Tenchi and his father walked through the hall of Juraian trees. Tenchi told his father about the mysterious, young lady he had met at court earlier. "The Lady Hakubi." Nobuyuki said the name thoughtfully. "I know you peep at all the courtiers in the hot spring, so I thought you might know who she is." "Now son, you know I don't know any of them by name." Nobuyuki thought for a moment and then asked, "Does she have a nice rack?" "DAD!" "Well, does she?" his father inquired. "Yeah," Tenchi admitted, blushing. "That could be one of a hundred courtiers," Nobuyuki said. Then he questioned, "Why are you so interested in her?" "Um, no reason," Tenchi told his father. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "Well, maybe she'll show up at the ball. The invitations go out today," Nobuyuki said reassuringly. It was now late afternoon. Ryoko and Kiyone were harvesting honey to sell in the market. Mihoshi was attempting to help, but the bees continually stung her. "Ouch. Oh, ow. That hurts. Ouch," she complained. Ryoko and Kiyone were used to this; they ignored her. Kiyone said, "I would have loved to see you all dressed up at court, talking to prince as if you were a lady." "It was no big deal," Ryoko replied. "That boy is such a geek. I don't know why everyone thinks he's so wonderful." "Ryoko, ow, that's the millionth time, ow, I heard you say that. Ouch!" Mihoshi swatted at the bees buzzing around her. "I bet you, ow, like him." For a moment, Ryoko actually looked startled, as though Mihoshi had revealed a secret. Then she protested, "I don't like him! He's the most annoying person I've ever met, unless you count Ayeka, and he's her relative so there must be something wrong with him. I think the two of them deserve each other." Kiyone asked, "Why did you tell him your name was Lady Hakubi?" "It just sort of came to me. I think it was my mother's name, or part of her name," Ryoko replied. "I bet he's pretty charming. Why don't you just admit you like him a little? No one would blame you," Kiyone teased her. "Because I don't like him! And even if I did it wouldn't matter because he's royalty." Mihoshi wailed, "Ow! Oh, that hurts! Why won't you please stop stinging me! OW!" She suddenly abandoned any attempt at gathering honey and took off running toward the house. A cloud of angry bees followed her. Ryoko and Kiyone watched her run in silence for a moment before collapsing into giggles. Three days later, Kagato received an invitation to the ball. He held the envelope in his palm. He was like an animal stalking its prey, and now, although still crouched in the shadows, he was almost ready to strike. Kagato read the invitation to his nieces. He turned to Ayeka, "I have heard that the prince is planning to announce his engagement to the lady of his choice at the ball. Are you ready to take your place on the throne?" "But, there are so many courtiers, how do I know that Lord Tenchi will choose me?" Ayeka asked nervously. Kagato smiled. "How can you think you would have any competition? You are related to the prince by royal blood. It was for this purpose that you were born. Tenchi is your birthright." Ayeka blushed. She nodded her head, accepting the familiar words. "Of course," she said. Sasami spoke up, "The letter is addressed, 'To all the ladies of the house'. Do you think we should invite Ryoko? She grew up with us, Ayeka. She's like our sister." Kagato looked at the little girl. "Don't be absurd," he scoffed. "Royal events are no place for garbage such as Ryoko. She would only find a way to disgrace us." Sasami hung her head. "It just doesn't seem right," she replied. She knew she could do nothing to change her uncle's mind, so she turned and walked slowly from the room. Ryoko spent the afternoon on the outskirts of Soja. While Kagato was reading the invitation to his nieces, Ryoko slept under a cherry tree with Ryo Ohki resting comfortably at her side. Awakening, she stared at the fading sunlight through the branches of the tree She stretched and reached up to rub her eyes, but noticed that her hands were dirty. She thought for a moment and then smiled. Ryoko got up and dashed through the woods toward a secluded hot spring. Ryo Ohki followed close behind her. She dropped her clothes onto a rock and jumped into the warm water. Ryo Ohki sat perched on the rocks beside the water and tried to avoid getting splashed. Ryoko swam on her back and let the warm water cover her body. She smiled. Away from Soja and Kagato, she felt free and content. She rested, leaning her head against a rock in the water, closed her eyes and let her mind wander, forgetting the world outside. From her place on the shore, Ryo Ohki saw two figures approaching the hot spring. One was a boy and the other a young girl with long, red hair. "Miss Washu," Tenchi began. Washu looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "What did you call me?" Tenchi laughed nervously, "Little Washu?" Washu smiled, "That's better!" she sang. Tenchi continued, "Little Washu, um, do you think there is one person for everyone?" "As a matter of fact, I do." "But what if I never meet her? Or what if I do meet her, but I don't notice? Or what if she's been there all the time and I'm too stupid to realize it? What if I think the one I've found is the right one, but I it turns out she's not real because she's really some shadow of an evil being who wants to trick me? No wait, that's a stupid idea, forget I mentioned that one." Washu took off one of her shoes and dipped her foot into the hot spring. "Tenchi, she's out there, but the perfect girl for you is not going to just fall from the sky, or be locked up in a cave waiting for you to set her free." "I know. I just wish I had longer than five days," Tenchi sighed. "Well," Washu smiled, "you can always marry me if you don't find your perfect match in time for the ball!" She leaned her head against Tenchi's chest. He laughed nervously. Washu shrugged and walked back to the edge of the hot spring. Tenchi followed her. She pointed to a line of rocks in the water. She said, "I rely too much on my inventions sometimes. I miss the simpler pleasures like jumping rocks." She turned to Tenchi, "Care to join me?" Tenchi scratched his head. "No, I think I'll stay here." "Suit yourself." Washu waded into the water. She climbed onto the first rock and began to leap from one to another. Suddenly, she stepped on something that was not a rock; it sunk as soon as she stepped on it. She tumbled into the water. She heard a gurgling noise and saw air bubbles rising to the surface and realized she must have stepped on a person. Washu reached beneath the water and grabbed a handful of the unfortunate person's hair and pulled her head above water. Ryoko coughed and sputtered. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Playing a harmless game of jump rock," Washu replied. "Harmless my butt! You almost drowned me!" Ryoko shook the water out of her hair. Washu looked at her closely. Then suddenly, she smiled as if she recognized Ryoko. "Well, if it isn't the mysterious Lady Hakubi." "Huh? How did you--" "Come on," Washu grabbed Ryoko's hand and began to drag her in the direction of the shore, "I have someone who's dying to see you." Ryoko stumbled after Washu. "Hey what's going on? Who are you?" she protested, and then suddenly, she found herself face to face with Prince Tenchi. Tenchi's eyes grew wide and his nose began to bleed. He stared at Ryoko. Ryoko was just as surprised to see him. "Your majesty!" she exclaimed and tried to curtsey in the water. "L-lady Hakubi, y-y-you're naked! Ryoko looked down at her body and then back at Tenchi. She smiled, "So I am," she answered. Washu chuckled, "I think you're the first naked girl the prince has ever seen, Lady Hakubi." Ryoko looked at Tenchi slyly, "Well your majesty, what do you think?" "Uh..." Tenchi stammered. Washu grinned, "You won't have a conversation with him unless you put something on." Ryoko raised an eyebrow and grinned at the boy who stood pale as a ghost. She gathered up her dress and motioned for Ryo Ohki to meet her at Soja. While Washu worked on her mysterious, transparent computer, Ryoko and Tenchi practiced fencing with tree branches. "Are you intimidated by a girl who can handle one of these things better than you?" Ryoko asked as she defeated Tenchi. "Actually," he replied, "I've never met a girl who could sword fight, but you always seem to surprise and, well...scare me." "What do you mean 'scare you?'" "Well," Tenchi explained nervously, "I can't seem to figure you out. One day you live the life of a courtier, and yet here you are swimming naked--I mean all alone. Where are your servants?" "I let them have the day off," Ryoko answered thinking quickly. Washu came up behind her with a tape measure and threw it around Ryoko's bust. "Hmmm, 35 inches. Very nice." She nodded as she typed on her computer. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Ryoko hollered. Tenchi knocked Ryoko's tree branch out of her hand. "Ha! I got you!" he laughed. "That was cheating; I was distracted!" she protested. Then she took a step forward and ran her finger up his chest tickling him. "Now it's my turn to distract you," she said, smiling enticingly. "Hey, stop that!" Tenchi pulled away laughing nervously. "Why do you tease me so much?" Ryoko grinned and responded, "Why do you give me so much opportunity?" Tenchi looked at her for a moment as though her response made him uncomfortable, but then he began to chuckle. Ryoko laughed, too. At that moment, Ryoko heard Sasami's voice call her name. She looked around anxiously. "It's getting late," she said backing away. "I have to go now." But Washu jumped in front of her, blocking her path. "Don't go yet," she protested, "I need a guinea pig for my latest invention." Ryoko pushed her aside, "Sounds like fun, but I really have to go." She began to run in the direction of the woods. Tenchi called after her, "I'm going to be walking through the market tomorrow! Will you join me?" But Ryoko had already vanished among the trees. Tenchi turned to Washu baffled by Ryoko's strange behavior. "Why does she keep doing that?" he asked. Washu shrugged, "I don't know Tenchi, but now that I have you all to myself, you can be my guinea pig!" At dinner that night everyone was unusually quiet. The servants, except for Mihoshi, stood on opposite sides of the room waiting to attend to any needs the family might have. Mihoshi had drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Kiyone's shoulder. When she began to drool and snore lightly, Kiyone elbowed her. Ryoko stifled a laugh. Sasami broke the silence, "Hey, guess what? I heard that Prince Tenchi asked the King to release all the prisoners who had been sentenced to work on Pluto." Ayeka said, "What I want to know is, who the new courtier everyone is talking about? Rumor has it that Lord Tenchi is very taken with her." Kiyone shot Ryoko a wry grin. Kagato went to take a drink from his goblet, but he discovered that it was empty. He motioned for Ryoko to replenish his glass. "We must not listen to rumors," he told Ayeka, "I will find out who she is and bury her." Ryoko's hand began to shake when she heard this, and she knocked over his goblet, spilling the wine on the table. "Clumsy girl!" he hissed at her. The next day, Ryoko, Kiyone and Mihoshi were at the market selling the vegetables they grew on the farm. Ryoko was setting out baskets of fresh carrots when she heard an all too familiar voice. "Ah, Ryoko, you get prettier every week." Ryoko turned and glared at a short, dumpy man with eight, octopus curls surrounding his head. She sighed, annoyed. The man claimed to be a scientist, but secretly, Ryoko suspected that he made his living selling child pornography. "Oh, Dr. Clay, I'm not your type, I've been through puberty," she retorted. Kiyone rolled her eyes as she walked around arranging the different vegetables on display "Don't touch anything unless you intend to buy it!" she said forcefully. Dr. Clay looked at Ryoko, "I do hate to see you slaving away like this, selling your pitiful vegetables in the market. I wish you'd come work for me. I could use your hands on my staff." "My hands are not going anywhere near your staff," Ryoko retorted. "I may be twice your age and half your height, girl, but I'm well endowed," Dr. Clay sneared. Mihoshi's eyes widened, "Wow you are? What does endowed mean? Can You show me?" Kiyone clasped her hand over Mihoshi's mouth. "I'm glad you're so easily impressed with yourself," Ryoko responded. She turned her back to Dr. Clay. Ryo Ohki hopped onto her shoulder and hissed. Dr. Clay fingered a strand of Ryoko's cyan hair. "I had a horse like you once," he whispered to her, "magnificent creature. It was free willed, spirited and stubborn. It only needed to be broken." Ryoko turned back to face Dr. Clay. She picked up a carrot, held it up before the doctor's face and snapped it in half. "If you don't go away, something else is going to get broken, and then where will you be?" she threatened. Dr. Clay smiled. "I do enjoy a good challenge," he said as he walked off. "Wow, what a funny, little man," Mihoshi observed. Ryoko glared at her. Mihoshi said, "You know, Ryoko, that's the same way the red-haired elf that I found in the basement looked at me." "What are you talking about?" Kiyone sighed. "The little elf, the one that froze the snakes..." Kiyone and Ryoko ignored her and went back to work. Meanwhile, Ayeka had managed to corner Tenchi, and the two of them were walking through the market together. Ayeka walked very close to Tenchi, but he walked stiffly, appearing very nervous. "Miss Ayeka," Tenchi began, leading her to a nearby booth, "have you ever had chocolate? It's very good." He picked up a small square of candy and offered it to her. Ayeka looked at it, but rather than take the candy from Tenchi's hand, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Tenchi looked at her in disbelief for a moment and began to sweat. He held the candy between his index finger and his thumb and tossed it in the direction of Ayeka's open mouth. The chocolate hit her square in the eye. "OUCH!" Ayeka exclaimed. For a second, she looked to Tenchi as though she intended to strike him, but quickly she recovered herself and smiled demurely at him. Tenchi laughed nervously. "Miss Ayeka," he said, "there, uh, was something I had to ask you." Ayeka's amethyst eyes looked at him hopefully. "Yes, Lord Tenchi?" "My grandfather is anxious to get to know the courtiers better, and he wanted to know if you and your uncle would join him for tea in two days?" Ayeka's face fell, "Oh, why, of course we can come." Just then the two approached the vegetable stand where Ryoko was working. "Would you like to see our vegetable stand, Lord Tenchi?" she asked. "Uh, sure Miss Ayeka," he replied. She slipped her arm in his and lead him to the stand. Ryoko had been on her knees gathering up some carrots that had fallen and placing them into a basket. She stood up with the basket in her arms just as Tenchi and Ayeka approached. She gasped and quickly tossed the basket of carrots in the air. Ryo Ohki meowed loudly and pounced on Tenchi's head. Ryoko ran from the stand, her heart pounding. Mihoshi and Kiyone quickly stepped in front of Tenchi, so that he could not see Ryoko running away. "What do you think you are doing?" Ayeka demanded. She grabbed Ryo Ohki from Tenchi's head and hurled the cabbit at Kiyone. "Meow!" Ryo Ohki hissed at her. "Well, I think what we're doing is selling vegetables," Mihoshi replied. Ayeka glared at Mihoshi before turning her attention back to Tenchi. "Please excuse our servants. They are not the best, but they have been with us so long, they're like family. We could never let them go." "That's very good of you, Miss Ayeka," Tenchi replied. He looked at Mihoshi and Kiyone and scratched his head in confusion. "Weren't there three of you here a moment ago?" he asked. "Yes," Mihoshi answered. "No," Kiyone said at the same time. Tenchi looked even more perplexed. Kiyone dug Mihoshi in the ribs. She leaned forward and whispered to the prince, "She's delusional, sire. She has an imaginary friend." "Oh, gee, I'm sorry," Tenchi said sympathetically. "Come, Lord Tenchi, there's so much more to see at the market," Ayeka said, taking his hand. Tenchi followed her, but he looked back at the two servants as though he were still not quite sure what had happened. Ryoko approached Kagato's bedroom carrying his tea. Kagato did not seem to hear her. He was at his desk, intent on the book he was reading. She was tired. The rest of the household had already retired to bed. Ryoko quietly placed the tea tray on a table and tried to sneak out unnoticed, but before she could reach the threshold of the door, Kagato said her name. "Ryoko." He called her back. She turned around. The room was very dark, the only light coming from the orange flames of the fire in the fireplace. Kagato stood up. He walked over to a chair by the fireplace and sat down. He undid his ponytail, his long hair falling around his shoulders. Ryoko knew he wanted her to brush his hair. She said nothing, just picked a brush up from the dresser. Kagato said, "Soon, Ayeka will marry the prince and I will be a member of the Royal House of Jurai." Ryoko slid the brush through his hair with long strokes. He chuckled softly, "Imagine, all the power in the royal family and they would have it passed down to that simple boy." The flames of the fire flickered, making strange shapes on the walls of the room. Ryoko continued brushing his hair. "Can you imagine all that power, Ryoko?" He answered his own question, "Of course you can't." Then abruptly, he reached up over his head and seized her wrist. At his touch, her body stiffened. He gently pulled her in front of him and pressed his hand on her shoulder. She dropped to her knees. He gazed at her and said, "Pity you never knew your mother." Ryoko had never heard Kagato speak of her mother like this. "What was she like?" she asked softly. "She was very clever indeed," he replied. "Your mother was a genius." He stared at Ryoko. He ran his forefinger down her chin. "I wonder if there is any of her in you?" he murmured. His finger strayed to the collar of her kimono. The fire was hot against Ryoko's back. The light from the flames moved over Kagato's face. His eyes gleamed. "No," he said, "there is none of her in you. She was brilliant and you, well, how can I put this? You are altogether lacking in intelligence." Kagato laid his hand against her cheek and then drew her chin up so that she was looking directly at him. He leaned toward her. His face was very close to hers. He whispered, "No, you are not student material, you really are," he paused, "built for... physical labor." He was so close to her, his eyes seemed enormous. She could feel his breath on her face. Suddenly, despite the fire, she felt deathly cold. His hand against her skin was icy. She gasped and pulled away from him. She stumbled to her feet. Kagato grinned evilly. Ryoko turned and ran from the room. She could hear his maniacal laughter following her as she fled to the kitchen.