Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo/No Need For Tenchi is a product of
Pioneer/AIC. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this
fiction other than my own enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans
of this wonderful series.
Disclaimer: The X-Flies is the product of Chris Carter and 20th
Century Fox. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this
fiction other than my own enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans
of this excellent series.
Disclaimer: Oh My Goddess is the product of Kosuke Fujishima and
What's Michael is the product of Makoto Kobayashi. As such, I'm
getting no compensation for writing this fiction other than my own
enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans of both of these excellent
series (this is here because characters from both series appear in a
couple of scenes).
Disclaimer: The copyright holders own the songs and poems that appear
in this series. All characters 'I' have created are purely a work of
fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is pure
coincidence.
Notes: This is Chapter Three of Book Two in my crossover series,
Strange Days. I would appreciate any C&C about this work. My two E
-mail addresses are:
V_Bashaw@hotmail.com
Horosha@RC_Books.zzn.com
The events in Book Two occur just after Episode Four ("Mihoshi Falls
To The Land Of Stars") and in the first season of the X-Flies (both
taking place in 1992). If anyone is interested in using any of the
characters I have created here, please contact me first (especially
about Anthony MacClean). I don't know much about the training and
organizational structure of law enforcement in Nihon and have assumed
that it is similar to ours. If you have questions about the story or
how I portrayed the characters please read the notes at the end of
each chapter and Book One, contact me at my e-mail addresses or post a
message at the AFC message board. I have created a glossary of Nihongo
words, idioms and titles to help readers understand them. You can get
it at TMFFA (under Crossover) or send me e-mail requesting it.
My prereaders for Book Two are K.T.K. (carryover from Book One),
Donald Dortmund, Fuzzy Bunny (another carryover) and Top_Quark. Also
Luriko-Ysabeth helped me on usage of Nihongo in fanfiction. Domo
arigato everyone.
"The Tales of Pretty Sami" are based on an alternate universe Pretty
Sami storyline created by a good friend of mine, Literary Eagle, for
her own Tenchi Muyo OAV series, "Confess To Me." I use it here with
her kind permission and trust (See Notes at the end of Chapter Three
for further discussion).
Dedication: This series is dedicated to the people who brought Tenchi
Muyo to life: Hayashi Hiroki, Kajshima Masaki, Hasegawa Naoko, and
Kuroda Yosuke. We also honor Chris Charter for his great series.
Warning: Just like the Tenchi Muyo OAV and the X-Flies this work
contains adult language and situations (including some ecchi scenes),
so any minor should get parents' permission before reading it.
**********

Tenchi Muyo/X-Flies Crossover
Series Title: "Strange Days"
Book Two Title: "Fire and Rain"
A Fan-Fiction by Horosha
Copyright: July 27, 2001

Chapter Three: Knowing Me, Knowing You
Children's Ward, GP Hospital
The nurses still found it a marvel when only one voice could be heard
in the children's ward instead of the wave of multiple languages
drowning out any adult reasoning but leaving their charges untouched.
The voice producing this miracle came from a ten-year-old girl sitting
on a small chair with a sea of rainbow-headed children surrounding her
on large towels, their attention focused upon the ebony visitor. The
youngster's sapphire eyes scan the words from the e-book in her hands
as dramatic words leap from her dusky lips, "'I won't let you imprison
Tsunami-joosama (Queen), not while I, Pretty Sami, am her champion!'
Pink fire blazed in our heroine's eyes as she held her baton before
the Jurain lord."

"'What can one little girl do to me, Dogo-sama of the Saishono Kantai
(First Navy)?' an evil sneer appeared on huge man's lips as he
motioned his men forward. 'My loyal ships will overcome the capital's
defenses and my loyal men will take care of you. Tsunami-joosama will
be either my bride or my prisoner.'"

"Just then a man in Dogo's green clan colors rushed into the throne
room, stopped just a few feet from the yellow-haired lord and shouted,
'Sir! Your ships have stopped attacking the planetary defenses!'"

"'NANI!' Dogo's face paled in disbelief as he turned to the man while
his men froze in their tracks."

"'CHO-AI ODORI ATTACK (SUPER-LOVE DANCE ATTACK),' Pretty Sami shouted
as her red-clad body bobbed and weaves amongst the confused green-
uniformed men while magic glitter streamed from the heart-shaped crest
on the end of her baton and covered their bodies, within seconds the
enchanted men dropped to the ground with happy smiles upon their
faces."

"As Pretty Sami turned to face Dogo-sama, the huge man let out a growl
as he took a step forward and brought out his lightsabre's hilt with
his left hand, only to check himself when a muzzle of a plasma pistol
pressed into his throat. His shocked eyes looked down the barrel of
the gun and saw the grim grin on the soldier's scarred face before he
recognized the man's features belonged to Horosha, Saishono Kishi
Jurai."

"'Letting out a whoop of joy, Pretty Sami leapt up the dais steps as
Tsunami stood up from her throne to embrace the blue-haired girl. With
a quiet confidence in her tone, Tsunami said, 'Once again, Pretty
Sami, you have saved Jurai and your joosama from the perverted plans
of evil people."

"'I couldn't have done it without Horosha-san and those who are the
Kishi Jurai,' a touch of modesty in Pretty Sami's voice as she looked
up at her adopted mother. 'They snuck onto Dogo-sama's ships and
helped the crews to mutiny against their wicked officers.'"

"Turning to Horosha, Tsunami said to the dark man, 'So, I'm indebted
once again to you for not only protecting my adopted daughter but also
helping my champion,' knowing looks on both Tsunami's and Pretty
Sami's beautiful faces."

"All in a day's work, Tsunami-san," satisfaction on Horosha's face as
he took the lightsabre hilt from the slack-jawed Jurain lord. The
dark-faced man let out a shrill whistle before he continued, 'I'm sure
someone can find a short cell where Dogo-sama can't lay down or stand
up while I go get Sasami-oujosama from where I hid her.'"

"Tsunami and Pretty Sami suppressed their giggles as Horosha prodded
his prisoner forward with the plasma pistol's nose in Dogo's back. As
the two men reached the main entrance's huge doors, they opened inward
to reveal a group of men in Kishi Jurai uniforms waiting patently.
'You four take Dogo-sama away,' the blond-haired man commanded, then
he nodded at the mass of green on the floor. 'The rest of you can take
the trash out.'"

"When Horosha's frame disappeared from sight, Pretty Sami
mischievously whispered to the queen, 'I better go now so I can get
back to my 'hiding place' before Horosha-niichan gets there.'"

"'Ii ne, Pretty Sami,' Tsunami gave a quick peck to the girl's
forehead before the fleet-footed child turned and ran to one of the
many secret entrances to the spiderweb of passageways that covered the
palace, the grounds and several sections of the great city.'"

"Twenty minutes later, Horosha groaned as he lifted up the bed's
mattress in Sasami's room so the little princess could crawl out from
between it and the box spring. 'It's safe to come out, Sasami-
oujosama,' he reassured Tsunami's adopted daughter. 'Pretty Sami was
able to stop Dogo-sama from hurting Tsunami-san.'"

"'Yaappii, Horosha-niichan!" exclaimed the girl in her light green
child's kimono as her little arms embrace her guardian but pulled back
when a grasp of pain escaped her protector's lips. 'You're hurt!' fear
replaced the joy in her face."

"'Just a couple of cracked ribs,' a chagrin tone touched Horosha's
words as his black hand rested assuring on her blue curls. 'I kinda of
crashed my ship in Tsunami-san's flower garden so I could get to the
throne room on time.'"

"'Oi, let's get you to the palace doctors,' Sasami placed a protective
right arm around Horosha's waist while her left hand placed the man's
left hand on her left shoulder, allowing him to lean on her for she
had noticed he was favoring his right leg. Then a stern look entered
her eyes, 'and I wish you would just call me, Sasami. You know I don't
like being called oujosama.'"

"'Hai, Sobakasu (Freckles),' Horosha grinned as he used his personal
nickname for Sasami."

"'I like that even less!' a dangerous tone in Sasami's words as she
pulled Horosha even closer to her ten-year-old body which produced a
painful grin on his face."

"'Hai, Sasami-chan,' he replied to the princess' command as he allowed
her to take him down the brightly lit corridor. The end."

A mix of claps, whistles and finger snaps along with happy grins
brought a toothy smile to Mihoshi's face as she stood up and gave a
deep bow to her audience. It was after the bow she perceived one child
was showing a different response from the others, a girl just a couple
of years younger than her. A cat's curiosity moved her feet toward
this girl with the teal colored hair and dark blue eyes that never
stopped staring at the blond-headed girl. After the children put away
their towels, the caretakers took groups of them to different parts of
the huge ward for lessons and projects but the girl with the strong
face waited for Mihoshi to stand a foot away before she got up. At
this point the older girl sensed something was going on underneath
those greenish blue curls, a cold calculation of the possibilities. To
find out what was going on within the youngster's mind, Mihoshi asked
in Juraigo, "Did you like the story, ne?"

"Why didn't Horosha-san kill Dogo-sama immediately instead of letting
him live?" the girl asked.

Mihoshi recognized the girl's speech as the Kathalli variation of
Juraigo and replied, ""Because Dogo-sama had the right to a trial
before his joosama just as all people within the Ginga Yunion have the
same right. That's what my ojiisama told me."

The child's teal eyebrows lift up at how effortlessly Mihoshi replied
in her dialect before she asked, "Tsunami-joosama must be very
powerful for Sasami-chan and Horosha-san to risk their lives for her,
ne?"

Mihoshi felt a probing mind in the girl's words so she honestly
returned, "Sasami-chan and Horosha-san risk their lives because they
daisuki Tsunami-joosama."

The girl's cobalt eyes narrowed at Mihoshi's correction, then she
countered, "Why fight for something that doesn't protect you or put
food in your stomach?"

Mihoshi detected doubt in the teal-haired girl's tone so answered
cheerfully, "Because it makes you happy, wa."

The younger girl could feel the sunshine in Mihoshi's words but she
countered the ebony girl's smile with her own experiences and asked,
"Being happy won't keep you from hunger or the cold."

Mihoshi noted a gleam within the other girl's eyes and said, "It can
if people are your friends, wa."

The shorter girl heard certainty in Mihoshi's words but countered, "I
don't believe you."

Mihoshi felt a razor edge to the girl's tone but asked, "Naze wa yo?"

The longhaired girl heard Mihoshi's puzzlement and answered with an
absolute tone, "Because I never had a friend. Those who followed me
did so because I could get them food, money and a place to sleep."

"I'll be your friend," Mihoshi cheerfully offered.

"Naze no (Why)?" Mihoshi saw a new emotion in the girl's deep eyes
that matched her words, surprise.

"Because everyone needs a friend," the girl found no guile in
Mihoshi's sapphire eyes or her words.

"You don't even know me," bafflement in the girl's words which Mihoshi
sensed.

"During the time we've been talking, no one has come up to ask you to
play with them, to ask how you feel or to ask you about me," the dark-
haired eight-year-old found only truth in blond-haired ten-year-old
words. "You're lonely, in need of a hand to hold onto, someone to shed
tears with."

"I don't know you," Mihoshi found wariness in the child's words.

"Baka wa, I'm the Vice-Marshall's mago, Kuramitsu Mihoshi," the child
in a plain brown suit saw the richly clad girl hold out her right hand
without hesitation.

For a second the teal-haired girl with cobalt eyes wavered then she
grasped the hand with her own right hand and said, "I'm Makibi
Kiyone."

Just then a light sensation touched several spots on Mihoshi's nose
and cheeks, bringing about a tickle, a sneeze and consciousness.
Looking up from the seat she was sleeping in, her large eyes saw a
large white feather in Seto's left hand while her pointy ears heard
the tall lady's words, "Gomen for waking you up from your happy dream,
Himawari, but we're back in orbit around the Earth."

"That oke, Niji-dono," the dream's sunshine radiated in Mihoshi's face
as her leap from the chair brought the policewoman right next to the
uchu kaizoku which caused her godmother to flinch a little. "I'm ready
to bring justice to all those desperados," her excitement caused the
statement to be finished in English.

With a nod of her blue-haired head, Seto brought out her mirror,
paused a minute to concentrate while her key briefly glowed. Satisfied
with her bondmate's reassurance about the Shoji's status, the Jurain
princess started to use the key to shape the flow of power when she
heard a happy sigh leave Mihoshi's lips. The tall lady turned her
scarlet vision from the mirror to her godchild where she found
sapphire orbs still full of joy's aftermath. With amusement, the older
woman commented, "You're full of smiles."

"I dreamed of Kiyone," fondness in Mihoshi's words. "Remembering the
first time I met her."

"At the GP children's ward?" the blond bombshell nodded then a
grinning Seto continued, "I wasn't there when you two first met but I
did get involved at the tail end of the 'Great Escape'."

Giggles from the two women filled the air around them as roses bloomed
in Mihoshi's cheeks and the blond shyly said, "Kiyone heard about the
Earth game, hide-and-go-seek, and wanted to play it but she told me
the ward was too small for it, I suggested we could go outside the
quarters. Kiyone liked the idea but one of the nurses told us we
couldn't because Kiyone was under custody for something she did."

"Didn't let that stop you, ne?" the tall lady said in a small smile
her face.

"Kiyone just silently stood there but I could tell she was
disappointed," Mihoshi's own voice reflected her memory. "Then I
remember the story I'd read to the children a few days ago, 'Pretty
Sami and the Great Escape'."

"You always did like those stories," Seto tone reflected the memory of
the numerous times her godchild would read them to her by the glow of
the blue-haired woman's mirror, under the child's bed blanket.

"I loved them because they showed Ayeka-oujosama's affection for
Sasami-chan, her respect for Tsunami-megami and her own feelings about
Jurai," then Mihoshi voice softened with sadness, "later on when I was
older, her words told me of her longing for her oniisan or someone
like Horosha-san."

"Do you still have them?" Seto wanted to deflect Mihoshi from the
trail of tears she was heading to.

"Yip! The whole collection is at my father's home!" there was
excitement in the ebony woman's English words. "I had some bootleg
versions Ayeka's friends distributed to remind the Jurain people about
their missing princesses but I was overjoyed when Queen Misaki gave
her official permission for them to be published!"

"Isn't 'Pretty Sami and the Great Escape' the last one to be
released?" Seto pushed the conversation back to its original subject.

"Hai, Ayeka-san heard about what her friends were doing and sent the
story along with a message to her ryoshin," Mihoshi switched back to
Juraigo, "letting them know she and Sasami-chan were doing fine."

"And the story told you how to get Kiyone-san out of the children's
ward, ne?" a knowing look appeared on Seto's face.

"I smuggled in a tin of Jurain sweet mochi to bribe the other children
to cause a distraction," a foxy smile appeared on Mihoshi's red lips
as her memory filled her mind of small naked youths throwing their
clothes about with shouts of glee. "It worked so well we walked out
the children's ward unnoticed."

"But something happened," Seto's words more a statement than a
question.

"Ee, I found out Kiyone was really good at hide-and-go-seek," awe
filled Mihoshi's eyes, "at my last I'm-it, I couldn't find her."

"Your ojiisama said you were crying your eyes out when he found you
wandering the hallways," sympathy in the tall lady's fair face.

"I was afraid Kiyone was hurt and couldn't call out for help," the old
fear returned to Mihoshi voice. "Ojiisama decided to take me home
while the men continued the search for her."

"But you saw something after the ship landed at the city's spaceport,"
Seto could barely keep her words from being overwhelmed with laughter.

"As I and ojiisama walked down the ramp toward the entry gate, I
looked back at the ship and saw a small figure drop out of one of the
landing gear wells," a child's certainty in the young woman's tone. "I
only got a glimpse before it disappeared underneath the ramp but I
knew it had to be Kiyone."

A smiling Seto nodded her head before she said, "It was then a frantic
call from your okasama got me out of a really boring meeting on Alpha
Centuri. Even after a three-day journey at flank speed, I found they
were still searching for the missing mago of the Vice-Marshall."

"I just wanted to find my friend," Mihoshi's asserted.

"Himawari, you could've heard water sprinkle when you walked through
the front door just as I opened it to walk out and search for you,"
Seto slowly shook her head in false disapproval. "And what was it you
were dragging in by your right hand but the missing Kiyone-san, who
was trying not to look like she was hiding behind you."

"I wanted my ryoshin to meet my friend," the simple truth ringed in
Mihoshi's clear voice.

"Your otousama was happy to meet Kiyone-san but your okasama screeched
about how torn and soiled your clothes were," then Seto's look changed
from a grin to a frown as she continued, "what did you two do anyway,
crawl through every rat hole, benjo and sewer in the city?"

"Ara, I didn't know Kiyone had changed the game from hide-and-go-seek
to tag-you're-it," Mihoshi gave Seto a guileless smile.

"How did you finally catch her?" Seto had asked this question to
Kiyone but the longhaired woman would only blush and mumble an answer.

"I told Kiyone I would take her to my home where I'd make sure no one
would ever hurt her again," Mihoshi's inner eye saw Kiyone staring up
at her with defeat in those greenish-blue eyes but quickly surprise
banished away the exhausted teal-haired girl's sense of loss when
again that same ebony right hand was offered to her in friendship.

"Partners forever . . . " Seto started a set of words she heard her
little sunflower say a thousand times.

" . . . 'Till death do us part," Mihoshi's words had the clear
softness someone uses when speaking their wedding vow.

Seeing Mihoshi's eyes start to mist over, Seto said as she brought her
mirror back up, "It's raining down there so I'm going to beam us down
in Katsuhito-san's office at the shrine."

"Why there instead of somewhere in the house?" Mihoshi's eyes cleared
just as Seto hoped they would.

"Because everyone is in the shrine's haiden (hall of worship)," Seto
replied with a drop of curiosity in her voice.

"Oi, they're there for Sasami-chan's practice," Mihoshi's dusky face
brightened.

"Sasami-chan's practice?" Seto's eyebrows arch up with wonder.

"Hai, Tenchi-san's ojiisama is taking her to an Earth festival in
three days time and Sasami-chan is practicing for it," Mihoshi
confirmed with a small smile.

"Dewa, let's hurry," Seto gave Mihoshi a quick nod before closing her
scarlet eyes and facing her upright mirror. The policewomen stood next
to her godmother as she placed her white-gloved right hand on the
older woman's firm left shoulder while a moonlight glow emitted from
the glass. After a dramatic toss in the air, rainbow light rained down
upon the two female figures as they and the mirror disappeared.
**********
Masaki Shrine
The ornate construction of the exterior of the haiden sharply
contrasted with the simpleness of the interior which was designed to
focus everyone's attention upon the ritual they were performing, only
the presence of the stout black pole upon a stand next to a low altar,
with gold lightening bolt streamers attached to its crown could
counterbalance the beauty of the ritual's participants. Upon a sacred
table were six bowls containing the traditional offerings to the Kami
of the shrine, a smoked mackerel, a bright orange, glittering grains
of sea salt, the soft whiteness of sweet rice, a bottle of sake and
some pink umeboshi (pickled Nihon plums). To the right of the bowls
was an arms-length branch from Funaho-Ki and a rolled-up norito prayer
scroll. At ten feet in front of the altar could be found the kneeling
forms of Sasami in a silky dark blue kimono with a light blue sprinkle
of raindrops. Behind her are a green-blue clad Ayeka and a curious
Ryo-ohki with a mustard-yellowed ribbon and bow around her neck. In a
parallel line between the altar and the two females were the priestly
dressed figures of Katsuhito and Tenchi.

Sasami watched with excited filled eyes as Katsuhito stood up smoothly
and performed the purification ritual by gently waving Funaho-Ki's
gift from right-to-left-to-right over her, Ayeka and Ryo-ohki's head.
She could see the Jurain aura about the branch and hear within her
mind the happy greeting of Funaho-Ki as it passed over her head. After
the chief priest sat, the little princess watched Tenchi, acting as
his grandfather's assistant, read the prayer scroll, asking the Kami
to bless the pink-eyed child, her ruby-eyed sister and the amber-eyed
cabbit with health, happiness and fulfillment. Sasami had to steel
herself so she wouldn't smile at how strange it was that a creation of
Tsunami was being blessed by another creation of Tsunami but she
wanted her first practice to be faultless.

After Tenchi knelt back down and giving the rest a moment to absorb
the meaning of the words, the girl-child watched Katsuhito stand again
from his tatami mat (a hemp-fiber mat) to reverently walk to the stand
where the dark-lacquered pole lay. With forbearance, the gray-haired
man carefully lifted the pole with both hands, turned to face the
others and with measured steps made his way to Sasami. As the man
approached with the device gripped by one hand and cradled by the
other, astonishment froze Sasami's features as she beheld a gleaming
energy about it. Unlike the moonlight aura surrounding all things from
Tsunami or the sickening green light from the man in her nightmare,
the girl child beheld that this object pulsed with grayish glitter,
neither light nor dark but something in-between. With great care, like
the pole might explode, Katsuhito moved the pole over Sasami's head
like he did with Funaho-Ki's branch but he delicately allowed the
streamers to brush against the little girl's blue head as she clasped
her pink hands before her. Just before they touched, Sasami could feel
a stirring come from Tsunami but before she could wonder at the
goddess' interest one of streamers touched Sasami's key above her
forehead. A tiny gasp escaped from her lips as her soul was seized by
a sudden dizziness caused by a shout of joyful recognition from
Tsunami then darkness overwhelmed her senses.

The kneeling Ayeka kept her face neutral but within she was proud at
how Sasami bore herself during her first practice session but then her
ruby eyes widen as her sister's body started to tumble over after the
streamers part from her brow. With speed born from a sister's love,
Ayeka caught Sasami's falling body before it even had a chance to
touch the hardwood floor as Tenchi rushed forward and both Seto and
Mihoshi broke out of their hiding place behind the partial closed
front door, Katsuhito placed the pole back on its stand before
returning to the fearful group.

"Sasami!" Ayeka's voice filled with fear as she cradled her sister's
limp body in her lap, a body that felt as light as a feather to her
sister's sensitive hands. "Are you alright?"

"I'm oke, oneesama," Sasami tried to place as much reassurance as
possible in her words as her pink quartz flittered open, "I was
suddenly lightheaded, that's all."

"It's a wonder you shouldn't feel this way," Sasami looked up at a
concerned Tenchi as his words continued, "after all the work you've
done today."

"Maybe we should share the chores?" a kneeling Mihoshi suggested as
her long-fingered hands held and patted to soothe a frantic Ryo-ohki.

"I think that is an excellent idea, Mihoshi-san," Katsuhito agreed
with a nod as he stood over the kneeling group, whose eyes told the
old man how much they loved the child.

"I'll draw up a daily list of chores and spread them out amongst
everyone," as the words left Tenchi's mouth an embarrassed look
appeared on his face as his eyes locked on Seto.

"I will handle Ayeka-dono's share of the list until she comes back
from her trip, ii ne?" Seto's supportive words brought relief to
Tenchi but everyone saw a frown on Sasami's face.

"Don't you want us to help you, Sasami-chan?" Tenchi puzzled over the
little princess' response.

"Hai but only under one condition, Tenchi-neechan," seriousness
appeared on the freckled girl's face as the others lean forward in
anticipation. "I'll do all the cooking and any chore I want to do."

"I think we can accept your condition, Akaruime," Katsuhito responded
with a knowing smile as the others nodded their heads in agreement.

Just then a loud thump echoed from the tiled roof, quickly followed by
ceramic shads, a moss-covered rock and a stream of water fell on the
people within the room but caused no harm.

"Dewa, here's one chore only we men can do," certainty in Katsuhito's
tone as he continued, "Tenchi, let us go to the office to change out
of our priestly garments and get back into our work clothes, then
we'll get the ladder, ply wood and some spare tiles to patch the
roof."

"Hai, jiichan," for once Tenchi was not bothered by his grandfather's
decision to use his strong back.

Moments later the women watched Tenchi go up the ladder with tiles, a
small piece of ply wood, hammer and heavy nails stripped to his back
while Katsuhito braced the ladder with his weathered hands. While
Ayeka was perfectly comfortable in her waterproof kimono and wide brim
hat, Seto and Mihoshi were under a borrowed umbrella, Ryo-ohki being
given the full-court-treatment by Seto's loving hands and Sasami wore
a child's transparent hooded slicker Nobiyuki had given her just
before he left for his surprise dinner date.

Minutes passed as the gentle sound of rain kept time with Tenchi's
hammer. Suddenly another crack interrupted the concert and a shout
drifted to those down below, "Kuso!"

Roses appeared on the ladies faces as a chorus of giggles was shared
by them while the elderly priest called up, "Be quick Tenchi, my flesh
and bones aren't as strong as they use to be."

"You could've fooled me, jiisan," Tenchi mumbled under his breath as
he remembered the number of times his grandfather smacked his young
body during today's kendo practice. The only consolation he got for
his bumps and bruises were the sympathetic looks Ayeka's perfect face
gave him each time he picked himself off the ground, even in his
almost naked state. "I wouldn't mind if Ayeka-san or Ryoko were there
to lessen the sting of jiichan's blows," the black-haired youth added
as he shifted to the other new hole.

As the last blow from the hammer secured the new tile in place, Tenchi
moved his center of balance to his right, so he could make his way to
the ladder, but his geta-clad right foot slipped off as does the left
one. Frantically Tenchi hands claw at the tiles but the rain and
momentum made them too slick to for a permanent grasp. Down below a
pair of ebony ears are the only ones to pickup the faint clacks of a
tumbling dropped hammer on ceramic tiles.

"Nani, Oi, Ara?" slipped out of Seto's, Sasami's and Ayeka's lips as
they watched Mihoshi suddenly tear away from their little group and
run at neck-breaking-speed toward the ladder. Katsuhito's gray
eyebrows arched up as he beheld the look of determination on the
policewoman's face but he also noted the slight right shift in her
angle of approach. Four red eyes and two pink ones became saucer size
when their sight showed the priest's hands yank down hard on the sides
of the ladder as Mihoshi sprang up to the ladder's fifth step and used
the extra height to vault even higher into the air, it's then everyone
else's ears detect the clamor from the hall's roof and catch the blur
of Tenchi's body tobogganing into the wet air.

"TENCHI-SAMA! TENCHI-NIICHAN!" escaped from the frightened princesses
except for Seto, whose eyes gain a glint of pride as Mihoshi strong
arms caught the wide-eyed youth ten feet above the ground but then her
left hand went up to cover an embarrassed smile as her godchild's
landing feet hit a patch of mud.

"KKKYYYAAA!" escaped from the mouths' of both Mihoshi and her package
as they skidded into the shrine's rear support wall where their bodies
produced a dull thud.

When stars cleared from Tenchi's brown eyes, he found his muddy face
just inches from Mihoshi's mud spattered face, her sapphire eyes full
of joy. "Domo arigato gozaimasu (Thank you very, very much), Miho-
san," Tenchi's words full of gratitude as he got up off of her and
offered his right hand to her.

"That's oke, Tenchi-san," Mihoshi blushed at the way Tenchi had
addressed her, "you saved my life yesterday," but then she cut loose
with a piecing wail as she saw the condition of her uniform, "I'm
covered in MUD!"

Mihoshi's cry of anguish is cut short as the dusky woman's body rocked
with the impact of the plastic-covered body of Sasami and a tearful
cry reached the policewoman's pointy ears as blue curls covered her
neck, "Oi! Arigato! Arigato! Mihoshi-neechan!" Mihoshi looked over the
princess' blue ponytails and noted Ayeka's nod of agreement with her
sister's assertion while the gilt of pride in Seto's eyes needed no
translation.

"It was really nothing, Sasami-chan," Mihoshi's words tried to comfort
Sasami before a thought entered her mind. With mischief the young
woman placed her dark hands on the little one's shoulder and pushed
her gently a few inches, then with her left index finger the detective
touched the pink wonder's cute nose, leaving a button-sized speck of
dirt upon its tip while saying with false shock, "Look at you, all
dirty!"

All tears vanished from Sasami's mind as the woman with the sunshine
hair called up pearls of giggles from the princess' heart. Barely able
to keep his own relief out of his voice, Katsuhito suggested, "I think
we should all take a bath."

"A wonderful suggestion, Katsuhito-sama," Ayeka warming up to the
idea. "Since there are more of us than of you, can I suggest you and
Tenchi should bathe first since it will take us longer."

"Ee," the priest concurred.

As the group head to the stone stairs, Seto fell in next to the older
man and asked in a low voice, "Did you know what would happen when the
pole touched Sasami?"

"I was uncertain," Katsuhito replied at the same volume, "because of
my training as both a Jurain warrior and a Shinshoku, I felt the
resonance of the aura surrounding the gohei (a sacred pole) when I
picked it up but this isn't unusual for many sacred objects have this
same quality to them."

"What do you know about the object?" questioned Seto.

"The gohei was given to me by the guji of Achi-jinja for helping in
rebuilding their shrine after it was destroyed during a recent war,"
Seto heard the note of pain in her grandson's voice as he remembered a
friend long dead. "They had the two gohei and knew I didn't have one
for the Masaki-jinja. So they gave me the older one."

"Has anything like this happened before?" Seto knew full well how
secretive a grandson Katsuhito could be.

"Nothing beyond the normal revelation experienced by a true believer,"
the gray-haired man honestly replied.

"But you said you were uncertain?" Seto returned to the priest's
statement.

"Sasami being Tsunami-megami's bondmate could make her sensitive to
such an aura but I can't be sure because I've handled the gohei
without suffering any undue effects beyond what I already described,"
a thread of puzzlement entered Katsuhito's tone.

"There could be something special about the bond between Sasami and
Tsunami-megami?" supplied Seto as they started down the granite
staircase.

"That is what I'm starting to believe myself," the man slowly nodded
his tanned head, "but what it is I'm unable to uncover."

"We might never discover the truth if Tsunami-megami doesn't want us
to know," a note of suspicion in the tall lady's voice.

As unfathomable words pass between the oldest members of the pack,
Mihoshi walked next to Tenchi where she quietly asked him, "Why did
you call me, Miho-san?"

"Oi, gomen," a crooked smile on Tenchi's face matched his words, "I've
spent so much time with jiichan, I'll sometimes slip into his southern
pronunciation."

"So my name would be pronounced as Miho-san?" Mihoshi's voice lost
some of its husky luster at such an ordinary explanation.

"Hai," Tenchi replied, unaware of the effects of his nearness had on
the policewoman.

"So your name would be Ten, Ten-san or Ten-sama?" Mihoshi eagerly
asked.

"Hai," Tenchi wondered at what these questions were leading up to.

"Could I call you Ten-sama?" a splinter of hope in the ebony woman's
voice.

"I don't see why not," Tenchi replied with a courteous smile on his
lips.

"Then you can call me Miho-san, ne?" Mihoshi could barely restrain
herself from reaching for the youth's hand.

"Oke, Miho-san," although he noted Mihoshi's expression of hero
worship to him, Tenchi was happy to grant the young woman's request.
'She did just save my life, after all,' the brown-eyed youth thought
to himself.

Behind the shorthaired man and the policewoman, Sasami absentmindedly
followed them with Ryo-ohki nestled between her blue ponytails,
underneath the plastic hood. The child smiled at the fact she had
another 'sister' but what her mind kept replaying was Tsunami's shout
of joy. In the seven hundred years of Sasami's direct relationship
with Tsunami, it's been the last sixteen years the child witnessed a
complete disappearance of the iron goddess of legend, instead she
found a many-sided being. It had taken years of gentle coaxing by
Sasami to bring Tsunami out of her armor and in the passing centuries
they had laughed, cried and shared quiet moments together. But while
watching the repair on the roof, Sasami had tried to contact her
constant friend but no warm presence of the familiar entity came, it
wasn't as if Tsunami had reverted to her stoic isolation but instead
was hiding from her little companion. 'I'll go look for her tonight,'
a mix of concern and wonder in the little princess' thoughts.

Under the plastic hood, in the softness of Sasami's hair, Ryo-ohki's
amber eyes shifted from one walking figure to another as her own
musings and the echoing feelings of the spying Ryoko swirled in her
mind. An amber glare was fixed on Katsuhito as the cabbit felt Ryoko's
suspicions of the old man's actions. Toward Seto Ryo-ohki noticed
Ryoko's deep respect for her fellow sister-in-arms was tempered with
concern over the leader of the Kaizoku Guild own secretive intentions.
For Tenchi, Ryo-ohki felt the rumble of Ryoko's undying love for the
young man but there was a terrifying fear for his safety caused by the
appearance of the Shojo and its owner. Looking up at Ayeka, Ryo-ohki
felt a cascade of emotions over the link for the princess: jealousy,
humor, sympathy and envy, yet the cabbit noted an underlining emotion
of sad acceptance over the young princess' attraction to the black-
haired youth. With the same emotional level as her love for Tenchi was
the tidal wave of worry, passing over the link from Ryoko to Ryo-ohki,
for Sasami. The little one's collapse during practice had brought a
mental scream equal to the one Ryo-ohki had uttered and only her quick
recovery calm both minds. Finally, there was puzzlement over Mihoshi,
a rival for Tenchi's love or a new ally against her former master.

Next to Sasami, Ayeka seemed to walk calmly but her emotions burned
recklessly within her, triggered by the pleasant words her ruby eyes
saw being exchanged between Tenchi and Mihoshi. 'Another one to share
his kindness with,' as soon as those hot words filled her mind, she
shuddered at their implications, 'It is wrong of me to be resentful of
her! She just saved Tenchi-sama's life while I just stood there,
frozen by my fear of losing him, but I should not feel such passion
for him. I know I love my oniisama, my inazuke, yet a fire scorches my
body whenever another shojo makes eyes at Tenchi-sama. It is as if I
have already claimed him as my own but it's not true. Yosho is my
itoshii, not this boy whom I have known for only three weeks!' As her
feet slowly descended the shrine's stone steps, the purple-haired
princess called upon her mental discipline to slowly suppress the
horns of jealousy upon her head. With desperate hope, Ayeka thought,
'After tonight's ritual, perhaps I will be able to handle these
upheavals better if I know what is causing them.'
**********
4:51 p.m. Kurashiki Forensic Lab
Scully sighed as she dropped her blood-covered gloves and apron into
the disposable hamper, "Another autopsy, another dollar."

Purposely the redhead walked to the tape recorder to tap the stop
button and pop the cassette out so she could place it in her shirt
pocket. During the whole examination of the body, she tried to keep a
professional attitude about the work at hand but she couldn't keep the
feeling of loss from barging into her soul, the loss of a chance to
see Nobuyuki again. Seeing the time on the room's clock, Scully
hesitated as she put her brown coat on but decided the train station
was her only option, maybe it wasn't the best one but she still wasn't
sure if she could follow her heart. As her right hand opened the lab's
outer door and her body passed from the dark room she shared with the
dead to the world of the living, her sad musings vanished as her
emerald gaze fell upon the smiling face of a man sitting alone in the
hallway.

Frozen by disbelief, with her mouth too heavy to keep closed, Scully
watched the man in the light blue pants and the white-and-blue-
stripped shirt stood up, used his right hand to pick up a large box by
its carrying strap and walked to her in confident strides before he
said to her in a disarming fashion, "I thought you would be hungry,
Ninjin-chan, so I had Sasami-chan fix a surprise dinner for just the
two of us."

"How long have you been waiting?" Scully's tongue finally finding
life.

"Just an hour, not long at all," Scully found Nobuyuki's smile so warm
after the hours she had spent in isolation.

"So what did you bring us, Inkushimi?" Scully couldn't stop from
blushing as her own stomach rumbled out its impatience.

Nobuyuki chuckled as he turned on his heel and offered his left arm to
the lady as he said, "Why don't you lead us somewhere so we can
partake of this wonderful meal?"

Scully looked at the offered arm, then at the look of affection in the
tanned man's face and again at the strong arm, knowing what it held
forth was something more than a chivalric gesture, it was a chance to
continue something that started three weeks ago with a dance. With her
heart still warring with her consciousness, guilt fighting with need,
Scully laid her right hand on his arm. By this means she took him to
the building's cafeteria.

Half-hour later, the night shift personnel in the cafeteria were
staring down at their plain rice, pickled eggs and lukewarm miso soup
with sad expressions as their nose and mouth told them the dullness
their meal was compared to the one the redheaded foreigner and her
black-haired companion was sharing at one of the corner tables. Scully
was a little nervous because of the glances but the delicious favors
and wonderful textures of the food she was partaking with Nobuyuki
helped keep her doubts in check. Seated across from each other, both
of them could sense the other's feelings, Nobuyuki could tell that by
the emerald-eyed lady's silent eating she was afraid to say anything,
fearful of where it could lead to, while Scully noted a daring
restraint in the number of times he would leave his right hand halfway
across the table, within touching distance.

After the consumption of the main meal, Nobuyuki smiled at Scully,
reached blindly into the box while saying, "Let's see what Sasami-chan
prepared as a desert," but he let out a puzzled noise as his left hand
missed the container holding the brownies and instead found a palm-
sized object. Bring it out of the bag, both pair of eyes went wide as
they recognized the round piece of clear resin and the precious
treasure it contained, a hair ring of black and red.

Wordlessly, Nobuyuki rested his hand palm up on the table while both
his and Scully's mind reached into yesterday's domain, where on a
sunny day a young boy and his girlfriend decided to help their friend
to ride a bicycle. After some encouraging words, a few cuts, a couple
of bruises and a tamed bike, the three rested under the shade of
Funaho as the three ate the launch the black-haired girl fixed for
them. With the last of the rice balls gone, the oldest girl asked,
"Ninjin-chan, Inkushimi, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Naze wa yo?" asked the girl with curiosity's glow in her emerald
eyes.

"I would like a piece of hair from both of you," a seriousness in her
words but a bright smile upon her pink face.

"Naze wa yo?" the redheaded girl one repeated her question.

"I can't tell you, akachan," the older girl's eyes full of sunshine,
"I can only show you."

The youngest girl and the boy looked at each other, each nodded once
and with the boy's army knife they each gave the ruby-eyed girl what
she had asked for. Kneeling down between her friends, the older girl's
delicate hands weave first her own hair and the boy's together to form
a ring then she looped the fiery hair particles around the black ones
to tightly bind them together.

Twin grasps of awe came from both sides as the youngest girl said,
"Its kawaii, Achika-neechan!" while the young man added with
affection, "It's kirei na, Achika-chan." A sad expression touched the
little one's fair face, a look that wasn't missed by the longhaired
girl.

Holding the hair ring in her upturned palm before her friends and with
love in her tone, Achika suddenly said, "Let's swear an oath."

"What kind?" eagerness alight the redhead's cute face.

"A very special one, Ninjin-chan," a sly smile upon the older girl's
face.

When the nine-year-old girl and the thirteen-year-old boy nod their
heads, Achika cleared her voice and then commanded, "Place your right
hand on top of mine." First the girl's small hand covered the ring
then the brown-eyed boy's rested on both, which caused the child's
face to match the color of her hair. Barely able to suppress her
mirth, Achika closed her eyes and continued, "Repeat after me: in dark
or in light . . . "

"In dark or in light . . . " both voices spoke in union as her friends
closed their eyes.

"In the deep or in the heavens . . . "

"In the deep or in the heavens . . . "

"In the roar of thunder or the gentle laughter of rain . . . "

"In the roar of thunder or the gentle laughter of rain . . . "

"We will be together."

"We will be together."

"If the sun falls from the sky . . . "

"If the sun falls from the sky . . . " both noticed their skin start
to tingle.

"If the moon no longer shines . . . "

"If the moon no longer shines . . . " even through closed lids a white
glow reached their eyes.

"If the stars cannot twinkle . . . "

"If the stars cannot twinkle . . . " both felt a warm presence
swirling around the edge of their consciousness.

"We will be together."

"We will be together." A splinter of fear started to form in their
mind but the presence removed it with a gentle needle.

"Even if sight cannot see . . . "

"Even if sight cannot see . . . " hearts beat as one as all three feel
their love intertwine.

"Even if touch cannot feel . . . "

"Even if touch cannot feel . . . " as the words flittered out, three
minds became one.

'Even if hearing cannot listen . . . ' the words came from unmoving
lips.

'We will be together.'

'Should our feet walk not the same path . . . '

'Should the veil separate us . . . '

'Should one wait for the others to come . . . '

'We will be together.'

As the oath ended, the noise of birds and bugs returned as two minds
left behind the memories of yesterday to reach today. Both Scully and
Nobuyuki look at each other with eyes glistening before they looked
down at the talisman resting in Nobuyuki's right palm while
emotionally choked words left the man's trembling lips, "I thought I
lost it."

"Looks . . . like Sasami-chan . . . found it," Scully's replied in
broken words as her strong hand reached over to hold the tanned hand
resting on the table.

As the palms of both Scully and Nobuyuki touched their friend's gift,
the tears couldn't be contained as both rested their foreheads upon
the others' right shoulder. In a room now empty of any other person, a
light drizzle of tears bathe their hands and leak between their
intertwined fingers. What came next wasn't planned or even thought
about for as a redhead and a blackhead turned to face the other, their
lips met. A gentle lingering kiss it was, as both tasted the salty
tears shed for their departed loved one.

Minutes pass before the couple's lips part and then Nobuyuki's husky
voice said, "It's strange, Ninjin-chan, I should remember the oath
that way."

"I know, Inkushimi," Scully's tone matching his. "It's like parts of
it were hidden from us until we needed to remember it more than an
oath of friendship between children."

"Funaho-Ki na?" Nobuyuki unsure he should utter the name.

"So you know about Achika-san's bonding with Funaho-Ki, ne?" the
loving smile upon Scully's face matched her words.

"When we married, Achika-chan decided no secrets should be kept from
each other," the Nobuyuki's face gained a gentle look, "and you?"

"We always shared our secrets," softness entered Scully's tone.

"Even your ai for me, Ninjin-chan," Nobuyuki's words a statement more
than a question as a happy smile touched his lips while Scully's
cheeks redden, "I didn't realize it was there until that remembrance
showed it to me," then a new thought entered his mind, "Do you think
Achika-chan knew she would die."

"It is possible Achika-san's bonding with Funaho-Ki gave your okusan
the sight to see our possible future," an acorn of insight entered
Scully's mind.

"Then the oath and the hair ring . . . " Nobuyuki started in a
whisper.

" . . . Were meant as triggers should what she'd perceived came true,"
Scully finished in the same way.

"Achika-chan wanted us to be together," enlightenment visible in
Nobuyuki's eyes as he realized he had made the correct decision about
his future with Scully.

"Knowing she would be with us, sharing her ai for us," lightness
entered Scully's heart as the heavy burden of guilt was removed.

With souls full of happiness, the two stared into each other's colored
pools as their left hands delicately stroked the other's face and
hair. Time unfroze when the alarm on Scully's watch went off and broke
them apart. Breaking the protective embrace of the symbol of their
love for themselves and a fallen beloved, Scully hit the off switch
with her right hand while noted the time was 5:48, Scully said with
heavy words, "I have to go, Inkushimi. I need to catch a train to
Tokyo."

"Let me take you to the station, ii ne?" Nobuyuki gave Scully a light
kiss and found how much he missed the rose petal softness of a woman's
lips.

"Oke," Scully returned the kiss, her need called within her to
continue to taste the nectar from the flower of her heart but logic
forced her to rein herself in so she could help Nobuyuki to repack the
box with the food containers. With the box's strap over his left
shoulder, the two walked out the room with Nobuyuki's right-hand
holding Scully left, then Nobuyuki used his left hand to offer the
hair ring to Scully but she shook her head before saying, "Keep it for
us and say arigato to Sasami-chan for me, for everything."

"I will," certainty in the black-haired man's tone.
**********
Train to Matsumoto
As the cities, towns and villages of Nihon flashed by the silvery
serpent upon its steel trail, two passengers sat next to each other
but were in different worlds. With a careful glance at the other
occupants around them, Mulder made sure none of them bothered the
cyan-haired woman next to him, the American took note of the faraway
look upon her sharp face and the reddish glow from the left wrist held
close to her chest. In the time before they changed trains at Nagoya,
Mulder's pale green eyes watch a play of expressions pass across
Ryoko's face: tender love, giggling laughter, stony glare, jaw dropped
fear and a Cheshire Cat's grin. This display brought back to Mulder's
mind the mystery of her being here with him instead of with the ones
she loved most. Running over the information Ryoko had told him about
her past, Mulder deduced there was only one thing that would drive her
away from the young man and the little princess but first he had to
ask her if his conclusion was correct. As he turned his head toward
his companion to ask the question, his cellphone buzzed.

Taking it out of his vest pocket, the brown-haired agent asked,
"Mulder here."

"This is the Chicago Police Department calling to inform you that a
warrant has been issued for your arrest on twelve-hundred traffic
violations," the amused voice of Detective Dortmund could be barely
heard over the static.

"Do you think you could wait a while on that warrant," Mulder matched
his friend's humor, "I'm not going to be in the States for a while."

"I'm sure we can make arrangements for your credit card to pay for
them," Don suggested before dropping the pretense, "How you're doing,
Mulder?"

"Better than I thought I would, Don," amusement in Mulder's voice, a
quick glance over showed Ryoko had turned to look at him and he
motioned her with his left hand to listen in. With wordless thanks in
her amber eyes, the ample lady lowered her head next to his before he
continued, "So what did you find on Anthony MacClean?"

"You're lucky my nose is a big Bears fan," Don smirked. "I had to
exchange four of your Redskins' tickets to get the seven I needed for
Becky and her friends."

"I know two of those tickets are going for your own use, so don't
sound like you pulled the wool over your snoop's eyes," Mulder
countered but suspicion entered his last words, "or did your informant
find nothing?"

"Nothing of the sort, Mulder," Ryoko heard how relaxed Don's voice
was, "it's just I don't think you're going to like the results."

"C'mon, you one of the few people I know who can touch base with one
of the top dirt diggers in the country as well as one of the top
bounty hunters, so let's get down to brass tacks," Mulder's ears
redden when he heard Ryoko's giggle.

"Okay, Mr. Fed," Don commented with a smile. "It took some digging but
Becky did find about four years of dope on your friend."

"Just four years?" Mulder's eyebrows went up.

"That's right," Don could barely keep the laughter out of his voice as
he dropped his other bomb, "From 1968 to 1972, your MacClean was known
as a man called Sunshine."

"Sunshine!" Mulder gave Ryoko a hot glare in an attempt to stop her
roaring laughter before he continued, "are you sure?"

"In 1968, a man fitting the photos you've sent was arrested for
participating in the Chicago riots, during the Democratic Convention,"
Don's voice calmed down. "On the rap sheet, he gave his name as
Sunshine and the arresting officer wasn't able to find any ID that
gave his true name."

"So what else has you found out about this 'Sunshine'," Mulder's last
word full of annoyance.

"For the next four years, Sunshine is involved in every left-wing
protest or action in the United States, including the Indian protect
at Alcatraz, before he disappeared," Don stated.

"What did he do within these groups?" questioned Mulder.

"He worked as an organizer," Don answered before his voice gained a
note of respect, "although he did help get several students under
cover when the National Guard went nuts at Kent State."

"But nothing before 1968?" Mulder carefully asked.

"Nothing. But I do have three additional pieces of information," Don's
voice gained a sober tone, "One, Sunshine appeared in Japan, in 1972,
as a promoter for several Rock and Roll concerts before changing his
name to Anthony MacClean. Two, in comparing the two photos you sent me
with the one from the '68 arrest sheet, this man shares the same
fountain-of-youth as Dick Clark. Three, my nose decided to try a
little experiment. So she started to check the names of government
officials that disappeared in 1968, based on the belief that only
someone in the government could make their past disappear."

"That's not completely true," Mulder countered.

"True, some people can buy disappearance but nothing so clean as what
our government can do," Don returned.

"What did your snoop find?" Mulder interest perked.

"Becky can't be sure but she accidently activated a security alert on
one name and she had to make tracks before they were able to find
her," Don replied.

"And the name?" Mulder probed.

"Steven Rodgers," Don told him.

When Mulder heard Ryoko's startled intake of air, he cut short the
conversation by saying, "I've got to get going, Don. Thanks for your
help."

"Hey, come to Chi-town on your next vacation," a friendly tone in
Don's voice, "Becky and her friends would like to meet you and you can
bring your lady friend."

"She's just a friend of mine," Mulder realized Don had heard Ryoko's
laughter over the cellphone.

"Ahhh, I wish I had your luck in finding such 'friends'," Don put
emphasis on the last word.

"Anyway, I'll think about visiting the Windy City, so take care,"
Mulder closed the connection before he turned his pale green eyes on
Ryoko and asked, "You've heard the name before, right?"

Ryoko slowly nodded before answering, "To learn English, Tenchi's
grandfather allowed me to copy a part of his memory. In doing so, his
experiences during your World War Two became a part of me, especially
his captivity in a concentration camp."

"Someone at the camp had the name of Steven Rodgers," Mulder guessed.

"A young US Army captain who was ordered to teach Katsuhito English in
an attempt to squeeze more Japanese secrets from him," then Ryoko
added with warmth in her voice, "in the end, they became friends."

"Hmmm," Ryoko saw a thoughtful look on Mulder's face.

"Do you think it's the same man?" Ryoko cautiously asked.

"It's possible," Mulder slowly replied. "But even if he isn't the
person Katsuhito knew, I would have to say he's a very interesting
man."

"Hmm," Ryoko thought upon Mulder's words before turning her head back
to watch the passing scenery.

Unable to think of anything to continue the discussion, Mulder
returned to his earlier train-of-thought. Knowing he wouldn't get a
straight answer from the cyan-haired woman, the detective decided to
try an exploration of Ryoko's past to gain his answer. With eyes
straight ahead, the agent asked, "Is the boy the first one you've ever
loved?"

Catch off guard by Mulder's question, Ryoko looked back at the
American, for a moment her anxiety kept closed her mouth but then she
remembered how this man had cried in her arms, exposing his wounded
soul to her. With trust replacing fear, the lady in pink replied, "No,
Tenchi wasn't the first one."

Mulder turned his head to face Ryoko when he heard the deep sadness in
the ample lady's acknowledgment, so he carefully prodded, "Do you want
to talk about it?" When Ryoko's amber eyes reflex a need to talk, the
brown-haired man added, "I won't tell anyone."

The apprehension drained from Ryoko's soul and she started, "A hundred
years before my attack on Jurai, that bastard Kagato sent me to
capture a cache of artifacts being transported to a galactic fair on
Pollux Three. It was easy to find the merchant ship with Ryo-ohki and
I quickly breached the hull near the cargo bay. As I teleported to the
opening . . . " Ryoko words continued but her inner eye played the
events before her mind.

Ryoko felt her body appear in the corridor just beyond the life
support containment field over the blackened cavity in the merchant's
hull. In a red-black battlesuit with warpaint upon her face, the uchu
kaizoku scanned the empty hallways with suspicion. Seeing nothing to
impede her course, she floated down the corridor to the cargo bay.
Along the way she would lash out with a narrow beam of red energy to
destroy the cameras monitoring the passageway but her doubts increased
as these actions didn't bring running feet, ringing alarms and
shouting voices. Upon reaching the hatch to her destination, she
produced a three-inch red rod to burn the locking mechanism off it
while staring through the door's window. Still not seeing any
opposition, she pulled the door open with her left hand as she readied
a ball of fiery death with her right. With a quick check of the area
around the entrance showing nothing, she moved to break the hatch's
threshold but her forward progress was stopped by something suddenly
grabbing her collar and a harsh whisper in Juraigo, "Don't go in
there, it's a trap."

With a twisting spin on her right foot, Ryoko pulled out of the grasp
and squeezed the energy ball into a four-foot lightsabre, which she
rested under the chin of the figure before her. It was a man close to
her height, with shaggy blond hair touching his lean shoulders and
gray eyes staring out of a very dark-skinned face. His body was clad
in a one-piece olive green battlesuit with leathery trim strips dipped
in British Crimson, Ryoko's sharp eyes also saw a metallic ball in his
right hand.

With a feral snarl Ryoko asked in the same language, "What do you
mean?"

With a bare nod toward the cargo hatchway, the dark man countered,
"Let me show you, na?"

Although Ryoko's eyes narrowed, the cyan-haired woman gave a slight
wave to the hatchway with the lightsabre. The woman floated to her
right to give the stranger enough room to reach the opening but ready
to behead him at any hint of betrayal. At the entrance, his index
finger released a red button it was holding down while giving the ball
an underhanded toss into the room. Ryoko's arm started a downward blow
when a wave of energy came from the object but she stopped its descent
when the sphere was vaporized by a massive beam of white light
stretching from one side of the cargo bay to the other, a bar of raw
energy large enough to destroy her body.

A deep growl came out of her chest but her anger was cut short when
the man said, "If we hurry, we can still get those artifacts from the
other ship."

"WE?" finding the booby trap wasn't what caused Ryoko to shout, it was
this stranger's willingness to help her.

"Ryoko-san, do you think the crew here are going to be happy when they
find out I've spoiled their little surprise for you," having limited
contact with humans, the uchu kaizoku couldn't tell if he was being
sarcastic or not but then her eyes became hard marbles.

"How do you know my name?" Ryoko lowered her right hand enough so the
man's back neck hair produced a smoldering smell.

"C'mon, the Ryo-ohki, your battlesuit and your cyan hair," Ryoko saw
an unfamiliar look appeared on the green clad man, "there is only one
person you could be and that is Ryoko-san, Caller of Demons."

Still not satisfied with his statement, Ryoko voice gained a dangerous
tone when she asked, "So you know me but what about you?"

"My name's Handover George," the dark-skinned man turned but stopped
when pain came from the blistered skin where the energy blade brushed
the back of his neck. "I'm a small time thief looking for a way to
reach the big time. When I overheard two members of this ship's crew
plotting either to kill you or to capture you, I decided to hitch a
ride with them so I could warn you."

"In return for what?" the dangerous tone was still in Ryoko's voice
but its edge had lessened.

"I want to be your partner, Ryoko-san," Handover felt the hot weapon
lift from his neck, so he turned to face Ryoko as he continued, "I
know my skills can be very helpful in your capers while your
reputation will give me the status I want."

For a few minutes, Ryoko stared at the young man for she was unable to
make up her mind. She could understand his greed for fame but she had
never worked anyone before. After another set of minutes passed
Handover sighed, "If we don't hurry, the other ship will get away."

Insulted by Handover's reminder, Ryoko bristled at him, "Catch me then
you can come." The last word echoed in air as her body faded from
sight.

Back at the hole, Ryoko reappeared with a smirk upon her face as her
ears detect not one footfall coming her way but when she turned to
teleport back to Ryo-ohki, "Ara?" escaped her lips. Two smoky eyes, a
hand dropped on each of her firm shoulders and a mirthful voice from
smiling lips filled her ears, "Does this mean I can bell you too?"

Hearing the tease, Ryoko's readied a heated retort but then a cold
voice entered her mind, 'Ryoko, let him prove himself.'

'Hai, Kagato-tono,' Ryoko passively replied in her mind, knowing her
master's voice ruled her will. Reaching up the cyan-woman's hands took
hold of Handover by the shoulders and she told the man as they
teleported to Ryo-ohki's bridge, "Big dogs kill pups all the time, I
need proof you're a big dog."

"Can you give me a list of the artifacts we need to get?" wonder in
Handover's question over Ryo-ohki's floating crystals but his awe
cooled some when he saw the cold glare Ryoko gave him over his use of
'we' in his request. With barely checked impulse to toss the man out
of her ship, Ryoko left him to glide through the air to the ship's
controls.

"Hai I can but first tell me where the other ship is?" Ryoko replied
over her right shoulder as she dropped into the command chair.

"As easy as dancing upon a comet's tail," confidence in the dark-
skinned man words as he came up behind the chair, leaned over the
chair's back and then continued, "Call up a star chart covering this
parsec."

Ryoko punched the necessary buttons to produce a small screen a few
inches before them but the 3-D map didn't catch her attention, it was
Handover's face. This was the first time she really looked at his face
and noted there was something wrong about his color fitting his
features. The uchu kaizoku had seen many people of many shades and
different skin textures but this man's dermis looked burnt.

"He should be here by the time we reach him," Handover pointed at an
area near a white dwarf star. Again Ryoko noted how leathery the black
skin was on the man's hand.

'Ryo-ohki, go to Thorin Alpha, coordinates 0564-0054,' Ryoko commanded
through her link.

Ten minutes passed before Ryoko saw Handover relaxed. 'He probably
thought I'd toss him out of an airlock as soon as he'd told me the
ship's location,' an evil thought crossed her mind, 'would've or at
least drop him off on some backwater planet,' her gleam disappeared
into icy foreboding, 'but Kagato-tono has shown an interest in him.'
As these words consumed her mind, the man sat, cross-legged, upon the
ship's cool surface, placed his hands upon his knees and closed his
eyes. Ryoko quickly identified the form as an ancient Jurain
meditation ritual usually practiced by the oldest members of that
planet's noble houses. "Oi, so you're a Jurain noble or maybe an otaku
of Juraijin," the ample lady stated out loud.

"A long time ago," Ryoko heard something catch in his voice, was it
sadness?

"You don't look that old, Ki-chan (Sapling)," Ryoko used her favorite
Jurain insults. "And where your space log?"

"They took my ship and tree away from me when I became a thief," calm
returned to Handover's voice.

"I thought a Jurain is bonded to their tree for life," Ryoko countered
with some suspicion.

"All things can be broken," that emotion was in the dark man's voice
again, "even a goddess' oath."

Ryoko scrutinized Handover's statement and the emotions within it
before she asked, "but aren't all Jurains descended from uchu
kaizokus?"

"Hai, but they don't steal from one another," calm again returned to
Handover's voice. "I did."

Being a member of the Kazoku Guild, Ryoko knew there were things you
didn't do and one of them was getting caught stealing from another
uchu kaizoku. Ryoko shrugged her shoulders at Handover's luck, then
commanded Ryo-ohki through the mental link, 'produce the list of
artifacts Kagato-tono wants from the ship.' In seconds the list
appeared in Ryoko's lap, where she picked it up with her left hand and
dropped the plastic paper in front of Handover. As the man broke from
his meditation to picked it up, a question formed in Ryoko's mind and
she asked, "How did you get to the hall breach at the same time as I
did and without me detecting you?"

As Handover read the list, he replied, "For the first part of your
question: I took a short cut and as to the second part: I'm not called
Handover for my looks."

"So Handover is an earned name?" Ryoko probed.

"Hai, it was given to me by some planetary thief's guild where I was
exiled to," Handover paused for a few seconds before he looked up at
Ryoko with a confident grin on his face, "can I make a suggestion?"

"Nani?" Ryoko returned.

Handover's right hand reached underneath his battlesuit to pull out a
three-inch-by-three-inch piece of yellow cloth with a small round blue
metallic seal on it. Carefully pulling at each of the corners with his
dark hands, Handover caused the little patch to increase in size until
it was a seven-foot-by-three-foot bag with pull-string opening. Ryoko
had seen such an item before and said, "a subspace container."

Handover nodded his head and added as he pointed at the blue disc,
"with a transponder attached."

"You want to use it to get the loot?" Ryoko could see where this was
going and she liked the idea.

"Once we catch up with the transport have Ryo-ohki teleport me to the
cargo bay after its defensive force shield has been taken down,"
Handover gray eyes glow with excitement, "the artifacts are small
enough for me to put them in the bag and the transponder will allow
your ship to bring us both back."

"And I'll keep the crew busy with the Ryo-ohki," Ryoko chuckled at
beauty of the plan. "They won't expect such an attack because of my
reputation for working alone."

"So we do it, na?" Handover put emphasis on the word, 'we'.

Ryoko hesitated for a second before she answered, "'We' do it."

Three hours passed while Ryo-ohki sped to the target while Handover
continued his meditation while Ryoko took a catnap. In the soft light
of the white dwarf, the catlike meow of Ryo-ohki's alert awoke the
two. As the dark youth got to his feet, Ryoko asked him, "Do you have
a communication device?"

"Ee, right here," Handover showed a silvery button on his crimson
lapel.

When Ryo-ohki's passive sensors pick up the transport, Handover asked,
"We going to need some call signs for this operation."

"Call signs?" Ryoko was confused by the term.

"So we can communicate without giving away our identities," Handover
couldn't keep from being amused by Ryoko's bafflement.

"Do we really need them?" Ryoko's tone showed she didn't like either
the blonde's mirth or the necessity for such arrangements.

"If our plan turns into a soap bubble, we might need to makeup
something quick," Handover's gray eyes locked with Ryoko's amber orbs,
"and it would help if the crew doesn't know who we are so they can't
predict our moves."

Ryoko understood the logic behind Handover's suggestion yet it was his
gray gaze that won her over. 'Why does he look at me like that?' her
own thoughts filled her mind. 'I've seen it before but I can't
remember where.' Shaking her head to clear her mind, the cyan-haired
woman said with an ugly grin, "Oke, since you want this, I think your
call sign should be Ki-chan."

Ryoko was surprised her insult produced a toothy grin from Handover,
who added, "and I think your call sign should be Neko-onna."

Ryoko's ears went back at how easy her barb was turned upon her by
Handover but she barely restrained herself from knocking his white
teeth down his throat. "Juncho desu! (Fine!)," a volcanic rage in her
words as she yanked her sight from him to Ryo-ohki's star chart.
Handover turned to watch the star chart but not before giving a
lingering look upon Ryoko's long legs accented by her red spandex, a
look Ryoko caught from the corner of her eye.

Ryo-ohki dropped out of maximum speed to launch its first energy blast
at the transport. Already warned of the attack upon the decoy, the
ship's shields absorbed the first volley while firing its own plasma
cannon. Ryo-ohki dodged the returning fire and quickly cut the
distance to minimum range before sending her second attack at the ship
then rocketed back out before the transport's next attack could fire,
Ryo-ohki's second blow reduced the ship's shield to forty-percent. As
Ryo-ohki prepared for her next run, the ship's third firing scored a
hit on one of the battleship's black spikes but the damage quickly
healed.

"Are you ready?" Ryo-ohki's readout showed Ryoko the opponent's
shields were ready to collapse.

"Locked and loaded," Handover replied, Ryoko didn't recognize the
saying but she could hear the confidence in his voice.

Before the transport could fire its fourth volley, Ryo-ohki charged in
and fired two quick bolts at point blank range. The first bolt took
down the ship's shield while the second hit the engine room. As the
black battleship pulled away a teleport beam shot out from it and
touched the disabled ship's hull.

Ryoko waited impatiently for Handover's call, she wanted the thrill of
the hunt and didn't like having nothing to do. Then a voice crackled
into existence, "Beam-up, Neko-onna."

"Hai, Ki-chan," Ryoko answered back but then mentally commanded Ryo-
ohki, 'Teleport only the subspace container.' As the full bag appeared
before her feet, Ryoko muttered, "It's better this way, you wouldn't
like working for Kagato-tono."

Getting up from the chair, Ryoko picked up the bag and with nimble
fingers untied the knot, loosen the strings and reached into the bag
with her right hand. The first thing her touch felt was hair, shaggy
hair. Grabbing a handful, the wide-eyed lady yanked up and out pops
Handover's body. Dropping the man, Ryoko stood over him shouting,
"BAKA! Subspace containers have limited atmosphere and I don't know
how much life support your battlesuit has. What if I didn't open it
until I'd reached my employer's ship, you'll be DEAD by then!"

"I . . . was . . . depended . . . on your . . . curiosity," Handover
replied while getting oxygen into his lungs, "besides I knew there was
a chance you would leave me onboard the other ship."

"But why me!" Ryoko unable to understand his fixation of her, "of all
the uchu kaizokus in the universe, who would make much better partners
than me, why did you pick me?"

After a short tense moment, Handover stood up, reached into the bag
with his right hand and fished out a six-inch mirror surrounded by
three gold figures, whose hands held it in a loving embrace. With the
surface showing Ryoko's face, Handover kindly said, "None are as kirei
na as you, my Neko-onna."

Ryoko's right hand lightly touched her cheeks, drafted down her sharp
chinbone before stopping at its point while her astonished eyes never
left the reflection. A thousand years had passed since someone said
those words in earnest to her but they turned to ashes when she became
the akurei no hakai. Finally she turned her gaze from the mirror to
look at the man but found a paled face. "What's wrong?" Ryoko was
surprised by the concern in her own voice.

Handover quickly smiled as he replied, "Just noticing how the color of
the mirror's frame matched your lovely eyes."

Suddenly Ryoko felt an emotion new to her, fear. 'Doesn't he know I'm
a machine? What kind of man would want me, an uchu kaizoku controlled
by another.' Ryoko opened her mouth to give life to those words when
another will closed it. 'He has passed the test. He will stay,'
Kagato's icy words brought obeisance to her.

'Hai, Kagato-tono,' her acknowledgment heard only by her master.

"Now it's my turn to ask what's wrong," these words brought her back
to the dark youth with eyes full of worry.

With lightning movement, her right hand snatched the mirror from the
startled Handover and put back into the bag while her furious words
flowed from her lips, "Ii ne! You can stay but get one thing straight,
Ki-chan! I'm the one who decides things here! UNDERSTOOD!"

"Hai, they're no scales covering my eyes, my Neko-onna," Handover's
back going ramrod stiff.

Ryoko's face went from annoyed anger to confused curiosity as she
asked, "What is a Neko-onna anyway?"

"A female animal of grace, power and sensuality," a dictionary's tone
in Handover's words.

"Dewa, if you once, just one time get out of line, I'll sharpen my
claws on your BARK!" Ryoko shouted over her shoulder as she spun on
her left heel and flew through the air to place the bag with the rest
of this trip's loot.

"Hai, Ryoko-san," Ryoko was sure she could hear a smile in those words
but she continued to her destination.

The memory faded as she heard her own voice say to Mulder, "George was
something I never expected to find back in my life after so many
centuries and he changed me so much. He taught me to use my brain
instead of just muscle, use a lockpick, wear a disguise and move on
stealthy feet to finish our jobs," then delight entered Ryoko's voice,
"I loved it, he made it so much fun to leave alive everyone while they
gawk at our exploits."

Again her words faded back as another remembrance came to the fore.
Two voices of baritone and soprano laughter echoed in Ryo-ohki as one
body wove on light feet while another floated next to it as they
walked down the hall to the battleship's control room. The first voice
to go beyond chuckles was Ryoko's, "I think that poor guard was going
to faint when you kissed her."

"I had to . . . find someway . . . to keep her mouth occupied . . .
while you stuck her in the neck . . . with the needle," Handover's
words tumbled out between bursts of joy as his soft black boots moved
along noiselessly.

"I just wish we found out sooner about them moving the stuff to Mordor
Prime," an amused smile on Ryoko's face, she had already changed from
her battlesuit to a clingy one piece blue suit with her upper chest
exposed along with a number of randomly placed transparences showing
her perfect skin.

"Dewa it worked here, so it should work there," Handover's words full
of light confidence.

"And have you known as 'The Kissing Bandit'," Ryoko countered
playfully. "We'll have females lining up to get a pucker from you at
every heist along with the Ginga Keisatsu."

"Ara, another hobby cut short," Handover gave Ryoko a smile as his
right hand reached into the breast pocket of the black thief outfit to
bring out an oblong jewel box as his words continued, "but it wasn't a
total loss, I found this for you, my Neko-onna."

Ryoko had long since stopped trying to correct Handover whenever he
called her by that nickname, instead she took it as a sign of his
loyalty to her but now her attention was drawn to the container he
offered her and breathy words parted from her lips when her feet
touched the floor, "Oi, kore wa nan desu ka? (Oh, What's this?)"

"Open it," happiness in Handover's voice and eyes.

Ryoko's heart was in her throat as her hands gingerly took the white
velvet box from Handover's hand and pushed the lock open with her left
hand. 'No one has ever given me anything before,' Ryoko's soundless
words told her how she considered Ryo-ohki as something she didn't own
but as a silent friend caught in Kagato's web.

Tipping the lid up with her left hand, a surprised inhale filled
Ryoko's lungs because before her wide eyes are twenty pink pearls held
captive by fine platinum wires with a tiny amber bell in the middle.
With her hand gliding over each gift from the ocean's bounty, her ears
barely heard Handover's words, "By the completion of a planet's circle
around its sun, the coming and going of seasons and holidays, it was
on this day a nameless thief met a legendary uchu kaizoku."

Ryoko looked up into Handover's smoky eyes as her overjoyed look
passed unspoken words to Handover. With a happy smile due to the
present acceptance, the man's black hands pick up the necklace,
unhooked the catch and took purposeful steps to stand behind the
dazzled lady. Again her breath caught when the cool metal touched and
moved over the top of her exposed chest only to be released when her
neck hairs felt Handover's skillful fingers close the catch. A feeling
in her cleavage brought her vision to where the little yellow bell
came to rest. A set of slender digits came into view and by flicking
the tiny craving, produced a glassy tinkle. "It even has a clapper,"
Handover's words flowed from lips just inches from Ryoko's right ear.

"It looks like you finally bell me," over the months Ryoko had pieced
together just how provocative Handover's question had been.

"Only when I won your trust did you accept it," Handover corrected
Ryoko.

"Mo, I found someone to trust," Ryoko countered with barely audible
words as she turned to face him and her gaze locked on his.

For minutes the only communication between the two came from the eyes
but that line broke when Handover looked away. "It's late, Ryoko-san
and we'll need our sleep so our minds will be sharp in the morning,"
Ryoko confusion over Handover's action increased when she heard the
regret in his voice, "Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, George-san," Ryoko's words fell from her lips like fall
leaves from a tree and they continued in her mind, 'Is he the one?'
Her eyes stared at the amber craving cradled between her breasts. 'Or
is he like the rest?' Her eyes continued to stare vacantly as her mind
was filled by all of Handover's words and deeds. 'He's no shooting
star but is it enough.' Ryoko faded out only to appear in Ryo-ohki's
command chair. It was here she would catch her catnaps or watch the
stars the battleship would pass by, waiting for Handover to come out
of his room. His room was constructed to give him some privacy but now
its entrance only functioned as a magnet for the uchu kaizoku's hopes.
Then an idea surfaced, 'Maybe he wants me to take him as an uchu
kaizoku would?' Suddenly everything clicked, the way Handover talked
and acted around her, 'unlike the others, he wants me to make the
final move, to claim him as mine.'

Resolve filled Ryoko's mind as she faded from the chair to appear two
feet above Handover's bed. Looking down, Ryoko froze when she saw the
man's naked body in a slumber. Handover would always appear after his
sleep fully dressed so this was the first time she saw how his black
skin covered a well-portioned body with a white field of body hair. As
Ryoko slowly moved in a headfirst decent, the figure below her rolled
onto his back while a bluish flare from the uchu kaizoku's Gem caused
her dress to dissolve into nude beauty. Ryoko paused just inches above
the sleeper to think over her options before she closed the space
between them and pressed her white lips against his black lips.

Bafflement entered Ryoko's mind when she didn't feel Handover waken
and return her kiss. 'Ara, maybe this only works on oujosama.' A
movement caught by her eye and caused her to look down between her
melon-sized breasts where she found her kiss did bring a raise out of
him. 'Playing hard to get ne,' the tips of her fangs framed an amused
grin before she drifted down enough so the tips of her brown nipples
lightly rubbed over his darker pair. Seeing them as hard as his stiff
manhood, Ryoko lowered herself fully onto him and kissed him again.
With her ample breasts flatten against his chest and the inside of her
thigh brushing his flagpole, a little voice came from Handover's
muffled lips, "I surrender."

Ryoko's lips part from Handover's then with a grin she asked,
"Everything?"

"I gladly give my family jewels to you, my Neko-onna," this time it
was Handover's blond head closing the distance as his right hand
reached the back of Ryoko's head, into her silky, spiky hair. His lips
completely engulf hers while his left hand glided up underneath her
right arm to stroke her spin from the base of her neck down to her
tailbone.

As the two pairs of roses kissed, Ryoko's hands buried themselves in
Handover's mane while his hands fondled a nipple here, brush through
cyan pubic hair there and squeezed a rock hard ass. But Ryoko's eyes
filled with anger for her skin gave no pleasurable sensation to her,
she gained no taste of passion from his kisses and no sexual stimuli
came from her vagina.

"Iie," distress shook Ryoko's head as her words gained volume, "Iie!
Iie! IIIIEEEEEE!" With strength born from despair Ryoko ripped away
from Handover's embrace, stumbled from his bed and collapsed in one of
the room's corner, her cyan hair cloaked her bowed head. When a hand
took hold of her left shoulder, she shouted, "Leave me ALONE!"

"Doka gai ka? (What's wrong?)," concern echoed in Handover's tone.

Ryoko jerked her shoulder from his hold as she turned her head to him
with eyes blazing while misery filled her words, "Don't you
UNDERSTAND? Couldn't you feel IT?" Handover saw her Gems come to life
as a three-inch blade appeared in her right hand as she continued, "Do
I have to draw a picture for YOU?" As the uchu kaizoku held up her
left hand just above her head, she sliced off its fingers with a
backward swing of her blade as the naked man quickly ducked to avoid
the cut. "Now do you UNDERSTAND? I'm not a HUMAN BEING! I'm a MACHINE!
An ANDROID!"

Handover grabbed her left palm with his own left as he knelt behind
her bent form, watched as brownish substance move out of her hand to
regenerate the lost digits while her words full of self-loathing
shouted in his ears, "My emotions aren't REAL! My PERSONALITY doesn't
come from my BODY! They're SHADOWS planted in me by my CREATOR," venom
filled the last words, "to AMUSE him!"

When Ryoko's fingers were complete, she stared at them with heartache
in her words, "Do you know how a machine feels pain? It's not like how
you would biological creature would feel it but according to its
creator," Ryoko's heartbreaking words gained a hard edge, "How would
you like it if your maker made it so you would find delight from only
hurting others, would you like your wires as cross-up inside as mine?"
Then her voice dropped to a low mumble as a comforting arm went around
her back, "I can't even cry."

As Ryoko's head dropped to hide in the corner's darkness, Handover
moved her hand to his arm then placed his left hand before her
downcast eyes as he said, "Ryoko-san, watch." In seconds his fingers
gained a grayish glow, then tiny, gray balls of Saint Elmo's Fire
danced from tip to tip. With wonder Ryoko looked up into her partner's
eyes only to gasp as she saw the same energy had drowned out his
irises. "I can give you the sensations you crave, I can make your body
and feelings one."

"Who are you?" through her Gems, Ryoko could sense the power coursing
in the body next to her.

"Handover George is my true name," a small smile graced his lips.

"But you're more than an ambitious thief," Ryoko's awe faded back to
her anguish.

"I'm your partner, your friend and your lover," the certainty in
Handover's words gave way to pleading, "Please, let me give you your
fondest wish."

Again Ryoko realized Handover was letting her to decide to trust him
or not to trust him but she knew there wasn't any choice here, she
wanted it too much. "Hai," a nod accompanied her answer.

With a fluid motion Handover's left hand lightly pressed his fingers
to Ryoko's forehead. The nude female went rigid in her lover's embrace
before going slack as his soundless voice entered her mind, 'What I
give you can cause its own form of pain and sorrow along with the
pleasure and joy you seek.'

'I know,' conviction in Ryoko's reply.

'So you still want them?' Handover asked one more time.

'I want a kokoro, I want a ki,' Ryoko answered truthfully.

'But why should I allow it?' a cold voice asked, one that Ryoko knew
too well.

'I assume you are Ryoko's creator?' Handover asked.

'I am Kagato and you have not answered my question,' a harshness in
the voice's tone.

'Because Ryoko psychological state could destroy her body,' Handover
answered.

'If it were to occur, erasing her personality is a likely solution,
just as it was before,' the voice spoke with a detached tone.

'But it is not a true correction,' Handover coolly countered.
'Fragments of her personality would still be there and could end your
creation's service to you prematurely.'

'And this upgrade of her psychological pattern will stabilize her?'
the voice asked after a short pause.

'Plus an additional bonus,' Handover added.

'Oi,' the voice puzzled.

'It will amuse you, Kagato-tono,' Handover revealed.

An icy chuckle vibrated in Ryoko's mind before fading away with
parting words, 'I will be watching.'

'Are you ready, my Neko-onna?' Handover asked in a loving tone.

'I'm ready, my Ki-chan,' Ryoko returned in the same fashion.

Then a blaze of gray energy hit every cell within Ryoko's mind as her
body went into spasms. Ryoko felt the three Gems sent a thread of
contact to the invading force but instead of fighting it, they
accepted it. Her skin started to prickle as the neutral energy flowed
across it to reach every spot of sensual arousal and then the pleasure
came. At first it was the hardening of her nipples, next the dance of
touches along her awakened skin, the hot sensation of phantom lips
upon her fingers, toes and mouth. With each erogenous spot brought to
life Ryoko moaned in rapture, her skin glistened with sweat as her
spasms took on a rocking motion. Finally her G-spot connection brought
panting breaths from her lips as the living energy flowed over it,
passing through her cyan pubic hair, firing her vulva as it passed her
maidenhead to reach the depths of her sexual being. This final
awakening brought a shout from Ryoko's lips as her body arched and a
flow of sexual juices issued from her vagina, her barely conscious
body fell back into Handover's loving embrace.

When her breathing slowed to normal, Ryoko opened her eyes to find her
body cradled in Handover's arms, just like a sleeping baby. With a
smile he asked, "So how was your first orgasm?"

"Wonderful," Ryoko's words full of ecstasy, "Domo arigato."

"Do itashimashite, my Neko-onna," the words barely made it from
Handover's lips as his head bent down and when their lips met, Ryoko's
embers flamed anew.

Again the memory gave way to Ryoko's happy words, "For four years the
akurei no hakai was gone instead the people talked about two new uchu
kaizokus, Futatsu Kaga (Two Shadows). But the jobs we did for Kagato
were a fun diversion to those days where it was just Handover and I.
Days where we would lay upon green grass to watch waterfalls, dusk
where rosy clouds matched our thoughts, nights where the cool stars
were all the light we needed and dawn's virgin light showed two bodies
joined as one. He taught me everything I know about love, about the
games used to keep it fresh and the little things that allow each of
us to discover something new about the other, he even showed I could
find pleasure from touching my own body and from another female's
body."

"But something happened?" Ryoko heard Mulder's sympathy in his
question.

Pain crowded into Ryoko's words as the next memory dominated her mind.
Before her amber eyes she saw the vast expanse of metal and Plexiglas
as Handover's and her body appeared on the teleportation platform. She
liked the pale green kimono with clouds of white blossoms all over it
that covered her body as well as the little paper fan in her hands,
the one with a morning sun showing snow upon a distant mountain and a
lazy river at its base. Handover reached the steps first and offered
her his right hand, which she accepted with a modest blush on her
face. She found Handover's plain dark blue kimono with his red mon on
his left breast didn't do justice for her lover's figure.

A young man in a black security uniform came forward from one side and
all three gave a short bow as he said, "Welcome to the Andromeda
Archive. May I have your identification cards?"

Both gave ID cards that showed Handover and Ryoko as Hakubi Ujiie
Jurai and Hakubi Oryo Jurai. Ryoko found Hakubi a familiar name so she
asked Handover about it before they left the Ryo-ohki to come to the
installation by commercial spaceliner. He replied with a grin, "It's a
little joke between me and someone I know, whose name you might have
heard on the news."

Ryoko knew better to push for something beyond Handover's vague answer
because it would only lead to a knowing smile and a loving kiss. Over
the half-of-decade of companionship Ryoko tried to judge exactly what
Handover was. He was more than a small time thief she was certain of
that but every time Ryoko thought she had the answer he would do
something that turned her judgement into dust and she would examine
her clues again. But even with his normal happy tune, Ryoko could tell
Handover was uneasy over this latest job for Kagato. She knew Handover
was aware of Kagato's control over her and that anything they did
together was only allowed by her master's tolerance but when they were
together, she would sometimes find Handover staring up at the passing
stars with concerned gray eyes. When he saw her looking at him, the
gentle smile would return and he would pull her into his love. Yet
after their lovemaking she remembered his look, he feared this job.

As the green-haired man came back from checking their ID at the white
terminal Handover's right hand wrapped around Ryoko's left and lightly
squeezed it but her soul froze by the thoughts coming over the fleshy
contact, 'They're spotted us.'

Ryoko glanced around and noted the loss of rainbow colors in the
people in the huge hall and the plastic smile on the returning man
whose left hand held their ID cards but the right one was behind his
back. With a rumbling growl Ryoko right fist lashed out when the man
was in reach, blood flew into the air as the man dropped to the
ground, his nose flat against his face and a gun hitting the floor
next to him. Ryoko heard the metallic pop of gun holsters snaps open,
then the drum of feet as men took cover and a voice came over the
loudspeaker, "YUJI AND TOJI KAGA, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THE
FOURTEEN ROBBERIES WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE ANDROMEDA POLICE
FORCE AND FOR TEN OUTSTANDING WARRANTS BY THE GALAXY POLICE, THE
ATLANTIAN RANGERS AND THE SPECIAL ICARUS SERVICE."

"So the man we used to make the counterfeit cards was a police
informant," mumbled a resigned Handover in Juraigo, the police using
the names they had given to the counterfeiter.

"He won't enjoy his bounty once I get my hands on his fat neck," Ryoko
snared back in the same language as her clothing changed from the
pastel kimono into her red-black battlesuit then she whispered to
Handover, "I'll attack them while you make your escape."

"That won't be necessary, my Neko-onna," upon hearing Handover's words
Ryoko glanced at him and found the man in his olive green battlesuit
but what caught her eye was something she never seen in his hands
before, weapons. Her partner repeatedly told her to kill for anything
only lessens the possibility of success and makes the hunters' pursuit
hotter but now a four-foot double edge sword was in his right hand
while his left contained a dirk with a three-foot pointed blade, both
pieces of metal gleamed with gray energy.

"This isn't a game anymore, Ki-chan," fear in Ryoko's words.

"I'm not leaving without you," Handover coolly countered.

"They can't hurt me but they could kill you," Ryoko's fear turned to
desperation as she watched black-clad men move to better cover.

"We still need the data Kagato-san wants," Handover returned.

"I can get it on my own," a begging tone edged Ryoko's words.

"YOU HAVE FIFTEEN SECONDS TO SURRENDER," harsh words came over the
archive's loudspeaker system.

"Limited to using only your lightsabre?" Handover shaking his blond
head, reminding Ryoko of the need of capturing the power grille and
the archive intact, something it wouldn't be if she used any of her
energy attacks. "Shear numbers could take you down and what would my
life be without you," love in Handover's words before they took on a
dramatic tone, "Besides, I'm Juraijin. I was born with a scabbard in
my hands."

Ryoko was touched by Handover's stubborn devotion to her and she said,
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Ki-chan."

With a nod of his shaggy head, Handover said, "I'll take the ones on
the right, you take the ones on the left."

"Hai," Ryoko's irises were lost in glowing red as she tapped into her
Gems. "IMA! (Now!)"

Ryoko disappeared only to appear behind the closest group of security
men. Still looking where she had been, her right-to-left swing of the
red lightsabre filled the air with their screams. A quick look in
Handover's direction caused Ryoko's mouth to drop down in awe. Only
the uchu kaizoku's heightened senses allowed her to see the blurred
image of Handover's body reaching his first target and delivered two
precise strikes on a couple of rent-a-cops without breaking his stride
as he moved to his next target, to Ryoko's eyes everyone moved like
snails when compared to her partner's speed. Two hits on her upper
left thigh and her third right rib from laser fire brought a roar from
Ryoko as her Gems healed the damage while she vanished then reappeared
to her opponents' dismay.

Time ceased to exist for Ryoko, only her determination to eliminate
any threat to her goal mattered as her red weapon slashed and impaled
flesh while her left hand would cave in skulls and shatter ribs. Only
once did she teleported next to Handover and what his face revealed
filled her with dread: lifeless orbs of gray energy like those of a
shark's eyes. Afterwards a bit of the old bloodlust washed away
Ryoko's fear and reestablished her goal but this objective was no
longer Kagato's objective, her true aim was to keep these human beings
from getting to the keeper of her heart. Suddenly it happened, her
scanning eyes found no new adversaries and her sharp ears heard not
the high pitch whine of laser fire, not the screech of melting metal
or the popping of bubbling plastic instead she heard maimed men and
women whimper in diverse languages for their mothers. Even with the
facility's air system working clouds of gray smoke and the coppery
smell of blood filled the rooms but it wasn't the aftermath of her
carnage that brought panic to Ryoko's soul, it was the fact she
couldn't see Handover anywhere.

With haste born of terror Ryoko backtracked through halls and
passageways until she found a trail of unmoving bodies, each with same
marks of death: precise lethal cuts in the skull, neck, spine or heart
designed to bring about quick, almost painless demise. But this
artist's skill only became apparent later to Ryoko, now her thoughts
were centered on the owner of the name she was calling out. Finally in
the main computer room Ryoko's sight beheld her seated partner at a
terminal, placing a data crystal into a small, sturdy carrying case.

"Ki-chan! Didn't you hear me calling you?" Ryoko's anger born from
concern.

"I had to complete something before you found me," Handover replied.

Ryoko's eyes narrowed at the vague answer the blond man gave her but
the note of resignation in his voice renewed the apprehension in the
cyan-haired woman. The clink of the box's latch by the dark man pulled
her attention to it and she asked, "Is that the archive's data bank?"

"Hai, including the information Kagato-san was seeking," again Ryoko
heard a heaviness to the gray-eyed man's voice as he got out of the chair 
with the box in his right hand and turned to face her. Ryoko
floated a foot toward Handover before his new words stopped her cold,
"But he will not get it."

"Nani!" Ryoko's confusion thundered in the word.

"What is contained in this case would give Kagato the key to unlimited
power," the heaviness of Handover's voice gave way to a harsh
certainty, "and such a kaibutsu like him can't be allowed to unlock
that door, he would turn the universe into an abomination!"

"Ki-chan! Why should we worry about what Kagato-tono does to the rest
of the universe?" Ryoko's confusion gave way to fear for she sensed
someone was listening to the heated exchange of words, "As long as he
leaves us alone."

"My Neko-onna, I couldn't exist knowing our joy, our laughter and our
smiles were the only ones in existence," Ryoko saw the pain those
words brought to Handover's eyes and knew they mirrored her own.

As Ryoko's mind had locked in hesitation, her Gems flared blue and her
body crumpled to the ground where jolts of energy coursed through her
mind. Her agonizing scream caused Handover to take a few steps to her
before he pulled up when he saw her face turn to him with eyes of
glowing green. Ryoko's body drifted up as icy words left her lips, "So
you have decided to make your play."

"For what you did to your okasama," Ryoko saw the hardness in
Handover's eyes as she struggled against Kagato's puppet strings, "She
believed you were satisfied with the gifts she gave you."

"She gave my birthright to her flawed creation," solid confidence in
Kagato's words, "for such a crime she got what she deserved and I will
continue to be Ryoko's master until she is of no use to me."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall," venom in Handover's words.

"You dare to speak of arrogance," a cool laugh left his slave's lips.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice you using my okasan's surname?"

"So it was you who told the keisatsu of our coming," Handover sneered.

"I knew my slave would complete the mission even if your body was
lifeless but you are full of surprises," a false wonder entered the
voice, "It would be interesting to dissect you to find out what makes
you tick."

"I think I'll pass on that option," a sarcastic smile on his face as
he nodded at one of terminals where information flashed across the
screen, "Oi, you won't find anything left in the mainframe. I used one
of your okasama's favorite worms to eat the data you seek."

"So you know what I seek?" Kagato asked.

"On the day I met Ryoko-san, I knew what you sought," Handover
answered.

"Nanto? (How?)," genuine surprise in Kagato's one word.

"One of the items retrieved was a hand mirror," a grim grin on
Handover's face, "the glass was held by the Three Goddesses."

"You surmise, I seek specific information on their existence," cold
logic in Kagato's words.

"And the power they weld," Handover added.

"So only the case now contains those secrets," Ryoko saw Handover's
grin became Cheshire Cat's size at Kagato's statement and caused her
to claw even more at her mental bindings as she watched her right hand
reach out toward the case.

Handover pulled the case out of Ryoko's reach while saying with deadly
earnest, "over my dead body."

A wicked grin painted itself on Ryoko's beautiful features as a red
ball of energy appeared in her right hand where it was squeezed into a
two-foot dagger. "My intent anyway since you have proven yourself too
dangerous to live."

Ryoko saw Handover's feet go flat against the floor as she felt her
body start to float to him while raising her weapon above her spiky
head. With a desperate surge she found a sliver of control and
shouted, "NIGERU! (RUN AWAY!)"

"Mo, I cannot," a firmness in Handover's tone

"SOREKARA KOROSU ATASHI! (THEN END MY LIFE!)" Ryoko twisted and pulled
against the still existing restraints while her body stopped just
inches from Handover.

"Mo, I cannot," a sad smile graced Handover's face as Ryoko saw her
reflection in Handover's gray eyes, saw her amber irises surrounded by
a sickly green.

Ryoko's unearthly cry reverberated from the walls as her blade impaled
her lover's heart yet only a little catch of his breath showed
Handover's reaction to the strike. Nothing prepared Ryoko for the
sight of her dearest body sliding off her rod of light as tears wetted
her face. Except for her face the rest of her body showed no emotion
as her right hand picked up the case next to the dead body, then she
teleported to one of the two ships whose arrival next to the facility
went undetected.

Ryoko appeared before Kagato aboard the Shojo. The white-haired man
reached with white gloved hand to remove a tear from Ryoko's face
before giving a false sigh and saying, "To think I allowed Handover-
san to make you even more defective than you were before." After
taking the brown case from her stiff hand and placing it in his coat
pocket, Kagato's face took on a bored look as his left hand removed
the glove from his right and brought the seemly empty sleeve to her
face while saying, "I think I will make you a thoughtless weapon
again, your imperfections will be less discernable." Ryoko heard her
master's words but care not for the sun that lit her world was put out
by her own hand, only the waters of the soul upon her emotionless face
showed her broken spirit. In such a state of mind, Ryoko noticed not
the shock on Kagato's face as his mind crashed against a mental
barrier surrounding his slave's physical mind. Again and again with
increased power each time, the red-eyed man attempted to smash through
only to bounce off with no effect. In frustration he pulled his right
arm back and threw Ryoko to the floor, the impact with the ground
brought a sound of surprise from her lips while Kagato said, "It seems
your 'partner' didn't want his flawed changes to be corrected," foul
sneer on his fair face, "I still control your body and can change its
physical composition through your Gems. Now let us see what your
bounty has brought to me."

With a dramatic flourish Kagato retrieved the case from his pocket
with his left hand, open it and held his unseeing hand over the
colorless pyramids of data. With Kagato no longer in direct control of
her body, Ryoko turned her swollen eyes up over her right shoulder and
this time she saw the shock on the tall man's face which gave way to
rage as he flung the container away while howling, "WORTHLESS! It's
all WORTHLESS!" Yanking back on his glove he stretched out his right
hand and fired a blue wave of power that turned the crystals into gobs
of useless material. "LIMERICKS were all those bits of junk
contained," the anger in his eyes matched his words.

When Ryoko heard Kagato's statement, the bitter irony found a home in
her torn soul, calling forth from her lips a low laugh.

"DAMARE! (BE QUIET!)" Kagato spat out but this only kicked Ryoko's
volume higher. With growing rage he reached through Ryoko's Gems to
shut her up but couldn't penetrate her emotionally choked mind. When
Ryoko felt Kagato's failure, an insane quality entered Ryoko's jeers
that knocked her master into action. The fractured cheekbone from
Kagato's first blow didn't stop the crazed howling nor did the
shattered ribs, the splintered fibula, the dislocated shoulders or the
cracked skull. Finally the pitiful remnant of Ryoko's roar gave way to
renewed crying when her master regained control over her body then
said with a foul smirk, "After you heal enough, you will go back to
the room and search his corpse for the real data crystals. He is the
kind who would protect the knowledge of the ages not obliterate it."

Ryoko fought against Kagato's control as she saw the color drain from
her surroundings as they do when she teleported. She didn't want to
see Handover's dead body again, to see where her master took away the
most precious thing in her life. When the desks, computer terminals
and chairs solidified around her, Ryoko's floating frame collapsed to
the cold floor as Kagato's mind momentary loss contact with her Gems.
Ryoko looked left and right to find the cause of the shock she felt
from her tormentor's mind before astonishment filled her own spirit.
At the spot where her happiness had ended, where she learned to cry,
there was nothing, not even blood.

Quickly before Kagato realized his lapse of control Ryoko tapped into
her Gems to extend her senses and what she found replaced her
astonishment with rejoicing. With sight beyond the visible spectrum
she found every inch of the room, the very air around her, contained
traces of the soft, gray energy Handover used. With a shout of joy
Ryoko allowed the universe to know her happiness even as she felt
Kagato's strings bound her body.

"That monster had me search the whole base looking for Handover but I
didn't find him," Ryoko gave a triumphant grin as her words to Mulder
replaced her memory, "but I knew it was in vain. Handover had
masterfully fooled Kagato and got away with the data crystals."

"I'll bet Kagato was angry," Mulder commented with his own smile upon
his face.

"He beat me while saying how defective I was," Ryoko wouldn't let the
residue of that painful memory break her mood, "how his 'Great Plan'
prevented him from killing me."

"A creature worthy of a one-way trip to Hell," Ryoko heard the anger
in Mulder's voice as he took her shaking hands in his own.

"That was the first day but not last where he would beat me," Ryoko's
eyes as hard as yellow diamonds, "while his words carved up my soul.
How Handover used me, how my 'lover' didn't try to free me, how no one
cared about me."

"You didn't believe him?" Mulder could barely keep from shouting.

"Not . . . at . . . first," a tremble caused her words to falter, "but
the . . . beatings . . . the words . . . the loneliness . . ."

"The demon of destruction was reborn," finality entered Mulder's tone.

"A bloodlust," a loathing tone in Ryoko's words, "born from hate, born
from self-pity, poisoned me to everything good around me. All I wanted
was to find pleasure in robbing the life from living bodies, leaving
nothing but broken dreams in my wake. I even wanted to kill Handover,"
unshed water made Ryoko's orbs glisten, "make him know how forsaken I
felt."

"Until Yosho stopped you here on Earth," Mulder squeezed Ryoko's
hands.

"Even before there were starry nights," a note of happiness returned
to Ryoko's tone as she freed her right hand from Mulder's hold to
reach into a pocket that appeared on her pink vest. With a gentle
lifting of her hand, Ryoko revealed to Mulder's pale green eyes a
necklace of moonlight metal, pink pearls and a yellow-glassed bell
before her words continued, "I would stare at this for uncounted
hours, recalling his laughter, recalling the adventures and recalling
the love."

"A remembrance of lost love, of a lost life," Ryoko heard Mulder's own
sadness and knew his missing sister filled his mind.

Ryoko returned her keepsake to its protective covering as she told her
friend, "while I waited for Tenchi to release me and during those few
days where he, his mother, his father or his grandfather didn't visit
the cave, I would think of Handover, wondering why he didn't try to
save me."

"Maybe he did," Ryoko gave an inquisitive look at Mulder's statement,
"it's possible he hoped the psychological shock of you 'killing' him
would rupture Kagato's control."

"And when it didn't happen, Handover left to spare me from really
killing him," Ryoko finished the theory for Mulder, "as if that was
possible."

"You mean the fact he could survive your deathblow," Mulder added.

"When I would sit in solitude in front of my cave, I would remember in
that last battle how laser fire would pass through his body, how he
could move faster than time itself and how his single step was equal
to the distance between stars."

"Yahweh?" Mulder wondered.

"He made mistakes and he felt pain so I don't think he was your God,"
Ryoko answered thoughtfully, "but he was something close to one."

"Yet not powerful enough to face Kagato without fearing he would end
with your blood on his hands," Mulder concluded, then saw Ryoko's
reaction to his words where he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ryoko hastily replied as she turned her head away from him.
Repeating his words in his mind, Mulder found the last piece of the
puzzle to his cyan-haired friend's behavior. 'Not blood on 'his' hands
but blood on 'hers',' soundless words filled his mind, 'but why now?'
then the revelation hit him, 'MacClean's report of a UFO.' With
careful deliberateness the brown-haired man asked, "Kagato is here."

The startled intake of air, then a slight nod from her spiky head came
as she held up her left hand to show her Gem to Mulder before she
fearfully said, "my Gem gave me a chance against Ayeka but now I'm
bonded to Kagato again."

"You hope Kagato will come for you when you aren't near Tenchi or the
others," Mulder guessed.

"He would have me kill them just to torture me," anger filled Ryoko's
words, "but I'm afraid he's here for Sasami too," then she quickly
added, "and Ayeka."

"Because of the attack on their homeworld?" questioned Mulder.

"I wasn't able to get what he wanted from Jurai so he might see the
princesses as a means to complete his 'Great Plan'," Ryoko could
barely keep her rage in check.

"Is there anything I can do?" a protective tone in Mulder's words.

Ryoko was touched by Mulder's gallantry but replied in a hard tone,
"Compare to Kagato your military power is equal to a flea's fart. I
can only hope he will take me and leave."

"Maybe Ayeka could help you," Mulder pointed out.

"Ayeka is a trained Jurain warrior but her power level and her skill
isn't close to Kagato's," Ryoko countered, "and she still sees in me
the cause of all her suffering, even though Kagato was the mastermind
I was his hand." Mulder noticed the quick reply seemed to cover
something else, like Ryoko was giving him a partial answer.

As Ryoko's head drooped, Mulder heard a mumbled continuous, "I just
hope my Tenchi and Sasami don't forget me."

Mulder opened his mouth but a man interrupted his comforting words as
he pushed by their seats with a plastic-wrapped bicycle in both hands.
The pudgy middle-aged man in a soft blue sweatshirt with Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade upon his chest stopped in front of the train's
closed doors while he trumped his heavy brown boots against the metal
floor in a rhythm he could only hear through the headphones in his
ears. Mulder, Ryoko and several others around the man were intrigued
by his unlimited joy of life in a country where feelings are hidden in
public, and then a song with English words came from his Nihonjin
lips:

Morningside
The old man died
And no one cried
They simply turned away
And when he died
He left a table made of nails and pride
And with his hands, he carved these words inside
'For my children.'

Morning light
Morning bright
I spent the night
With dreams that make you weep
Morning time
Wash away the sadness from these eyes of mine
For I recall the words an old man signed
'For my children.'

And the legs were shaped with his hands
And the top made of oaken wood
And the children that sat around the table
Touched it with their laughter
Ah, and that was good.

During the second stanza the train slowed to a stop, then the doors
opened and the man left with his words lost in the clatter of shoes
against concrete. "This is our stop too, Ryoko," Mulder said as he got
up. When no response came, the man looked down at the seated figure.

A yellow fire of inspiration brought life to the uchu kaizoku's eyes
as she lowly mumbled, "A remembrance, something to remind my Tenchi
and Sasami when I'm gone."

"Ryoko?" the noise around them had blocked out Ryoko words to Mulder's
ears.

Ryoko's sharp ears heard Mulder calling her, so she hid her rapidly
forming plan in her mind behind a bright smile and said, "Sorry, did
you say something?"

"We're at our stop, Matsumoto," Mulder noted Ryoko's concealment but
decided to leave it alone, she had already told him enough. With a
helpful hand from the American, Ryoko got up and both left the shiny
train.
**********
Shojo
Seijingi was supposed to be a happy moment for a Jurain child and the
child's parents. It was a ceremony where the child's destiny was
foretold by Tsunami. Before one of his/her parents' bondmates, the
youngster discovered if she would become a bondmate for one of the
goddess' offspring or not. This time four individuals stood within a
Jurain Treeship orbiting the homeworld of the Royal Space Academy, in
front of them was Megamitate-Ki (Goddess' Shield), the bondmate of one
of the four. Joy couldn't find a home in any of their hearts because
no one there wanted this ritual, knowing it could take the little girl
away from redheaded child-woman, who had taken care of her for the
past two years.

"It is time," Kamiki Ushio, the bondmate of Megamitate-Ki, spoke the
words he dreaded to say, knowing they could end his friendship with
the redhead standing to his left. In response to his fearful tone
another woman to his right clasped his right hand with her left and
gave it a comforting squeeze. With his mood lifted a little, he
returned the squeeze to the lady with hair like the darkest night that
he called wife and lover.

Dressed in the uniform of the Royal Academy, Washu looked up at the
tall Jurain with eyes reflecting angry green fire before she could
smother it, placed her small hands on the shoulders of the blue-haired
girl before her and then said confidently, "Go on, Seto-chan."

"I'm afraid, okachan," a trembling voice came from the girl dressed in
her Sunday's best.

Even if she contained none of Washu's blood within her veins, Seto
calling her mother caused a stabbing pain in the childlike woman's
heart but she kept the ache from her voice as she leaned forward and
whispered in Seto's right ear, "We've talked about this before, Seto-
chan. You know all Juraijin shitei must go through this ritual."

"But I don't WANT to!" the tears matched the fright in Seto's voice as
she turned in Washu's hands and grabbed the little scientist's neck
with dainty hands.

Pushing down the words to tell the crying child she didn't have to do
the ceremony, pushing down her own selfish fear, the woman in a
child's body reached up with both hands, broke the embrace and held
the child's hands between them as she calmly said, "Akachan, you are
Juraijin. You share with your people a special obligation to Tsunami-
megami and her offspring. For the power they gave your ancestors and
each generation, they asked in return for bondmates so both groups can
communicate without misunderstanding, without vagueness. Today is your
turn to honor that agreement given long ago."

Seeing the resolution in her adopted mother's eyes, Seto looked to her
left at the two Juraijins with the woman in the white crane-covered
kimono saying to her, "Washu-chan is correct, ojosan. Our traditions,
our status demands a few must bear the burdens of all."

When Seto looked back at Washu, the scientist saw a thimble of courage
in the little one's red eyes and so her left hand held the child's
soft hands while her right took out a purple handkerchief and dried
the girl's pink face. As Washu stood up, Seto slowly turned to face
Megamitate-Ki and took reluctant steps forward, unable to see Washu
drying her own tears on the cloth.

It took only a few steps for Seto to come underneath the tree's canopy
but her swirling emotions made the journey seem longer. When the girl
reached the tree's immense trunk, the child held her hands up, palms
up and spoke the words just as the Jurain woman had taught her, "In
reverence and awe I ask Tsunami-megami, the Tree of the Beginning, to
look into my ki and find my destiny."

At first only the buzz of insects, birdcalls and other sounds of the
ship's ecological inhabitants could be heard but then ceases when a
low hum begins, followed by a spark of light from the base of each
leaf. In a burst the sparks rained down upon Seto, washing away the
child's fear and replacing it with calm understanding. A few seconds
later the light concentrated into a featureless female form with wise
eyes. This starlight figure placed her hands on the girl's cheeks
while she bent down to kiss the little forehead. As soon as the lips
as soft as butterfly's wings left the youngster's head, her form
dissipated.

When the being of light appeared, Washu felt her legs give way to the
weight of sudden sorrow for she knew another loss would join the two
already in her heart.

"Boku gomen nasai, Washu . . . " Ushio began.

"From this day forth you and Shiina-sama are not welcome in my home,"
Washu interrupted with bitter words, "Furthermore, as chairman of the
Oken Uchu Akademi I'm breaking all ties between this house of learning
and the House of Jurai. From this time forward this institution will
be called the Ginga Akademi."

"You can't mean it!" Ushio asked, his face as white as a ghost as he
turned to face her.

"The Ginga Akademi will follow a neutral course, independent of the
political manipulations Jurai and the other governments have used here
to advance their causes while corrupting and destroying the true
principle of this place of learning, to demolish lies and teach the
truth," Washu's words matched the hardness of her emerald eyes looking
up at the Jurain noble, "Only those thirsting for insight will be
welcomed here."

Ushio took a half step toward Washu but Shiina's firm right hand on
his right shoulder stopped him. Looking over the same shoulder his
wife shook her head at him while saying, "Leave Washu-dono alone, she
has lost her kazoku because of us."

"Us?" confusion in Ushio's voice.

"Nobles," asserted Shiina.

"Oi," Ushio looked down at the kneeling redhead with new understanding
and watched the blue-haired girl quietly walk up and stand within
Washu's reach.

"Washu-chan," a raw sadness in Seto's address to Washu, "Tsunami-
megami told me I have a special destiny but I have to leave you."

"I understand, Seto-chan," Washu's eyes showed how the understanding
brought her misery.

Waters of heartache clouded Seto's red eyes as she dropped to her own
kneels and threw her small arms around Washu's shaking frame and said,
"I won't forget you, Washu-chan, you will always be my okachan."

"And you will always be my musume, my Hoshi-chan," finished Washu as
her hands met behind her beloved child's back.

Green-clad Shiina pressed herself to Ushio's side as her husband
brought his right arm over her head so he could hug her tenderly
before she said in a low whisper, "We might be Seto-chan's new satooya
but our place in her kokoro will be secondary to Washu-dono."

Ushio nodded his head while his red eyes watched the two hugging
persons before him, both of the little ones not feeling the quick
passage of minutes. In time Seto was the first to pull her wet face
from Washu's spiky hair but there was seriousness in her puffy eyes as
her strong words touched Washu's ears, "Promise me, okachan. Promise
me that you won't stay lonely."

Caught off guard by Seto's statement, "I don't know if I can, akachan.
To have another taken . . ."

"Then create your own kazoku!" comprehension flooded Seto's vision.

"Nani?" the pain of Washu's new loss confused her.

"Hai, create a kazoku that no one can take from you," an excited tone
in Seto's words.

"I don't know . . . " Washu's mind tried to push its way clear of her
anguish.

"Okachan, you're the greatest genius in the universe wa!" Seto
empowered her words with her love for the small scientist, "I know you
can create a kazoku to keep you happy!"

"Maybe . . . " more of Washu's infinite intellect focused on Seto's
inspiration.

"So you will promise me," pleaded the child while taking hold of
Washu's hands, "not to be alone."

"I promise, my Hoshi-chan," those final words echoed in Washu's mind
as the ghosts of her past faded away to again leave her a prisoner
inside the crystal obelisk on board the Soja. The green-eyed female
was listening to Ryoko telling Mulder about Handover but when her
daughter reached the part about plunging her lightsabre into her
former lover's chest, Ryoko's renewed grief triggered Washu's
remembrance of the loss of Seto. 'I can't afford to let myself be
whipsawed by these old memories,' Washu lectured to herself, 'they
will drive me insane and cost me my surviving loved ones.' But she
couldn't keep her great mind from turning to a question Ryoko's eight-
hundred-year-old story brought up. 'Ryoko-chan is right about Handover
George being more than a skilled thief,' Washu logically surmised. 'By
using the gray energy he controlled, the man was able to bend time and
space to his needs.' Washu then looked at the dark man from a
different angle, 'he also used the gray energy to undo what that
ketsu-nuke jan (assless jerk) Kagato-san's did to Ryoko-chan's
physiology and he placed barriers within her physical body so that
kaibutsu musuko of mine couldn't take away her memory or her
humanness.' It was Washu thinking about the gray energy that brought
another thought to her mind, 'When I was eavesdropping on Yosho-sama
and the others at the jinja, a gray aura surrounded the pole he
touched Masaki Sasami Jurai with. Because Handover-dono used gray
energy, a connection could exit between him and that object, possibly
this planet.' The little genius tumbled another bit of information in
her mind before coming to a conclusion, 'From the discussion between
Yosho-sama and Seto-chan, he concluded Sasami-chan's reaction was due
to her being Tsunami-megami's bondmate. This could mean Tsunami-megami
knows something about the gray energy.' From this conclusion the
scientist mentally filled with glee as she lit upon a plan, 'I'm going
to need to remain alert to Tsunami-megami's movement within her Trees.
With that baka breaking his direct link with me, I should be able to
pull this off.'
***********
Masaki Residence
In a state of nudity four females and a cabbit occupied the Masaki
home's washroom, each helping the other. At this moment, Ayeka allowed
a small smile to play across her face as she poured a bucket of water
on her seated sister's head while the little one held a perturbed Ryo-
ohki just far enough so the falling water would wash away the soapsuds
from her gray fur.

"Miya!" exploded from Ryo-ohki's toothy mouth, in the cabbit's own
opinion she really didn't see the need for taking a bath because her
catlike tongue did a great job keeping her clean.

"Kya! That's cold!" the goosebumps the water produced on Sasami's
preteen body matched the shiver in the words she said at the same time
as Ryo-ohki's comment.

"Dewa Sasami, then let us get into furo, ne?" amusement in Ayeka's
gentle voice.

"Oke!" Sasami's enthused words matched Ryo-ohki's agreeing, "Miya!"
Sasami popped off the washroom stool while Ayeka got up properly from
her kneeling position she had been in when washing her sister's back.

Sasami splashed into the furo and sat in the far corner, letting out a
sigh as the hot water took the chill from her skin. With her one foot
in the streaming furo, Ayeka stole a glance at Seto and Mihoshi. She
saw her grandmother wash the mud and dingy water from her godchild's
golden hair, ebony back and long legs while the oldest princess' long
blue hair glittered with clear water.

"Niji-dono, may I wash your back first?" Mihoshi asked as she turned
around, her well-developed breasts bounced at the quick stop.

"Ii wa (Okay)," Seto's reply matched her smile as she remembered the
number of times her and the child Mihoshi washed each other's back at
the youngster's home, sometimes with Kiyone making it a threesome.

As the two women headed for the stool and the washcloths, Ayeka sat
next to Sasami, the little princess playing water games with Ryo-ohki.
Seeing Seto sitting on the stool, squirting liquid soap onto a cloth
from a bottle before handing another cloth and the bottle to Mihoshi,
Ayeka was glad she kept silent her objections when Seto suggested they
take a bath together. The purple-haired princess had taken many a bath
with her sister, her mothers, her grandmother and even with her
brother and father but never with a non-blood member like the Galaxy
Policewoman. What stopped Ayeka's words was how a determined look on
her grandmother's face reminded her of the tall blonde's special
connection to Seto's family. By the play of words and the warm looks
exchanged by the two mature women, Ayeka realized a bond of love bound
them together to a degree rivaling the one between the two Masaki
princesses. While the hot water made her sigh, Ayeka concluded it
would be ill-mannered for her not to accept Mihoshi as a family
member, maybe even as an aunt.

"Oujo-chan, what are you thinking about?" Ayeka's grandmother's calm
use of Ayeka's nickname interrupted the purple-haired princess'
thoughts as Mihoshi vigorously scrubbed Seto's back while her own
washcloth built up the soap's lather upon her mature breasts, flat
stomach and strong legs.

"Ara, just observant about how unfamiliar our family has become since
me and Sasami left Jurai," Ayeka replied honestly.

"I like it," Sasami added as she tossed Ryo-ohki three feet into the
air so the cabbit could do a cannonball into the water in front of the
littlest princess, sending a watery wave onto the happy child and
smiling sister.

"Viva la difference!" seconded an excited Mihoshi in mock French,
which brought confused stares from Ayeka and Seto but a burst of
giggles from Sasami.

When Seto and Mihoshi exchanged positions Ayeka couldn't help feel
some envy for the dark lady's athletic body, a body whose physical
attributes equaled those of Ryoko. Just at that moment Mihoshi looked
up from her hands working the soap into her ebony skin and rosy cheeks
with a shy smile that was her response to the intensity of Ayeka's
stare. Ayeka's eyes widened as she gave short shakes of her head and
Mihoshi responded with a nod and a disappointed sigh. Ayeka relaxed as
she thought, 'I must remember Mihoshi's people, the Seniwajin, are
very sensitive to body language as a prelude to intimate relationship
with either gender,' Ayeka raked her brain as she continued inwardly,
'What did Misaki-okasama say about them?' Ayeka's mother's happy voice
filled her daughter, 'the Seniwajin are touching-feeling people.'

Still rhythmically rubbing Mihoshi's back with a washcloth Seto
allowed herself a small smile over the silent exchange while it was
Sasami's turn to be confused before pouting in her mind, 'Adult stuff
again.'

In a short time Seto and Mihoshi joined Ayeka and Sasami in the furo,
seated at the opposite end with Mihoshi's and Ayeka's legs
interspersed so they wouldn't cramp while Sasami's childish statue
gave Seto's adult statue plenty of room. Only a few minutes passed
before Seto asked, "Ayeka-dono, Sasami-chan, are you ready for the
ceremony ne?"

"Hai, Nobuyuki-otousama got the candles we will need for it,"
responded Sasami first.

Hearing the honorific Sasami used Seto asked, "You like Nobuyuki-san
don't you."

"He treats me like I'm his musume," Sasami joyfully answered.

"Nobuyuki-san opened his home to us without conditions," Ayeka added
with conviction.

"Hai, Nobuyuki-san is even allowing me to sleep in his room," Mihoshi
chimed in.

This brought odd looks from Ayeka and Sasami but Seto added, "I'll be
sharing the room with Himawari while Nobuyuki-san is moving his futon
to his home office."

Ayeka rolled her eyes skyward before something Sasami had said caught
her attention and she asked, "Sasami, how do you know about what is
needed for the ritual?"

"When Ryoko-neechan attacked Jurai I hid in a room near the Hall of
Trees," Sasami brought forth the white lie to cover the knowledge
Tsunami had told her during the two princesses' seven-hundred-year
journey to find Yosho. "The room contained a big picture, several
glass cases, a wooden altar and a desk with many data crystals and a
player on it. The first time I used the player on a data crystal, it
told me the love story of Horosha and Washi. Later on I would go to
the room and listen to other stories and bits of information about
Jurai."

"So the data crystals told you about the ceremony we are doing
tonight," Ayeka's words more a statement than a question.

"Ee," Sasami could tell her sister had accepted her story but then the
littlest princess noticed Seto's eyes showed doubt. Seto also knew
about the memorial room dedicated to Horosha, Saishono Kishi Jurai,
and Masaki Washi Jurai but for the Kamiki princess there was something
too pat about Sasami's answer. Mihoshi found Sasami explanation
believable but she recognized the doubtful look on Seto's face.

"Obasama?" Ayeka asked politely.

"Hai, Oujo-chan," Seto brought her attention to the First Princess of
Jurai.

"I was just wondering how long you are staying with us?" Ayeka
completed her question. At this moment a wet Ryo-ohki hopped out of
the water, onto Sasami's shoulder and then to the top of the little
princess' head.

"Trying to get rid me already ne," Seto teased with a sly grin, "Am I
such an embarrassment?"

"Of course not!" Ayeka countered with some tenseness, "I was hoping
you would stay and take us back to Jurai after I have found Yosho-
oniisama."

Seto remained silent for a moment before replying, "Gomen nasai but
I'm only going to be here long enough to settle Mihoshi-dono in before
continuing my own journey."

Ayeka's letdown was overshadowed by Sasami's curious words, "Can you
tell us where you're going?"

Seto leaned forward while waving the rest to come close before saying
in a harsh whisper to the collected heads, "I'm looking for someone."

"Daze wa," Sasami asked.

"My okasama," Seto warmly replied.

Ayeka was filled with shock that seemed to match her sister's reaction
but Mihoshi only smiled and said, "I hope you can find her."

"I know I will," Seto's words taking on a ring of sorrow.

"I thought you had accepted Shiina-sama as your okasan," Ayeka's words
show her recovery from surprise.

"Honto, I didn't know my biological okasan and I care very much for
Shiina-dono," Seto barely able to keep her own sadness in check, "but
before her there was another with sea green eyes, hair like blazing
fire and a mind no computer could equal. She is the one I seek."

"What happe . . . " Ayeka started to say but stopped when she realized
the answer to her question, "You are Juraijin and she wasn't."

"By the time I was an adult, by the time I was free to go to her, she
was gone," a small tear slid down her right cheek, "kidnapped by an
uchu kaizoku."

"So you joined the Kaizoku Guild to find her," Ayeka guessed while
Sasami's pink eyes welled with tears.

"I now know who took her . . . but I was never able to find him . . .
to free her," Seto's body quaked when her last restraints fell away,
"I hope . . . someone will save her."

With a fluid motion Sasami pushed off the furo's bottom so her short
arms could tightly hug her grandmother's waist as her head rested
against the proud lady's breasts but none saw the painful knowing in
the little one's closed eyes, knowledge of Tsunami's involvement in
this loss. A rough tongue against her chin focused Seto's sight upon
Ryo-ohki for from Sasami's blue hair the cabbit removed grief's waters
from Seto's face. At the same time Mihoshi's right arm reached behind
her godmother's shoulders so her hand could give a comforting squeeze
to Seto's right arm as the blonde's own memories remembered the
stories Seto once told her, of a redheaded scientist and a blue-haired
child. Last but not least Ayeka came to her knees so her hands could
take hold of Seto's left hand, willing to accept the sensations the
touch gave her for she understood her grandmother's loss all too well.

Seto willingly accepted the warmth they gave her but coldness still
filled her soul, 'I don't want to leave them to their doom but it
might be the only way to free Washu-okasama.' To prevent her doubts
from surfacing, Seto brought a beatitude look to her face before
saying, "Domo arigato, your comfort has given me hope," then after
allowing some time for communion she added, "Now let us start
yushoku," the others nodded in response.

Ten minutes later the women left the washroom in their bathrobes where
they were met by Katsuhito in the hallway outside the changing room,
who asked, "How was the bath?"

"Very satisfying," Ayeka replied critically while Ryo-ohki bolted for
the kitchen door where an audible thump brought grins to everyone's
faces before the princess continued, "although it was a little
crowded."

"Maybe the furo can be expanded," Tenchi suggested as he stepped off
the entrance staircase, "I know otousan has been drawing new plans for
additions to the house."

"Especially since the shojos have arrived," Katsuhito deadpanned.

"Jiichan, you're getting as ba . . . " Tenchi's statement is
interrupted by the doorbell. The boy's tone went from annoyance to
pleasure as he said, "That must be the delivery man."

"Delivery man?" a purple-robed Ayeka wondered aloud.

"Hai, Ayeka-san," Tenchi answered as he went over and took with his
left hand the money his grandfather offered him, "I and jiichan
decided that Sasami-chan has done enough work today, so we're offering
everyone a special treat for yushoku."

"Super!" exclaimed the pink-robed Mihoshi in English as she stood next
to the yellow-robed Seto.

"You could've asked me first, Tenchi-niichan," a frown formed in
Sasami's words and on her face as the light blue-robed child stood
next to her sister.

The hurtful look on Sasami's freckled face brought Tenchi to her side
where the boy crouched down so his face was level with her before
replying, "Sasami-chan, you've cooked and cleaned and even practiced
for the Shichi-Go-San today. Please let us show our gratefulness."

With princess regal Sasami announced, "Just this once but next time,
ask me first, ii ne?"

"Ii na, Sasami-chan," Tenchi accepted while his right hand reached up
and tossed Sasami's damp hair which changed the child's frown to a
smile combined with a tinkling giggle.

Tenchi stood up and headed for the door. When he stepped onto the
genkan Seto whispered to the priest standing next to her, "Your mago
greatly cares about Sasami-chan's feelings."

"Tenchi remembers how important an okasan's ai is for a kodomo and he
wants Sasami-chan to know he understands her attempt to act mature,"
Katsuhito's craggy face contained a knowing look, "is meant to hide
our much she's missing her okasamas."

"As do you, ojiisan," Seto teased him as she called her grandson an
honorable old man.

"As do I, Seto-dono," Katsuhito acknowledged, a statement that brought
Mihoshi's sharp ears up but the two Masaki princesses missed it
because they were watching Tenchi open the door.

The view showed to Tenchi was a little unexpected for before the youth
stood his classroom chum, Robert O'Neill, dressed in a yellow slicker
with an eight-year-old boy next to him, who was wearing clear plastic
raingear, both were holding brown warming boxes in their hands.
Recognition of Tenchi caused a loud response from his friend,
"Konbanwa, Shaky's Pizza delivered to your door, piping hot!"

"Robert-kun, so you're doing pizza delivery," a surprise note in
Tenchi's words.

"Hai, it gives me a chance to practice my driving," Robert's brogue
made music from his Nihongo words, "while giving me a chance to make
some change."

"And who is this kodomo with you?" Katsuhito asked as he came next to
his grandson.

"Masaki-sama," Robert and the little one gave a quick bow to the
Shinto priest before Tenchi's friend continued, "this is my ototo
(younger brother), Timothy."

"Isn't it kind of late for him to be out?" the old priest asked,
"Especially since tomorrow is a school day."

"Our uncle is a keisatsukan for the Kurashiki Police and is on the
night shift this month," Robert answered truthfully, knowing the
priest's reputation as a detector of lies, "so Tim-chan is tagging
along with me until my shift ends at eight o'clock."

"Ee," Katsuhito acknowledged the young man's answer.

"Anyway, here are your two pizzas, a Shinto Vegetarian and a Fuji-san
Supreme," Robert tried to gain some control over the situation as both
him and his brother opened the warming boxes and gave Tenchi the two
cardboard boxes in return for the money. It's then Robert noticed his
brother's right hand reaching out like he was still holding the box
and asked in Irish, "What's wrong my bonny brother?"

The young man's imitation of a stature and the question left
unanswered drew Robert, Tenchi and Katsuhito to follow the boy's gaze.
With awe Robert let out a slow whistle when his sapphire eyes saw the
four beautiful females with purple, blue and blond hair come to stand
on the other side of the priest.

"Tenchi-kun, you told me some of your itokos moved in with you and
your otousan but you didn't tell me they looked like angels," Robert
words placed smiles on Mihoshi and Katsuhito faces, a puzzled look on
Seto's face, a suspicious frown on Ayeka's face and a groan from
Tenchi, in the three weeks since Tenchi moved to his new school he had
learned about his Irish friend's wolfish fame.

"So you know about Tenchi's houseguests?" Katsuhito asked as he
produced a handkerchief with his left hand while his right hand
removed his glasses so he could clean them.

"But not their gentle names," Robert added with a friendly smile.

With the same friendliness Seto informed the young man with a touch of
her right hand on each person's shoulder as she identified them, who
in turn gave a formal bow to the two newcomers, "I'm Kamiki Seto,
Tenchi-san's obasan (aunt). This here is Kuramitsu Mihoshi, my
nazukrgo. Before me stands Tenchi's cousins, Masaki Ayeka and Masaki
Sasami." When she reached Sasami's name, the tall lady noted Sasami
didn't bow or act like she even heard her grandmother's words. Seto
bent at the waist, waved her right hand before the little one's pink
eyes and said, "Wake up, Sasami-chan." This last act broke the spell
between the two children with both Timothy's and Sasami's faces
turning bright red before the boy made a gesture with his right hand
then he spun around and fled to the light blue car with the pizza
delivery sign on top, at the same time Sasami spun on her left foot
and ducked behind Ayeka.

Confusion filled both Tenchi's and Ayeka's eyes but just the opposite
could be found on the others' features but this didn't prevent the
black-haired young man from acting. Passing the pizza boxes and their
contents to his grandfather, Tenchi slipped on his geta and then took
hold of Robert's right arm with his left while saying, "Robert-kun,
let me escort you to your car."

Robert gave the others a short bow then said as he stumbled backward
thanks to Tenchi's persistent pull, "Oyasumi, redi, soredewa nochihodo
(Goodnight, ladies, see you later!)!" Robert heard muffed giggles
coming from Seto and Mihoshi while his blue eyes caught a pair of pink
ones peeking from behind the pretty girl in purple. He couldn't read
the old priest's expression but it didn't seem hostile which sparked
his hopes. With a fast turn Robert exchanged arms with Tenchi and at
the same time asked, "Tenchi-kun, why didn't you tell me how kirei the
females of your family were?"

"I thought the shojos at school would be enough for you," Tenchi
growled at his friend.

"Protective aren't we, na?" a wolfish grin appeared on Robert's face
before he continued, "You've only heard about my reputation, Tenchi-
kun. Let me tell you I don't play the field."

"Mo, I just heard you have a new garufurendo each semester," Tenchi
informed his friend.

"It's not my fault your island's shojos have such loose morals,"
Robert countered defensively, "all they want is to be someone's efu
emu (piece of ass) for a few weeks."

"I thought you were still moaning over the loss of your family, na?"
Tenchi tried to change the subject as they neared the parked vehicle.

"What's a transplanted Irishman to do?" Robert retorted as he let go
of Tenchi's arm so he could reach with his right hand the driver's
door handle. "Your drinking age is so high, the only thing I can drown
my sorrow in is the yuki na kirimanjaro (cum of a young vagina)."

"There are no darashinai onna (woman of loose morals) in my kazoku!"
Tenchi shot back at Robert, not liking the language the blond youth
used.

"I hope not!" Robert returned with some of his own heat as he jerked
the car door open, "I don't want to wait until I get out of the
university to start a kazoku! I want a permanent esu efu, one who
would marry me and be an okasan for my ototo!"

Taken aback by Robert's sudden seriousness Tenchi own anger vaporized
into sympathy, "You really miss your kazoku, na?"

"Everyone in my kazoku above the age of twenty died in that
explosion," Robert's own anger subsided into sadness, "the children,
like me and Tim-chan, are shattered amongst our relatives outside of
Northern Ireland."

"You do have your uncle, na?" Tenchi tried to lift his friend's
spirit.

"Honto honto (Very true)," Robert answered as he sat, Timothy barely
noted his brother's entrance before returning his blue gaze to the
house's front entrance while he sat in the shotgun seat. Then Robert
added, "but to be reduced from a kazoku of dozens to three fills my ki
with lonesomeness."

"Dewa . . . you might not find the end of the thread here, Robert-
kun," Tenchi placed his right hand reassuring on his friend's
shoulder, "Ayeka-san has an inazuke, Seto-san is married, Mihoshi-san
is a kei . . . eh . . . career woman and Sasami-chan is too young."

"I wouldn't think of Sasami-chan," the old sly look returned to
Robert's face as he turned his body to his right and started to make
gestures with both hands in front of his brother's face as his words
continued, "Besides I wouldn't want to cut into my ototo's action."

Timothy's face gained a shade of red embarrassment then he brought his
eyes' blue fire on his brother while he made his own hand gestures
which brought a barking laugh, gestures and words from Robert, "Indeed
she would!"

"Nani?" Tenchi said in a baffled tone.

"Gomen, Tenchi-kun," Robert turned back to his brown-eyed friend, "I
forgot you don't know sign language."

"I know a little but you both were going so fast," Tenchi corrected.

"Tim-chan replied that mommy would've washed my mouth out with soap,"
Robert smiled up to Tenchi as he started the vehicle, "Dewa, we better
go before my boss thinks my ototo and me have hijacked the car."

"Sayonara, Robert-kun, Timothy-san," stated Tenchi while making the
gesture for goodbye for Timothy's benefit.

"Sayonara, Tenchi-kun," Robert returned as Timothy gave the same
gesture to Tenchi.

As the car turned to the left and headed up the dirt path, Tenchi
started back to the house, meanwhile as his family awaited his return
they had taken the food to the chabudai. Sasami and Ayeka went into
the kitchen to get some plates and Western style knives and forks that
were kept in a special box in a bottom drawer. With the two young
princesses out of the living room and Tenchi still with his friend,
Seto turned to Katsuhito, saying, "Katsuhito-dono, Mihoshi-dono and I
need your assistance."

"I would be honored to give aid to my kazoku," the old priest returned
as he placed the two boxes on the low table.

"Actually it's Mihoshi-dono who needs your help," Seto clarified.

"As I said before, I would be honored to aid a kazoku member," the
gray-haired man calmly repeated.

"Mihoshi-dono has been given a special assignment and we concluded her
best chance would be to join a national police force like this
country's NZK," Seto explained, her own spirit lifted by her
grandson's acceptance of Mihoshi.

"And Mihoshi-san needs a cover story so her experience as a Galaxy
Police can be taken advantage of without causing wonder about a green
two-year-old knowing so much," Katsuhito finished for them.

"Do you think you can help me?" Mihoshi respectfully asked.

"Hai, I know a couple of people in Beikoku who would be willing to
create a credible cover for you," the man in priestly garb answered
with assurance.

"Awesome!" Mihoshi shouted in English as she jumped into the air with
raised arms, a smiling Seto avoiding the policewoman's outstretched
arms but the shout brought Ayeka and Sasami running into the living
room with Tenchi charging from the hallway. Seeing nothing wrong
Tenchi tried to put the brakes on but found the freshly waxed floor
too slick for his white stocked feet. A sliding wide-eyed young man
passed by the threesome next to the chabudai only to barrel into the
surprised princesses. The dishes flew into the air only to end on top
of Mihoshi's flat palms. Katsuhito and Seto hid their grins behind
their right hands while the giggling Sasami found herself sandwiched
between a groaning Tenchi and Ayeka glaring up at the blond bombshell,
who said, "Gomen, I was just happy we were trying some American pizza,
you don't know how hard it is to find original style foods in the
Ginga Yunion. Everyone has their own ideas about what different Earth
dishes are like . . . "

As Mihoshi continued to give a dissertation on galactic cuisine while
placing the dishes on the low table, the still smiling Seto and
Katsuhito helped the rest to their feet and collected the silverware.
Tenchi's grandfather took his usual spot at the head of the table with
Ayeka and Sasami on his right while Seto and Mihoshi were on his left.
Tenchi dished out the pizza so everyone got a share from each pizza
except his grandfather, who took his portion only from the vegetarian
pizza. With a unison shout of, "Itadakimasu!" Tenchi and Katsuhito
started to eat their food with the four females copying how the two
men used the knife and fork since none of them had used Western style
eating utensils before. Mihoshi squirmed with delight as she ate each
cheesy piece, Ayeka found the yeasty crust quite tasty, Seto noted the
freshness of the sauce and Sasami was very taken with how the herbs
and spices enhanced the food's flavor. To make sure Ryo-ohki wasn't
left out Sasami had brought in a bowl of freshly washed carrots for
the cabbit to happily munch on.

As Ayeka brought a piece to her lips, she remembered a question she
had for Tenchi, "Your friend's ototo made a gesture at Sasami, what
was that about?"

"Robert-kun's ototo was born unable to hear, so he uses sign language
to talk with others," a thread of sadness in Tenchi's answer.

"How terrible!" exclaimed Ayeka.

"According to Robert-kun he was learning to speak but has retreated to
using only his hands to talk with since his ryoshin were killed,"
added Tenchi as he stopped eating, his appetite suddenly gone.

"Naze wa yo?" Ayeka questioned, her own food forgotten.

"Their parents and many of his relatives were killed in a terrorist's
bombing, in Belfast," Tenchi answered with crushing reality, then
continued when he saw the angry confusion on Ayeka's and Mihoshi's
faces, "two fanatic groups have been fighting for political/religious
control in Robert-kun's homeland for centuries and his kazoku was
almost wiped out, only the kodomos survived."

"Was the satsujin hannin (murderer) ever arrested?" Mihoshi's eyes as
hard as sapphires.

"I don't know," Tenchi's reply reflected the sorrow within.

"In a land of hate and fear, the lover of violence will escape
justice," Katsuhito added as he stood up, "I think I'll go up to the
jinja, I have a few things to do before going to bed. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, jiichan," Tenchi returned as he tried to banish away his
anguish and the others added their own goodnights to his.

"Let me help you gather the rest of the pizza, so we can have it
later," Mihoshi offered to Sasami."

"Arigato, Mihoshi-neechan," Mihoshi's offer cut down on the swirl of
emotions within Sasami's soul.

With nothing to do, Ayeka again returned to her original question,
"Tenchi-sama, you haven't fully answered my query."

"Dewa . . . I'm not too sure . . ." Tenchi fumbled as he tried to
remember his classroom lessons.

"He said I was kawaii," Sasami told them as she and Mihoshi headed for
the kitchen.

"Sasami-chan, I didn't know you knew sign language," surprise in
Tenchi's tone.

"Oi . . . a program on sign language appeared on your television,"
Sasami quickly covered her mistake, "the onna on the program showed
the basics gestures."

"And one of the basic gestures was for kawaii, ne?" Ayeka asked with
pride over her sister's knowledge.

"Hai!" Sasami replied before turning around and hurried into the
kitchen with a load of dirty dishes in her small arms, along with
Mihoshi and Ryo-ohki at her heels. Both Ayeka and Tenchi smiled with
approval but a knowing look flashed across Seto's face as she wondered
within her mind, 'Sasami-chan answered the first question truthfully
but covered the second question with a white lie. Is there something
special about Timothy-san?'

"Dewa, anyone for television?" Tenchi asked the two remaining
princesses.
**********
Hideyuki Residence, Matsumoto, Nihon

Mulder was the first out of the taxi but held the door open for Ryoko
to get out. The American was glad the driver knew where to go for
Nihonjin addresses still left him bewildered. He was more than
grateful for Ryoko agreeing to come with him because she pointed out
he would need to bring a gift with him after the detective explained
why they were in what is considered Nihon's Highlands, the air
surrounding them filled by the quite falling of mountain snowflakes.

After paying the driver, Mulder turned to face his companion but
stopped dead by what he saw for Ryoko was no longer Ryoko. Instead of
amber and cyan he saw eyes and hair like black onyx with all curves
hidden underneath a white, heavy fur coat. With a Russian style fur
cap to hide her catlike ears, Ryoko smiled at her friend's reaction
before slyly saying, "I just wanted to help you make a good
impression."

"Eh . . . eh . . . you think these Hershey chocolate bars will do as a
gift?" Mulder tried very hard to distract his attention away from a
dream he knew couldn't come true, a dream to again kiss Ryoko's soft
lips.

"With that green wrapping paper, they'll be perfect," Ryoko replied
with confidence, "You don't know how much American candy cost here."

Mulder opened the gate in the tall, brown wooden wall that surrounded
an outer courtyard with the only other entrance he could see was for
the car. The man led the way along well-worn cobblestones to the three
stepped entrance of a fine three-story building, in a style that
reminded the brown-haired man of the samurai movies he had watched on
Nihonjin television. After the two walked up the steps, Ryoko reached
with her right hand and pulled a loose leather strap running from a
hook into a hole, this produced a ringing bronze bell and the trample
of feet behind the door. It took only seconds for the door to fly open
and present to Mulder and Ryoko a fourteen-year-old girl with bright
black eyes but a head of blond curly hair. Making a quick recovery of
her surprise at seeing foreigners at her doorstep, the girl bowed and
then asked in Nihongo, "Kobanwa, otetsudai shimasho ka (Good evening,
may I help you?)."

Mulder and Ryoko gave the youngster a short bow before Ryoko took the
newspaper ad from Mulder's right hand while saying, "Konbanwa, my
Amerikajin friend here is interested in the room you are advertising
for rent."

"An Amerikajin!" the girl's eyes went wide with eagerness, then she
wiped her head around to face the hall before calling out, "Okachan!
There's someone here to rent the room!"

Unnoticed by Mulder or the girl was Ryoko going pale at the child
calling to her mother. From her past she heard a child-like version of
her own voice calling for her mother.

"Don't shout, Kiku-chan," a much older female voice came from
somewhere down the hall, "they'll think we have no manners."

"Ryoko-chan, don't put so much Spatha Pepper Sauce on your diebaga,
you won't be able to taste the food," Ryoko heard a preteen voice
admonished her.

"They would come just as we were about to eat yushoku," an elderly
male voice could be barely heard.

"You're wasting your time trying to make a musume out of it,"
complained another voice Ryoko easily realized as Kagato's.

"Ojiisan, that's not a nice thing to say," admonished the woman's
voice. At that moment the owner of the voice opened a slide door and
came into the hallway. Except for the black hair frosted with gray she
looked very much like the girl standing in front of their guests.
Coming down the passageway to the entrance, her eyes brighten when she
saw Mulder and said in heavily accented English, "I saw you at the
funeral, you were Koyama's partner."

"I'm Fox Mulder and you are Noryuri Hideyuki," Ryoko heard guilt in
Mulder's voice.

"Ooohhh, can I speak English too?" the girl identified as Kiku
ardently asked in English.

"You know I don't allow any eigo (English) . . . " the owner of the
male voice joined them before the sight of Mulder and Ryoko changed
his words, "What are these gaijins doing here?"

Pointing at Mulder with her right-hand, Kiku said in Nihongo, "He's
here to rent the room," then she dropped her hand before shifting her
eyes to Ryoko and saying, "I think she's his garufurendo."

"Kiku-chan, its rude to point," her mother admonished in Nihongo.

The child's statement broke the fiber of distant voices so Ryoko could
shake her head to clear her thoughts enough to inform them in English,
"I'm Mulder's translator and friend," it also allowed her to see the
hostility in the old man black eyes.

"The room isn't for rent," said the elder who looked as old as the
surrounding mountains. He turned his back to the group and walked
toward the open doorway.

Holding himself back while Ryoko was translating the old man's words,
words whose meaning he already knew, Mulder quickly handed the gift to
Noryuri then put all his guilt into his words, "Please sir, let me
help your family. I want to make up for the loss of your son."

The old man paused when he heard Mulder's plea but didn't turn around
as he said in English, "Once the cane is trampled down in the field,
it cannot be brought back."

Surprise registered on Kiku's and her mother's face when they heard
their elder's English words but it didn't stop the girl from running
to her grandfather and plead with him in Nihongo, "Onegai shimasu,
jiichan! (Please, grandfather!) He wants to help and it'd be fun to
have him here!"

The sight of his granddaughter's pleading look and the short nod his
daughter-in-law gave him when he looked back at her, brought a pause
to him before he said in English, "150,000 yen a month with payment of
the first two months in advance."

"Three-thousand dollars and they call me a space pi . . . " the touch
of Mulder's right hand on Ryoko's left shoulder stopped her outraged
words.

Ryoko looked back at the American, who said to the small group, "I'll
pay."

"But he's trying to pull a guilt trip on . . . " Ryoko's words are
stopped by Mulder's right index finger upon her lips.

With a firm look in Mulder's face, he said, "It's okay, Ryoko."

"Yaappii!" squealed Kiku in Nihongo as she hugged her grandfather and
kissed him on his baldhead, which brought grins to all.

"Stop acting like an animation character, Kiku-chan," scolded the
embarrassed old man in Nihongo but he used a forgiving tone.

"We were just about to have yus . . . eh . . . dinner, would you care
to join us?" a smiling Noryuri offered in English.

Mulder opened his mouth to decline the offer but with foresight Ryoko
intervened by saying, "We would be honored to break bread with your
family." Ryoko's glare made the American realize the insult he almost
made to the people accepting his offer.

"You can leave your coats in the hallway closet," Noryuri told her
guests as her father-in-law headed for the living room.

"Can I keep my hat on?" Ryoko asked Kiku's mother, "My head is cold."

Noryuri smiled up at Ryoko and replied, "I don't see why not, I know
how cold an old house like this can feel to someone use to the warmth
of modern homes."

"Thanks," Ryoko replied as she removed her coat and placed it in the
closet along side Mulder's brown coat. During this action Mulder
caught a glimpse of the ample lady's glowing gem, so he watched his
friend from the corner of his eye while asking Noryuri, "Which room
will be mine?"

"The top floor has three large rooms," Noryuri's stated with authority
while Kiku stood next to the two, "you will have the one facing the
raising sun." Mulder gave a nod of satisfaction not only for the
answer but also for distracting the mother's and daughter's attention
from what Ryoko was doing. Mulder's pale green eyes perceived the
translucency of the white fur on Ryoko's coat collar and the way the
uchu kaizoku's clothing molded into a Prussian blue pants, an even
lighter blue shirt with red heart-shaped buttons and a Wild West-
styled lace necktie.

"Well, let's get to dinner," Ryoko's words refocused Noryuri's and
Kiku's attention on her then added while licking her lips, "I'm
starved." Mulder barely stopped himself from putting voice to his envy
of Ryoko's lack of taste.

With Kiku in the lead Noryuri guided the newcomers down the hall.
Mulder steeled himself for the traditional meal he was about to
partake. Except for the dinner Sasami had prepared the third day he
was in Nihon, the American had fought a successful campaign of
avoiding Nihonjin food, falling back on his emergency rations of
Hershey bars to get him through. Now his face turned greenish at the
sight of sushi, rice, grilled fish, pickled plums and miso soup on a
chabudai in the living room. It was then Ryoko said hopefully to the
old man in English, "Eh . . . Mr. . . . "

"Ogami Hideyuki," replied the old man uncomfortably in English.

"Mr. Hideyuki, do you have any sake in the house," Ryoko's voice
bubbled.

"Yes," curiosity perked in Ogami's voice.

"Why don't you break it out and we can turn this little get-together
into a real celebration?" even with black eyes Mulder saw the devilish
gleam in Ryoko's.

"Mmm . . . I do feel like a drink," Ogami acknowledged.

"Can I have one too?" Kiku jumped at the opportunity.

"Just one and watered down," the older woman told her with mild
disapproval.

"Ah . . . mom!" the tall girl complained.

"Be happy I'm allowing you to drink some sake," the mother sternly
told her daughter, "my mother would have punished me for asking such a
thing at your age."

"Well . . . at least I can speak English in the house now," Kiku
changed the subject.

"Only when the American is in the house," Ogami corrected his
grandchild with a raised right index finger, "Any other time the non-
English rule will be enforced."

"But Grandpa that's . . . " Kiku cried.

"No buts' young lady," hard love in her grandfather's voice, "in this
house you will obey your elders."

"Yes, Grandfather," Kiku sadly relented but her pout gave way to
joyful anticipation when she heard her grandfather say, "I will get
the sake, then we can sit to my daughter-in-law's fine meal."

"Wonderful," Mulder felt the sharp edge of Ryoko's elbow in his ribs,
which caused him to add, "Such a beautiful hostess couldn't cook
anything bad."

Noryuri visibly blushed at Mulder's overreaction and she said in a
small voice, "Thank you."

This exchange brought a pair of Cheshire Cat's grins to Ryoko's and
Kiku's faces and more discomfort to Mulder.
**********
Masaki Residence

Ayeka had wondered why her grandmother told her and Sasami to stay in
their bathrobes while eating dinner but now it became obvious to the
purpled-haired princess when the three of them entered the young
noblewomen' sleeping quarters, where the ritual would take place, and
Seto told them, "As tradition dictates, all participates must be nude,
so no falsehood can enter nor secrets taken out except those in
memory." The blue-haired lady stared at the cabbit held in Sasami's
arms.

Sasami let out a sad sigh, looked at the cabbit and said, "Ryo-chan, I
guess that means you'll have to stay outside."

"Miya," Ryo-ohki replied sadly, she noted the stiffness of Sasami's
body and wanted to stay to comfort her friend.

Sasami turned to the open door and handed the little animal to
Mihoshi, who told the gray creature, "Ryo-ohki, why don't we go to the
jinja and drink some ocha with Katsuhito, ne?"

"Miya," resignation in Ryo-ohki's tone.

"Gu," replied Mihoshi as she turned away while she used her right hand
to pet the cabbit in her left. Sasami closed the door with
trepidation.

So with a closed curtain over the window, the three females disrobed
and took up positions as dictated by Seto. Since Ayeka was the new
initiate to the Secrets of Jurai, she knelt in the middle of the
floor, her limp hands in her lap and eyes closed as she purified her
mind with meditation, a small bowl of Jurain incense and Seto's mirror
before her. After the mediation cleared her mind, the purple-haired
lady opened her eyelids and watched her grandmother carefully placed
the candles around her body. At her grandmother's heels Sasami would
come with a twelve-inch lit match to put flame to the candles' wick.
Ayeka looked on her sister with both pride and love, noting her
sister's mature pose as the soft candlelight sparkled off the key on
her forehead. As the last candles were positioned, Ayeka suddenly
realized the pattern they produced was the same view in the starry sky
overlooking the Jurai palace at midnight, on Tsunami's birthday, on
Startica. Ayeka gave a questioning look at Seto who gave a simple nod
for the question didn't need to be spoken since it was the same one
each initiate asks, 'Are we going to Tsunami?'

With the last candle lit, the princess of the past and the princess of
the future sat horizontal to the princess of the present, Seto on
Ayeka's left and Sasami on her right. Then Seto took the long match
from Sasami's right hand with her own right hand and said as she
brought its burning end into the bowl of incense, "We will begin the
ceremony."

With snap, crackle and pop, the powder filled the room with a blue
smoke. In Ayeka's first inhale of the sweet-smelling emission, her
mind clicked upon the incense's name, Tsunami's Footstep. She
remembered the legend of Tsunami's first day on the newly created
Jurai, how from her right footsteps brought forth the bell-shaped
flowers, later known as Startica Bells, while her left footsteps
created a small brown tree with fragrant bark, Tsunami's Footstep. The
motion of Seto's left hand linking with Sasami's right hand brought
Ayeka's attention back to them where her hands linked with the two
princesses' still available hands. Ayeka's sensitive touch could feel
Seto's claim confidence but there was a slight tremble from Sasami's
hand. 'Sasami must be very excited because we might meet Tsunami, her
bondmate, together,' Ayeka thought. But it wasn't the thrill of
introducing her bondmate to her sister and grandmother that vibrated
Sasami's body it was fear.

While lighting the candles Sasami sensed Tsunami's ghostly fingers
lightly touch her soul while a caring voice asked, 'Sasami-chan, why
do you quiver?'

'Will we be meeting you, Tsunami-megami?' countered the blue-haired
girl.

"Hai, Sasami-chan," a loving voice replied in the child's mind.

"I'm afraid, Tsunami-megami," Sasami's anxiety filled her soundless
words.

"You fear Seto will recognize my projection for your mature form,"
Sasami felt a gentle warmth fill her spirit, "and will tell others."

"I need them, Tsunami-megami," Sasami's own dread lessened by the
goddess' love, "It's their love for me and mine for them that lifts me
out of the darkest dreams and makes each day special."

"Don't worry akachan, Seto will assume I take this form to show my
closeness to the Jurai Oken Kazoku," Tsunami assured the little one,
"remember, you look very much like Misaki-dono did when she was your
age."

Sasami's fear subsided but her hand still tremble when she touched her
sister's hand and her pink ears heard Seto's words as her grandmother
picked up her mirror, "In reverence and awe we ask Tsunami-megami, the
Tree of the Beginning, to find us worthy enough to visit your garden
so we may bring a descendant of the first Masaki into adulthood. To
quench her thirst in your fountain's sweet water, to adorn her hair
with your white flowers and to brighten her path with your gentle
radiance."

When the last word parted from Seto's lips, Sasami let out a little
gasp as Tsunami's fire encased the little one's own flame, pumping the
bright bluish-white light into Sasami's eyes and key. From Sasami's
key a spider thread beam strikes Seto's mirror, embraced the eldest
princess in a captive glow, then bends off the glass so it could stab
Ayeka's tiara, illuminating the last princess before returning to its
origin, forming an triangle with the princesses as the corners. With
the removal of all inhibitions by the aromatic smoke, the power in the
triangle freed the princesses from their fleshy prisons as the waxy
lights around them were replaced by cool starlight.
**********
Tenjyu, the Palace Tree, Jurai

Arm in arm Funaho and Misaki walked in the royal gardens within Tenjyu
but there was little good feelings being shared by the two for both
queens of Jurai were possessed by concern for their offspring. Not in
the way she walked nor the way she dressed did Funaho show how she
missed her son, Yosho, but this wasn't true for Misaki. With each
passing day the excitable lady would lose another bit of her gaiety to
the pressing duties as the Supreme Commander of the Royal Bodyguard,
the Kishi Jurai. Funaho saw how the holder of part of her heart no
longer wore the bright colors of spring but instead covered her body
with grayness of winter. At first it was Ayeka's and Sasami's letters
and the Pretty Sami stories that checked the blue-haired queen's
depression but nothing had been heard from the two princesses for the
last fifty years. The final straw came when Seto parted from her
family, saying only she wasn't coming back until she found the mother
of her heart. With Seto's departure even Azusa's passionate kisses nor
Funaho's gentle caresses could stop Misaki's decline. Then the reports
began again, talk of a ghost seen in Ayeka's garden.

Off and on over the past seven hundred years guards and servants
reported seeing a lady phantom in the garden Ayeka had rebuilt after
Ryoko's attack destroyed it. In the beginning those who saw the spirit
thought it was Misaki or that Ayeka returned her hair to its original
color but when confronted the image would smile and vanish. After a
time the new occupant of Ayeka's garden was accepted by all but it was
strange that the apparition wouldn't appear if Funaho, Misaki or Azusa
were in the garden. Now in the past three weeks a development was
reported to Funaho and Azusa but not to Misaki, a blue-haired girl had
been seen in the garden with the ghost, a child who mirrored the
features of the spirit. Both husband and wife were worried by this
news, especially after Funaho-Ki's message was received from Earth.
Could the message and little spirit's appearance mean Yosho, Sasami
and Ayeka were dead? The doubts racked Funaho's heart but she couldn't
let Misaki know her mates' fears, such knowledge would end her loved
one's life.

By bringing Misaki to Ayeka's garden Funaho hoped to raise their
spirits but there was another reason in the black-haired queen's mind.
In the last year Misaki begin to miss her practice sessions with
Funaho. The brown-eyed queen knew Misaki no longer found peace in the
warm-up exercises or enjoyment in their mock combats for her heart
just wasn't in it anymore. Then something happened this morning for as
Funaho finished her exercises, when each aspect of her being joined as
one, she felt an intelligence come with a gentle breeze from the
room's high windows and she heard a voice as soft as a downy chick,
"Take Misaki-sama to Ayeka-san's garden, just as the last moon joins
its sisters in the sky above Tenjyu."

With the despondent Misaki guided by Funaho's gentle embrace, they
made their way to the centerpiece of the garden, a fountain showing a
vaguely feminine image upon a six-foot high stone, water rained
lightly from her upturned finger tips upon the idealized figures of
Horosha carrying Washi through the pool. As they drew close to the
marble object, both Funaho and Misaki stopped with wide eyes as the
queens felt their pink skin prickle from the energy in the air
surrounding them. With discretion Funaho pulled the startled Misaki to
the left, into some heavily leafed bushes. Only seconds passed before
a pair of red eyes and a pair of brown eyes saw what almost everyone
else has seen, a beautiful young lady with blue hair tied in long twin
ponytails and wearing a Jurain kimono of blue, pink, purple and white.
Both let out a gasp as they realized what was said was true, the
spirit did look like a young Misaki or a blue-haired Ayeka. The
enervated noise they made brought the ghost's pink eyes to their
hiding place but instead of disappearing, she held her right index
finger horizontal to her lips before returning her sight to an area
next to the fountain. In a few more minutes a triangle of bluish-white
light filled the designated area, then at each point a mirror, a tiara
and a tiny key appeared. As the brilliance increased three forms
shimmered into existence.

Neither of the awed queens could see who appeared until the appearing
images stood up and faced the ghost. In a few heartbeats all of
Funaho's and Misaki's fears gave way to joy for before them stood
Ayeka, Sasami and Seto. It was Funaho who recovered quickest and
stopped her beloved from breaking out of cover to run to her children.
When the confused Misaki turned her eyes upon her mate, it was
Funaho's gesture with her right hand and a nod of her head that made
the excitable queen concentrate upon the figures. It wasn't long
before she spotted what her dearest had seen earlier, how the skins of
her children and her mother seem to be made of light, she understood
the three images before her eyes were astral projections. With effort
Misaki brought herself down from a mother's joy but it didn't stop her
from giving Funaho a bone cracking hug, then the Cheshire Cat's
smiling queen and the half-strangled queen settled down to listen to
the conversation drifting to them on a moth's wings.

When Ayeka appeared, her back was to Tsunami, so her first warning of
the goddess' nearness was the look of wonder on Seto's face as the
three stood on their feet. The purple-haired princess turned to follow
her grandmother's line-of-sight and found a woman slightly taller than
herself, whose body carried the same glow as Ayeka's and the others.
Ayeka's ruby eyes go wide with reverence and her legs turn to Jell-O
for she saw the two dots upon the lady's clear forehead, two dots
found on all statuaries of Tsunami.

"Tsunami-megami," veneration in Ayeka's voice as her knees gave way
only to have her descent stopped by the goddess' quick movement and
firm hands.

"Mo, Ayeka-sama," Tsunami's caring voice reached Ayeka's ears, "I'm
here to help you, not to seek your supplication."

"You look so much like my musume," Seto commented with
inquisitiveness.

"Since Sasami-chan has become my bondmate, I've taken this form to
help build a friendly relationship between us," Sasami's shoulders sag
with relief when Seto gave a nod of agreement to Tsunami's answer,
then the goddess continued, "Let's sit upon the fountain and cool our
feet in its refreshing water, ii wa."

A sliver of surprise ran through Ayeka's mind as her vision saw the
pink Zephyr granite fountain next to her and took in the surrounding
trees, flowers and shrubs before she said to the goddess, "We are in
my garden, on Jurai."

"I thought to quiet your inner turmoil by having familiar things
around you," Tsunami informed Ayeka while looking up at the fountain's
statues, "and I must say I do enjoy the addition you made to it."

"Domo arigato, Tsunami-megami," Ayeka bowed her head at such an
unexpected compliment, "I want to remind others," a note of contempt
entered her voice, "that the Oken Kazoku Jurai was founded on love."

"Gu for you, Oujo-chan," Tsunami grinned before using her hands to
hitch up her kimono so she could step over the fountain's edge, placed
her very human feet in the water and sat on the fountain's marble
stone edge. Ayeka stood like a pillar of salt because of Tsunami's use
of her nickname before the goddess' mild stare broke her shock and
allowed her to enter the water and sat between Tsunami and her smiling
sister while her proud grandmother took up a place on Sasami's right.
Ayeka had worried about being nude before her deity but her concern
quickly dissipated by Tsunami's almost sisterly kindness. When Tsunami
caught Ayeka's glance at the goddess' feet, she teased, "Did you
expect to see roots coming out of my feet ne?"

"Hai . . . ara . . . mo . . . I mean . . . " Ayeka fumbled over her
reply before she realized the absurdity in Tsunami's question, which
conjured hearty laughter from her lips and was accompanied by a chorus
of giggles and hoots from the rest.

The music of the cascading water drops was mixed with the music of
merriment before Tsunami finally said, "Now that we are in good cheer,
let us proceed with the telling of secrets."

"Hai, ee, un," the others reply.

"I understand you have been having trouble controlling your emotions,
Ayeka-sama," Tsunami gently said.

Ayeka blushed brightly as she glanced from the corner of her eyes at
Sasami before hesitatingly saying, "My . . . my emotions are not the
only problem . . . it's my body too."

"Your hands and feet are very sensitive," Tsunami tenderly stated.

"Hai," a relieved Ayeka acknowledged, glad Tsunami knew what troubled
her, "even now my feet are sending soothing waves of refreshment from
the cool water surrounding them."

"During Seikizuna, when you and your bondmate drink each other's sap
and blood, it forms not only the telepathic bond between the two, it
also changes both physically," Tsunami saw the surprise on Ayeka's
face as her words sank deep into the slim princess' mind, "My
offspring gain a rudimentary personality based on the human bondmate's
or some other factor such as what happened when Azusa-dono named
Kirito."

"Mitsuki-dono," heartbreaking sadness reflected in Seto's words and
face.

"Two innocents punished for another man's evil," Tsunami added with
anger before calming herself so she could continue, "what the human
bondmate gains from the exchange is just as dramatic, not only do his
or her hands and feet become sensitive to touch, to feel, but the
contact with the alien mind of my offspring also triggers in the human
consciousness an overwhelming need for intimate relationships with
others of its own kind."

"With others!" surprise in Ayeka's voice as her eyes become like
saucers.

"Hai, with those of either gender," Seto added with a knowing look on
her face.

"The relationship between my okasamas!" sudden insight entered Ayeka's
mind.

"Because Funaho-sama and Misaki-sama bonded with Mizu-ho and Kar-in,
the Nijumi-Ki," Tsunami's pink eyes wandered to an area to her right
while she talked, "unforeseen emotional closeness developed between
them, it was as if by bonding with Nijumi-Ki they became one mind,
each merged with the other's ki and each knowing the pure love they
held for the other."

"In the end, it was this combined love that made it possible for
Azusa-dono to accept my musume as his second okusan (wife) and to love
her," Seto added with certainty.

'He couldn't love one without loving the other,' Ayeka remembered a
statement she had heard as a child, not knowing its meaning, then a
question popped into her mind, "The physical nature of their
relationship?"

"When the bonding took place, Misaki-sama was four-years-old and
Funaho-sama was fourteen-years-old. Think of the confusion Funaho-
sama's adolescent feelings caused in Misaki-sama's preteen mind,
magnified by the normal process of the bonding," Tsunami saw the
impact her statement was having on the others.

"Because of the bond Funaho-dono knew Misaki-dono's sufferings," Seto
pickup the discussion, "It became worse once Funaho-dono and Azusa-
dono were married for my musume feared her marriage to your otousama
would be of convenience and nothing more."

"So Funaho-sama decided to include Misaki-sama in every part of her
life, from ceremonial dinners to walks in the garden to martial arts
practices," Tsunami's face held a secretive smile, "Funaho-sama wanted
Misaki-sama to know they would always be someone to hold her, to kiss
her and ai suru her."

"By the time Misaki-dono married Azusa-dono, he found he could love
her too and the special relationship his two okusans had added to
their pillow talk," Seto finished.

"You don't have to hide everything from me!" Sasami huffed at the
disguised language the three adults were using, at her being treated
like a child. "Just say they have suge supa etchi (super kinky sex)."

"SASAMI!" Ayeka's shocking shout covered up the sound of the queens
falling backward in the bushes.

"Dewa, it's true isn't it," Sasami looked back and forth at Seto and
Ayeka, Tsunami had to hide her Cheshire Cat's grin with her pink
hands.

"It is something you just don't blurt right out with, Sasami!"
indignation in Ayeka's tone.

"Hai, you might scare the bajin himes (virgin princesses)," Seto
added.

"Oke, if you say so," Sasami returned with a frown, "I just thought as
long as they're happy that's all that matters."

Seto's indirect sarcasm and Sasami's simple words cooled Ayeka's jets.
Making quick recovery, Ayeka firmly said, "Sasami, an oujosama must be
a well-mannered person who doesn't use base words thoughtlessly. If
you keep it up, I'll have to talk to Nobuyuki-san about you using his
portable communication device."

"A Walkman," Sasami informed her sister with a flat tone.

"Sasami-chan, Ayeka-dono is correct," Seto's words caught the younger
princess off guard, "your strong heart allows you to see and tell the
truth but one should be careful which words you use to tell it, it
does make a difference."

"You mean I would use different words with oneesama than I would use
with Ryoko-neechan ne?" Sasami asked thoughtfully of her grandmother.

"Tadshii," Seto gave a little nod.

"But Ryoko-neechan, Mihoshi-neechan and Kitsune-san speak plainly,"
Sasami countered.

"Because their profession requires them to speak that way just as
yours will require you speak diplomatically at times," Seto explained
simply.

"But you're an uchu kaizoku and an oujosama," Sasami pointed out.

"And I act differently according to what duties I'm performing, those
of an oujosama or those of an uchu kaizoku," Seto patiently stated.

Seeing Sasami was getting a feel for what Seto was saying, Ayeka
decided to add some sugar to the lesson, "Sasami, if you use proper
words when you should, I'll read you a new Pretty Sami story when I
get back from my trip to Tokyo."

"A new Pretty Sami story!" Sasami's eyes shine with pink light equal
to the delight in her voice.

"Ee," confirmed Ayeka.

"But we are getting away from the subject of Ayeka's lack of
knowledge," Seto reminded them but not without a tone of happiness
over the warm love her grandchildren shared with each other.

"Hai we are, Seto-sama," Tsunami acknowledged before turning her pink
orbs to Ayeka, "As I said before the mind of my offspring are so
different from the human mind that the telepathic contact between
bondmates strengthens the human compulsion for intimacy with other
humans. It is the reason why your otousama fell so quickly and so
deeply ai suru with Funaho-sama."

"It is also the reason for my oniisama having a koibito when he was at
the Ginga Akademi wa?" Ayeka said with a small voice.

"So you know about Airi-dono," Seto lowly said.

"Naze did it happened!" Ayeka cried with tears in her ruby eyes, "NAZE
WA YO?"

"You shouldn't see it as failure on your part, Oujo-chan," Seto words
carried a comforting tone in them, "Misaki-dono didn't when Azusa-dono
brought Funaho-dono home with him from Earth."

"But okasama was still a child and Funaho-okasama was a special
person," Ayeka remembered how easy it was for her father's first wife
to show equal love for all his offspring.

"Funaho is a rare flower found in an oasis surrounded by desolation,"
Seto's words recalled the first time she saw the dark-haired girl, a
face that carried the mirror image of Mistuki's features.

"I know I'm being irrational, obasama . . ." Ayeka's words were
interrupted when she felt someone clasp her right hand. Looking down
she saw Sasami holding her hand with her twin pink quartz mirrored her
sister's pain. Then she added, "I just wish I had been his first."

"Seven-hundred years is a long time for a man to keep his mono in his
pants," Ayeka smiled at the amusement she heard in Seto's words.

"Hai, just look at obasama," Sasami said with wicked grin, "she didn't
keep kanojo no asoko (her vagina) only for Utsumi-ojiisama, not for
four thou . . . OUCH!" cried Sasami when Seto's knuckles rapped the
little princess' blue-haired head.

"It must be genetics," Seto slowly commented with narrowed eyes while
Tsunami was barely able to suppress her laughter while Ayeka bit her
lip at Sasami's language, "Misaki-dono once said the same thing."

"Must take after the Oni Hime Jurai," Seto gave Tsunami a hot glare
because of the goddess' amused use of Seto's Juraigo nickname.

With the conversation shifted to Sasami, a nagging question entered
Ayeka's mind and so she asked the goddess, "I ask beforehand for
forgiveness if this question is impertinent but why did you chose to
bond with Sasami."

Tsunami saw the fear on Sasami's face and felt it through their shared
being. So the goddess returned to the youngest princess thoughts of
reassurance as she answered, "In the many threads that make the
future, I saw a child of infinite warmth tangled in them, not having
any command over her own destiny. I decided such wasted potential
couldn't be allowed to happen."

"But there was something else, ne?" Seto asked as she remembered
Katsuhito's comments, her observations on Tsunami's shift in her
treatment of the government on Jurai and Sasami's tensed body
language.

"I have never bonded with a human yet through my offspring's group
mind I sensed the forming of friendship, affection, between them and
their human bondmates," everyone saw the look of love Tsunami gave
Sasami, "I'm tired of being lonely, without someone I could call a
friend."

The goddess' admission brought Ayeka's own desires back to the fore,
"Tsunami-megami, why hasn't my oniisama made himself known to us?"
confusion in Ayeka's face and words, "Our contact with Funaho-Ki must
have announced our presence at the Masaki's jinja."

"I cannot tell you, Ayeka-sama," Ayeka heard the heaviness in
Tsunami's words.

"If it is because he married another shojo, I can accept it," Ayeka
put every scrap of her passion in her words, "I still ai my oniisama,
I still want him for my otto wa!"

"You will have to ask Yosho-sama when you find him," Tsunami sadly
told Ayeka.

"But he is alive wa?" Ayeka hopefully asked.

"Hai, he is," Tsunami saw the relief on Ayeka's face, the slim
princess now knowing her search for her brother was not futile.

With renewed vigor in Ayeka's heart, she looked up at the two statues
receiving Tsunami's blessing, hoping one day to find the kind of love
that was shared by Horosha and Washi. The purple-haired lady was
musing over those stories when something caught her attention and she
asked, "Tsunami-megami, there is something that puzzles me."

"Oi," Tsunami returned.

"The stories tell of Horosha-sama coming from beyond Jurai ne?"
recollected Ayeka.

"That is true," Tsunami confirmed, she was sure where this line-of-
thought was heading to.

"Where did Horosha-sama come from?" Ayeka asked carefully.

"Horosha-dono came from . . . " Tsunami suddenly stopped, then a small
smile graced her lips before she continued, "It looks like our meeting
is coming to an end in ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . . .
six . . . "

Confusion visited all the faces in the garden because of Tsunami's
countdown.
**********
Masaki Residence

Tenchi found his homework this evening a breeze compared to most
nights, either Ryoko would phase in to whisper sweet nothings in his
ear, Ayeka would knock on his door to ask about his health, Sasami
would come in to ask about a word she heard on the radio or a heated
argument would develop between Ayeka and Ryoko over some real or
imagine insults. With Ryoko off with the American detectives and Seto
with her granddaughters, the house was eerily quiet. He became puzzled
when Mihoshi told him she was taking Ryo-ohki to the shrine for some
tea with his grandfather but decided the pleasant blond wanted to show
her respect to the head-of-the-family. With the closing of the last
book, the stretching of his appendages and a deep yawn, the
shorthaired young man got up from his alcove desk, walked to the door,
slid it open, step out and slid it closed. His look of contentment
changed to one of concern when his nose caught a whiff of smoke. The
stocking-footed youth's initial look from his bedroom door showed
nothing so he walked to the second floor's main hallway, it is there
terror filled his soul when he saw blue smoke leaking out from under
the princesses' bedroom.

"Kaji! Kaji! (Fire! Fire!)" shouted Tenchi as his feet pounded down
the hall's bare wood to the princesses' room. When he reached the
door, he stopped from throwing the door open because he feared fresh
air would bring the fire on the other side to roaring life, instead he
scrambled to the upstairs benjo where he grabbed two buckets, one of
water and one of sand, that were kept for just this kind of emergency.
Using the method taught to him at school he kept the bucket of water
in his left hand, threw open the princess' bedroom door with the other
arm and with both hands he threw the water into the room of obscuring
smoke. The water put out the candles and the incense but the icy
liquid also brought shocking screams from the three princesses. A
bleeding nose and bug-out eyes were the instant result of Tenchi's
brown eyes beheld three very cute and very wet naked females. His
stare also produced an instant result for in a blinding rage Ayeka
grabbed the closest things to throw at the unidentified male who dared
to stare at her unclothed body, her first missile was accompanied with
her shout, "CHIKAN!"

The first candle barely missing his head snapped Tenchi out of his
shocked trance, allowing him to dodge the next incoming wax missiles
but not for long. When his ears heard the roaring laughter coming from
Sasami and Seto, he turned to them and said with mild anger, "Will one
of you kindly stopped laug . . . " The rest of Tenchi's words are cut
short when waxy Castor found a home in the youth's third neck
vertebrate.
**********
Ayeka's Garden, Tenjyu, Jurai

"Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . " Tsunami
smiled became bigger and bigger as she reached one, then an icy shock
hit all three princesses and their chilly shouts were cut off as their
astral bodies flickered out. With just a few seconds delay the two
queens jumped up from their hiding place and took a few steps forward
before their own bewilderment stopped them. With clear sight they saw
no one with the blue-haired goddess, who turned to the upset queens
and gave them a respectful bow before her form disappeared. Both
Funaho and Misaki gave robotic bows before their legs quickly carried
them to the fountain, two sets of eyes searching for clues to show
that their aching hearts didn't dream this vision.

It was Funaho who spoke first as her right hand reached for Misaki's
left arm while saying, "Oneesan, I think Tsunami-megami wanted us . .
. "

Funaho's words were interrupted when Misaki spun suddenly to her left,
straight into Funaho's body while bending at her waist so her strong
arms could wrap themselves around the black-haired lady's hips. Misaki
hoisted her beloved into the air and on light feet that showed Funaho
was no burden, the blue-haired queen danced about while shouting
joyously, "SASAMI-CHAN IS ALIVE, AYEKA-CHAN IS ALIVE, YOSHO-CHAN IS
ALIVE!"

Funaho grinned down at the upturned face of Misaki, her voice caught
up in the overflowing euphoria from the one who was one with her soul,
"HAI, THEY ARE ALL ALIVE!"

With all the dizzy spinning and lightheaded exultation, both queens
lost sight of the world around them so it took just a small bump and a
loss of balance to cause them to fall into the fountain. On their
sides and facing each other, the two ladies' hearts refuse to come to
earth so they burst spontaneously into giggles leading to chuckles
followed by howls of joy at the condition of their wet clothes and
bodies.

When her own laughter finally stopped, Funaho's brown eyes saw Misaki
looking at her, those red eyes staring through dripping blue hair with
a fiery passion Funaho hadn't seen, hadn't felt through their bond, in
so many years. Two heads moved together and two sets of lips kissed.
Tongues danced within both mouths as their arms drew them close enough
for the rubbing of the wet Gemini Silk kimonos, trapped between the
entangled bodies, to put fire in their skin. Funaho felt Misaki's body
jump a little as her tongue moved underneath Misaki's lip and across
her upper gum, then it was Funaho's turn to shiver with pleasure when
Misaki's mouth began sucking on the brown-eyed queen's lower lip.

Both queens' hands, sensitive as the hairs of tree roots, performed
intricate patterns on the other's hands, going from the fingertips on
down to the palm and to the back. With completion of one pattern came
the start of another, each one designed to increase the participants'
arousal. As both queens parted lips, the tips of their tongues the
last to touch, they both brought their right hands up while their
lefts continued the patterns. With skill learned from teaching and
experience both queens interspersed kisses and tongue licks on the
other's right hand, starting at the base of the palm, working up first
the thumb, then each finger but making sure every inch of the palm was
covered, finally the lips found the tip of the middle finger but that
was not the end. With forethought the lips of Funaho and Misaki opened
so their mouths could take in the full length of the middle digit,
calling forth coos and moans from the closed orifices. As their mouths
moved up and down the full length of the middle finger, causing both
queens' hearts to race and their blood boiled with oxygen, the combs
in each of the queens' hair started to glow.

As soft moans and sensual coos gave why to lustful howls, as both
bodies were caught in uncontrollable tremors, the bluish-white light
burned ever brighter, drowning out all shadows in and near the
fountain. If anyone were watching the going on in Ayeka's garden, his
sight would cease, as a layer of white light would be the only thing
the spy would see. Only by other means would anyone know the height of
sensuality Funaho and Misaki reached as each shared the other's
orgasms.

Finally when one mind divided to become two again, it was only by
looking up in the starry sky and seeing the passage of Jurai's moons
could Funaho and Misaki tell how long they made love to each other.
With handholding and heads resting upon the others' left shoulder,
Funaho said with words full of happiness, "Welcome back my sweet
oneesan."

With a smile only her daughter Sasami could equal, Misaki looked at
Funaho's blissful face and said, "Oneesan, let us find our husband.
Maybe we can surprise our children with an imoto or an ototo when they
come home."

"Hai, let's," Funaho agreed.

Both helped the other out of the fountain and left Ayeka's garden to
search for Azusa. By the next day's noon sun, new rumors floated about
the wooden palace: Misaki was hugging everyone again, Funaho's smile
had sunshine in it again and Azusa canceled all official dinners for
the next seven nights.
**********

Notes: Komatta! (Oh God!) What a long chapter this turned out to be
and I didn't end it where I wanted to either! It's frustrating that I
have the whole story already finished in my head and it takes so many
words be bring into existence so others can read and enjoy it

Story Development:
1.As I have told people on message boards and mailing lists that it is
critical the beginning of any story or each chapter of a multi-part
story is the best part. Why? Because it is the hook that will catch
the reader for you. This is why I asked a friend of mine, Literary
Eagle, if I could use an ideal she developed for her own Tenchi
fanfiction series, Confess To Me, for the beginning of this chapter.
In her series, Lita had Ayeka writing Pretty Sami stories for Sasami
as a way to entertain and to show her love for the child. In the early
stories Tsunami is the queen of a planet called Juraihelm and Sasami
is her adopted daughter. They have fun shocking the conservative
nobles and courtiers with some very unladylike antics like playing
hide-and-go-seek in the throne room. To protect her mother from the
plans of wicked people, Sasami would change into Pretty Sami. Once
Ayeka and Sasami are on Earth, Ayeka has Pretty Sami crashing on the
same planet where she is joined by a partner, a male Ryo-ohki who can
transform into a cabbit and can give Sasami the magical baton that
allows her to change into Pretty Sami. Besides giving me a great
opener for this chapter, it allowed me to use an alternate Pretty Sami
universe that I had all the information on. Except for episode three
of the Pretty Sami OVA and Kuroda Yosuke's manga story that appeared
in the No Need For Tenchi manga series, my knowledge of the either the
OVA or the TV series in very incomplete. A third reason for using this
alternate Pretty Sami universe is to show my thanks to Lita for her
support and to advertise her wonderful series. "The Tales of Pretty
Sami" will appear from time to time in this series and I may write a
separate series.

2. Romance, Love and Sex: As you have already noticed I had three love
scenes in this chapter, one between Nobuyuki and Scully, one between
Ryoko and Handover, and one between Misaki and Funaho. You might say
this turns my series in a lemon series but I don't agree. Lemons are
lengthy sexual encounters or several sexual encounters with a plotline
linking them together, the plotline doesn't control the story the
sexual encounters do. Here, the love scenes are the results of the
plotline. I also wanted to present into the reader's mind the idea
that love scenes of humanoids would be different from what we
Earthlings would consider normal behavior. As long as the beings have
humanoid bodies some similarities will remain but there should be a
great deal of variation in foreplay due to their
physical/psychological/cultural differences from us. Now the love
scene between Scully and Nobuyuki is much like any other because both
are Earthlings (although both have been touched by Funaho-Ki through
Achika). The love scene between Ryoko and Handover is different
because both are humanoids but not Earthlings. The love scene between
Misaki and Funaho showed how the influence of Tsunami's offspring had
on their humanoid bondmates (much of a race's psychological frameworks
based on their biological structure, so imagine how different the
Space Trees' minds are from humanoid minds). Of course my own opinion
of romance, love and sex is they are a major part of what makes us
human or any humanoid what they are. Sentient beings are sexual
creatures and this aspect of their lives can't be ignored, especially
in a series like Tenchi OAV which contains so much romance, love and
sex.

3. Flashbacks: I will continue to present mini-stories in the
flashbacks. They are design to add depth to each character, to explain
the history of Jurai, Earth's special connection to Jurai, background
to the Galaxy Union, flesh out the Galaxy Police and to show the
interconnection between the characters. Although the number of mini-
stories haven't really increased their length has.

4. Love Triangles: This part of Tenchi Muyo was discussed heavily on
the mailing list and the message boards recently. Love triangles are a
major part of many epic stories and plays but like Entry Plug pointed
out, they are full of heartache and tears. While Tenchi Universe is to
some extent a love triangle between Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka, Tenchi
Muyo OAV isn't, it is more of a pentagram with each of the female
characters at the points while Tenchi is in the middle. Now that
doesn't mean I think each female has an equal chance of getting Tenchi
or even wants him as a lover. I think Washu-chan is more interested in
Tenchi because on his unique abilities but this doesn't stop her from
pretending to chase after the boy as a way to tease the other
characters. I think Sasami is attracted to the idea of romantic love
as shown in shojo manga but sees Tenchi as a big brother, who's girl
problems gives the child a chance at some entertaining tricks. This
gets us down to the three real rivals for Tenchi's love, Mihoshi,
Ayeka and Ryoko. Mihoshi's problem is one of self-confidence, she just
doesn't believe her chance of catching Tenchi's heart because she sees
Ayeka and Ryoko as better persons (Mihoshi has actually shown better
domestic skills than Ayeka or Ryoko). Ayeka is after Tenchi because
she sees the young Yosho in him and that in her opinion she is the
perfect person for him (heritage, looks, bank account etc . . .), it
doesn't mean she doesn't love him as an individual but she is
attracted to the same qualities in Tenchi that made her willing to
accept Yosho as her husband. Ryoko is simple, she has been in love
with Tenchi for sixteen years as an invisible spirit, watching him
grow from a kawaii child into a handsome young man. Her aggressive
behavior is born from not being able to touch the boy until now, her
frustration at the sudden appearance of other girls, who might steal
Tenchi from her, and her puzzlement that Tenchi doesn't show the same
intense feels of love for her as she does for him.

Characters:
Kiyone: In my series Kiyone and Mihoshi have known each other since
they were children, Kiyone is a street kid Mihoshi offered friendship
to. At first Kiyone only used Mihoshi to escape from the GP Hospital
but found herself chased by the blond bombshell. In the end it was
Mihoshi's blind trust in Kiyone that made the little gangster accept
the hand of friendship.

Mihoshi: I continue my balancing act of showing Mihoshi's child-like
soul and her Galaxy Police professionalism, how her personality mix
allowed her to have such loyal friends like the Kiyone and Seto.

Donald Dortmund: I decided to use one of my prereaders as a character
in my series because he is from Chi-town and does have family
connections to the local police. It also allowed me to set up a
skeleton framework for one of my later crossover story. I do have
plans for some of my other prereaders to appear in this series. If
anyone else would like me to include a character based on him or her,
just drop me a line.

Horosha: This chapter showed the alternate Pretty Sami version of
Horosha.

Robert and Timothy O'Neill: I know, I know, for a country where there
are very few foreign Westerners (only 2% of Nihon population is
foreign and Westerners are a small part of that percentage), I've got
three Americans (Scully, Mulder and MacClean) and two Irish (Robert
and Tim) connected to the Masaki family in some way. Their roles in
the series will vary from minor to major players depending on the
situation.

Scully and Nobuyuki: As you can see the love between Scully and
Nobuyuki has finally found wings to fly thanks to Achika and Funaho-
Ki.

Handover: I developed this person back in 1972 as an RPG character.
You already probably know who he is but if you need a clue: one plus
one equals one.

Tsunami: An argument developed on the AFC message board and on the
mailing lists about Tsunami's relationship with Sasami. Some argued
that Tsunami was uncaring about Sasami or treated the child badly.
Others and I argued just the opposite, that Tsunami wiliness to allow
Sasami to merge with her was a caring sacrifice on the goddess's part.
When Tsunami created Jurai and her offspring, the Space Trees, she
imbued in them most of her godhead. To give Sasami the life the child
wanted, Tsunami gave her the remaining part of the goddess' godhead,
which effectively crippled the goddess (Tsunami has to have Sasami at
her side to effectively use her battleship powers and the goddess
wasn't able to save Tenchi's life until Sasami joined her). In a sense
Sasami in already merged with Tsunami, the goddess has only delayed
the submersion of her own self into Sasami's personality to allow the
child to learn how to use her new powers while growing up (I've
developed the idea that Tsunami's was coldly logical but lonely
goddess before the merging, now her personality is very much like
Sasami's). In a sense Sasami is a new goddess.

Sasami: The constant fear for Sasami is her friends will discover she
isn't what she appears to be. When Sasami merged with Tsunami, her
three-year-old mind was confused by her new nature. She was no longer
just an ordinary Jurain girl, she was now a child able to do powerful
things and know great secrets. So she concluded that she wasn't the
real Sasami but a copy created by Tsunami to replace the dead child.
In a sense Sasami isn't the same child that died on that day for by
merging with Tsunami, Sasami became a new goddess. This can be seen by
the how Sasami seemed to be a complex mix of maturity and mischief-
maker (an eye of ocha as the Nihonjin say). Sasami has a mature mind
with a child's soul that can dance between the stars.

Ryoko: Finally, I reached the point where I was able to explain
Ryoko's strange behavior. My prereaders have been wondering why Ryoko
was spending so much time away from Tenchi. The reason is simple,
Ryoko knows Kagato is here and she fears for Tenchi's and Sasami's
safety. She hopes that by not being around them all the time she can
spare their lives when her master takes control of her again. Another
reason is she likes Mulder as a friend because they are many
similarities between the two: both are outsiders (one by choice the
other by fate), both are driven by love for another person (Ryoko's
love for Tenchi and Mulder's love for his missing sister) and both are
big teasers. I also wanted to further develop Ryoko background to show
she had loved another person before Tenchi. I thing that gets to me
are lemon writers who have Ryoko calling herself an virgin before
having sex with Tenchi or someone else (Happosai does give a good
reason why the Tenchi Universe's Ryoko was a virgin but others have
turned it into a lemon cliche). For me, a person with sexual
experience isn't a lesser person because of it as long it is done for
love.

Mulder: He is attracted to Ryoko but he knows the cyan-haired woman is
in love with Tenchi. Still he likes her company and wishes his
friendship with her could become something greater. Mulder is a sexual
person with many love affairs to his record. Mulder is also influenced
by guilt caused the loss of his sister and the death of Koyama
Hideyuki.

Ayeka: We have moved forward on the track of Ayeka's metamorphosis,
now she is a full adult thanks to Seto and Sasami/Tsunami and she has
a better understanding of Jurain physical/psychological makeup.

Misaki and Funaho: Okay, okay, I know I have brought in the cliché of
the two Jurain queens as lovers but I hope the reasons I used for this
development (they having bonded with twin trees called the Nijumi-Ki,
one named Mizu-ho and the other named Kar-in) are acceptable, I also
showed they are still in love with their husband, Azusa.

Seto: Seto continues in her role as eldest member of the Jurai Royal
Family and godmother to Mihoshi. She also sees Washu as her mother and
it was Seto who suggested to Washu to create her own family. As for
her relationship with Ryoko you will have to wait to Chapter Four to
see it.

Washu: I developed further Washu-chan's relationship with Seto
(mother-daughter) and her hatred of the adult world. I also wanted
Washu-chan to give her thoughts about the events occurring on Earth
and the nature of Handover.

Kiku, Ogami and Noryuri: These three will appear as minor characters
in the series.