Gaijin-no-ai Muyo! (No Need for a Foreigner's Love!) A Tenchi-Muyo! fanfic by Keiichi Masaki (keiichi_dono@hotmail.com, keiichi_dono@altavista.net ) Tenchi-Muyo! is the property of Pioneer and AIC. Note: this is an authorized sequel to Acharyith's fanfic "Lilly Among Thorns." For those of you unfamiliar with that story, it is Kiyone's account of her rather unsuccessful love life. I intend to make things right for my teal-tressed goddess (yeah, I know, I'm an obsessed fanboy ^_^). Chapter 1: A New Arrival --Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan 10:30 PM, JST "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight…" "Kiyone-san*?" Surprised, the Galaxy Police officer turned to see Tenchi Masaki standing in the doorway of her room. She supposed it was rather odd for her to be just sitting there, staring out the window. She pushed a plastic smile onto her face. "Oh, Tenchi-kun*. C'mon in." Tenchi smiled slightly in response and entered the room that Kiyone shared with Mihoshi. The latter had gone out with Ayeka and Ryoko to a karaoke bar for the evening, while Nobuyuki had taken Washu and Sasami to see a movie. Katsuhito was up at the shrine, so that basically left the two of them, alone in the house. (I'm sorry, but this is neither a lemon nor a Tenchi+Kiyone=LOVE fic. For the lemon content, read No Need for a Long patrol, also by me. For the T+K=? content, read Mugen Tenchi Muyo!, co-written by me under the name "Lord Yosho.") Tenchi's eyes followed Kiyone's gaze out the window. "Star-gazing?" he asked softly. Kiyone nodded, trying to maintain a noncommittal expression. She didn't trust herself to speak. She felt his eyes on her, not carrying the lust or desire that the typical man's stare would. Instead, she felt a gentle concern, one she had felt whenever he looked at her, ever since the…incident with her most recent romantic relationship. She realized with a start that he had placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right, Kiyone-san?" "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" The words came out before she could stop them. She didn't intend them to sound waspish, but… Fortunately, Tenchi took it in stride. "I'm sorry. I was just--" Kiyone interrupted him. "No, it's not you. It's me. I--" She swallowed, trying to find the strength to go on. She had spent years building this "ice queen"-image, one she had only let a few others see through, and every time she let someone in, she ended up getting hurt. And she didn't want Tenchi to hurt her. She didn't love Tenchi. Oh, she supposed that she could start feeling that way if she really wanted to--if she were given reason to--but she really just thought of him as a little brother…and, as most people with younger siblings would agree, she didn't want him to know too many of her secrets. So why did she feel like he was seeing right through her? As if reading her like a book, Tenchi said softly, "I'm sorry." "Huh?" What does he mean, he's sorry? Does he know something, or-- "I'm sorry…about what that jerk did to you." Tenchi's voice was soft, but Kiyone could sense the anger in it--the anger at Kentaro. "When I set the two of you up together, I thought he was a good guy. I never imagined that he could…act like he did." His eyes met hers; his gaze was firm but gentle. "He doesn't deserve you." Kiyone was speechless for a moment, then an unlikely thought came to her mind. "Tenchi, are you--" "I'm sorry; I wish I was. I probably could fall in love with you, if things ever settled down around here." Tenchi sighed, then shrugged. "But I do care about you a great deal, Kiyone-san. More than anyone aside from Sasami, you feel like family… oneechan*." This was not what Kiyone had expected to hear Tenchi say. That was not to say, however, that she disliked it… "'Big sister?'" She laughed. "I guess that makes you… ototochan*, ne?" Tenchi returned the laugh. For the first time in a long time, the smile on Kiyone's face was genuine. He would do much to keep that smile on her face… He watched as her gaze returned to the stars outside. Squeezing her shoulder slightly, he asked, "Anything you watching for?" "I was wishing upon a star," Kiyone answered. "Wishing for…" Tenchi nodded in understanding. "I know. Learn that from Sasami?" Kiyone looked up in surprise. "How did--" "I taught it to her," he answered. "Would you like me to help? I mean, two wishes have gotta carry more impact than just one…" The look of surprise on Kiyone's face became a smile again. "I think I'd like that, ototochan." The two of them looked out the window and started the chant again. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight…" --Portland, OR, USA 10:30 PM, PST "…I wish I may, I wish I might, receive this wish I wish tonight." Nick Campbell sighed and turned his gaze from the window to the computer sitting on his desk. Waiting patiently on the screen for its completion was the E-mail message to his friends on the FFML (^_^), saying "see you in eight weeks!" With a flourish, he tapped in the last words, added his signature, and sent the message on its way towards the Information Superhighway. He instinctively ran a hand over the back of his head, expecting to feel his ponytail. Wasn't there, of course; he'd cut it just that afternoon. One wouldn't think, with all the long-haired anime guys in existence, a simple ponytail wouldn't be a problem, but it never hurt to look as unscruffy as possible. Another sigh escaped his lips. It might even improve his chances with the girls over there--not that he expected his luck to be much better than it was over here. Logging off of the local internet provider, he got up and stretched. He was about 5'8", somewhat stocky--not astonishingly handsome, but hardly a monster. His features reflected a blending of Japanese and Canadian, as did the very slightly slanted brown eyes and longish--well, formerly longish--brown hair. A pair of glasses--with aviator- style frames; the last pair he could find in the city--were pushed up on his forehead. As he swiveled his chair around, his eyes fell on the luggage sitting near the door. Two large suitcases and a backpack, all stuffed to the gills. Lying atop his pack was the turquoise haori Auntie Yoshimi and Uncle Ryunosuke had sent him for his graduation from high school almost two years before. Appropriate, considering where he would be spending a large chunk of his summer. Japan. Stuck to the wall by a pushpin was a picture of Nick and his cousin Keiichi, grinning at the camera, taken when he and his sister Megumi had come over that summer. Nick's family had gone over a year ago, for Keiichi's wedding. That was when Nick had been invited by Kei and Belldandy to stay with them come next summer. The ticket was sitting on his desk, next to his wallet. Closing his eyes, he started a mental checklist of everything he planned to take, everything he had packed: eight weeks' worth of clothing (you'd be surprised just how much stuff you can fit into two large suitcases); a camera with plenty of film, about $2,000 in cash (this is what he'd been saving for the entire previous summer; at least the trust fund his grandparents had left would see him and his sister through college--and anyway, about $500 of that would be going to Kei and Belldandy for living expenses); packed gifts for them, as well as for uncle and auntie-- "Oh big bruh-ther!" Nick didn't bother to suppress the groan. He opened his eyes to find his little sister smirking in the doorway. Lindsay had always been the more attractive of the two Campbell children--probably because she looked more like their mother--and at seventeen she was fully exhibiting the exotic beauty that had first caught their father's eye. The warm, gentle soul that had captured his heart, however, seemed to have skipped this generation. That had never seemed to bother the droves of boys who followed her around, though… "Can I help you, Lindsay?" "Shouldn't you be getting to bed now, Nicky?" she chided in a pathetic attempt at a motherly tone. "You have such a long trip tomorrow…" "Oh, just keep talking," Nick responded sarcastically. "You'll put me to sleep soon enough." Lindsay's face clouded over; her brother had always been able to get one up on her when it came to words. "Hah! At least I don't have to go halfway around the world to find a date!" She smiled evilly as he shot out of his chair. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Normally, Nick would throw her out of his room (very nearly literally) at this point, but this time he merely sighed and sank back into his chair. In a quiet voice, he said, "Get out." Lindsay quirked an eyebrow. This was a new reaction. A voice in the back of her mind told her to quit it, but needling big brother was just so much fun… "Aww, what's wrong?" He swiveled his chair back around and looked out the window again. "Me, apparently. Get out." Deciding that there was little to be gained in further torment, Lindsay turned to go. Once the door shut, Nick exhaled heavily. The tears followed soon afterwards. --Narita Intl. Airport, Tokyo 9:30 AM, JST "Thank you for flying…" Nick tuned out the rest of the flight attendant's goodbye spiel and shouldered his pack. It was kinda funny, but once the plane had taken off from PDX, it was like a burden had lifted off his shoulders. (Probably due to the fact that Lindsay wasn't coming. Keiichi disliked her as much as he did. Besides, she was too busy with boys and clothes to really care about where their mother had come from.) Replacing it was a mild thrill, as if he were setting off on an exciting adventure. That was and wasn't the case. His family had gone over many time to visit relatives, but this was his first time all alone. He was looking forward to it. As he came off the jetway, he noticed that he was getting a few odd looks. Well, seeing an American kid wearing a haori was rather unusual. His attention was not focussed on the occasional stares, however. It was centered on the couple holding the large sign reading "Nick Campbell"--that was the part in English; the part written in katakana, it actually said "Kamuberu Niko-kun." The man was maybe three or four inches shorter than he was, with somewhat unruly black hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in an oversized windbreaker, jeans, a T-shirt reading NEKOMI TECH--CLASS OF 2001 on it, and a battered pair of sneakers. The woman beside him--she of the long, pale brown hair and the deep, smiling blue eyes--looked as elegant as her companion did disheveled, even if her outfit was a simple and conservative dress. Yet the two seemed perfectly comfortable with each other--the way a husband and wife in true love should. As he strode into view, the man started waving. Nick grinned and returned the wave, stepping up his pace. Finally he was within speaking distance, and so he spoke. "Kei-kun!" "Nick-kun!" replied Keiichi Morisato. The two men bowed to each other, then clasped each other's hands. "Good to see you." "Good to be back," Nick enthused. He then bowed to Belldandy. "Belldandy- oneesan, good to see you again." "Welcome back to Japan." Belldandy pulled Nick out of the bow and hugged him. "How have you been?' "Fine, I guess. Just finished up at the local community college, and I'll be starting at Portland State come fall." "Well, that's good," commented Belldandy. A look passed between her and Keiichi, one that immediately got Nick's attention. "What's up?" Keiichi smiled easily and Kick inwardly slumped in relief; what they had to say wasn't too bad. "Let's sit down, get something to eat first. You must be hungry, and airline food isn't exactly top-of-the-line cuisine." Explanations come over hot tea and beef bowls in one of the terminal's snack bars. "We just found out yesterday. Belle's pregnant." "Wow! Congratulations!" Nick's elation quickly subsided, however, as the possible implications started to present themselves. Belldandy smiled back. "I'm the first of my sisters to get pregnant, and my father wants to see me--to congratulate us, I believe. I, Keiichi, and my sisters will be going back to hea--er, back home to tell him, and we'll be gone for at least a month." "Oh, I see!" Even as Nick forced his smile to widen, he started to wonder if it would be possible to trade in his return-trip ticket for one leaving tonight… "Don't worry, Nick, we're not telling you to leave." Keiichi's reassurance came so quickly that Nick wasn't able to suppress the sigh of relief. His cousin smiled. "There are plenty of options. First, you could stay with Megumi…" Nick considered it. Megumi was his favorite female cousin--in fact, they were each other's first kiss, though that was something that the family was better off left in the dark about--but she would probably be a bit embarrassed to have a boy, and a gaijin at that, staying with her and her friends. Keiichi saw the look on his cousin's face and anticipated the response. "Probably not. Two, you could stay with my parents…" As if on cue, the beeper on his belt started beeping. Keiichi snatched it up and looked at the message--and slumped his shoulders. "Or you could, except they just left for the weekend." Nick's shoulders drooped. What else is there? "Kei?" Belldandy leaned over to her husband's ear and whispered something in it. Keiichi looked at her for a second, and then grinned. "Thank you, Bell. That's brilliant!" He rushed off toward the nearest bank of pay phones. After talking excitedly for a few minutes, so fast that neither Belldandy nor Nick could make out much of what he was saying, he hung up and returned to the group. The grin on his face had only grown wider. "Everything's solved!" "It is?" Nick said, trying not to get his hopes up too far. "Yep. I just talked to a friend of mine who's already at home on summer break. Now, he lives in Okayama, and that's a little far away, but all you have to do is hop in the bullet train if you want to come up here. My friend's got a really big house, and there's plenty of room!" For the first time since Belldandy's pregnancy had been announced, Nick felt relaxed. "Okay. What's your friend's name?" "Tenchi. Tenchi Masaki." End part 1 Author's notes: Alright, alright, I'll admit it: this is a semi-self-insertion fic. But let me tell you why. First off, I am sick and tired of seeing so many fanfics that make Kiyone miserable just for the sake of keeping her in character. I have taken it upon myself to give my teal-tressed goddess a happy ending whenever possible. How does one go about that, you might ask? Simple: give her a permanent love interest. There are several ways to accomplish this. The most obvious is to hook her up with Tenchi. I am far from opposed to this method; in fact, their relationship and marriage is one of the cornerstones of my Mugen Tenchi Muyo! series. Much as I like this approach, though, there's not much creativity to it. That brings me to choice number two: create an entirely new character. The trouble here is that a "love interest" character can often be rather one-dimensional--that is, s/he's just there to keep the one character warm at night. So why not take it one step farther to number three: make myself the character? And yes, this does fulfill a fantasy for me, too. Nick is me, with a few adaptations: a little older, a little wiser, hopefully a little better looking. (I like to think that I look like a young Ryoji Kaji, but I'm probably closer to Kintaro from Golden Boy--not that that's bad; when he's not making weird faces, he looks pretty cool.) Nick's sister Lindsay is a highly concentrated version of my own (meaning mine isn't nearly that bad, but she can get annoying). Don't ask me which continuity this is in. This is a sequel to Acharryith's "Lily Amidst Thorns." Ask him. The next chapter will be out soon, I promise. Keiichi Masaki, High Priest of the Temple of the Teal-tressed Goddess, Kiyone Makibi Visit my website-under-construction http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Palace/9909 "I am the one you think I am." --Katsuhito "Yosho" Masaki "The carnival comes and goes. If you wait for a while, it'll always come back to you." --Ryoko * -san: Stock honorific. * -kun: "Young person." Used among male friends, in conversation from a superior to a junior, or in basic reference to a young person. * Oneechan: "Big sister." Used in reference to an older sister (obviously!), or to a woman who is like an older sister to you. * Ototochan: "Little brother." 'Nuff said.