Ep 9 – Road Trip I'm Russell Piper, and what you're about to read is my first real attempt at a fanfiction. It's based around Tenchi Universe (Tenchi TV) and the OVA so most of the main characters you've seen from there will appear here as well. It also crosses a bit with Dragonball Z with the existence of Dragonballs and immensely powerful warriors. Ryoko and Tenchi had finally chosen to be together, and Aeka is still living at the house for now. You'll see when it happens. Anyway, I'll stop flapping my yap and let you get right to the story. Enjoy! Send all hate mail / fan mail to russael@mediaone.net. *Note: New website going up for the Tenchi fans! Visit it at http://russael.cjb.net The fanfic will be posted there too. Rain. It is the lifeblood of the Earth. It's the one thing that sustains every living organism that exists on this blue planet. Without it, things could not survive, and the planet would become a barren wasteland, with its only value being the minerals that exist below the Earth's surface. It was currently raining outside of the Masaki home in a gentle shower, replenishing the ground with water and giving the plants and animals a much-needed drink. It also managed to cool the outdoor temperature down to a pleasant sixty-five degrees, making it feel very comfortable, and bringing needed relief from the freak weather of the previous day. Usually accompanying a rainfall, a feeling of sadness or depression dampens a person's spirits for the day. This was not the case for the Masaki household. Stirring slightly from her night of blissful slumber, Ryoko snuggled a little closer to Tenchi, resting her head on his chest, and listening to the soft beating of his heart. This heart beats for her, now and forever. It was more soothing than whatever emotion she had ever felt in her entire life, and it was one thing that she was never going to let go of, or have taken away from her. Her destiny lay with him and to always be with him. The love she has for him is total and absolute, no matter what circumstance presents itself. It was the one thing that had made her truly happy, and it was now hers. All hers. When Ryoko had moved, she gently woke Tenchi out of his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to become accustomed to the dim light that filtered through his bedroom window and the skylight above his bed. Slowly bringing his mind and eyes into focus, he looked down toward the warm feeling on his chest, where Ryoko laid her head, with her arms wrapped around him. He smiled to himself and thought about the previous night, and how he had finally allowed his true feelings for her to unlock themselves from his heart and pour forth, like a raging river through a canyon. It was a night that he'd never forget, and it was one that he wanted to cherish forever. He thought about the many times she had expressed her love for him, but he was too afraid to return it. He had loved Ryoko for a long time, but he didn't know when he first started to. It was just too impossible to tell when he began to feel how he did toward her. But it didn't really matter anymore. She was here, now, with him, quietly dozing, as he listened to her soft, rhythmic breathing. Tenchi's smile increased in size, as he took in a deep breath and let out a quiet yawn. Ryoko moaned very softly. He reached down, being very careful and gentle, he ran his fingers through her cyan hair, enjoying the feel of its softness. He reached up and did it again, as a very soft rumble started to come from her. He grinned and felt very contented, and a little amused that she was quietly purring beside him. Trying to increase the intensity of her soft rumble, he continued to pet her, now running his hand down her back, gently scratching around her shoulder blades. As expected, her rumbling increased in volume and intensity, as she took in a deep breath. Her kitten eyes opened themselves slowly, as she stretched herself out and let out a light yawn. Her gaze wandered up Tenchi's chest, and finally locked into his eyes, filled with love, contentedness, and happiness. She smiled, ever so sweetly, as she carefully moved herself up to Tenchi's shoulder, and kissed him on the lips. "Good morning, lover," she whispered, continuing to softly purr for him. "Hello, Ryoko," he returned, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her a little closer, and giving her a little kiss. "Did you sleep well?" She moaned softly and smiled, returning his embrace. "Thank you," she said, quietly. "What for?" Tenchi continued to gaze at her soft complexion, smiling into those golden eyes. "For finally telling me… and showing me how much you love me last night. That was the best thing that has ever happened to me." She squeezed him tighter, kissing him again. "I love you, Tenchi." He smiled down at her, and felt a small lump in his throat, but he did his best to swallow it down. "I love you too, Ryoko," he said, as a tidal wave of relief washed over his body and soul. Yes! He had done it! He finally gathered up the courage to tell her he loved her, and mean it, with all of his heart. It felt so good to finally be able to tell her the words he had felt, but was too afraid to say. Ryoko had no idea how much those words struck home with her, until she finally heard them for herself. A happiness that words could not describe cascaded through her heart, giving her a feeling of unsurpassed peace and tranquility. After a year and a half of pursuing, a year and a half of begging, tears, pleas, fights, and hardships, it all finally came down to those three little words, which he finally told her, after so long. She took in a deep breath, savoring that little phrase, and locking it into her heart. "Ohhh, Tenchi," she moaned, sensually. "Say that again," she begged, looking into his face. "Please." "I love you, Ryoko. More than words can say." The tears started streaming down her cheeks as she kissed him, hard, almost as if she was trying to suck out his soul and make it her own. Tenchi looked at her, almost in shock after she released him. "Ryoko? What's the matter?" he asked in worry. "Did I do something wrong?" She gazed back into his brown eyes lovingly as the tears continued to flow freely, and shook her head. "No. You did everything right. I love you so much, Tenchi. More than even you yourself realize." He gently clasped her cheek in his hand, using his thumb to tenderly wipe away her tears. She closed her eyes and took his hand in hers, rubbing her cheek in his palm, as she sniffled quietly. After a moment, she carefully removed his hand from her face and opened her eyes, pulling herself closer to him, then gave him another kiss, which he wholeheartedly returned, squeezing her tightly. Her tears subsided a moment later, and she continued to smile for him. "I love you very much, Ryoko. I just wish I had the courage to tell you that sooner." "Shhh," she chided him. "Just hold me for a while. I want to savor every waking moment with you." She rested her head on the pillow next to Tenchi, only a few inches away from his face. He rolled onto his side to face her, returning her gaze, which was bursting with overwhelming love and happiness. They both gently caressed each other, allowing their hands to softly roam each other, feeling each other's warmth, both of them ignoring the passage of time and the sound of the raindrops that continually pelted the windowsill outside of his bedroom window. "I wish this moment would last forever, Tenchi." "I do too, Ryoko." He continued to softly pet her, and her him, as the minutes ticked by, but was ignored by the two lovers. Out of nowhere, Tenchi's stomach croaked quietly, but not quietly enough. They both stopped and stared at each other, before they both burst out in a fit of the giggles. "I guess it's time for breakfast," he said, stealing a glance at the clock on his nightstand. He turned back toward her, smiling broadly. "Are you hungry?" Before she had the opportunity to answer, her own stomach rumbled a response, drowning out her soft purring. She blushed lightly, and then started giggling again. "Does that answer your question?" she asked, smiling, as the sound of her contentedness once again became the only sound in the bedroom. "Do you want to get up and get some breakfast with me?" Sighing tenderly, she nodded her head. He chuckled softly. "Okay then," he said, giving her another quick peck in the lips, then letting go of her and sliding himself out from under the warm covers and into the coolness of his room. Casually moving over to his dresser, he pulled out a clean pair of boxer shorts and put them on. After that, he went to his closet and picked out a new pair of shorts and one of the new shirts they bought yesterday at the mall, and dressed, taking care to cut the tags off the shirt and shorts. Looking back toward the bed after he was finished, he saw that she was sitting on top of the covers, dressed in a pretty pink blouse, which covered her whole body. He smiled and looked her over, noticing that the pink brought out the gold in her eyes, but contrasted nicely with her cyan hair. "You look even more beautiful today than you ever did, Ryoko," he said, slowly moving to the bed and offering her his hand with a humble little bow. She smiled and giggled, graciously accepting his invitation, floating off of the bed and standing up on the floor. "You're going to spoil me now, is that it?" "You don't like being spoiled?" he asked, smiling at her gorgeous face. "I think I can get used to it," she said, wrapping her arms around her treasure and kissing him tenderly. Once again, both their stomachs growled at both of them, reminding them that they were hungry and wanted food. Now. And they didn't want to wait anymore. They both looked at each other and giggled lightly as they left the room to go eat breakfast. Aeka slowly awakened to the soothing, quiet pelting of the rain against her window. Moaning softly, she unconsciously stretched herself out under her blanket, rolling onto her back, and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a refreshing yawn. Her violet eyes slowly opened themselves, adjusting themselves to the light coming in through her bedroom window. She smiled to herself, since in a very good mood this morning, despite the depressing rain outside her window. Looking over at the vacant futon next to her, she realized Sasami must have gotten up a little while ago and started on breakfast for everybody. Not one to disappoint, she tossed back her covers, feeling the coolness of the air rush to her skin, giving her small goose bumps. Thankful that today wasn't another scorcher, she got up and went to her closet and chose a red kimono and a violet sash, tossing those onto her futon, and withdrew a white undershirt from her closet, adding that to the pile. Taking care to remove her nightgown and hang it up, she dressed herself in the clothes she picked, and admired herself in the bedroom mirror. Noticing the glitter under her clothes, her smile broadened, as she looked at the small phoenix that hung around her neck, the gift from Tenchi and Ryoko. That gift was the best thing she has ever gotten from anybody in her entire life. Sure, it wasn't no where near the craftsmanship, or quality, or even the monetary value of the other gifts she was given during her marriage meetings, but the meaning behind it was worth so much more. "It means a sign of unsurpassed beauty," Tenchi had told her. She smiled even broader, knowing that Tenchi still thought she was very beautiful. The fact that he was with Ryoko didn't matter anymore, because he still cared about her and her feelings. Even Ryoko did as well, and it filled her with pride and almost indescribable happiness that her former worst enemy would choose a gift like that to give her. And then there was Russ, who even though behaved like a child yesterday, was still considerate enough to buy her those two videos that she was going to get for herself. In a way, she missed having fights like that with Ryoko. Even though yesterday's fight was not physical, it still felt good to behave like a stuck up little child once again. It had been nearly a year since she had fought like that, and it felt really good, and it relaxed her considerably. Knowing she didn't mean any harm yesterday, and assuming Russ didn't either, made her feel at peace. He was a nice man, and so far had shown that he cares about other people's feelings, and that was important to her. A man who cares about nothing except for himself is very selfish, and she wanted no part of a person like that. She noticed that Russ was quite different from other men she had met before, even Tenchi, but he had a charm all his own. He had incredible strength and power, but never used it, unless he was training himself or someone needed his help. Even with his enormous ability to create death and destruction, he didn't seem to want to do stuff like that, but rather prevent it. He had a wonderful talent for music, and was remarkably humble, always thanking people and never bragging about his abilities to others. On top of all that, he was quite handsome, albeit not as handsome as Tenchi. Satisfied that her appearance was adequate, she left her room and went downstairs, seeing Tenchi and Ryoko on the couch, gazing into each other's faces which were filled with love and… something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on. But anyway, it was none of her business, so she smiled as she made her way downstairs. "Good morning, Ryoko and Tenchi. You guys look like you're in a good mood today," she said cheerfully, filled with happiness herself. "Good morning, Aeka. You look like you're in a good mood yourself," Ryoko answered, as Tenchi turned toward the princess. "Hi, Aeka. Did you sleep well?" he asked with a big smile. "Yes! I'm both in a good mood and I had a wonderful night's rest. The rain really helps me sleep since it drowns out most other noises in the house." "Yeah, I noticed that too," Ryoko said, eyeing Tenchi mischievously. He ignored it though, much to her disappointment. "Well, I'm going to go see if Sasami needs any help," he said, making her way to the kitchen, where the sounds of pots and pans scraping over the stove could be heard. A quiet humming was also noticed coming through the door. She took a quick glance around the room. "Where's Russ? Isn't he up yet?" "No, not yet. At least, I don't think so. I haven't seen him this morning," Tenchi answered. "Hmmm." Aeka went into the kitchen were Sasami was busy as a bee at the stove. She turned away from stirring the miso soup when she heard the kitchen door slide open. "Good morning, Aeka!" she said in her usual, cheerful demeanor, running up to her sister and giving her a warm hug. "Good morning, Sasami. You look well rested and happy today." "Yes I am. I don't know why though. It's raining, which means I can't go outside and play, but I feel good anyway." Ryo-Ohki, perched on top of the little girl's head, meowed her greeting to Aeka. "And good morning to you too, Ryo-Ohki," she giggled, petting the cabbit on the head, eliciting a light purr from her. "Well, can I help you with anything in here, Sasami?" "Not really. I've just about finished off everything. I'm just waiting for the miso to finish cooking and then breakfast will be ready. If you want, you can carry out these plates to the table. That will be helpful to me," she offered, smiling sweetly. "Okay." She reached into one of the drawers and drew out a handful of chopsticks, and picked up one of the many plates that were on the counter, being careful not to spill anything. She went back into the living room and saw that Nobuyuki was now awake, and was busily pounding Tenchi on the back, who's face was as red as the kimono she was wearing. "It's about time, Tenchi! I'm so proud to know that you've finally grown up into a healthy man!" He continued slapping him on the back, and then gave him a crushing hug. "Daaaaaaaad! Cut that out! It's embarrassing! And how did you know anyway?" he choked out, just before his dad released him. Ryoko was smiling broadly, clearly pleased with Nobuyuki's reaction. "I'm just so proud, son! It would've been great if you let me videotape it! I always wanted to record your development in life! I had gotten up late last night to go to the bathroom and I had heard you two in your room," he said, tears in his eyes. "I was going to record it, but I decided that I should leave you alone for your first time." Both Tenchi and Ryoko stared at him. Ryoko thought it would have been fun, and Tenchi thought it was the craziest thing he ever heard. And what was he doing, eavesdropping on them? Aeka set the food down on the table, thinking about what Nobuyuki had said, as she returned to the kitchen to gather up the rest of the food. "…grown up to be a healthy man…" Where did she hear that before? Suddenly, it clicked. They were all sitting around the table, shortly after she had arrived on Earth to rescue Mihoshi. They were all eating breakfast, and out of nowhere, Ryoko started babbling about pickles and ice cream. Nobuyuki picked up on it and asked if she was pregnant. Shortly thereafter, Ryoko raced out of the room and apparently had given birth to an egg. But the killer was when she told everybody that it was the egg that she had made with Tenchi. Nobuyuki went crazy with pride, slapping Tenchi on the shoulders in much the same manner as he was currently doing, and he had said nearly the same exact thing. Does that mean… Tenchi and Ryoko… made a baby? No. It's too soon for that. But… maybe they made love last night? Yes, that has to be it. What else could or would spark THAT kind of reaction out of Tenchi's father, the resident pervert of the house? She looked up at both of them, as they gazed into each other's eyes. Tenchi felt another pair of eyes on him as she glanced over the couch, directly into Aeka's face. Ryoko noticed his appearance, and she too turned to look at Aeka. She looked back at them, and smiled. "Congratulations, you two. I'm very happy for the both of you." Tenchi, Ryoko, and Nobuyuki all facefaulted straight to the floor in shock. They slowly recovered and looked back at Aeka, who was still smiling broadly, and she nodded her head. "Aeka?" Tenchi began. "Don't worry, Tenchi. I'm fine with it. I've known for a long time that you two would eventually begin doing that kind of thing, and I'm happy for the both of you. Really." And she was, too. Both Tenchi and Ryoko heaved a huge sigh of relief, and they both smiled at her. "Thank you for being so understanding, Aeka. That means a lot to me," Ryoko said, nodding her head at her. "That goes for me too, Aeka. Thank you." "Think nothing of it. And I mean it when I say, congratulations." She bowed toward them. "I'll be right back with the rest of breakfast. I hope you're good and hungry!" Turning to go back into the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder and flashed them another smile, and disappeared through the doorway. She let out a huge sigh of relief, and it felt really good to finally be at peace with both of them. It was over between her and Tenchi, and there was no need to fret over it any longer, and it felt good to finally reach that point. Sasami turned around when her sister re-entered. "What was that all about?" "Oh, nothing, Sasami. I'll tell you about it when you're older," she informed her, smiling. "Darn it! You're always saying that. And judging by the way father was acting, I have a pretty good guess at what went on between Tenchi and Ryoko last night. But I must say, I'm happy you're taking it so well," she said, hugging her sister again. "It makes me happy to see everybody else happy. I don't want to see anybody fight anymore. And now it seems that nobody has to." Aeka sighed. "You may be little, but you sure don't act like it sometimes," she said, patting her sister's shoulder. "Come on, let's get breakfast out to the table. Everybody's starving." "Yes, you're right. The miso is done. Go ahead and take these two plates out there, and I'll get the rest. Thank you, Aeka." She turned off the burner to the stove and poured the soup into a large bowl, and then she fished a ladle out of one of the drawers and put that alongside it. She carefully lifted the soup bowl, and being careful not to spill it, she followed Aeka out to the breakfast table, where Nobuyuki, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Aeka were all seated. "Where are Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu, and Russ?" Sasami asked, looking at the vacant seats. "Well, Washu is probably busy in her lab as usual, Kiyone and Mihoshi went out to look for an apartment nearby, and Russ… well, I have no idea about him," Tenchi informed her. "I wonder if he's a sleepy head like you are, Tenchi," Sasami teased. "I guess I'll just have to play a little prank on him," she giggled evilly as she got up from the table. "Sasami! What are you doing?" Aeka looked at her sister in horror. She cackled sinisterly as she disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a can of whipped cream. Glancing over at her sister with an evil gleam in her eye, she quietly ascended the stairway, heading toward Russ' room. Aeka rolled her eyes and started giggling. "He's going to get it. Sasami is the king of pranks here," Ryoko giggled. "Not even I can match what she does." "I know. Give her a reason to pull a prank and you're history," Aeka said, still giggling quietly as she began sipping her soup. "Oh, listen to me. I shouldn't encourage behavior like that." "Hopefully Russ will be a good sport about it," Tenchi said, worriedly. "I'm sure he will be," Aeka responded. "Remember yesterday at the mall?" Tenchi and Ryoko both started laughing. "Yeah, that was quite amusing. Did you feel better after that?" Tenchi asked. "Yeah, actually. It felt good to behave like that again. It gets boring acting so uptight and regal all the time. It was a nice distraction from the ordinary." "Well anyway, Sasami should be in Russ' room by now. Let's wait and see what happens," Tenchi snickered. Russ was sprawled over the top of his bed, lying on his chest with his arm dangling over the edge closest to the doorway. The window to his room was open, but the rain was falling in a way that it didn't enter the house. His head lay on the pillow, but he never slid himself under the blankets. He was still clothed in the garments he had on from yesterday, except they were not covering him very well. The shirt was bunched up near his chest, leaving his abs and his lower back exposed, and his shorts were hitched up in such a way that it was giving him a wedgie. He was trying to breathe through his nose, but as usual, it was clogged, and he wound up drawing in loud, raspy breaths through his mouth. Sasami quietly slid back the door to his room and stepped inside, spying Russ on the bed. She stopped and froze, and had to calm herself down to keep from laughing at his posture. Tiptoeing over to his bed, she shook up the can of whipped cream and squirted a healthy amount into his hand that was dangling over the edge. Satisfied that there was plenty, she looked around the room for something to tickle his nose with. Unfortunately, there was nothing that would work, so she improvised. She silently moved behind the headboard and bent down, gently blowing a stream of air into his face. He wrinkled his nose in response and stirred slightly, but immediately resumed his heavy slumber. Determined, she blew a little harder into his face, which invoked the same response. "Geez, what's he made out of? Stone?" she muttered to herself, trying to keep from giggling. She took in a deeper breath and again blew directly into his face, and this time it had the desired effect. He brought his hand up and smacked it right into his visage, spreading the whipped cream everywhere. Sasami couldn't contain herself anymore and she exploded laughing, rousing Russ out of his sleep. Not totally awake, but moderately aware that someone was laughing at him, Russ removed his hand from his face, which felt very strange. He closed his hand and felt something very soft and cool squish between his fingers. Slowly opening up his eyes, he looked into his hand, which was now covered in white froth. Changing his focus over to the sound of laughing that stood near the door, he could see Sasami holding a can of whipped cream. Looking back to his hand, he stuck a finger into his mouth and confirmed his suspicions. He slowly sat up and reached up with his other hand, making sure that it was clean, and wiped the remaining whipped cream off of his face, licking up what he missed. He then cleaned off his other hand and stood up, now wide-awake. "Ha! Ha! It's breakfast time! Come and get it before it gets cold," she laughed before racing out of the room. He charged out the door, hot on her heels. "You do realize, this means war!" he shouted after her, chasing her down the stairs. She raced behind the couch as Russ tore into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a can of whipped cream of his own. He quickly began shaking it and removed the top. "Come here. I've got a present for yah!" He began to circle the couch as Sasami giggled uncontrollably, still shaking her own can of the stuff and making sure to stay out of reach. Everybody at the table exploded laughing, watching Russ and Sasami square off. "So, you're a little prankster, aren't you? I must inform you, that you're totally outclassed," he cackled evilly, slowly inching his way around the sofa. "If you want a prank war, you're on!" He leapt over the couch as Sasami tore around the table and hid behind Aeka, still giggling away. Aeka, on the other hand, got a look of worry on her face as Russ approached the opposite end of the table, and began slowly circling again. "Okay, that's enough you two. Don't make a mess, okay?" Aeka said. "I'm trying to enjoy my breakfast here." "She started it," Russ protested, but decided he was hungry when he saw all the food. "Okay, Sasami, you win this one, but I'll get you back. You can bet on it." He grinned, giving her one of the most sinister looks he could muster. He replaced the cap on his can of whipped cream and returned it to the kitchen, then emerged a moment later and took his seat next to Aeka. Sasami sat on the opposite side of her sister, continuing to giggle. He looked at her, continuing to give an evil little grin as he picked up a bowl and filled it with rice, which he consumed in a few seconds. Filling the same bowl with the miso soup, he swallowed it all almost in one gulp. Eyeing Sasami, who was also watching him out of the corner of her eye, he covertly picked up a grain of rice that was stuck to his bowl, placed it between his fingers, and flicked it at her behind Aeka's back. Sasami noticed it, and gave him her own little evil grin, as she discretely picked up her own rice grain and flung it at him, again behind Aeka's back. Russ saw it coming, so he reached up, faster than the eye could see and grabbed it before it hit him, and then returned his hand to where it was. Sasami stared at him, dumbfounded, since she couldn't see where the rice grain went. Russ started snickering like crazy, drawing Aeka's attention. "What's so funny?" Ryoko and Tenchi were both giggling and chuckling lightly, which irked Aeka even more. "What is so funny?" she asked again, becoming more confused by the minute. Her inquisitive look only served to get everybody at the table laughing even harder. Aeka shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating. Russ took the grain of rice that he grabbed from Sasami and flung it across the table at Ryoko, which hit her in the cheek. Her face went to surprise, and her smile turned evil, as she flung her own grain of rice across the table, which nailed Russ right on the nose. Since he was now focused on Ryoko, Sasami flung another grain of rice at Russ, nailing him in the side of the head. He cocked an eyebrow at both of them as Tenchi was doing his best to control himself and keep from laughing out loud. Sasami, Ryoko, and Russ all looked at him with an evil gleam in their eyes, as they all opened fire with rice grains, pelting him in the head. Aeka saw that and looked harshly at all three of them. "Stop that right now! You're behaving like children," she said sternly, as she glared at her sister. Unbeknownst to her, she labeled herself as a target. When she returned to eating her breakfast, Russ looked at the three of them and gave a very slight nod, grinning evilly. Tenchi, Ryoko, Russ, and Sasami all loaded their fingers with rice grains and flung them all at Aeka, who was pelted from all sides. She looked up in total surprise as she glared at all four of the participants. Somehow, Nobuyuki managed to slip away during this little fiasco, sensing that something was going to happen. Fed up with their little game, she picked up her rice bowl and dumped the entire contents over Russ' head. He sat there in complete shock, as did everybody else, as Aeka grinned triumphantly at him. "Serves you right for behaving so immaturely," she declared. Suddenly, he started laughing really hard, as he reached up and brushed some of the rice off of his head. "FOOD FIGHT!" he roared, as he reached over to the serving bowl, grabbed a heaping handful of rice grains, and shoved them right in Aeka's face, making the ball of rice explode everywhere. Everybody exploded laughing, except for Aeka, who was now extremely red in the face and trembling with anger. She reached over and picked up a handful of rice and tried to return the favor, but Russ opened his mouth up real wide and caught the clump of rice, chewing and swallowing in a few seconds. He grinned widely and stuck out his tongue. "Missed me," he taunted, picking up another handful of rice and throwing it at Sasami, who was rolling around on the floor, laughing. He nailed her in the side, making the rice grains go everywhere. Total chaos ensued from that point. Everybody reached in toward the middle of the table in an attempt to grab whatever food they could get their hands on, picking targets and flinging the food at everyone else. The fight lasted another few minutes until they ran out of ammunition, but everybody, even Aeka, were laughing heartily. Ryo-Ohki had managed to hide behind the couch during the entire fiasco, so she emerged unscathed. It was just at that moment when Washu decided to come out of her lab. She stopped, stared, and then facefaulted. "What HAPPENED in here?" she exclaimed while looking at the huge mess they created. "We ate breakfast, what else did you expect?" Russ said casually, through his constant snickering. Aeka, Tenchi, Ryoko and Sasami all looked at Washu innocently, as she continued to stare dumbfounded. "You guys had a food fight, and DIDN'T INVITE ME?" she yelled, now laughing along with them. "Oh man, what a mess," she said, trying to navigate around the war zone, trying to make her way toward the kitchen. "Looks like you kids had fun. Sasami? Did you save me anything?" The little blue haired princess sat up, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "Y... yes," she panted. "It's in its usual place in the fridge." "Thank you, Sasami. Oh, by the way, I finished the bathroom. Just go over there," she instructed, pointing down the hallway to the bathroom. "When a woman opens the door, it goes to the women's bath. When a guy opens the door, it opens to the normal bathroom. I took the onsen down that was over the lake, so that's all taken care of." Receiving her acknowledgement, she disappeared into the kitchen. "Whew! Now I haven't had that much fun in years!" Russ said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a contented sigh. Everybody nodded. "Yes, I have to agree, even though it was extremely childish," Aeka stated, picking some of the rice grains off of her kimono and hair. "For a minute I thought you were going to kill all of us," Russ said, smiling. "I'm glad you loosened up and had a little fun." "Yeah, no kidding. I always told you to stop being so uptight, princess," Ryoko agreed, trying to clean herself off a little. "But that was a lot of fun." "Yeah, but now we have to clean this mess," Tenchi groaned, as she surveyed the disaster. "It is going to take forever to get this place spotless again." "Not really. If we all work together, we can have this place cleaned up in no time," Russ said, standing up and shaking off his clothes. Everybody else looked at him, smiled and stood up, then tried to clean themselves off as best they could. "Well, shall we get busy?" "Yeah," they all said in unison, as Russ picked up all the dirty dishes and stacked them neatly in a pile. Tenchi retrieved the vacuum and Aeka grabbed the broom and dustpan, while Ryoko fetched the feather duster. Sasami and Russ carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen and started cleaning them up, while everybody else set to work cleaning the living room. Washu continued to watch them, smiling widely, as she thought about some of the fun times she used to have. Deciding that they'd be okay, she disappeared back into her lab, carrying her breakfast with her. A half hour later, they finished cleaning up the house, and then dispersed to do some activities to pass the time. Sasami sat down in front of the TV and fired up the playstation, tossing in a fighting game as Ryo-Ohki transformed into her child form. She picked up the second controller and meowed a challenge to Sasami, which she readily accepted. Tenchi went up to his room to continue his drawing that he was working on a few days ago, and Ryoko tried to doze off on his bed. Aeka picked up a cookbook and started reading some recipes that looked rather appetizing. Russ returned to his room and fetched the lyrics for the song he completed last night. He came back downstairs just as Sasami defeated Ryo- Ohki in their little contest. "Sasami?" She and the cabbit turned around. "Yeah? What is it?" Russ waved the sheet of paper in the air. "I finished the lyrics for the song last night. Here they are," he said, presenting it to her. "Oh wow! Cool!" She accepted the paper and looked at it, but her face quickly became a frown. "What's wrong?" "I can't read it," she said, looking up at him. "I'm sorry." "Oh! I didn't know you couldn't read roman characters. No problem. Come along with me and I'll read the lyrics to you, so you can write them down in Kanji." "Okay, that'll work. Where do you want to go?" "Lets go back to my room. At least there will be some privacy there," he said, starting back up the stairs and motioning for her to follow. She hesitated slightly, but followed anyway, against her better judgment. He noticed her hesitation though. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Yet," he added with an evil cackle. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him fearfully. "Aw, come on. Seriously, I won't do anything. I promise." "Okay, if you say so." She and Ryo-Ohki followed him to his room and he shut the door behind them. "Okay," he began, sitting down on the bed. "Take out a piece of paper from the drawer on your right, and take one of the pencils or pens that you'll find in the middle drawer." She did as she was told. "Now, write down what I say in the form I tell you. It'll help keep rhythm." "Okay." She hunched over the desk, getting ready to write down what he said. "Now, the first line is…" About fifteen minutes later they finished, and Sasami was smiling widely. "This is a great song! I can't wait to hear the music that goes with it!" "Well, you want to go do it right now?" "Could you? Please?" she begged. "Sure. Let's go," he said, making his way toward the door. Her smile could've crushed the most depressed mood anyone would've had. All three of them made their way downstairs and Russ took a seat at the organ. He turned it on and loaded up the song into the computer, then turned toward Sasami, who was standing nearby. "I'll sing the song to the music first, so you'll know how it goes. Then you can sing it. You can go take a seat on the couch or pull up a chair. You don't have to stand there." "Yeah, I guess you're right." She walked over to the couch and sat down, still holding her sheet of paper. "You can sing too?" Russ put his own copy on top of the organ and read through it once more, hoping he'd get it right the first time. "Somewhat. I'm not that good. But anyway here goes nothing," he said, as he hit the play and record buttons on the computer. All he had left to add was the piano portion of the song, and he decided to do that now. He began playing the piano, and began to sing to the song titled, "I'm a Pioneer." [In Japanese] Did you know… I am a Pioneer, I'm on a secret mission, I travel the galaxy… and far beyond… A moment later, the song started kicking through the organ and Russ sang loud and clear, adding vibrato where it was appropriate. Sasami's smile brightened as she listened in amazement, both in the song and his incredible ability to sing. Aeka who was in the next room dropped her cookbook in astonishment and went into the living room, staring at Russ who was currently bouncing his foot with the drumbeat and singing. Ryoko and Tenchi, who were now just quietly talking with each other in his room, heard the song start playing. They both fell silent when they heard Russ' voice carry throughout the entire house, and they looked at each other in amazement. Getting up off the bed and chair, they went downstairs and stood next to Aeka, who was still standing in the same spot like a statue. For a moment, Russ stopped singing as the organ continued to play the instrumental part of the song. He smiled hugely at Sasami's excitement, but not noticing he had an audience. Quickly approaching the second verse of the song, he took in a deep breath and resumed singing, and Sasami read along with him. A couple minutes later, he turned back toward the organ and played the ending piano portion to the song, and faded it out. He saved the finished piece to the computer and turned back toward Sasami. "Your turn. You ready?" "R… Russ?" Aeka stammered out from her spot near the kitchen door. He whirled around and looked directly into her face, and turned hyper red. "Oh my god… How long have you been standing there? I'm so embarrassed. My voice isn't that good. Sorry you had to hear that noise." "Shut up," she said. "That was beautiful. You can sing. I can't believe it. You can play music AND SING!" she shouted, causing nearly every ounce of blood in Russ' body to rush to his face. He felt like he was going to pass out a moment later. "I… I'm not that good," he whispered, trying to calm down. Ryoko and Tenchi both started clapping, and Aeka with Sasami joined a moment later, showing appreciation for his performance. Russ just looked at the floor, clearly mortified. Aeka made her way over to Russ and put her arm around his shoulders and looked into his face. "Really. You have a beautiful voice. I'd love to hear you sing again." He shook his head rapidly and turned away. "You're just saying that. Sasami?" "What is it, Russ?" "It's your turn to sing this. It was meant for you, so let's give it a try, okay?" He was trembling slightly as Aeka squeezed his shoulder. "Why don't you fire up the karaoke machine so you can sing it nice and loud?" "Sure." She went to the machine and turned it on, withdrawing one of the microphones and testing the volume. "Is this good enough?" she asked through the system. "Yeah, that's good. Are you ready?" "Yup!" Her face beamed with excitement as Aeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi all sat down on the couch. "Okay. Here we go." He hit the play button on the organ and cranked up the volume a little, as the piano that he played a moment before began to come from the speakers, and Sasami began to sing her song, loudly, clearly, and perfectly. Five minutes later she finished, and the music faded away. Everybody gave her a big round of applause, as Sasami ran up to Russ and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He returned it with a big smile, now relaxed to the point where his skin color returned to normal. "You're a great singer, Sasami. I guess you liked that, eh?" "That was so cool! Thank you Russ! Can you do another one?" He looked taken aback, but he nodded his head. "Sure. I can do that for you." "Yay!" She bounced up and down on her heels in excitement. "I'll tell you a little about it later." "Oh? You have a special theme in mind?" "Yeah. I'll explain it to you later." "Okay. Well, I'm going to go train for the rest of the day. See you guys later," he said, standing up and opening the door. "What? It's raining! You'll catch pneumonia or something," Aeka said, standing up herself. "Nah. I need to train. Having it rain is pretty nice, since it'll keep me a lot cooler while I exercise. Besides, it helps build character," he said, smiling, as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. A white flash burst around him for an instant, changing his clothes to a pretty violet karate gi, which matched Aeka's eye color. He quickly walked to the edge of the lake and looked at Ryu-Oh for a moment, and then he dropped down into the mud and began doing pushups, at five hundred ten times Earth's normal gravity. "He's crazy," she spat, glaring at him through the door. "Why? Because he loves exercising?" Ryoko asked, watching her. "No, because he has to exercise in the rain! It's crazy. He should have a room inside here or something for him to train in when we have bad weather outside." "Hmmm, I might be able to help with that." Everybody turned toward the Universe's Greatest Scientific Genius, who had just emerged from her lab. "I have developed a special simulator room where he can test his fighting skills against holograms! It's really my best piece of work for die hard trainers like him." "What does it do?" "Well, it's a special room where I can create computer sprites, which I can infuse with battle tactics from any known species or race that has a combative strategy, and he can fight against them." A chorus of "Huh?" came from around the room. "You don't get it? I don't know how I can explain it any simpler than that!" She looked completely flustered. "Well, basically it is a room where he can fight against computer opponents, much like Sasami does when she plays her video game. Russ would be one character, and he'd fight against another character, which is computer controlled." "Oh! That sounds really neat. I'm sure he'd like that." "I don't know. But I've only developed the room. I haven't put it together yet. I've still got tons of other experiments to take care of first. The gravity enhancer will be good enough for him for now." "Oh well. No big deal. I'm sure if you explain it to him, he'd be very happy," Aeka said. "I'd be happy too, since he won't have to train out in the rain anymore." "I suppose. Well, why don't you ladies try out the new bath? I'm sure you people would want to get cleaned up after your little war." Ryoko and Aeka looked at each and nodded their heads. Tenchi also nodded. "So when I open the bathroom door, I'll just get the normal bathroom?" "Yup." "Oh. I guess that's okay. I liked the onsen though." "Sorry Tenchi. I could modify your bathroom to something nicer, if you want." "Why don't you just give him access to the women's bath?" Ryoko asked. Tenchi blushed slightly. "No, that's okay. I don't mind that much." "Are you sure, Tenchi? It would be a snap to give you access to the bathroom," Washu offered. "I'm sure. Thanks though." "Suit yourself. If you still want access to the bathroom, one of the girls can let you in." "Okay." "Well, I need to get back to work. I just came out to put my dishes away. See you guys later." "Okay, and thanks, Little Washu," Aeka said, turning away from watching Russ. Nobuyuki poked his head around the corner. "Can I have access to the women's bath?" Everybody spun around and looked straight at him. "NO!" they all shouted at once. "Darn. Well, it's time for me to go to work. See you guys tonight. Save dinner for me. I think I'm going to be real late at the office again," he said, his face downcast. "Okay Dad. See you when you get home." June 19 approached very rapidly, which was the day they were all supposed to leave to go to Jurai to see the Startica festival, which begins on June 21. The house was bustling with hurried chaos, as everybody was trying to get his or her things packed in preparation to leave. People were racing all over the hallways, gathering up their belongings and desperately trying to remember not to forget anything. The excitement level was really high, and so was the stress level. Shoulders were bumped in nearly every hallway, and the constant thumping of feet rumbled throughout the house for most of the morning. Aeka was completely stressed out as she hurriedly packed all of her stuff in various luggage cases, trying to remember everything she needed to bring, such as her lipstick, perfume, her favorite kimono, hairdryer, and her hairbrush. The nagging feeling that she forgot something continued to prick at her conscience, but that was typical for anybody who was leaving for a trip. "Oh, I hate this! I know I forgot something!" she cried out, hurriedly double checking everything in her luggage. Sasami was nearby, packing her own things. "Don't worry so much, Aeka! We still have an hour to go before we actually have to leave. Besides, we're going home. If you forgot something, we could always get you a new one there." She put her hands on her hips and watched her sister frantically look around for an item that she had already packed away. She couldn't help but giggle. "It's not funny, Sasami! Now where did I put that thing," she muttered, rummaging through the suitcases and other belongings. Sasami rolled her eyes and continued folding her clothes and carefully putting them in her suitcase. "Mom is going to be so surprised to have us come home! I can't wait to see her again," she sighed, her eyes twinkling. Aeka smiled. "Yeah. It'll be nice to visit with mom, dad, Azaka, and Kamadake. Dad is probably going to be furious with me for staying away for so long." Her stress level climbed a few more notches. "I wouldn't worry about father. Mom can take care of him," she giggled. "Don't worry so much. It's not good for the complexion, as Ryoko always says." Aeka rolled her eyes. "You just too young to understand yet. You will, once you get older." "There's that age excuse again. Just don't let it get to you!" "That's easy for you to say since you don't have to worry about things like this." "Oh? And what don't I have to worry about?" "Um…" Aeka was at a loss for words. "See? You're all packed. Just relax a little. We'll get our stuff packed into Ryo-Ohki in a little while. Let's just carry our stuff down and set them outside on the porch. That's what everyone else is doing." She let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay. I guess you're right." Lifting up some of her luggage, she tried to carry it out into the hallway, but she packed so much stuff that it made her suitcases weigh a considerable amount. One of the suitcases slipped out of her hand and landed on the floor with a huge thump, echoing throughout the house. Russ just happened to be standing nearby, and he poked his head out of the room, wondering what was going on. "Need some help, Aeka?" "Could you please? I overstuffed my suitcases." "Sure, no problem." He turned back into the room and said something that Aeka couldn't make out, and then he walked over to her, bending down and lifting her suitcase with ease. "I assume you want these outside on the porch?" "Yeah, thank you very much." "Not a problem," he said with a grin. "Let me get that other one for you too." He reached out and took the other suitcase out of Aeka's hand, then went downstairs. Aeka watched him go, and then she returned to her room, grabbing another two suitcases. Fortunately, these were lighter than the ones she tried carrying out a minute ago, so she managed to get them to the porch without incident. Sasami followed closely behind with her own two suitcases, and set them down next to her sister's luggage. Russ came out the door a moment later and tossed his duffel bag into the pile. Aeka stared at it, and then at him. "Is that all you're bringing?" He looked at her with mock surprise. "What? You think I should bring my entire wardrobe for just a week?" "At least more than that!" she yelled, pointing at his luggage. "I don't NEED more than that. Remember, I can generate my clothes on a whim if I want." "You haven't generated anything except karate gi's! What else can you generate?" "I can generate karate gi's only. But that's what I like to wear. They're comfortable and I look good in them." Aeka threw up her hands in frustration and went back inside. Russ started chuckling to himself when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Russ said, making his way over to the front door. "Hi! We're here!" Mihoshi announced. "Yeah, we're here," Kiyone said, looking very tired. "Where should we put our luggage?" "What's wrong, Kiyone?" "We pulled a late night shift again. There was no way to get out of it." She let out a big yawn and stretched. "Oh, sorry to hear it. There will be plenty of room on my friend's ship to sleep, so you can catch a few winks when we leave." Russ spied their suitcases behind them. "I'll take care of your luggage. Everybody else is more or less done packing everything so go on inside and make yourselves comfortable for now." "Thanks a lot," she sighed, trudging into the house. Russ looked back at Mihoshi, who was energetic as usual. He closed the door behind them, holding all of their suitcases and duffel bags. "How come you're not tired like she is?" "I had fallen asleep during patrol last night. Kiyone never woke me back up." "I see. Well anyway, how do you guys like your new apartment? I never had the chance to ask you about it since you moved out on a whim last week." "It's nice! It's the same one we had before. The rent is real cheap since we can't afford…" she had a hand over her mouth again. "You always say one word too many!" Kiyone growled at her. Russ just smiled and shook his head, snickering lightly. "Well, at least you won't have to worry about finances on this trip. Aeka had said that we'd most likely stay in the Royal Palace, so room and board will be free. Anyway, where do you guys park the Yagami now? I haven't seen it in a while." "We leave it in orbit and transport aboard when we need to go out on an emergency," Kiyone explained. "Makes it nicer than that little patrol shuttle we used to have." "Yeah, sounds like it. Cool." Russ made his way into the living room followed by the two Galaxy Police Officers. "Hey guys, Kiyone and Mihoshi are here." Nobuyuki, Katsuhito, Washu, Ryoko, and Tenchi all turned and greeted them warmly. Russ took their luggage and added it to the mountain of suitcases and travel bags on the porch. "Why do women have so much luggage?" he mumbled to himself. Looking back inside the house, Russ decided the crowd was too big, so he made his way out to the lake, intending to burn the remaining time away. He had already taken care of everything that needed to be done. The homing beacon on his spacepod was active, and would deactivate an hour after they left. That was the most important thing he had to remember, or his friend would have had no idea where to pull into orbit at. All preparations were complete, and he felt a little tinge of excitement, happy to be leaving the place and to see Jurai for the first time. Lifting off the ground, he flew out to Ryu-oh's tree, and sat down on one of the roots that were above the water. Looking at his reflection, he smiled, remembering what Aeka had told him about this tree a couple days ago. It was really quite interesting. Apparently, before she crash-landed on Earth, this tree was actually a spaceship, or more accurately, the heart of the ship, sort of like a main computer that controls everything. She also explained that this tree was her own personal tree, which she had since she was born. Russ noticed that she was a little downcast, since she was remembering all the trips she had made with her ship. "What's wrong? You seem a little sad," he had told her, watching her expression after she told him all about her tree and the ship, and how she crashed into the earth, forever rooting it to the soil. "Oh, nothing," she said. "I'm sorry that your ship cannot fly anymore, Aeka. Do you sometimes wish that it could?" "Sometimes. A lot. Yes," she said, looking into his eyes. "I'd love for Ryu-Oh to fly once again, but that's impossible, but at least my tree survived the crash and regenerated itself." "Yeah, I guess so. But anyway, I had meant to ask you something. When is your birthday?" She looked at him in surprise. "Why?" "Just curious." "September 21, according to Earth calendar." "Ahhh, cool. Mine is October 6," he said, getting a huge idea for a killer birthday present. His facial expression hinted that he was thinking of something. "What are you doing?" He turned back toward her. "I just thought of a really neat birthday present for you." "Oh? What?" "Ahhh no. I'm not giving away any secrets," he snickered. "You're thinking about getting me a new ship, aren't you?" "No, nothing like that. Where would you fly to, anyway?" "Good point. I don't want to leave this place." "Even though I've only been here two weeks, I don't want to leave either. I love this planet and staying here with you guys," he said, looking back toward the house where Sasami was chasing Ryo-Ohki all over the place. "It's very calm and peaceful here." "Yes. That's why I like it here too." "Yeah. So, have you been enjoying your ability to fly?" he asked, changing the subject. "It's very interesting, but it gives me a feeling of freedom. I'm glad you showed me how to do that kind of thing." "Would you like to learn something new?" "Like what?" she asked, becoming interested. "I could show you how to shoot energy blasts like I do." "Thanks, but I can already do that." "Really? I've never seen you do it before. I just saw those little log things when you were about to fry Washu," he laughed. "It's really rare when I do that kind of thing. Strangely enough, both times that I had done it recently was against both Kagato's. When we were fighting on the Soja, Kagato had thrown Ryoko into a cement pillar, and then tried to run her through with his sword. Fortunately she dodged it, and I flung an energy ball into his face. Didn't work, though." She frowned. "There was the other time when Tenchi was fighting the imposter Yosho, who was also named Kagato. He was about to kill Tenchi, and I had flung an energy ball at him, which also didn't work." Russ snickered. "You got to put a lot of power behind an energy blast or it won't do squat, especially against someone who is stronger than you are. If that is the case, fling only real low powered energy balls just to distract him, then nail him from behind. I speak from experience." "You've had that kind of thing happen before?" "Oh yes, of course. I'm strong, but I'm by no means the strongest person in existence. Remember, Zorpheus is just as powerful as I am, and he is a very skilled fighter. We're so close to being equal it isn't funny." His complexion went to concern. "Can you tell me a little more about him, Russ?" "Sure. I had met him a long, long time ago. He had visited Earth with his parents, since his and my parents were good friends. The only difference between him and I is he is a Saiyan- Human hybrid. However, he loves to sprout that he's a Saiyan warrior, almost as if he's ashamed of his human qualities. He may not be a hundred percent Saiyan like me, but he's just as powerful. He likes wearing dark cloaks and odd clothes, too." "Nagi likes wearing cloaks as well. Wonder if they're related?" she giggled. "Heh, I have no idea. But anyway, his eyes are red. Not like mine, where I have black dots for pupils, but he has red irises and black pupils. One of the human traits that surfaced on him." "You're kidding! Nagi also has red eyes." Russ looked at her then scratched his head. "Freaky. But anyway, as far as the rest of him is concerned, he looks similar to Prince Vegeta. His hairstyle is similar, but more flat, and he's just a tad bit shorter than I am." He thought a moment. "Everybody says I look like Goku. Well, in a way, I guess I do. The hair is identical to his and I wear the same kind of gi he does, but I'm just a little taller than him, and my face is only slightly different from his. But I can see why people make that mistake." "Who was Goku?" "He was the Earth's greatest hero. He was the most powerful Saiyan in existence. He had no equal, and he was just the perfect example of a hero. He was amazing, from what I understand from record books. It's been over a thousand years since he lived. His kids carried on his legacy for a while, until the Saiyan traits began to fade due to breeding with other non-Saiyan types." "Interesting. Well, I'm going to go back inside and watch my soap with Ryoko. It's just about that time." Russ cringed. "Okay, have fun." Both of them stood up and flew over the lake, landing on the ground near the house. "I'm going to continue training. See you later." "Okay, don't train too hard." "I won't," he snickered, as she went inside and he began his enhanced gravity training at six hundred times normal gravity. Russ continued to sit at the tree, still caught up in his daydream, and he didn't see Aeka float over the water. "Russ? What are you doing out here?" "Oh, hi there," he said, snapping out of his trance and greeting her with a warm smile. "Is it time to go?" "Just about. It's quarter to noon, and it'll take Ryo-Ohki about five minutes to bring all our stuff onboard and get into orbit." "Alright. Well, let's get Ryo-Ohki prepped and at least get our stuff loaded. My friend should already be in orbit, actually. He's usually early. We can go right now, but he won't decloak his ship until noon, so we won't know where he's at." "What is this cloak you keep telling us about?" "Well, it hides his ship from sensors and sight. It's really neat, actually. He can sit right in front of you and you'd never know he was there, until he either opened fire or decloaked his ship, or you ran into it on accident. You didn't know anything about cloaking devices?" he asked, looking surprised. "I figured Jurai's military would have something similar, by the way you tell me about their ships and the like." "No, we don't have anything like that, nor have ever heard anything like it." Russ and Aeka lifted off into the air and landed near the porch. Ryo-Ohki was sitting right outside, patiently waiting for when she was supposed to transform. "It's a very complex piece of equipment. As far as we know, there are only a few other races out there that have this type of technology. He is a smooth bargainer, and he managed to purchase the technology and modify it to his needs." "Wow. Sounds neat," she said, pretending to be interested. "Well anyway, I'm sure you're not interested in techno babble. Ryo-Ohki! Are you ready?" She meowed an affirmative, as Russ picked her up off the porch. Everybody who was sitting in the living room noticed and they all stood up, making their way outside as Russ threw the cabbit into the air and watched her transform. "I still get a kick out of that," he laughed. "Okay! Transport all the luggage aboard, and then bring us up," he shouted up to her, who meowed in response. Bit by bit, the luggage vanished, rematerializing inside of the spaceship in her cargo hold. A few minutes later she finished, and then transported everyone onboard. Ryoko sat down in the pilot seat, while many other chairs appeared throughout the ship. "Okay, is everybody here? Let's see, Ryoko, Washu, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Katsuhito, Nobuyuki, Sasami, Aeka, Ryo-Ohki, Azaka, Kamadake, and myself. Okay, great. Did we lock up the house and everything?" "I did, so there's no need to worry!" Mihoshi said from her seat next to Kiyone. "Ryo-Ohki! Transport me back to the surface for a moment." Russ vanished and reappeared on the ground. He quickly darted to every door, checking to make certain they were locked. One door wasn't, so he quickly bolted it. Placing two fingers to his head, he teleported himself back onboard, rather than bug the cabbit. "Okay, everything is locked NOW," he said, grinning at Mihoshi, who was giggling and scratching the back of her head. "Ryoko, take us up and put us in geosynchronous orbit with Earth." "Why?" Russ looked at her like she had grown a third limb. "Just do it. My friend should be real close to that spot." "Well, okay. Let's go, Ryo-Ohki!" She meowed and shot up into the atmosphere, and a few moments later, they were at their designated height. "Wow, she can really move fast. Okay, it's a minute till, so let's wait and see where my friend is hiding." "He's not here." "Oh yes he is. Just wait and see." Everybody looked out the windows, but didn't see anything. Russ started snickering. "Five… four… three… two… one…" he said. Just as he got to one, a massive section of space near Ryo-Ohki began to bend and fold, almost as if reality was warping next to them. Everybody gasped and Ryo-Ohki meowed a warning, and prepared to open fire with her cannon. "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" he shouted. A few moments later, a huge, massive ship appeared where the spatial distortion occurred. "And there it is." "It's… HUGE!" Ryoko sputtered, clearly in awe, as she admired the gleaming white hull. "What kind of ship is that?" Washu asked, clearly impressed. "Well, I'll explain it to you once we get onboard. Ryo- Ohki, fly down under the ship and there will be a huge hangar bay underneath. He'll use tractor beams to pull us in." The cabbit meowed a shaky affirmative, but complied. They slowly moved under the massive hulk of the ship, which was bristling with weaponry. Washu pulled out her phantom computer, trying to run an analysis on the ship, but couldn't get a reading on it. "That's some weird armor on that thing. I can't analyze it." "I'm not surprised. But anyway, let's get onboard and I'll tell you all about it, and introduce you to my good friend who is the captain of this vessel, and who is also the owner and the man who wanted this thing built." "Okay," Washu said, looking the ship over from end to end. "It's sixteen hundred meters in length, and I can detect a huge power output from it, too." Everybody continued to stare at the starship as they were pulled into the hangar bay.