-=^=-
MAGARU: In case any of you are looking for lawsuits, we have a disclaimer. 
It's in the first chapter. Okay, fine, if you're not happy, we'll put one in 
this chapter, too.
RAYANI: We--we don't own these--these characters, except for the ones--the 
ones with English nick-nicknames and Rayani...
MAGARU: Happy now?
RAYANI: So...here's chapter...chapter four.
MAGARU: What's the matter with you?
RAYANI: Washu again...another exp--experi--experiment...
MAGARU: Ha ha, she fell asleep. You readers read while I go raid the 
refrigerator for the last of her chocolate cake...

-=^=-

Chapter Four: Family Reunion

Kiyone Makibi turned Yagami's siren on as a ship came hurtling past. Nearly 
knocking her coffee off the control board, Kiyone activated the ventral 
thrusters and cut it off neatly, forcing the ship to stop. Another ship 
slowly moved around the one Yagami caught. It was Hinase. "You, in that 
Juraian ship, you're speeding!" blared Yagami's inter-speakers. A screen 
appeared in front of Kiyone.

"I'm speeding?" the middle-aged boy on the screen groaned, breathless. "But 
I'm being pursued by a space pirate!" He bit his lip. A girl with black hair 
was behind him, peering at Kiyone with an anxious look. Kiyone nodded 
officiously.

"You went way over the speed limit for this sector. You could have crashed 
into an asteroid or something!" Kiyone turned to the screen that had just 
emerged. "Minagi, do you have him covered?" The Ryoko-look-alike nodded and 
grinned.

"Check!"

"Now," Kiyone continued, turning back to the boy. "Who is chasing you?" The 
boy looked as if he felt he was being ignored.

"A space pirate! Space pirate Ryoko! Aren't you after her?" Kiyone gave a 
hollow laugh.

"Ryoko's been cleared from our criminal records for at least five years 
already."

Kiyone faltered as a familiar cabbit spaceship bulled right into the Juraian 
ship. Metal shards floated about outside the Yagami as the cabbit ship 
pulled away, undamaged. Another screen materialized next to the other two in 
Kiyone's cockpit. "Kiyone!" Tenchi gasped, grinning at once. "It's you!" 
Kiyone smirked ever so slightly.

"Tenchi! How nice it is to see-" Kiyone stopped abruptly and backed off as 
Mihoshi slid into view. "Mihoshi!" Kiyone yelled, as if seeing a ghost.

"Kiyone, you're not still mad are you about the little accident twenty years 
ago, are you?" Mihoshi sobbed joyfully in the ingenuous way she always 
seemed to pull off. Kiyone clenched her fist in frustrated rage.

"My left arm broken in two places, seven rib bones shattered, my knee cap 
smashed, a nerve in my right arm broken, both my legs fractured, and two 
molars out! You call that a LITTLE accident?" Kiyone roared. "I was in a 
rehabilitation center for five years!" Tenchi gawked at Mihoshi.

"You did all that?" he muttered dubiously. Mihoshi looked at the ground as 
tears welled up in her blue eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Kiyone! I di-didn't mean to..." Mihoshi sobbed and started 
crying. Kiyone sighed as Tenchi tried comforting the crestfallen 
policewoman. Ryoko laughed as she poked her head into view. Kiyone smiled.

"Hey, Kiyone," Ryoko said, shoving Ayeka out of sight.

"Ryoko! You're still living with Tenchi?" asked Kiyone, moving away from the 
wall she backed up against. Ryoko laughed and put her hands on her hips.

"You mean you haven't heard? I got married to Tenchi! So, Ayeka," Ryoko 
glared at Ayeka triumphantly, "that means I can be the queen of Jurai!" 
Ayeka punched Ryoko in the face and bumped her out of the way.

"Hmph. Imagine RYOKO as the queen of Jurai! The empire would collapse within 
a year!" Ayeka snorted contemptuously. An enormous mallet hit Ayeka and 
Ryoko away from the screen. Washu appeared, grinning, with Rayani behind 
her.

"Hiya! Kiyone, the greatest genius in the universe now has a grandson!" 
Washu cried happily. Rayani laughed and twitched her tail enthusiastically.

"He looks just like Tenchi, only with golden eyes, like Ryoko," Rayani 
explained, prodding Ryoko with her tail as the pirate slid back into sight, 
clenching her fists.

Kiyone shuddered and fell to her knees; it was all too much for her to 
accept at one time and she, like Kenny, passed out.

-=^=-

Kiyone woke up and found everyone sitting more or less around her. The boy 
on the screen, along with the girl, was present, bound and gagged. Minagi 
was talking to Tenchi and Sasami. Washu was standing over Kiyone, looking 
worried. She looked down and smiled in relief. "Finally. Honestly, I don't 
see what's so hard to believe, Kiyone." Kiyone didn't answer as she allowed 
her eyes to dart about her living quarters. They stopped on a young boy who 
looked like a yellow-eyed Tenchi.

"Who's that?" Kiyone whispered to Washu, pointing at the boy. Washu grinned.

"Him?" Washu asked slowly. Kiyone nodded. "That's my grandson, Kenuru."

"Oh, I see. Tenchi and Ryoko's--WHAT?" Kiyone burst as if it were 
impossible. Ayeka snorted in amusement and gave Kiyone a pathetic glance.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Ayeka laughed, watching Sasami run about, 
chasing Ryo-ohki. Kiyone smiled.

"No, not really. It's just been twenty years...but none of you have changed 
at all. It's just like one big family reunion!" Washu clapped her hands and 
nodded.

"That's right! Look! Sasami even made us a meal! Come, let's eat!" Washu 
chuckled, pulling Kiyone upright and leading her to a table laden with a 
feast.

Sasami had persuaded Ryoko to let Jakato and Magaru eat something, so Ryoko 
untied and removed the gags on them, and then chained them to the wall with 
a shiny chain Kiyone had lying around. Jakato and Magaru took turns feeding 
each other with their hands; Ryoko had conveniently forgotten to give them 
chopsticks. Kiyone listened intently to the others' stories and caught up 
with what was going on. She couldn't help noticing that Washu wasn't eating 
as much as she usually did. "Washu, what's the matter?" Kiyone asked 
quietly. Washu smiled and put her bowl of rice down as she got up.

"Yume is here," Washu muttered. The genius pointed outside, where a familiar 
spaceship was floating next to Yagami.

The door slid open as a cat-like humanoid woman walked in, followed by a 
robed figure. "Well, well, Washu, we meet again...and again...and again..." 
The woman stopped at a nudge from the robed one. Washu grinned innocently.

"Yume," Washu said simply, nodding her head once. Yume's smile faded a bit.

"You should say more to the greatest supergenius in the universe!" Yume 
cried, laughing triumphantly. It seemed that she had touched a nerve.

"WHAT?" Washu burst suddenly. "I'm the greatest, and you know it!" Everyone 
sighed and picked up the table, moving as far away from the two geniuses as 
possible.

"Do you think they'll fight?" Minagi whispered to Tenchi. He sighed and put 
a shrimp in his mouth.

"If they don't, they'll do something else. I'm sure of it." Minagi laughed 
and watched excitedly.

Washu and Yume were staring each other down. "Give me that boy," Yume 
finally demanded, pointing to Kenny. Washu clenched her fist and held up one 
hand in a sacred fighter stance.

"What do you want with my grandson?" Washu retorted, preparing her muscles 
to move at lightning speed. Yume put up an equally capable stance.

"Kagato is paying me to bring that boy to him." Yume smiled. "And I need the 
money, too. I need a new console for my ship." She noted the look on Washu's 
face and laughed. "Fine. Let's make a deal. If you win, you keep the boy and 
I leave. However, if I win, I take you and the boy to Kagato."

"Deal."

Yume was about to leap in the air when a green circle appeared between them. 
Kagato floated out, smirking. "Kagato, what are you doing here? I was taking 
the boy to you today!" Yume said indignantly. Kagato glanced at Yume.

"I realized that I don't need someone to go and get what I need for me, so I 
just decided to come down and get him myself." He smiled and looked at 
Yume's ship. "Just leave. You have served your purpose." Yume was about to 
say something when Hishima pulled his hood down and whispered something to 
his master. She smirked and nodded.

"Very well, then. I'll be seeing you very soon..." Yume wheeled around and 
strode out the door, Hishima following her. Kagato gazed after her in slight 
disbelief.

"I was expecting her to put up a fight. Oh well," Kagato turned to Washu, 
"no matter. I need you, professor." He put a hand on Washu's shoulder as she 
tried walking away. Washu went rigid and scowled in fury.

"Don't touch me!" Washu yelled, wrenching Kagato's hand from her shoulder 
and slapping him. Kagato laughed indifferently.

"I see. I think you--" Kagato caught sight of Jakato and Magaru, who were 
still feeding each other and completely oblivious to what was happening. 
"Jakato!" Kagato said sharply, causing Jakato to drop his bowl of rice in 
alarm; Kagato had never used his first name to address him before. "What are 
you doing?"

"Well--uh--Ryoko didn't--er--give us any chopsticks," Jakato sputtered. 
Kagato sighed.

"Yes, that's all very well, but you don't have to feed each other," he 
moaned in despair. Magaru turned red and hastily wiped her greasy hands on 
her pants. Kiyone suddenly remembered that she was a Galaxy Policewoman and 
stood up, pointing her gun at Kagato. She kicked Mihoshi, who was pouring 
Minagi a cup of tea. Mihoshi leapt to attention and pulled her blaster out 
of her pocket.

"Space Pirate Kagato, you are under charges of kidnap. Remove your weapons 
immediately!" Kiyone ordered, her eyes glinting. Kagato smiled.

"Oh my, oh my, you really frighten me. I've heard about your heroic efforts 
in the past, but now that you've got Mihoshi as a partner, I hear that 
you've been demoted AT LEAST four times." Kiyone repeated her order.

"I said, put your weapons down!" Kiyone bellowed, shooting her blaster 
several times. The beams of energy were deflected from Kagato and sent into 
the walls of her living quarters. Kagato laughed maliciously.

"What weapons?" he asked, cocking his head arrogantly. Kagato floated over 
to Jakato and Magaru, taking their chains in his gloved hand and crushing 
them. Ryoko was about to stop him when Washu shook her head sharply. "Now, 
give me that boy." He made a motion to grab Kenny, but Minagi deflected it. 
Kagato smiled, mildly impressed. "Why, hello. You look like Ryoko, but I 
don't remember the professor creating two of her." Minagi turned red.

"Master Yakage created me," she said quietly. Kagato snorted scornfully.

"That fool, Yakage?" Minagi scowled angrily.

"Master is NOT a fool! He was more polite and kind than you!" Kagato 
sneered, then shook his head and smiled.

"So you say. Where is he now, your Master Yakage?" Kagato asked, still 
smiling. Minagi turned red and looked at the floor.

"Master has passed away," she muttered.

"Did he really? What a pity. Juraians, such short life spans if they are not 
of Royal blood," Kagato said spitefully. Minagi growled in rage.

"Please stop insulting my master!" Minagi roared, producing her sword. 
Kagato was still smiling.

"I have no need to kill you. Why don't you just give me the boy?" Kagato 
asked, producing his green sword. Nobody seemed to have noticed that Jakato 
was gone from the wall. Minagi lunged at the pirate, bringing her sword down 
with all the force she could muster. Kagato dodged it easily and looked 
towards the table. "Now!"

Jakato seized Kenny and leapt clear over the table and into the green circle 
of light that appeared behind his father. Kagato grabbed Magaru and tossed 
her in before floating in himself. "I'll be back soon to show you 
something!" he called, laughing cruelly.

Ryoko pounded the floor in anger. "What's with him and wanting Kenny?" she 
roared. Ryoko turned to Minagi. "Minagi, go, just go. I don't want you 
around when he comes back." Minagi knew that if she disagreed, Ryoko would 
start a fight with her, so she nodded and teleported to Hinase. Ayeka and 
Sasami looked at each other with equal expressions of deep concern for the 
safety of their friends. Tenchi gave Ryoko a hug and looked puzzled.

"Why did you ask Minagi to do that?" Tenchi murmured. Ryoko smiled.

"Well, say that Kagato did something bad, I mean really bad. Well, I don't 
want her to get hurt for something she's not even a part of." Tenchi 
marveled at the amount of concern in his wife and hugged her tighter.

Rayani wasn't listening to any of whatever was going on. For some reason, 
she remembered the way Kagato's eyes twinkled whenever he was saying 
something true. After going to school with Washu and being her roommate for 
a very long time, she knew how Washu's eyes glinted whenever she was telling 
the truth. Rayani also recalled how Ryoko's eyes became dull and flat when 
she told Kenny false stories of her past. Somehow, Rayani had a feeling that 
Kagato was telling the truth back on his ship when he was talking with her.

Washu noted Rayani's odd mood and called over to her. "Something wrong, 
Rayani?" Rayani was jerked from her little reverie. She burst out laughing 
and grinned.

"I'm sorry, was I just staring?" Rayani asked, flying over to Washu. Washu 
nodded and smiled.

"Yes, you were. Something wrong?" Rayani looked out the window thoughtfully.

"Well, I think Kagato has something to show us. I have a feeling it'll be 
something unexpected," explained Rayani. Washu laughed.

"I think so, too. Well, we'll be ready for him!"