible for the other."
Ayeka looked shocked. Then, unexpectedly, she chuckled.
"Okay Ryoko. Have it your way. What do you think of 
Mr. Kazekera?"
she said sweetly
"Well now..." Ryoko started, shocked that Ayeka had 
played along but pleased as well.
"Hmmm...he seems okay, but personally I'd wait and see. 
The Dryads are rather a conflicted species, and you never 
know what they could do if you tick them off."
"I wonder what he sees in Mihoshi." Said Ayeka, not 
cruelly but just wondering.
"Air?"
"Ryoko!"
"Sorry. Mind wandering there."
They walked on a bit, until Ryoko saw something- 
it was an area where the trees leaves let the light through. 
It was really quite beautiful- the sky had changed to a 
deep blue, with a slight golden glow on the horizon.
She couldn't help just standing in it and looking up at 
the heavens- she loved the feel of sunlight on her: it made
her feel like an angle of some sort.
The gold played over her womanly frame.
Ayeka looked on, rather puzzled at her friend's 
odd behaviour. In this evening light, she could see 
Ryoko quite clearly. And she was neither ugly or harsh 
looking now, not sneering or insulting as she usually did. 
She was just staring into the distance, up at the 
golden-blue skies.
Ayeka saw, as she had only occasionally before, what 
Tenchi might see in her. Ryoko just carried on staring, 
and Ayeka felt a mist in her eye.
What a sad, sad game they were playing- there would 
always be a loser, whatever happened to them. 
The tear glistened and rolled down her cheek.
"Are you okay, Ayeka?" Ryoko turned slowly 
at the sight of the Princess wiping her face.
"Oh...yes."
She replied, turning her head away.

It was later on that evening when Tenchi finally 
came home and noticed that his two admirers were out. 
They must have forgotten that he had to go and spiritually 
train in the woods, as an extension to his training in Tokyo
(N.B: In the Tenchi O-Rusuta universe, Shin Tenchi 
has already been and gone.- Jim) 
He wondered what could be keeping them, and started 
looking in their usual hideaways around the house. 
He tried their rooms, the areas around the house the 
lab and the living room, before finally plucking up 
the courage to look in the ladies bathroom. 
Sesami had already gone to bed early, and Kiyone was 
on the long patrol with Mihoshi (N.B.: Not the kind of 
Long Patrol you may have read about in a certain 
excellent lemon fic, that is just a little too intense- Jim) 
so The Space Pirate and the Princess would be the 
only one's there. Together, he hoped- the closer they got, 
the easier it would be to tell them he wanted both of them...
he wished they wouldn't fight- it made him so sad to see 
the ones he loved hurt themselves so over him.
Tenchi peered round the corner of the steaming bath. 
A very long leg slid up, dripping water and foam. 
Tenchi started to get nervous.
"Er...Ryoko? I told you not to try and seduce me- I only 
have so much self control..."
The leg stretched further into the air, and the foam dripped 
no longer off it, but down it. Tenchi imagined it dripping 
way down into Ryoko's thigh. He shuddered. He couldn't
 really keep track of the number of times Ryoko has tried 
to seduce him by showing off her beautiful legs in a steamy 
bath, but Tenchi didn't think he could hold back much longer.
"Um. I'm just going out!" he said, a little too loudly because 
it caused an electric reaction in the bath. A splash went up 
as whoever was in there jumped in shock.
"Who's that!" said the bather.
"It's Tenchi! You're not Ryoko!" 
"I hope not!" replied the voice "What are you doing?" 
A bronze head came round the corner to meet Tenchi's. 
It had a faint green tinge which vanished instantly. 
"Kaz? What are you doing in the women's bathroom?"
"The WHAT?"
"The women's bath...oh...er...the female's bathroom?"
"The bathroom is female? I thought this language didn't 
have genders for inanimate objects..."
"No." Tenchi sighed visibly "This is A bathroom FOR females."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes. What were you doing posing in the bath like that?"
"I'm sorry, Master Tenchi. I bathe alone most often. 
A life such as I have led does not lead oneself to modesty."
"Really? What kind of life have you led?"
"You want to know?"
"Well, it might kill some time. And some embarrassment."
And so Kazeakera told him about his mixed ancestry- 
he had studied hard and passed his tests with flying 
colours, but, as his mother insisted, he would lead a
life of a warrior. He had taken jobs all over the galaxy, 
never 'tied down to a desk with chains' as the 
matriarchal Kera had said with a triumphant toss of 
her head when talking to her husband. Kazekera had, 
though, taken jobs like physics professor to the 
University of Cambridge (on his frequent trips to Earth), 
Engineer on the first Roller-coaster of Jurai (requested by 
a certain Princess Sesami) and vice-president of the 
official opera lover's association of Coserek. 
But, in keeping with the firm traditions of the 
Nobilis, he was had done many other things:
"I was a bounty hunter for a little. Then I became 
bodyguard and won Fighting Championship on 
Klaptso, although in my opinion it was a biased 
decision. Then I was a...an...assassin and a prison guard."
The last line was rather choked as if in shame, but 
Tenchi tried to ignore it. He had mastered apparently 
not only some forms of human combat but the same 
sword work that Tenchi had been taught by his 
grandfather. Taking this all in, Tenchi assumed 
that it was a good thing Kazekera had come here 
for pleasure and not business.
But all of Kazekera's speech, he realised as he 
went on, was in very scant detail. It appeared he 
was keeping something from him...but he couldn't be. 
Kazkera was honest and good, he felt sure. 

A little down the twilight paths back home the 
girls saw something in their way- a little object, 
moving feverishly. Fluttering, but never getting 
anywhere. As they came closer they recognised 
it as a sparrow. One of it's wings had been knocked 
by something and bent backwards. It was trying to 
fly but its own body weight was resting on its good 
wing and so it couldn't manage to turn itself up.
There was no serious injury which couldn't heal- it 
was just trapped. Ayeka looked at it from their 
distance of about 6 meters.
"I think that bird needs a little help, Ryoko..." she said. 
Ryoko looked very confused. Her eyesight was 
inherently much better that Ayeka's, but she seemed 
to be having difficulty seeing the problem. Ayeka 
sped up her walk to a brisk pace and the Pirate followed her.
Looking more closely, Ayeka could now see another 
problem- the sparrow's wing waved so viciously that 
to get near it someone would have to hold it down. 
They both had to help it.
"Ryoko?" Ayeka turned to her friend 
"Could you help me with this?"
Ryoko shrugged helplessly. She looked completely 
different from normal- kind of uncertain.
"Ryoko? What's the matter?"
"I..." she stammered "I don't know what to do..."
"Haven't you had any experience with animals?"
"Only Ryo-Ohki..." she was stuttering badly now 
"I...I always used to hurt them...b...by being too strong..."
She was hardly making sense now. This was silly- 
Ryoko had faced powers beyond their wildest 
imaginings and yet could not help an injured bird?
"Listen to me Ryoko- you will not hurt this bird if 
you do as I say. In fact, your more likely to cause 
damage if you leave it. Now kneel down!" 
(N.B: No mention of 'Call Me Princess' here, please.- Jim)
Ryoko knelt obediently next to Ayeka, the bird between them.
"Now- very carefully try to catch the birds wing when it's 
CLOSEST to its body. I know your reflexes are much 
faster than mine, so you can do it easily. 
Once you have it, hold it GENTLY to itself and I will
put  it upright. Ryoko calmed down slowly, 
and watched the flapping, injured wing. 
Her hand darted out when it touched the bird's side and 
held it there.  It struggled to flap, but failed against 
Ryoko's gentle pressure. Ayeka smiled at her.
"Well done." 
Then she put both hands down on the sparrows 
sides and slowly altered it's angle so it's feet were touching 
the ground.
"Now..." Ayeka started slowly "Release!"
The two jumped back and the bird fluttered away 
into the trees instantly
"Wow!" said Ryoko "Well done, Ayeka!"
"Well done to you too." Replied the Princess.
"I've never been able to get near small animals 
before- they all run away from me."
"They run away from everyone."
"No...just me..."
Ryoko's eyes misted slightly.
Ayeka was deep in thought. So- Ryoko was both 
good and beautiful. Now they were rivals finally 
worthy of each other's steel. But...again her mind 
was brought back to the conclusion. If either of them 
was chosen- the sea of tears the other would cry and 
never cross, the life of loneliness, the remembrance 
of a love neither could give up. She didn't know 
if she wanted to be a rival anymore.
Both girls sat, with tears almost welling in their 
eyes at sad thoughts. They even put their arms around 
each other for a second- before getting up and walking on...

(I realise that it is a bit of a cliché of two people 
healing an injured bird, and that it's a bit mawkish, 
but it is quite sweet if you think about it- Jim)

Not very far on their route they came to a rather 
odd area of forest. The trees leaves were a dark 
and rich green where they were walking now, 
unlike the silky transparencies of the cherry trees 
nearer the house. Ayeka picked a flowery thing 
from one of the bushes, which looked like a rhododendron 
except that the leaves were much smaller. It had a 
rather intoxicating smell, she found.
"Ryoko, do you know what this is?" she said, offering 
it to her companion.
"Hmmm...these don't remind me of anything I've seen."
The tree had small fruits, like lemons, and the girls found 
that if they smelled it's purple flowers, they became 
not only happy but...relaxed.
Had they pulled back the branches of the tree they would 
have seen a shocking sight. Some form of transport, 
actually taking root in the ground.
But that was for another time. For now, the girls set off 
home, giggling and feeling able to speak to each other 
more freely than before 

(N.B: At this point anyone can write a lemon if they 
want- I just realised it was a perfect situation. I didn't
mean it this way, it sometimes just turns out like that as 
I'm sure some of you know- Jim).

"Just one more question." Tenchi said, as Kazekera 
neared the end
 "I need to know why exactly Dryads are real...I mean, 
not to be insulting but..."
"You thought they were a myth? It's very strange Tenchi, 
but we two species seem to be inter-linked. You see, 
there is a myth on our Planet that once, thousands of 
years ago, a species of humans came and showed us 
how to use weapons and tools. That meant we advanced 
into a proud warrior race. But then, about  two thousand 
years later, a second wave of more advanced humans 
came and tried to show us how to build and discover 
things using science. Many Dryads thought this second 
wave was treacherous and untrustworthy, betraying us 
and their own ancestors. So we split into those who did 
trust the humans and those who did not. That is apparently 
how we became Nobilis and Superior- warriors and thinkers. 
And so...we must just wait and see if this odd 
situation resolves itself."
"Yeah. I think for once Washu made a mistake- I don't think 
it's possible that two identical species evolved millions of 
miles apart."
 "She is very elusive when it comes to some things. 
Still, I think this bath is getting a little old- would you 
excuse me a second while I get out?"
"Sure."
Tenchi exited the bathroom, leaving his tall companion to 
cover himself reasonably. He soon came out, steam pouring 
off him and draped with a towel.
Tenchi looked very puzzled over this towel, which was pink 
and fluffy. Kazekera, noticing his odd look, asked
"Is there something wrong?"
"No. It's just usually people wrap towels around their 
wastes- that looks like some kind of sari or something..."
Kazekera had weaved the cloth into an elaborate drape 
over his shoulder, across his chest and round his waste. 
It was quite artistic.
"Well, old habits die hard, Tenchi Runu. This is the 
ancient dress of men attempting to advertise their 
availability in the Garamusu plateaux, where I spent a little 
time. Women there were very picky. I had to wait long and hard 
before I found one "
"You wanted ANOTHER woman? Mihoshi probably 
wouldn't like that!"
"They met, actually."
"Were you in trouble?"
"They met by me introducing them. Dear Tenchi Runu- 
you don't know how Dryadic Mihoshi is. 
I could start kissing YOU and Mihoshi would just say- 
'ANOTHER one Kaz? We must really observe human customs.'"
"Please don't start kissing me."
"Understood." They laughed and went out of the bathroom. 
Flat against a wall nearby, hiding from Tenchi and Kaz, 
was Mihoshi. She was round a corner from the two boys, 
and trying desperately not to laugh. She was overcome by 
the fits of giggles only experienced when playing a game 
of hide and seek where the seekers are just inches away. 
She had been watching and listening her friends for some 
minutes.
She popped her head round the corner for an instant, 
scared that they might see her. She wanted to chase 
Kaz upstairs, hopefully making him drop his towel, 
for revenge on him not only tickling her but splashing 
her with cold water earlier.
She saw him wrapped in his pink towel and remembered 
the little boy from years ago dressed similarly after a 
long day's swimming. 

They had been in the river all day, and Kaz was 
just having a bath. The steam looped and weaved 
out of his bathroom, and Mihoshi, waiting downstairs, 
was enjoying a cool drink. If it helps you to imagine 
it was something like lemonade, do it because it was 
made from a fruit that doesn't grow on Earth and is 
indeed unpronounceable in the human throat. She and 
her friends had been playing for hours after getting in 
the lake, and she was only now beginning to wind down. 
But then she remembered something a little embarrassing- 
she had left her spare swimming costume in Kaz's room 
when she had gone up there earlier. She must have just 
put it down and forgotten about it and she knew she wasn't 
really supposed to go into a boys room, even if Kaz said 
it was okay. So she was caught in moral dilemma- wait 
here and let Kaz touch her little costume which was, well, 
hers or go up there and run the risk of either disturbing 
him in the bath or being found in his room? It was a tough 
choice, but for all her bumbling good-naturedness, Mihoshi 
was a doer and not the kind to stand around idle when 
swimming costumes were at risk. She knew her way 
through Kaz's house quite well- Kera had often invited 
her round because she felt it was good for Kaz to know 
girls like her. She tip-toed up the stairs, looking up onto 
the landing- luckily most of it wasn't in view of Kaz 
because the bath-room was tucked away in a corner. 
Then she started to crawl slowly across the landing, 
making as little noise as possible. 
But she had forgotten something important about 
the fruit she had just been drinking- it not only 
made you feel good, but it relaxed you. She could 
feel a drowsiness creep over her, but carried on 
crawling, commando style, along the landing. 
She could hear Kazekera singing, or at least humming, 
a little tune in the bath. She stifled a yawn  as she thanked 
her lucky stars- this would give her an indication of 
where he was in future.
But then she remembered- she had to pass the bathroom 
to get to his bedroom, and it was next to his half-brother's
room, who was also waiting for a bath. She liked Kazekera's 
brothers and sisters, but they were all a little nervous of 
her because she was a human (N.B.: Whoever is saying 
'No she's not!' she IS a human, just not a human from Earth- Jim). 
She was more and more like a Dryad every day, they said- she 
had even taken sharpening her teeth to points like all the 
Dryad's had naturally (N.B.: I don't know whether you hav 
wondered or even noticed that Mihoshi has vampire fangs, but 
I thought this was good explanation- Jim)- but they still 
felt self-conscious around her. Still, she hardened herself 
to the task and kept moving, though she could now not go for 
a minute without yawning. Passing the bathroom she heard 
Kazekera singing an old Dryad folk-song with that choral 
effect only they could produce (For an explanation of this, 
see further on in the story- Chapter 7,
I think it is- Jim) and wondered what it would 
be like to go in and see him. She hadn't seen him...well...she 
giggled inwardly, a kind of guilty adventurousness creeping 
over her. But going into Kazekera's room alone would be an 
adventure enough if she could keep awake. 
So, trying desperately to hold back her yawns and to keep 
herself alert, she carried on and finally got to Kaz's room 
without (for all she knew) anyone seeing her. She felt pride 
at an operation achieved so well- all that was left was to 
recover the goods like any galaxy police officer would.
She ducked into his room, without needing to unlock it 
(thank god) and was immediately struck with a nameless 
terror. She was in a boy's room. She knew she shouldn't be. 
And she wanted out. But she also wanted her swimming costume, 
and this desire overrode the other. 
It was reasonably tidy, except that it was strew with 
Kazekera's recently departed clothes and some books. 
She couldn't see her costume anywhere. She started looking 
around the floor, blinking in the light of day which was 
becoming painful as tiredness swept on. 
Then she dared to open some drawers, thrilling with the same 
adventurous guilt she felt earlier. 
When this revealed nothing, she finally decided to brave 
the bed. But just as she did, someone started to open the 
door. She started, and then, gathering her wits, climbed 
down the other side of the bed, which was near the wall. 
She could hide here until whoever it was was gone.
By the singing, she quickly realised it was Kaz.
"Au auto la hico asen..."
She curled herself up much smaller to avoid his gaze. 
The odd 'double voice' used by Dryads when they sang 
echoed in her ears. 
"...itchee chikaa ou..."
She could hear him moving around, and put something 
on the bed- god, she was tired- she wished she could just 
go to sleep here with the soft musk of Kaz's earthy scent 
for company...but she still didn't have her swimming 
costume and she would fight to the end for it. 
"...pii pii, pii, pii..."
He carried on tidying before going. She cursed him under 
her breath for his cleanliness. 
Finally he went, closing the door carefully behind him.
She came up, and, gasping for breath, saw that in addition 
to his cleaning towel, taken from the bathroom, he had put 
her swimming costume on the bed. She must have left it in 
the BATHROOM, not the bedroom, she realised. 
She felt very stupid for a minute.
Then she collected the costume and was about to go when- 
someone else started to open the door. Sleepy as she was, 
she yelped and jumped back onto the bed.
She looked around for safety, found there was none and 
twisted round to look at the still opening door. Finally she 
found herself cowering and hiding behind Kazekera's towel. 
She peeped over it to see who it was.
At the door was Pyrokera, Kazekera's half-brother. 
The two looked remarkable similar except for Pyro's tell 
tale red colours (in both eyes and hair). 
He looked at her with a puzzled frown.
"Why are you on my brother's bed?"
"Wassit to you?" Mihoshi was having difficulty now keeping 
her speech lucid, \because she was now finally giving 
in to the sleep.
"And why were you crawling along the landing earlier when 
you could just walk? You must be going a bit crazy, Mihoshi!"
"I was bein' a galaxy police officer. THEY always crawl."
"Why?"
"Dunno." Pyrokera looked at the towel Mihoshi was hiding 
behind.
"He dried himself with that, you know." He said, with a faint 
sneer.
"That's what a towels for, isn't it?" she said, dumbly.
"*Intimately* dried is what I mean." Said Pyrokera, with a 
mixture of suggestiveness and careful thought about 
pronunciation. The wasn't news- Kazekera's scent was all over
it.
"Yeah." Yawned Mihoshi. "Seeyalater, Pyro." Pyrokera shook 
his head at this crazy girl and left.
Unable to contain sleep any longer, Mihoshi, weighed down by 
drowsy liquids and a day of swimming, curled up in Kazekera's 
towel, clutching her swimming costume in her little hand, 
feeling a little bit of naughty pleasure that Kaz had dried 
himself intimately with her new blanket.  

All this reminiscing had let Mihoshi forget her revenge plans- 
but now it was back to work. Kaz was now heading toward her 
and the lab, while Tenchi was going upstairs. 
She was preparing to jump out and give him a fright when 
someone touched her on the shoulder. She yelped and turned 
around to face Ayeka, looking rather tired with Ryoko just 
behind her.
"Hello, Mihoshi- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh, hi!" said Mihoshi, calming down. She was a little upset 
that now Kaz's suspicions would be roused and she couldn't 
surprise him. 
"Me and Ayeka just went out on a looooonnnngggg walk and so 
we'd be grateful if we could get a little something to eat 
and then go to bed." 
Ayeka nodded in agreement, and yawned.
"Hello ladies." Said Kaz coming in, still wrapped in his 
towel (N.B Now it's time to play 'spot the WWF reference'- Jim) 
Mihoshi cursed inwardly and consigned tomorrow as a 'getting 
back at Kaz day', although, as always, she would probably forget.
"Ooo, nice towel!" said Ryoko, with a little too much 
sexy inflection.
"Were you having a bath with Tenchi? I would love to 
see that..." 
The Princess of Jurai nodded sleepily again, a sign of either 
her extreme tiredness (she had not spotted Ryoko's 
intentions) or the effectiveness of the friendship making walk 
they had just taken.
"Well, since you have all three been up for a while, I'll make 
you something and then we can get to sleep."
Mihoshi grinned 
"Yaaayyy!!" she said- perhaps she would get a kind of pay-back 
after all. And so Kaz made them a little snack, and then they 
got caught up in the arms of welcoming sleep- it had been a 
near perfect lazy day.

THE END

Well how did you like that? I think this is one of my
favourite episodes, and it has a good deal of a
bearing on the rest of the story. I realise the
'power of song' bit at the start was a bit cheesy, 
but I had it in my mind from the beginning so I had to 
put it in somewhere. It's more like the cartoon than 
most of my story, in a lot of ways. 
Still, any C&C to
jetset@ntlworld.com
or
comageddon@ntlworld.com
And stay tuned for the next innuedo filled epsiode
of Tenchi O-Rusuta©:Kazekera!
Cheers,
Jim 'Diabolo' Moore