Disclaimer: Tenchi and all his troupe of lovers, family, freinds and cretins are property of AIC and Pioneer whose Temple of The Sun can be found in South Africa, built by the Otakus of the Incas who worshipped them for their contribution to their prosperity. Kazekera and The Tenchi O-Rusuta© universe construction were created and devised by The Jetset (Diabolo, Jinchi and Kage Maru 3:16) who live in a box wishing they made this thing they heard of once called 'money'. What? Your still reading this fic? Hooray! Your my friends. Read on, and enjoy- WARNING! Something to shatter the beautiful harmony of the past fics is coming up- but don't worry- it all gets better eventually. -Jim TENCHI O-RUSUTA©: KAZEKERA PART 5: HURTFUL WORDS IN A CLEAR VOICE He was dreaming about Mihoshi again. She seemed to way heavy on his mind, of late. Kazekera had at one time scanned in a 3 dimensional map of Mihoshi into his computer and measured the surface area of her skin. He was surprised at how little there was of her. "What?" he had said "How can I come up with much in so little a space?" But he had, on lonely and otherwise boring nights, worked diligently figuring out exactly what he could do to please Mihoshi, from stroking her hair so it just touched above pleasure centre of the brain to massaging her feet and ankles in that way he knew made her shiver. He was not obsessed, but he cared very deeply about her: and he was always methodical about things her cared about. It was just like any mission, except this had an unexpected surprise- that it's end was nowhere in site and, of course, it was personal. It was the agonising uncertainty not knowing WHY her answer was so late. What could it be keeping her from him? The next day, late in the afternoon, Kazekera was out in the garden with Sesami. Despite Ayeka's only mildly softened attitude to Kazekera in the last few days, Sesami had talked to him the first time she had been able. The two were natural friends- Kazekera had a lucky way with children, and Sesami, for all her years and godly connections, was just that. They were playing a game that was a favourite of her and Mihoshi's- a chasing game through leaves and blossoms, with no particular object except to make the other burst into laughter at some point. "I wish Nobiyuki was here." Said Sesami to her huge companion. "He's got really into this since the Spring time." "I expect Miho-chan will be here soon, Sesami RUnu. Then we will have more confusion and more fun." Sesami's mind rested on Tenchi's father for a minute- he had lightened up considerably since his decision to leave his company. In fact he was due to hand in his resignation in a couple of days. Sesami sat down, suddenly tired. Kazekera joined her, cuddling the little princess to him. She smiled and rested her head on his furry torso. "Shall we wait for Mihoshi, Kaz?" "Yes. I think we shall." They sat in silence for a minute. Then Sesami broke it to tell him- "I'm going to go tell Tsunami about you this evening. Would you like to come with me and be introduced?" "The goddess Tsunami?" he replied "Is she nearby?" Sesami smiled. "Very nearby indeed! She's living in Funhoe, the big tree near the fields- and sometimes she joins with me." "You are her chosen one?" "Her what?" "Gods often choose a mortal soul for their purposes- usually a good soul, but it depends on the god. Religions and Philosophies mention them a lot, but in reality they exist as solid as you and I. You must be very special Sesami, even more so than I suspected." "That's very flattering, Kaz." "Not at all. I would love to come, but." he let the word hang in the air, deciding on the right words. "...evenings are something of a solitary event for me." Sesami didn't have time to reply because at that moment, Kiyone came back from the Yagami and saw the two on the ground. She pretended not to have, and darted into the house as quickly as she could without seeming rude. This kind of behaviour, Kazekera had noticed, was becoming very frequent and he felt he ought to sort it out. Kiyone had been avoiding him quietly for a long time- ever since the first day he got here. He decided to see what could be done. "Excuse me a minute, would you Sesami?" "Oh, of course Kaz." "Thank you." Kazekera got to his feet slowly and followed the G.P. into the living room, where she was still standing and looking lost. "Could I have a word, please, Kiyone?" he said. She looked rather scared, then worried, and finally resigned to this fate. "Uh.yeah, I suppose." She said, shrugging. "It seems that you have been, well.not exactly seeking my company of late. I wondered if it was something I've done to upset you." Kiyone still seemed deeply uncomfortable. "No, no it's nothing like that. I just thought you and Mihoshi would like a little time alone." "She and I do like to spend time together, it's true- be we do not need every moment of the waking day together. I assume it is Mihoshi you are missing and not me?" "Um.in a way." "Am I keeping her from her duties?" "We hardly have any duties at the moment. No, I just wanted to keep out of your way to make you feel more at home." "Do you feel lonely without her?" Kiyone shrugged and writhed under Kazekera's gaze "I guess so." "Do you feel any kind of loss?" "Not in a life threatening way but." "But?" "A little." "Hmmmm.." An idea was forming slowly in Kazekera's passive mind. But he decided not to share it with Kiyone just yet. He would wait to see if she realised herself. "Well, since you work so close to Mihoshi it's only natural that you should feel a loss if she goes." "But she was presumed dead for ages- I wasn't affected then!" "Did she choose to be?" "Well, no but." "It's either one of two things- either you feel a loss because she CHOOSES to spend time with someone other than yourself, or when she was presumed dead you 'numbed' to it, thinking of your career and not your feelings. My advice is this." he leant forward to her, whispering. "Until you find someone of your own, get involved with us two." Greeted only with a rather disgusted look, he continued. "Trust me- even if you were a man I would tell you so. It was only a few weeks ago I began to fully understand the need for a difference." "You mean your b..." "In my species, social interactions are different. There is no understanding of a sexuality. You can take it from me that any Dryad you ever meet will be.open to propositions, I think is a delicate way to say it." "Look, Kaz. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Mihoshi and I just aren't like that. We're....friends. Just good friends. That's all. It may look like I shout at her too much, but...you know. You always hurt the one..." she almost choked on this last sentence. The Dryad took a note of this but let her carry on without mentioning it. "Anyway." she continued, recovering herself "I can't do it. Even if there was some possible, infinitesimal , remote chance that Mihoshi MIGHT have feelings for me." she looked very wistful for a second before instantaneously changing back to her normal self. "I don't have any for her." Now Kazekera was absolutely sure of his assumptions. This put a whole new angle on things. Kiyone continued, unheeding. "And I've only just met you. I doubt-" she added sarcastically "-that we have the grounds for a sensible relationship." "I suppose you should think about it a little." He finished "Still, there is no need to run from me. I want to spend time with everyone- not just Mihoshi." "Okay." Kiyone sounded still a little depressed and confused, but resolved. And so Kazekera went off to play with Sesami and to watch Tenchi practice the sword with Yosho. With this little conversation Kiyone felt more confused than ever about her feelings about Mihoshi and Kaz. So she decided to do something time-consuming which would occupy her fevered brain, and help Washu. The little scientist had a considerably more neat and pristine lab now that Kaz had taken a share in the work.. But this soil experiment (which she had found out was designed to find out what kind of soil radioactivity it took to produce advantageous mutations in some insects) were still going strong and Washu was not noticeably effected by this new, alien tidiness and so the lab would be a great place to get really into something complex and cranial. Or at least it would have been if Kiyone hadn't started getting into a conversation with Washu about her feelings. "I just don't GET IT." she said for the hundredth time. Washu, now not even trying to observe delicate micro- organisms live their lives in the soil, tried to be helpful so Kiyone would either pull herself together or get lost. The night was now closing in, and she had bacteria to poke. "Yeah, yeah, I know." She said. But it made no difference- Kiyone was listening mostly to her herself. ".and then Kazekera comes up and starts talking to me, really kind and considerate but not making ANY sense." "Huh?" Washu looked up, genuinely concerned "You're not breaking up with Mihoshi over him are you?" Kiyone thought. At this point Mihoshi was coming to get Kiyone so they could watch a late night chat show. She tiptoed down the lab stairs, trying not to disturb anything of Washu's. "Well, we're still friends, I suppose." She said. "But you always go on about how your career is going down because of her. Be happy, or whatever it is they say." Mihosi heard the voices and listened for a little at the door. "Yes. I will try to be happy." "Well, first say what it is that's on your mind." "What do you mean?" "The best way to be happy is to say WHY your happy. Just say what you've been wanting to say for a long time." "I...I'm glad that Mihoshi's gone. I can work on my own again. Yes. I'm glad she's spending time with Kazekera now." The words hurt to say, but Kiyone said them anyway. Then she heard a thud outside the door and a sound of running footsteps heading away from the lab. She peered out to see what had happened, but it was no good- the damage had already been done. "There." Washu beamed at her. "Don't you feel better?" "No." Said Kiyone, sitting down heavily. "Not at all." Coming in that evening from watching Tenchi and his Grandfather, Kazekera heard a very unsettling noise. It sounded like a child crying- but Sesami was sleeping already. He went up to the living room, and stretched out on the sofa, tissues by her side, was Mihoshi, crying her blue eyes out. "Little cherry blossom, why are you crying?" "...<sob>...I'm." she spluttered and choked "I mean...she thinks I'm..." "Who think your what, my dearest love?" "Ki...Kiyone...she yelled at me for things and she's not sad that I'm gone...she told Washu that..." She choked back a sob. "...that she didn't want me as a partner...and...and...she...hates me!" Mihoshi burst into another fit of tears and rolled up into a ball. "Mihoshi." In the midst of her tears, she shivered down the whole length of her body. How could he do that? She knew he had said her name in a comforting way but still it thrilled her. Every different ululation of her name from his lips sent her into another throe of comfort and contentment. How could she have let him go every time he came for his answer? Heaven knew she had had a few boyfriends- ones from every corner of the galaxy, ones which made her dizzy and ones which made her feel safe, dark haired, light haired, tall, short, adventurous and peaceful- but never someone who made her feel like the most desirable goddess under the sun and at the same time so comfortable. She had even thought of marring them...(NB: and thanks to many Fan Fic authors, she has several times!) She wished he would never ask her like this, but just burst in and carry her off, kicking and screaming if need be, so she could never come back and they would be together forever. But...she...always...let...him...go. These revelations sent her into a fresh bout of sobbing. "Mihoshi...you must dry your eyes. She does not hate you- that is IMPOSSIBLE. NO ONE could dislike you." "That's...<sob>...easy for you to say!" said Mihoshi "You're blind to the fact that I'm clumsy and...stupid..." she whimpered, damply. "You may be clumsy Mihoshi, and you may seem dizzy to others, but inside your head is a brain which is very clever indeed- you have to think things through slowly- that does not mean you are stupid." He bent down to where she was and whispered in her ear. "And I known that Kiyone sees that. She's just used to things being her way...she lo...she cares about you very much. Your innocence, your kindness- she knows." "Take me to...<sob>...bed, Kazekera." "Yes, my caramel darling." He carefully scooped her off the sofa and straightened up. He planted a light kiss on her cheek. "She...doesn't.." "Yes, she does. I will tell her she does, because to tell you the truth I think she hasn't really realised her...business partnership with you is as important as it is." "Tell me how to make us better partners, Kaz..." "What?" "Tell me how to make myself better- then we can be together again." The words came in bursts as Kazekera ascended the stairs to the spare room. "Very well. You meet me tomorrow at 5.00 o clock sharp near the shrine." "F..f.five?" "Sharp." "I wanna go <sob> to sleep." "Good. Now do it." She did. They arrived at the doorway to Mihoshi's room and Kazekera laid his sleeping love on her bed. "Rest my dear." Whispered Kaz, as he kissed her one last time. "You will need it for the morn." THE END Oh dear, dear- What is in store for our beloved Miho-chan and her more-than-friends? Well, you can stick around day-dreaming about it, or take you life in yor hands and stay up late to read the next episode. Your choice, my deerios. -Jim 'Diabolo' Moore '01 comageddon@ntlworld.com or jetset@ntlworld.com