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