The Laughter of the Gods, Goddamn them -Part 4
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        This was not going to be good.

        Due to a case of bad judgement, Washu's sister was about to
descend on the Masaki household with her daughter in an apocalyptic wave
of fusion-lances, FAE's, and anti-personnel flechette rounds.

        Nothing like sisterly love, is there?
       
        "Come on, Katenu. Surely this will be a lot better if you deal
with them in person?"

        Katenu thought for a minute. "Yeah..."

        "And you're liable to get every interceptor the JSDF has flying
after you. You may be good, but I don't think you can stop them from
shooting this vessel down."

        "True. Let us confront them in person."

        <Thank god for that!> I thought, as she turned off her weapons
systems. 

         I turned my walkman on, and settled down to listen to
"Demanufacture" again. Reioko drifted over, sinuously. She had changed
into something that suited her better than the black tracksuit and
trainers that she had borrowed from me. And it was definitely designed
for her. I think. 

         Come on, the green and red ensemble she was wearing didn't
leave a lot to the imagination, even though she was completely covered
from neck to ankle in this outfit.

         "Why are you and Ryoko so bitter?"

         Reioko sat beside me, and snaked an arm over my chest.

         "She went with Kagato and destroyed a large portion of Jurai."
I nodded, as if not understanding at all, even though I did, as I had
heard all this previously in the OAV's. 

         "What does that have to do with you?"

         "I was _on_ Jurai at the time! I hid deep in the crust of the
planet! That's the only reason I survived! And she _knew_ I was there
and still razed the surface where I had been! After I got out, I decided
that I had to make her pay. Not for Jurai, but because I was the only
person who really could stop her on her own terms. Because she had shown
no consideration for me." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katenu
wandering up. 

         "And what do you have against Washuu? Your own sister?"

         "Building an android was my idea. But that _bitch_ decided that
she would have a go first. From _My_ designs!" Katenu was positively
livid with anger. Energy was crawling over her fists. "It took me twenty
years to find out where she'd put the designs, and then I had to go over
them, repeat the designs for those parts covered in coffee rings, the
charred bits..." Katenu leant over, her eyes as slits. "I was the
younger sister. I was the one that always got ignored. I was the one
that got left out. I _never_ was allowed the education she got. I had to
work my way through the quantum mechanics books with a thesaurus,
dictionary and calculator! _I_ am the one who deserves the credit!" With
that she stormed off, a furious expression on her face. 

         Reioko looked staraight at me, shuddering. "I've not seen her
that mad since I was born. It scared me..." Reioko huddled in closer.
She was moving _much_ closer than I was used to. Our lips were about to
meet...

         "Strap yourselves in kiddies! We're justabout there. Landing in
five... four..."

         Cursing my luck, I strapped myself in, as did Reioko. Both of
us were prepared for the terrible landing that was likely, seeing the
mood Katenu was in. 
*****
         Ears still ringing from the aftershocks of the landing, I saw
exactly where we were. "Look, I don't want to get involved in this
little family feud. I'm going to find a nice bit of shelter..." Katenu
and Reioko were in no state to listen. Katenu was surrounded by a heat
haze, and Reioko was weilding a _huge_ pair of energy blades. I ran for
the house. 

         I knocked on the door, and, somewhat unsurprisingly, Yosho
answered. I had purloined a universal translator headset

*glingleingleingle*/THUMP

 from Katenu's ship, and was trying to fit it on my head without having
read the manual. As Yosho's first words came out, I realised it still
needed some work.

         "Brickhouse hatstand?"

         "What?"

         "Whoopsy lingerie?"

         "I beg your pardon?!"

         *KABOOOM*

         The explosion threw us to the ground, and shook the house. The
first thing I realised was that the explosion must have sorted something
out in the headset, as I could now undestand that Yosho was asking me if
I was alright.
 
         *glingleingleingle*

         "Excuse me one minute, sir. Come here, you..." I plunged a hand
into a bin, and, yet again, pulled out P. DeVice.

         "Right, you little pain in the neck, I am now going to throw
you outside. There is probably a few dozen energy bolts flying around-"
Another crushing explosion rattled the windows- "And it would be a
wonderful coincidence if you were to catch one of them. OUT!"

         "Now, young man," said Yosho, "What are you doing here?"

         "Where is Tenchi?"

         "What do you want with him?"

         "I think he's the only one who can sort out this mess. Washuu's
sister and Ryoko's cousin have turned up, and are extremely pissed over
a few things that happened several millennia ago."

         "I see." This voice came from the stairs, and I looked round to
see Tenchi standing there, Tenchi-ken in his hand. "And I suppose you
have some sort of bone to pick with me."

         "NO! I just need a little backup to stop these crazy bitches
flattening this area!"

         "Let us go then." Tenchi-ken flared into life. I drew my
Daisho. 

         "Just one thing."

         "Yes?"

         "Don't hurt Reioko."

         With that, we charged out of the door, heading to the source of
the chaos that was continuing, swords brandished.

  --------End Part 4--------

The Novocastrian Samurai:
            Bushi, Kenshi, 
            Bishonen Sailor Senshi.
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"Come, muse, let us sing of rats."
"Kunou-baby, you're drunk."