Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and the characters of that show are the property of AIC and
Pioneer LDC.  This fanfic is in no way a challenge to the copyrights and/or trademarks
owned by those companies.  The only thing the author has any claim to is the characters
and writing which he himself composes.  I am not making any money off this so please
don't sue me.  

This story takes place in the OVA universe, shortly after episode 13.  Italics denote a
character's thoughts, while flashbacks will be (hopefully) clearly noted.  Line breaks 
signify a
scene change.

Comments, critiques, and praise are all much appreciated as I then know people actually
read this.  All comments can all be sent to Majingotenks0@hotmail.com

Warnings: As always read at your own discretion.  Possible OOC although I try to be as
true as I can.


Shadow Of The Kutan Part 2: Another Time, Another Place, And Yosho's Party

Tenchi surveyed the group before him.  Sasami stood defiantly by Aeka, Ryo-Oki on her
shoulder, demanding to be taken along to Tokyo to get gifts for Yosho's surprise party.  

Ryoko appeared beside Tenchi sighing, "Well I guess they can come along too." 

Tenchi looked at her bewildered, "W...well actually I was going to go alone," he sighed 
in
defeat, "but since you're all here I suppose we can all go." He looked at Aeka and 
Ryoko,
"but no fighting!"

"We promise!" both girls chimed as they crossed their fingers behind their backs.

"Ok we have fifteen minutes to make the bus so let's go," Tenchi began walking as Sasami
ran up to walk with him.  Aeka and Ryoko followed, giving dirty looks to each other 
along the
way.  

As they waited at the bus stop, Sareno appeared though a portal which closed behind him
as he walked though, "Washu asked me to pick up something from both of us since you
and your family have been so kind as to let her attach her lab to your house."

"No problem.  She helps us out a lot with the damage which somehow happens to show
up from time to time," a large sweatdrop formed on both Ryoko's and Aeka's foreheads as
Tenchi continued, "I heard that your lab is now attached to hers.  How's that working 
out?"

"So far it has been mutually beneficial so I suppose I might be dropping by a little 
more
often than I initially expected."

The bus rolled up and the group walked inside.

Tenchi sat across from the Galaxy professor, as Ryoko and Aeka sat one on each side of
Tenchi.  Sasami began playing with Ryo-oki, who had snuck aboard in Sasami's backpack,
in the seat next to Sareno.

Having been unable to get Tenchi's attention, Aeka broke into the conversation, "So
Professor Kadreth, do you not have classes to teach?"

Sareno glanced over at her, "Well actually I am currently on sabbatical, which means I 
do not
have classes for this term in order that I can focus more of my efforts on research.  
The
Academy doesn't really mind, especially when every article I publish adds to their
reputation.  Which reminds me, Tenchi thank you again for all of your hospitality."

"No problem.  This kind of thing happens all the time around here."

"Must be pretty exciting."

"Sometimes it is, although it seems to be the normal thing now."

The two began discussing various topics as both Ryoko and Aeka began to snuggle closer
to Tenchi as the ride wore on.  Tenchi, relieved to be speaking with someone who was not
constantly flirting with him or actively vying for his attention, enjoyed the 
conversation to the
point that he did not notice the actions of the girls until he felt something sliding up 
his leg. 
Turning, he saw Ryoko's hand on his thigh, who smiled seductively upon being discovered. 
Tenchi instinctively recoiled from the touch, embarrassed at the public show of 
affection, and
backed up into Aeka who sat less than an inch from his other side.  Tenchi turned to see 
the
princess, dip her head in her own embarrassment, blushing furiously.  Sareno quietly
chuckled to himself and noticed Sasami asleep with Ryo-oki in her arms on the seat next 
to
him.

After a few more hours of awkward silence, the bus stopped in Tokyo, near a shopping
arcade.  Nudging Sasami awake, Sareno got up as Ryo-oki looked up at him before
scampering back into the backpack, "Miya!"

"Yes we're here.  Now hide before the driver sees you," Sareno whispered.

As the group got off the bus, Ryoko stretched, "Ok now to find the perfect gift and 
outdo
Aeka again."

Tenchi looked at his watch, "Ok we'll meet back here in two hours.  We don't have much
time, otherwise grandfather will start to wonder where we are."

The five of them split up in different directions, each trying to find the right gift, 
although Aeka
and Ryoko were more focused on winning Tenchi's affection from finding a better gift.  
After
about an hour, Tenchi had grown tired of window shopping.  Everything seemed nice, but
nothing was what he was looking for.  He felt someone tapping his shoulder as he looked
into the window of an antique shop.  Turning around he saw Sareno pointing at a 
beautiful,
black and white marble chess set, the pieces hand-carved.  "How does that look?  I heard
your grandfather enjoys chess."

Tenchi examined the set, admiring the detail, "Ummm I think it's a little out of my 
price
range."

"Tell you what.  Why don't we split it?  From the data I've gathered, I'm willing to 
wager that
your grandfather is the type of person who would appreciate such craftsmanship."

Tenchi scratched his head, looking at the chess set again.  He thought that it was a 
piece of
art, and that his grandfather does enjoy chess, "Ok.  It's a deal then."

Returning to the meeting spot, Tenchi observed various gifts the others had purchased. 
Ryoko proudly displayed a beautiful new katana with an ornate sheath, adorned with a
dragon made of gold.  The handle displayed a similar design on the hilt, connoting it's
function as more for decorative purposes than actual use.  Aeka had acquired a box of 
two
small, but beautiful bonsai trees with a set of new clippers for the shrine, and 
declared to her
competitor, "Well I think that Yosho will appreciate this gift much more than yours 
Ryoko. 
After all, this is something which...."

Ryoko snapped, "Oh shut up with you and your trees princess.  Everyone knows...."

As the two older girls argued over who had the better gift, Tenchi silently hoped that 
Ryoko
actually paid for her gift.  

Sasami tugged on Tenchi's arm to show him her gift, "Tenchi look at what Ryo-oki and I 
got."

Tenchi looked down, smiling at her, "What is it Sasami?"

Sasami beamed as she declared, "Ryo-Oki and I got him a new robe for the winter.  It's a
lot heavier than the ones he normally wears.  I think he'll like it.  Don't you Tenchi?"

Examining the robe, Tenchi agreed, although the large design of a carrot on the back 
caused
him to raise an eyebrow "I think he will Sasami." Looking over at Aeka and Ryoko, Tenchi
sighed, "Let's go home before the authorities have to come and break this up, or they 
both
ruin their presents."

Ryo-oki meowed in agreement as the group finally made their way home, back to the
Masaki residence.
_______________

"You know, it's too bad that Mihoshi is still on assignment.  I bet she would've wanted 
to be
here," Tenchi remarked as he began hanging a large streamer from the ceiling.

"Yeah too bad," Ryoko snorted, lying on the couch, "airhead."

Aeka looked down from the ladder she was on, "Ryoko that's not very nice.  And why 
aren't
you helping us decorate the room for Yosho?"

"Looks like you're doing a fine job by yourself princess," Ryoko laughed.

As Aeka turned a bright shade of red, Sasami continued to set the table, "I think it's
wonderful that we're having a party."

Tenchi continued to struggle with a stapler and a stubborn decoration, "Yeah.  Dad said 
that
he always celebrated grandfather's birthday tomorrow so I suppose we should continue the
tradition.  Since he's away this year though it's up to us to set everything up."

Aeka looked over at Tenchi, "I think it's a very nice thing for you to take this 
responsibility
Tenchi."

>From her position on the couch, Ryoko kicked Aeka's ladder, causing her to lose balance
and fall to the floor with a crash, "Clumsy princess.  You should be more careful."

"Ryoko you did that on purpose!" Aeka stood, fuming.

"Now now calm down.  We wouldn't want to blow up all the work Tenchi's put into this 
room
now would we?" Ryoko laughed.

Tenchi spotted Washu who had arrived moments ago and was observing the brewing
conflict, "Hey Little-Washu have you found a way to keep grandfather away from here for
awhile?"

Washu smiled proudly, "Of course.  It was a simple task for the Universe's number one
genius!"

Tenchi smiled nervously,"Ummm.  You didn't lock him in your lab or anything did you?"

The red haired scientist laughed, "Of course not!," smiling innocently Washu looked at
Tenchi, "Why would I ever do something like that?"
 
Tenchi immediately thought of over a dozen reasons why Washu would do exactly that,
but instead he asked, "So where is he?"

"I asked Sareno to spar with him."

Tenchi hoped that the match would last long enough for the preparations to be finished.
_______________

Sareno calmly regarded the old man in front of him over the shimmering violet glow of 
his
crackling light blade.  Now how did I get myself into this?  A light spar to keep him 
away? 
This is light sparring?

Yosho met his gaze and stood as a statue, Tenchi-ken vibrating softly in his hands.  
This will
be an excellent challenge to hone my skills.  I haven't had anyone to spar with besides
Tenchi since Kagato came to Earth.

Suddenly, without warning, Yosho leaped at the smaller man, slashing down where Sareno
had stood before the scientist phased out and reappeared two steps backwards,
responding with a thrust of his own.  Yosho quickly regained balance, expecting the
backstep and parried the blow, the blades locking for an instant, sparking before both 
leapt
back.  Sareno noted that the old man was both quicker and stronger than he looked.  The
pair stood, assessing the other for weaknesses, before Sareno closed the gap between
them, slashing across his body and following up, bringing his sword back across in a
backhand motion.  Yosho sidestepped the first swipe and jumped over the second,
bringing the blue beam of Tenchi-ken down upon Kadreth.  The professor brought his free
arm up, creating a momentary force shield, blocking the blow.  Yosho backflipped to 
avoid
the energy ball which Sareno countered with, but Sareno had made a quick calculation and
unexpectedly spun around, and in a blur of motion, his light blade sped out of his hand
towards the spot where Yosho had landed.  Caught off balance, the Juraian prince barely
managed to avoid the javelin of energy, but before he recovered, Sareno had already
formed another blade and had charged.  Yosho relied on his experience and fell to the
ground, knocking Sareno's feet from under him at the same time.  Kadreth pitched 
forwards,
but maintained his concentration to activate his power of flight to control the fall and 
convert it
into a flip in order to land on his feet a few yards away from his opponent.  Yosho 
calmly
regarded Kadreth with a small smile, "Not bad.  You certainly have mastered your powers,
and your intuitive strategy's not bad either, but it will take more than that.  One must 
also
cultivate the spirit in order to harness your natural instinct into that of a true 
warrior."

Sareno frowned slightly, "Then I suppose it's time to end this" A second blade of light
formed in his opposite hand as he implemented a chaos theory and calculated his next few
moves.  Yosho backed into a defensive posture in order to compensate for Sareno's
second weapon.  Sareno charged, but phased out a few feet from him in order to reappear
on Yosho's left.  Yosho, half expecting the scientist to teleport behind him, quickly
compensated and backed up another step in order to assess the situation.  Sareno
attacked, using both beams equally and Yosho was forced to give up more and more
ground as he searched for a pattern in the random seaming set of attacks.  Although 
Sareno
seemed to have the advantage, he noticed that he wasn't coming close to actually scoring 
a
hit.  The old man had years of experience fighting and quickly recovered from the 
initial
surprise and despite having two blades, Sareno found himself starting to give back 
ground. 
Yosho, noticed that when on the defensive Sareno's maneuvers became slightly more
predictable, probably because he was reacting as opposed to actively attempting to
dissect his opponent's weaknesses.  Sareno soon found himself relying on his ability to
teleport more and more often to get out of the way of the relentless attack.  To buy 
himself
time to regroup, his second blade reverted into an energy ball, which split into five 
smaller
projectiles which flew at the ground in front of Yosho.  Yosho, expecting such a move
eventually, leaped over the blasts and landed behind Sareno, the blue blade of Tenchi-
ken
resting just above the shoulder of Sareno.  The remaining violet blade of Sareno winked
out of existence as he turned to face the sensei.

It was then that Yosho noticed the line of perspiration along the brow of Sareno as the
scientist began breathing heavily.  "Well done.  You have a great instinct for offence 
and are
able to combine various tactics with ease," the blue blade of the master key 
extinguished
itself, "you need to work on your defense and stamina.  I notice that you did well 
hiding your
fatigue from me, but it would be better if you did not tire so soon." 

Sareno bowed, "Thank you.  You are even better than your reputation among the
household.  I thought it would be best to hide the fact that I was tired for as long as 
I could,
lest you try to press harder." Yosho turned from him, "Well we will work on all of that 
later.  I
suggest that we go something to eat hmmm?  I believe Sasami should be finished with
dinner soon."

Sareno nodded, going over in his mind the experiment he would need to finish afterwards
and summoned his holo-computer.  After a few keystrokes, and a quick warning sent to
Washu's computer of Yosho's impending return to the house, his clothing reverted back to
his Galaxy Academy Uniform and the computer disappeared back into the ethereal.  
_______________

Yosho knew something was amiss the minute he stepped inside.  The lights were off and it
was unusually quiet.  Looking over at the smaller man beside him, he held out a finger 
telling
Sareno to wait.  Yosho stepped inside the doorway cautiously, alert for any ambush.  He
felt someone push him from behind as he pitched forward into the dark living room.

"SURPRISE!" Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami, Washu, and even Ryo-Oki jumped out from
their respective hiding places.

Startled, Yosho did his best to remain stoic, the earlier activity having made him 
temporarily
forget about this little tradition.

Sareno laughed softly to himself as the old man closed his eyes, "Very good Tenchi.  You
are getting better at this.  Your father will be proud when he gets back."

Tenchi did his best to hide his smile, knowing that he bested his grandfather this year,
"Thanks Grandpa." He turned to Sasami, "Hey Sasami where did we put that cake?"

"Over here Tenchi!" she called as she rolled it away from Ryoko who eyed it hungrily.

Tenchi smiled "Ok good then let's..."

Sasami interrupted him, "Um Tenchi aren't we forgetting something?"

Tenchi thought for a moment before a large sweatdrop formed on his forehead, "Oh I 
forgot
the special dinner you cooked.  I'm sorry Sasami."

The little girl giggled as she ran into the kitchen, delightful smells emanating from 
the now
open door.
_______________

A few minutes later, Washu, who had ducked into her lab to check on something, came
running out, drenched with cold water.

"Kadreth!"

Aeka raised an eyebrow at the long, soaking wet, red-hair before bringing a hand to her
mouth to cover her laughter.

Ryoko, not nearly as polite, laughed out loud.

Tenchi looked over concerned.

"What happened Little-Washu?" Tenchi asked.

Washu ignored him, obviously furious, "Sareno that "joke" shorted out my computer!  Go
fix it!"

Sareno, who had been laughing to himself the minute she had entered suddenly stopped,
shocked, "What?  Isn't it protected against that?"

Washu, still dripping pointed at the door to her lab, "Now!"

Sareno mouthed an obscenity to himself before running into the lab, "Where is it?"

Washu yelled out after him, "It's by the first window!"

The red-haired scientist began to wring out her hair as she chuckled.

Confused ans suspicious, Ryoko asked, "What's so funny?"

Washu held up a hand, "Wait a sec....five...four...three...two...one..."

"Washu there's nothing wrong with....AHHHHHH!!!!" Sareno yelled before reappearing,
also drenched.

Washu cackled with laughter, before looking at Tenchi "Oh I missed having him around."

She turned back to her former student, "Now we're even."

Sasami, who had been in the kitchen the entire time yelled as she entered, "Dinner's 
ready! 
Why are you two all wet?"
_______________

After the dinner plates were cleared, Aeka and Ryoko brought in the presents which were
purchased the day before.  Yosho slowly and methodically opened the first gift.

Sasami beamed, "That's from me."

The old man opened the box, examining the robe, "Thank you very much Sasami.  I could
use some new winter clothing this year." He paused as he looked at the gigantic picture 
of a
carrot sewn on the back of the robe and looked at Ryo-Oki who mewed at him, "I see you
must also have had some input on this gift."

"Meow!"

Yosho smiled, petting the cabbit, "Well thank you as well."

He carefully refolded the heavy cloth and placed it back into the box.  Examining the 
next
gift, he turned the messily wrapped box over in his hands, "Ryoko?"

Ryoko looked almost shocked, "How'd you know?"

He smiled, about to answer, but Aeka chimed in, bringing a hand in front of her mouth to
hide her laughter, "Because of the hideous job you did in wrapping it."

"Hey! Now you listen here you little..."

"Girls! Girls!" Tenchi gave them both a look which silenced them, although the glares
continued as he turned back to his grandfather who was already examining the unwrapped
sword.

"It is a beautiful piece Ryoko.  You must have put quite a bit of thought into this.  
Thank
you."

Ryoko smiled proudly as she stuck her tongue out at Aeka, "See?  Told you."

Aeka merely smiled, handing Yosho her neatly wrapped present....
_______________

The other gifts were opened and neatly placed in a corner.  Aeka and Ryoko argued whose
gift Yosho liked better, although he insisted that he enjoyed them equally.  Tenchi was
pleased by his grandfather's reaction to the new chess set.  He had been impressed by
the craftsmanship and had been challenging Tenchi to a game.  Washu in the meantime had
set up the karaoke machine in the corner of the room as the others watched Ryo-Oki
attempt to disentangle herself from a fallen streamer.

"HEEELLLLOOOO EVERYBODY!"

Everyone turned to see the blonde galaxy police officer in the doorway.  "Sorry I'm 
late. 
As soon as I heard about what was happening I tried to get here as quickly as I could.  
Did I
miss anything?"

Tenchi waved, "No you're just in time.  Washu's setting up the karaoki machine and we
haven't had dessert yet."

Mihoshi looked at Tenchi, confused, "There's a party here?" Oh wow!  This is great!"

Aeka mumbled to herself, "That's why we're here dimwit."

Mihoshi began to think, "No I came here for another reason...but I can't remember why 
now. 
Oh well."

Finally, the red haired scientist turned on the music and began singing.

Sareno stood by the corner of the room away from the rest who were dancing and laughing
as Ryo-Oki spun on the ground, falling after a while, quite dizzy.  As Ryoko and Aeka
escalated what initially was simply competing to get Tenchi to dance with them into an 
all out
tug-of Tenchi, Kadreth was watching Washu who, temporarily caught up in both the moment
and the music, had sunk to one knee, one arm outstretched, pouring out emotion as she
sung into the microphone. 

He suddenly thought to himself, She looks like a goddess.

As the song ended, Washu opened one of her closed eyes towards the audience.  She
saw Sareno smiling and nodding at her as her daughter and the princess of Jurai were
fighting again.  Tenchi and the others broke from the spectacle of Ryoko and Aeka to
applaud the scientist's efforts.  

Washu beamed as she stepped down and smoothly pushed Ryoko to the stage as her
daughter glared at her competitor.  Ryoko nearly screamed when Aeka latched herself onto
Tenchi's arm, "Yes Ryoko, sing something nice for me and Lord Tenchi to dance to."

Ryoko nearly exploded at the remark, but Tenchi interjected, "I'm not much of a dancer
Aeka.  Ryoko why don't you sing after we eat dessert?"

Relieved, Ryoko exclaimed, "Yeah that's a good idea.  I could use something to drink 
first,"
hoping that she would find a way to incapacitate Aeka before she had to sing in order to
protect Tenchi from her.  

As Tenchi, who himself was relieved to have successfully diffused that bomb temporarily,
walked into the kitchen with the two girls following, Sareno, having been engaged in a
conversation with Yosho about the significance of the holiday, finally noticed that 
Washu had
left. 

"Excuse me Yosho, but I just remembered that I left some equipment on in my lab and I
need to deactivate it before it explodes"

"Sure.  Just come back in time for dessert."

As Kadreth began to walk towards the sub-space portal to Washu's lab, Yosho called out
after him, "Hey Sareno we still have that chess match to play!"

"Of course.  I need to see how good a `grand-master' really is."
_______________

Sareno opened the door a crack, enough to phase in without hitting the crab-shaped bell
that was on the other side, quietly closing it behind him.

The lights were dim, and most of the equipment was not running, except certain machines
which were always on.  The room was quiet and the sunset on a distant planet was just
finishing in the horizon of a window.  The only sound was the clacking of a keyboard as
Washu sat on her cushion typing away at her holo-computer.  Sareno quietly walked up
behind her, careful not to make any noise which would give away his presence in the lab
and stood behind her as he had so many times in the past.

Washu felt someone behind her and wondered for a minute if the newly returned Mihoshi
had gotten past her defenses again somehow.  She nearly jumped out of her chair when
she felt a pair of arms encircling her neck and shoulders, but did her best to hide it.

Sareno leaned his head in the crook of her neck, looking over her shoulder at the 
screen.  He
looked sideways at Washu who was still typing away, "What are you doing?"

Washu felt his breath on her cheek, their faces being so close and said evenly, "I am
recording the psychological effects of a relaxed atmosphere on an antagonistic 
relationship,
specifically between Ryo...." as she turned to face him, her lips brushed against his
accidently.

"Oh!" Startled and slightly embarrassed, Washu nearly fell off her floating cushion to 
the
ground, but Sareno steadied her.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence as the two looked at each other.

Sareno moved closer to her again and when she did not move back, he tried to close the
gap between them even further.

"HELLO!! Dessert's ready guys!, Mihoshi yelled as the warning bell snapped Washu and
Sareno form the moment.   Sareno glared at Mihoshi for a moment and said, "We'll be 
right
there!"

He turned to Washu, but she was already off her chair, walking towards the door.

Washu was glad to have the lights nearly off as it hid her blushing rather well. What 
the hell
was that Washu?  She thought to herself, confused and uncomfortable with what had just
occurred.  

Sareno sighed and started to follow the two women out, but turned around.  "I'll be 
right
there!" He quickly accessed the security cameras in the lab, using a back-door in the
programming he hoped Washu hadn't found yet and quickly copied the last five minutes of
monitoring to his own, private database.  He then carefully deleted all information 
regarding
the transaction.
_______________

Yosho examined the battlefield critically.  His position appeared precarious, yet he 
knew
that if he waited long enough an opening would appear.  He would only need one.

Sareno passively regarded the chess board, his expression revealing nothing about his
personal feelings.  The game still appeared to be within the earlier stages, yet a 
mistake at
this point could set the tempo of the match.

The professor slowly picked up a bishop, holding it high above the board, "I always
believe in having multiple contingency plans in case something goes wrong.  That way, it
always leaves my options open to achieve the best result." He placed the piece back
down on the board, threatening Yosho's rook at the same time protecting his own king.

Yosho looked over the implications of the move and shifted a knight, knocking Sareno's
queen over, "Is death an option?"

Sareno regarded the move stoically, "It's always there, but usually it's not a preferred
method as if you fail, you will never get another chance.  If you try something else, 
you still
have a chance of rectifying it later.  Odds are not important as they can always be 
worked
around if you think in four dimensions or more."   He moved his bishop again, smirking,
"check mate in sixteen moves."

Yosho raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure?" He moved his knight again, blocking the
bishops path to his king.

 Sareno shrugged and moved his own knight, threatening both Yosho's queen and rook. 
"See it now?"

Yosho smiled, recognizing the control Sareno had placed over the board and bowed
slightly, "Well played.  Another?"

Tenchi looked up groaning, "Grandfather!  That's the eighth game in a row and it's 
getting
late!"

Yosho, who  continued to examine the board, determining at what time he lost control of 
the
game, sternly replied, "Tenchi you must learn more patience.  One will never become
better unless he tries to rectify his own mistakes."

Tenchi shrugged, "Ok, but I'm going to bed.  The others have fallen asleep already."

Sareno casually observed, "Probably from eating too much cake."

Ryoko meanwhile had sulked off to a corner with a terrible stomachache from the amount 
of
food she consumed during the day, as the others had spread out over the floor asleep, "I
am never eating that much again.  Ever!"
_______________
END OF EPISODE 2

Author's Notes: Seems like it's going pretty slow huh?  Well don't worry it speeds up
drastically after the next, short section.  Hope you enjoy the next part.

-Calico Zero
Majingotenks0@hotmail.com