Before we start let’s get one thing straight: Tenchi Muyo and everything that officially comprises it is owned by AIC and Pioneer. This is unofficial and the story and original characters I create belong to me, so I’d be grateful if you ask before using them in something else. Please, PLEASE don’t sue me. I’m only doing this to fuel my egomaniacal sense of self-importance! *** Faith, Hope & Carrot Soup - A Tenchi Muyo Fan-Fiction By Nutzoide – Chapter 5: Then... and Now? It was after the exposition of Ayeka and Ryoko’s past history that Shoji had moved back into his own apartment to help him think things over. Kiyone and Mihoshi had also moved back into theirs at Tenchi’s insistence that it was better to give Ayeka and Ryoko some space. In the end that ‘space’ had turned out to be three days of Tenchi and Sasami helping to head off fights brought up from the re-awakened resentment and the strain was wearing on both of them. It was particularly hard on Sasami since Tenchi could only be in one place at a time leaving both her and Ryo-ohki to complain to each other about their respective relatives’ obsessions. “... and what if Tenchi nii-chan doesn’t want either of them?” Sasami asked her friend as they sat on the upper landing of the house among the giant carrot cushions. “What if he wants... well... me? Or Mihoshi-san? I don’t think he would want to marry Washu though. I think he’s scared of her, and Kiyone-san and him are just friends.” “Miya,” Ryo-ohki nodded in agreement. At times like this it grieved her that she couldn’t get the hang of human speech yet, but Sasami always seemed to know what she meant. “Miyaa, miya miiya?” It was easy for Sasami to guess what that had meant and blushed. “No, I don’t really want to marry him either. He is nice though.” She leaned in conspiratorially, “And he’s *really* cute when he’s not wearing his shirt!” This time it was Ryo-ohki’s turn to blush, although it was hidden under her fur. She did however lower her eyes to the floor, letting Sasami know exactly what was going on. Unlike Ryoko, Ryo-ohki had a pathetic poker face. “Miya miya miyaaaa.” She let out a short sigh and got thoroughly embarrassed again. Sasami giggled at that. “At least you have Ken-ohki. I wish I could meet someone.” “Miya mya miya miya,” Ryo-ohki said sadly. Sasami frowned before smiling at her friend again. “Hmmm, I think it’ll be okay Ryo-chan. Nagi and Ryoko nee-chan can’t hate each other forever. They even look kind of alike.” “Miya miya.” “Oh, you mean Ryoko won’t let you go and look for him? Well, I think it would be kind of dangerous, but if you really do like him then that will help Ryoko be friends with her. Why do they fight anyway?” Ryo-ohki shook her head. “Miya.” “Ryoko nee-chan said she can’t remember either.” Sasami got up and brushed down her dress. “I’d better go and see if the others need any help. Do you want to come?” “Miya,” the cabbit girl replied hopping to her feet before to two of them ran playfully downstairs to find out how Tenchi was holding up. *** Over the last three days Shoji had ended up spending each night with the two Galaxy Police detectives sating his thirst for information. He was also thoroughly enjoying having the secret to keep around everyone else, not that he hung around with anyone else much. His core group of friends had split just under a year ago when two of them had left to work abroad, which was why he was enjoying spending so much time around his new alien friends. Under his casual exterior however it did worry him that the group was so highly strung, and he seemed to be getting paranoid along with them. Spending time with just the two G.P. detectives was far easier on the brain and he did rather enjoy watching their bickering friendship. It was on Friday that Kiyone finally gave up trying to answer the constant ream of questions and decided to take him over to Washu the next day for a thorough lecture session on galactic life. Until then she left him with Mihoshi, whose enthusiasm seemed to match his thirst for answers. she thought as she watched Mihoshi ramble on about the various galactic sects and institutions she knew of. Shoji himself was utterly engrossed in Mihoshi’s speech. Although far from an academic he had first become a journalist because of his love of finding knowledge. In the end it didn’t matter how trivial it was, but it was the fact that he had found it out that he always liked. At this point of his life there was very little tying him down besides the need to eat, and he had been thinking that exploring the galaxy would be an eminently fascinating way to spend his life. He need never be bored again! Of course he had no illusions that that would be a very lonely way to live, and he was a social person at heart. In the end that was why Mihoshi had piqued his interest; she was totally and completely open with everyone, and despite the tensions among their group he had never failed to enjoy her company, which was rare by anyone’s standards. As it turned out Mihoshi wasn’t blind to that fact either. Shoji was one of the few people who never picked on her and she was very aware of it. She had thought he was a fun person when she had met him and he still was over a week later. That meant by her understanding that he wasn’t acting nice to try and impress her like some people did, he was just happy to have her around and she was happy that he felt like that. As she spoke she idly remembered seeing him fighting against Nagi and how he looked so determined not to let her hurt the rest of them. He was brave as well as nice and a part of her was beginning to hope he would ask her out. When she zoned back into reality she realised she had no idea what she had been saying over the last five minutes, and by the look on Shoji’s face she had to hope it wasn’t anything embarrassing. After a minute of her flustering he smiled. He still didn’t get her, but he wasn’t sure it mattered any more, and out in the kitchen Kiyone smiled for her partner. *** The next day Shoji found that he was not he only one to be taking the lesson in Washu’s lab. A thoroughly bedraggled Tenchi also sat at one of the school desks in the portion of Washu’s lab that acted as classroom. It seemed that Ryoko and Ayeka had not gotten any better since the last time he had been there. “Yeah,” replied Tenchi when he had enquired about it, “they’re driving each other up the wall. Right now I’d take putting up with Washu over dealing with them.” The comment got him a sturdy ceramic tanuki over the head and he glared at Washu coming through the door. “Is that any way to talk about the greatest scientific genius in the universe?” Luckily for the two would-be students the genius in question was also too busy trying to get rid of Mihoshi who wanted to help with the class. “Pleeeaase Washu-chan? I always wanted to be a teacher. If I wasn’t a Galaxy Police detective that’s what I’d be!” “No way sashimi for brains! For the last time get out of my lab! How did you get in here in the first place anyway?” “Come on Washu-chan stop being mean, I only want to help. I... WAAAAHHH!” Mihoshi cried as a metallic pincer grabbed her and whisked her off. “TENCHI-SAN! SHOJI-SAN! HELP MEEEeeee!” Washu dusted her hands and went back to preparing the day’s lecture. “One day I’m going to make this place *completely* Mihoshi-proof,” she muttered to herself. “I just have to keep at it.” Shoji watched all this with disbelief. There was still a lot to shock you even after almost a week knowing the truth about the Masaki group. “Is she going to be alright?” he asked Tenchi who was watching the scene with resignation. “Yeah, Mihoshi and this place don’t mix anyway, so it’s probably for the best. I really need a rest here and whatever she may be Mihoshi is never restful.” “So who’s taking your shift?” Shoji asked. “Tsunami’s keeping an eye on them.” Tenchi said. “You know, to be honest I think she’s having the hardest time of anyone. You can never really tell with her, but she isn’t smiling much anymore and she’s been disappearing more often again. I don’t know what it is but... It just doesn’t seem like her, at least not the way she had been recently.” Shoji thought about that. He hadn’t really seen her much at all after the football game. *** Out in the garden the goddess in question was tending the flowers while watching Ryoko dipping her feet off the edge of the decking and into the lake. she thought as she watched. She raised her head to look back to Ryoko only to find the world blurred before her as tears trickled down her cheeks. She touched the watery tracks in wondrous disbelief and raised the droplet to her lips. The act held more feeling than she could have imagined. It was almost poetic that the taste of her own sorrow was something so delicate. She willed the tears from her face, the water dissipating into the air, and walked serenely over to her charge. “Hello Ryoko-san. Would you care for some tea?” Ryoko looked up, confusion melting away the hostile indifference she had been feeling as she stared across the water. “Uhh, yeah, sure.” Ryoko had never understood Tsunami. *** By the time the lecture was over Tenchi was practically falling asleep at the desk. His grandfather had insisted the talk would be good for him considering he was in fact the current crown prince of Jurai, if only in title. It was also a great excuse to get some time away from the two quarrelling girls, but his lack of sleep over the last three days had finally caught up with him. “Okay folks, I think we’d better call this a wrap before Tenchi-dono here passes out over his desk!” Washu and her lecture podium, along with her clothes, vanished in a theatrical puff of smoke leaving she scientist clad in her usual shirt and shorts. Tenchi nodded. “Thanks Washu-chan. It was interesting though. I think I’m going to take a nap before supper.” She walked over to help him out only to have him back away. “Uh, that’s okay Washu-chan. I can do it. Could you get Sasami to call me when we eat?” “Sure thing Tenchi-dono.” Washu watched him as he practically staggered out of the room. She sat down dejectedly on her cushion which floated almost to the ground. “Why are you scared of me Tenchi? I’m only playing.” “Dominant women aren’t very common in Japan. At least not in public.” She looked round to see Shoji still sitting at his desk. “Oh, Shoji-san, I’d forgotten you were here.” “Thanks,” he replied sarcastically. “Actually I get that quite a bit. People don’t expect me to be able to keep my mouth shut.” “I like the quiet. When you spend half your life alone in a lab you get used to just hearing the sound of your own voice.” “You certainly seem to like it!” he smirked. Washu glared at him. “Get over yourself.” Shoji raised his eyebrows. “That sounds interesting coming from you.” Washu tuned back to face the door. “I know what you’re trying to do. After 20,000 years you get to know a bit about the way people speak. It won’t work.” Shoji lightly gave his cackle-like chuckle. “Well, at least you aren’t too much like your daughter. I think she would have killed me in a second.” Washu smiled a little to herself. “I doubt she’s got it in her any more. Especially after what she did to Ayeka-sama. I can feel it when they argue now, she’s scared to do anything in case something else happens. She doesn’t like you though. Neither do I.” “Oh? I though we were getting on quite well.” “You like learning. I like that about you. You want to learn about me. I don’t want to be learnt about.” Shoji rose from his seat and the set of desks vanished back into the floor. He sat down almost back to back with the scientist. He thought that would look pretty cool given the way they were talking. Atmosphere is everything to a photographer and he’d gotten used to thinking like that. “It’s pretty obvious you and Ryoko don’t get on too well, family wise I mean, and I can understand why if what you all told me is true. I don’t understand the way you behave much though. I don’t think Tenchi does either. I think that’s why you scare him.” Washu looked up and Shoji could feel her red mane of hair brush against his back. “Are you trying to play psychiatrist?” He smiled and shook his head, even though she couldn’t see it. “Nah, I just think Tenchi’s holding up pretty well with all of you. In this country women are traditionally subservient. Personally I think that’s a complete crock, but that’s the way we were brought up. Tenchi’s got six, no, seven very strong women in his life so no wonder he’s skittish. God knows I would be.” “That’s what I keep telling Ryoko. She’s not used to dealing with people on an emotional level so she does what she’s used to, going in head first and making as much of it as she can.” “You’re not used to dealing with people either.” Washu laughed. “And what makes you think that ‘Mugai- sensei’? Some incredible affinity for other people that will let you solve their problems at the drop of a hat?” He chucked along with that. “You already told me you’ve lived half your life alone in here. I think I’m allowed to work that one out!” “Okay then.” Washu shifted her position. “I’ll tell you what you want to know. The others know it anyway. But you have to spill something too. Something important *you* hide, and I can tell if you lie so don’t even try it.” “Kiss and tell huh?” he smirked again. “You haven’t got a chance with me. Save that for the bubble brain.” Shoji sighed. Another round of Washu’s views on Mihoshi wouldn’t help. “My sister was killed when I was sixteen. She got hit by some drunk driver who smashed his skull in when he went through the windscreen. She was the one who pretty much raised me since Mum and Dad died when I was young. My whole world revolved around her when I wasn’t in school. She was as good a parent as I ever knew, and she would have been a great mother to some lucky kid if she had had any, even if she did work as well. I was too young to remember my parents dying so that was the first time I ever had to deal with something like that. Plus I was the one who had to I.D. her since some sick freak had stolen her wallet at the site. That screwed me up. I wasn’t ready to live on my own then, I was just too used to having her around. In the end it was the nightmares that made me go to the school counsellor and she sorted me out. I couldn’t bottle it up any more and everyone at school knew I was drinking. That’s the reason I’m careful about what I drink now. I can’t stand the memories it brings back when I get blasted, and the nightmares that go with that.” He gave an uncomfortable cough. “Well, that’s the only sob story in my life. I’ve had it pretty good otherwise, so I’m not one to complain... You want to take your turn now?” Washu was quiet for a while and they both sat in silence. The room had taken on a mood of it’s own. “I was married once. We were both studying at the academy at the time. When I think about it those were the happiest days of my life. I was doing something I loved with the man I loved. We had a son, a beautiful baby boy. My husband came from a very prestigious family though, and while I was away on a field assignment they called him home. Apparently I wasn’t good enough for him so he and our son were taken from me. After that I had nothing left to care about. If that was all that mattered to the ‘adults’ then I never wanted to be like them. I wanted to be free to live and love without caring about politics or status or anything like that. That’s why I look like I do. After that I threw myself into my work, the only thing I still had that I loved. But even then it wasn’t the same. Nothing ever is.” After a while Shoji broke the silence again. “What happened to them?” “I never wanted to find out. I didn’t think I could bear it. They’ll both be long dead by now. I’m probably one of the oldest people in the galaxy. It’s in the past, and if their families are still around now I won’t bother them. They don’t need a ghost from a past they never knew turning up, and I like it here with Tenchi-dono and my daughter.” Another silence followed, again broken by Shoji. “Kiyone and Mihoshi are staying tonight. Do you think you could put me up again.” Washu got up and patted down her shirt. “Follow me Shoji-san.” “So, do you still hate me, or am I off the hook?” he asked off hand as they headed for the spare room. “You pass, but you’re no Tenchi.” “And for that I am eternally grateful!” *** Washu was still thinking about that conversation later that night. Now that she thought about it Ryoko wasn’t her daughter very often, and only then when things were going her way. All children are selfish at heart, but she couldn’t call Ryoko a child. Even when she was ‘born’ she was fully formed. True, her body would grow and change as her mind matured and she found who she wanted to be, but she never would have had the chance of a normal childhood, even if it weren’t for Kagato. Washu would never be able to sleep. As little as she needed it sleep would have been welcome now. She flipped on her monitors again via her laptop. Ryoko was the one sitting with Mayuka tonight. It would either have been Ryoko or Tenchi, or Washu herself. That was what she had been hoping for anyway, but the girl had beaten her to it. Again. Washu shut down the screen and banished the computer to wherever it always disappeared to. As she let her mind wander she found herself heading for her ‘techno-suite’, the huge set of computer banks in the darkest room she had. That was her ‘mad scientist’ room. Of course she rarely use it any more. The only reason she was there now sat resting on top of one of the consoles. She played idly with the tape for a while before it found it’s way into the VCR she had added to the mass of computers. When the screen lit up she saw Ryoko in the examination apparatus looking rather peeved. That soon gave way to nervousness, then the defenceless Ryoko emerged for all the world to see. The Ryoko that Washu had so longed to know. The Ryoko that needed her there. “Mummy? Please release me! Mummy! Please Mummy!” Washu had waited so long to hear Ryoko call her that. “Don’t leave me here! Don’t leave me behind plee-ee- ease! I don’t want to be alone! It’s *dark*. It’s *scary*! *Mummy*! *MUMMY*!” Somehow though Washu couldn’t feel as good about it now as she could before. For some reason Ryoko just seem as cute this time round. She watched the screen as the tears fell across Ryoko’s cheeks and her blue hair swayed restlessly. Washu’s eyes shot open. Ryoko’s hair wasn’t blue! She stared at the screen again to see her daughter’s cyan spikes. Maybe she really was tired after all. Then the screams for help took on a new tone. A smaller slender body hung in Ryoko’s place, scared orange eyes replaced Ryoko’s yellow ones and the short blue hair returned. “Ma... Mayuka?” Mayuka had looked the same when everything started to happen to her those seven months ago. When she was terrified. Washu suddenly felt very sick. A teenage Mayuka being manipulated and tortured by Yuzuha. A vulnerable Ryoko being taken advantage of by her in her own lab. Ryoko’s pleas sounded new when they started again through the tears: the sound of someone afraid and in real need of care, being denied it by the one person who should have given it to her - the person who had done this to her in the first place. If anyone had done that to Mayuka she would personally have flayed them alive. She had done it to her own child. Washu’s cry went unheard as she dragged the massive sledgehammer from her sub-space portal and crushed the machine that was showing her these things. *** It was five minutes later when the weapon fell from Washu’s limp fingers and crashed to the floor. All that was left of the screen and tape machine was a heap of wasted metal and glass as she gulped air into her lungs and forced her eyes shut. Eventually she fell to the floor, her legs unable to bear her any more, and wept into her hands. By the time Washu had finished the next morning there was nothing left to find of that tape. *** “Good morning Shoji-san.” Shoji peered up to see Tenchi watching him. “Morning,” he replied somewhat subdued. “Breakfast’s ready if you want some. I was just going to get Washu-chan.” Shoji gave a mental sigh. “I don’t think she wants to be disturbed right now Tenchi.” Tenchi frowned but shrugged all the same. It certainly wasn’t the first time she wouldn’t be appearing for a meal. “*Mihoshi!*” The pair cringed and headed for the kitchen in time to see Mihoshi, Sasami and Ayeka running around the room trying to stop Mihoshi’s control cube from destroying the place. It bounced around like a demented pink rabbit seemingly trying to cause as much havoc as possible before being stopped by the righteous foot of Ayeka Jurai. “Thank you very much Detective,” she said, the sarcasm clearly audible in her voice, “I’m very glad to see the Galaxy Police has such wonderful equipment training.” “I’m sorry,” Mihoshi said, “I just thought it might help, but it didn’t work right.” Ayeka gave her a ‘you got that right!’ look. “Next time leave that thing to Kiyone.” Mihoshi deflated slightly at the remark and Sasami looked from the struggling cube under her sister’s foot to its owner. “Can you fix it so we can eat now? I think breakfast is still safe.” Mihoshi’s brow furrowed in concentration. She was pretty sure she knew which one of the several hundred twist combinations reset it to its original state. She also knew she had to follow orders as a member of the Galaxy police. “Kiyone,” she called, “my cube’s gone bananas!” Ayeka wasn’t her superior officer but she *was* a princess so she would probably be able to make orders to anyone, maybe even her grandfather, and he was Galaxy Police Marshall. Kiyone appeared looking somewhat less that alert being still in her pyjamas and straightening the orange headband she always wore. “Define ‘bananas’ Mihoshi.” “Umm... well, actually it’s more like cabbits, or really strange bouncy things. It’s hopping everywhere.” Kiyone’s eyebrows lifted as she processed the information. “Let’s have a look at it.” Ayeka slowly lifted her foot off the berserk little gadget in readiness for capture but it managed to spring out of her grasp before she could get it. Luckily Mihoshi intercepted it with a deft whack and it ended up in Kiyone’s hands. “Okay, that was odd.” She peered closely at the struggling device. “I don’t know what the hell you did to it here Mihoshi. You managed to drive your own control cube crazy and it isn’t even sentient, or at least it wasn’t.” “Kiyone!” Mihoshi whined. From the door Tenchi and Shoji looked at each other before retiring to the living room, glad to be out of the way. Kiyone joined them soon after with the rogue device, looking for all the world like she was trying to puzzle out a Rubix cube made entirely of pink glass. Shoji made a mental note to ask about that after breakfast, and Tenchi having seen such things many times before just tried to enjoy the first morning in days where Ayeka and Ryoko were being civil to each other. *** “At its most basic level it’s a storage access device.” Kiyone placed the now subdued cube on the table, which was now cleared of what had been left of their meal. Shoji carefully picked up the device again and set about examining it. It was completely smooth, transparent pink and very slightly cool to the touch. “How do you twist it? It looks solid.” That was something Kiyone found very strange about him. With the wealth of new questions he could have asked it was always the most simple and mundane that came first. “Actually I’m not sure why it’s designed like that,” she said, trying to remember if that had even been explained to them when they had first received the cubes. “It could be a simple anti- theft device. I guess if you’ve never seen one used before you wouldn’t know how to operate it. Think about it in terms of Washu’s lab and that’s pretty much how it works. It transfers items to and from subspace, as well as being the trigger for plenty of Galaxy Police devices.” “Very handy, but Mihoshi seems to have trouble using it.” He tried twisting one of the sides of the cube, which gave way under the force and sent Mihoshi’s ID pen clattering to the table. It was the one thing Kiyone had told him how to do. Apparently the cube had a set front, back, top and bottom, not that he could tell any of them apart. She had had to tell him which way round to hold it. “Mihoshi has trouble with lots of things.” Kiyone smiled a slightly crafty smile. She really wanted to see his reaction to the next trick it had. “Try squashing it. Just push two of the sides together.” When Shoji did his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The cube had somehow turned into a white pom-pom about the size of his fist. “Wow!” Kiyone couldn’t help but giggle. That was something every schoolchild took for granted. “It’ll stick to your clothing now. That’s how it gets carried around.” Shoji cautiously prodded it a bit. “It doesn’t feel adhesive.” “It’ll only attach itself to cloth. Or your hair for some reason. I think that’s something they couldn’t get sorted out in the design.” Naturally Shoji tried it and Kiyone laughed out loud at the site of him with the pom-pom dangling from the loose hair around his face. He shook his head but the puff ball refused to budge. When he took it however it slid off like silk. “Now I’m *really* confused,” he said. Kiyone shook her head. “It’ll be easier if you just accept it. There will be certain things that ignore pretty much everything you know about physics, and this is one of them. There are plenty of ‘normal’ things too. This is a very useful exception, as is pretty much everything we consider to be high technology. Actually, having said that these things are getting out of date. We’re likely to get issued newer models some time soon.” “Something new for you to learn. It must be tough trying to update every time something new comes along if they’re all as complicated as this.” Kiyone shrugged. “I suppose so. At least Mihoshi might have a better chance of finding out how the next one works.” Shoji thought about that. From everything he had seen and heard it sounded like Mihoshi wasn’t really cut out for her job, but she had obviously managed to do quite well for herself. “Well, if she’s so... inept, jeez that sounds cruel, but how did she get to where she is if she can’t cut it?” Kiyone sighed. “That’s what everyone says. Truth is she’s good at her job. She’s frighteningly good at it. It’s just like her life I guess. She has more than her share of flaws, but she manages to point out *every* *little* *thing* I do wrong. Everything. It’s like she’s my damn conscience. And she always does it so innocently like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. It’s no wonder her last partner transferred out, she can make you feel so inadequate and she doesn’t even realise she’s doing it!” Kiyone realised she was venting her frustration again and looked down to see the fingernail marks in her palms. It was tragic, but she almost felt like crying when she thought about it. “I get so angry at her and she just curls up and cries because she doesn’t know what she did wrong. Half the time she’s oblivious and half she’ll guilt trip you because she too naive to realise what she’s doing.” Shoji raised his eyebrows as he listened. “Actually that’s one of the things I liked about her. That innocence is so damned cute!” Kiyone laughed almost harshly. “Well believe me it’s a double edged sword.” She looked back down to her hands again, ashamed of what she was divulging. “I hate her for it sometimes. She was just the same when we were in the Galaxy Police academy. I was in the class above her and we ended up rooming together because of overcrowding. They really piled on the recruitment that year. It was thanks to that we got partnered together after I made Detective First Class. I struggled to get where I am. My career took over for a while because I’d put too much into it to let anything else matter. I graduated straight into fieldwork, that’s pretty good, and got partnered to a vice cop at the Tandue Station. It was basically a trade gate that took a lot of looking after thanks to pirates and smugglers. That was a rough introduction for a new recruit. In the end I applied for the tough cases just because that was the only experience I had. The Clarrisen den run was the worst, but I guess it was the best posting I ever had too. It’s an underground freeway used by bounty hunters that runs though a huge asteroid belt. The problem is it’s so big the bounty hunters aren’t the only people using it. A couple even make their livings just from the people they can catch there.” She pulled off her headband and ran her fingers through her long teal hair. Shoji didn’t miss the faded scar across the left side of her forehead just below the hairline, and she noticed him noticing. “I spent two years working there and this wasn’t the only one I left with.” She tapped the scar. “It was a rough place, and for all I know it still is. Thanks to the asteroids nothing bigger than a Sigil class ship can get in, so it’s a haven for refugees, fugitives, you name it, they’re there. The Galaxy Police always have a small squad of people there to keep it from getting out of control. I went in ahead as scout for the assault missions and did anything they needed a single officer for since most of the others were the heavy combat team and a few tactical and tech types. After the thirty seventh bust and more nasty encounters that I like to remember I got promoted out of there to First Class and put on major general call. Wherever I was at the time I’d get the big missions that turned up, ‘most wanted’ type cases, or anything the local law couldn’t handle. It also meant I had to take a partner, and who was waiting for me but Mihoshi. She was promoted five *months* before me and had already driven off her first partner. They figured since I roomed with her at the academy I could ‘keep her under control’.” She sat back heavily, her hair falling around her face. “She’d somehow managed to rack up an amazing arrest record, half of which she almost stumbled into or picked up by chance. She seemed to stroll though it with the same damned happy optimism like it was nothing!” She really was on the verge of tears now, just at the unfairness of it. “And the worst part is she did it herself. Something will always, and I mean *always* go wrong, but she’ll succeed. People said it was because she’s the Marshal’s granddaughter that she got where she is, but that’s bullshit. She’ll accidentally blow up the building or get a few bystanders some minor injuries, but she’ll succeed because she’s *good*. She’s got this... talent for invisible patterns and all that naivete will end up working for her somehow, because sometimes the most basic common sense gets lost in all that ‘proper’ police behaviour we get drilled into us.” Kiyone looked up and fixed Shoji squarely in the eyes. “And she got the next promotion. We’re partners and *she* got it. They wanted to make her a field supervisor. She could have been a section chief by now, just like they thought *I* would have been now when *I* was at the academy. And she turned it down! She wanted to stay out in the field so she could ‘go out an fight crime’. She couldn’t do that behind a desk. I’d have jumped at it like a shot but she stayed, because she sincerely wanted to be out helping people. But the high ups thought it was too costly to keep her out in the thick of everything no matter how well she could do, so since they couldn’t promote her out of the field she got assigned this sector of the galaxy, and me right along with her. Out in the middle of nowhere where we can’t cause any more trouble. I don’t doubt she’s been through some bad stuff, I know I have been, but she’s still the same bright Mihoshi she was at the beginning.” “Surely that not her fault though,” said Shoji. Kiyone shook her head. “No, but I still resent her for it. I paid for my career with blood, sweat and tears. Literally. I don’t know what she went through, but she makes me feel like everything *I* did was for nothing. And she’s still happy, stuck out here.” Shoji looked at her. “You’re not happy?” “I wasn’t. Not at first. After a couple of years you get used to life like this. It’s just... I feel so useless. All my life I’ve been fighting to prove myself, I’ve risked everything because I had to. Now I’m stuck behind a counter or waiting tables for a salary that barely keeps us fed.” Shoji smiled trying to lighten the atmosphere. “It sounds like desk work wouldn’t have suited you either.” Kiyone gave a half-hearted smile. “I always did like planning operations, so Field Section Chief would have been nice, but even so I’d at least have been doing something worthwhile.” On the landing upstairs Mihoshi sat among the carrot cushions, a manga held forgotten in her hands. The conversation below her was the only thing that was registering. *** It was three hours later when her walls broke down. Mihoshi had always been the bright bouncy happy face of life, because that was what she wanted other people to feel too. She had fought too, but when you tell people that, they aren’t happy any more. All through the academy she had been the class joke; ‘Poor little Mihoshi’ ‘The G.P. typhoon’ ‘The high concentrate blonde’. She was an ‘it’, something to be laughed at because she was different. They had all been so surprised she had come top of the class in the combined ratings and that had hurt, because nobody thought she could even pass the course. But it had been worth it because Kiyone was right, she really did love her job. And now there was one more person who made jokes about her. Tenchi had never done that before, and she had known him over two years. That why it had hurt so much. That felt like more of a betrayal than almost anything else she had known. She ran out onto the grass trying to block out the voices coming from the house. She didn’t want to hear them any more. “Mihoshi, *wait*!” She tried to blink away the tears only to find herself colliding with something that sent her to the ground. She looked up to see Katsuhito standing over her looking curiously down. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly as she got to her feet. Before she could start running again she felt his hand grab her wrist. “What’s the matter Mihoshi-san? Those tears don’t suit you you know,” he commented with concern. “I don’t... I don’t want to be here any more. Please let me go.” Katsuhito looked past her to see his grandson and the others running up. “Tenchi, would you mind telling me why Mihoshi-san here intends to deprive us of her company?” Tenchi stopped to catch his breath and looked shamefaced towards the ground. “I... made a joke I shouldn’t have.” “And what might this joke have been?” “Something stupid, okay?” Tenchi snapped, irritated by his grandfather’s seeming lack of tact. “Mihoshi-san, I’m very sorry for hurting you like that. I didn’t mean for you to take it as anything more than a joke. Please accept my apologies.” He bowed low to her. Mihoshi stared at him through reddened eyes. “How did you even know I wasn’t just being a baby again?” Behind them Ryoko muttered under her breath, “When aren’t you?” drawing a glare from Ayeka, who quietly sniped at her. Tenchi ignored the both of them. Mihoshi’s upset tone had startled him but the answer was simple enough and he gave her a hopeful smile. “Because of this,” he said as he wiped a tear from her face, startling her a little. “I’ve never seen you cry like this before, so I knew I’d really hurt you, and I’m sorry for it.” She hadn’t wailed or tried to make them say it was okay. She’d just let out a sob and run. It was so unlike her normal theatrical fits of tears they all knew how badly she had been affected by it. “Mihoshi nee-chan? Please don’t go away. We’ll all really miss you if you do.” Mihoshi looked down to see Sasami there with tears in her eyes. Ryo-ohki nodded in sad confirmation. “Miya!” Tenchi nodded as well. “Please come back and we can eat. If you still want to stay.” Mihoshi smiled and gave a sniffle. “Th-thank you Tenchi-san.” She stepped in and hugged him. At that the two bickering girls stopped their arguments to goggle at the scene. “GET THE HELL OFF MY TENCHI!” “LEAVE TENCHI-SAMA ALONE!” Mihoshi practically jumped back with her hands clasped to her chest. Tenchi turned slowly round glaring intensely at the pair. “Would you two just CUT IT *OUT* ALREADY,” he roared, startling everyone who was there. Both Ayeka and Ryoko took a step back in surprise before lowering their heads again, Ryoko teleporting off to the table and Ayeka humbly waiting for him, both thoroughly chastised. Tenchi didn’t shout unless he *really* meant it. “Come on, let’s go and eat. Sasami-chan’s made a great meal.” From the back of the group Shoji watched feeling very much the outsider. As they all headed back to the house Sasami held Kiyone’s hand to stop her. “Yes Sasami-chan?” Sasami looked up, her teary eyes full of worry. “Kiyone-san, I think something’s really wrong with everybody.” Kiyone sighed. “Things like this happen to adults Sasami-chan. A lot has happened recently.” “But that’s what I mean,” Sasami insisted, “it’s not right. Tsunami won’t tell me anything so I think she doesn’t want to make anything bad happen, but I think that means something really *is* wrong. Mihoshi isn’t normally like that, is she?” Kiyone shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen her like that for a long, long time. You could be right. We’ll ask Washu about it after lunch.” Sasami lowered her head as they both headed back inside. “Washu-san won’t come out to eat. And she didn’t let me in.” *** It was early evening when the non-residents of the house decided to leave. The afternoon had crawled by in a spiral of confusion and, in Ayeka and Ryoko’s case, un-displayed recrimination. Shoji stayed behind to help Sasami with the dishes and he had told Kiyone and Mihoshi not to wait. In truth he just wanted to leave on his own and at least that way he could try and help the young princess cope with everything that seemed to be happening. As such it was getting dark when he left the house, bidding the girls good night, Tenchi having gone to bed early again. he thought as he passed the two guardians at the gate, remembering to acknowledge them as sentient. Each of them leaned forward in turn, as close to a bow in response as they could manage given their solid state. “See you guys. Look after them,” he said. “That is our job Shoji-san, but indeed we will,” Kamidake replied. “Enjoy the night Shoji-san,” Azaka added as the man walked off. “Yeah, you too.” The two guardians stood in silence for a while, enjoying the clam, cool evening atmosphere. “Something tells me he may not be returning too soon,” commented Kamidake. Azaka had thought the same. “Yes, I believe he is having trouble with the excess of emotional stress that seems to have arrived here. Of course he is only human. I’m am very glad I do not have the capacity for such fine empathy.” “Yes.” Kaidake noticed someone approach and stalled his next comment. “Tsunami-sama, good evening.” “Good evening my lady,” greeted his companion. Tsuanmi nodded to the pair as she walked up. “Good evening Azaka, Kamidake.” She stood at the gate between the two as she looked off sadly down the path. “What troubles you my lady?” asked Azaka, somewhat confused by her melancholy mood. “Shoji-san’s departure?” Tsunami smiled slightly. “You are very astute Azaka. He will not be returning by his own will.” “We thought as much,” Azaka said. “He did not seem immune from the chaos that has descended recently.” “He is not,” Tsunami agreed, “and neither am I. He will keep our secrets, but he has given up hope of making use of them. He was very eager to see the stars.” “Should we inform the household Tsunami-sama?” “No Kamidake, they have troubles enough, and they will discover the truth when they are ready.” *** “Damn it, useless Earth-man. Initiate stage four G. Sasami-sama has suspicions and since we can’t effect her we have no more time to wait. You were right Syren, he was too much of a risk.” Syren looked at her creator. “I am... unsure.” The old man looked at her beautiful featureless face in surprise. “Oh?” “My apologies. The additional programming you uploaded must have corrupted. The effects of the process you intend leave me... in discomfort.” “Ah, Syren, it appears you are growing faster than we thought. Unfortunately such action is necessary this time, whatever your moral response. Under different circumstances I would feel the same.” He rose from the chair and headed for the door. “I am still quite capable of doing this myself. Continue monitoring.” “Yes Taishi-sama.” Syren turned to the mass of screens. As she ‘watched’ the now calm Masaki house she gently ran her hand across her face. No eyes in existence could math the sensors she had built into her cranial area, but she found herself envying the creature that she watched. Somehow, on some level, she wished to be like her. She was a she. The latest set of code had included the ability to differentiate and understand gender on the emotional level. She was female, but she was machine. The smooth, elegant, clean surface of her face could hold no emotion as the humans she watched could. As her creator could. Her hand came lower, feeling the shaft of her neck though the newly activated sensors in her metal skin, and rested on her chest. At first the extra mass had been a source of necessary annoyance. She had trained her responses in movement and combat to use the weight of her previous sleek form. Her bladed arm had been the pay off for the additional calibration the sensor storage areas required. Now she understood their purpose in organic women, though she would never bear offspring. She trailed her fingers across her breast, experiencing the differing sensation that caused. Her hand slid from her breast down her left arm to the large blade that rested there. She had been so pleased to receive it. Now she could appreciate the sensation though it felt cold and dead. The part of her that had no feeling. A touch across the face felt of caring, across the breast felt pleasurable, the arm spoke of security, but the blade felt nothing. She looked over its surface, the clean, sharp lines separated down the core by the energy emitter installed there. As a metal blade it was unparalleled for her methods. She ignited the energy blade. The small globe of power sat in the slit, the scythe-like blade that it controlled shining out like a mantis with its arm extended. As a weapon it was perfect for her, each part of it exquisitely designed for whatever form of combat she would encounter. But she still felt nothing more from it that the power drain that it required to exist. She dispelled the energy and sat back to watch the screen, no longer as impassive as she knew she should be to her existence. *** To Be Continued... --------------- *************** --------------- Please send any comments and criticisms to: nutzoide@hotmail.com Or leave them on the archive where you found this story. If it will help me improve, I want to hear it. Author’s Notes: I really wanted to get more into Syren’s character here which is where the final scene came from. Quite where I’m going to go with it I’m not sure. Although she started out as a piece of additional material for ‘Taishi-sama’ I’m finding myself wanting to write her as well now that she is looking at life. This chapter also turned out far more character based than I had first thought. I didn’t want to detail the three days of Ryoko and Ayeka’s fights and Tenchi’s joke because then it would just seem like character bashing to no real end, even given the story. I’m sure that you can come up with some idea of what it would have been like. My web site is finally up too, so please feel free to come and take a look: www.geocities.com/nutzoides *** Translation Notes: -chan: Diminutive honorific. The closest English speakers have is ‘little’ or ‘li’l’. Used for children, very close friends or lovers. A term of affection with the connotation of youth. -dono: Translated as ‘Lord/Lady’ or as ‘Sir’ in the way a knight would be addressed. Can imply martial prestige. -ken: The name attached is the name of a sword. The Tenchi-ken is the ‘Sword Tenchi’. (It can also mean ‘technique’ or ‘fist’ when used as a suffix for the name of a move. I won’t be using it that way in this fanfic though.) -sama: Formal honorific. Translated as ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’. Very respectful. -san: Translated as Mr. or Miss. And so on. Can be used for both family and personal names. -sensei: Translates as teacher or professor and can be used as a word on its own. Bokken: A wooden training sword. Chibi: Translates as small with the implication of cuteness. I’m using it when describing a super deformed image of someone. Super deformed is when the character is very small or squashed, chubby and very cute, as seen used in some anime and manga for comic effect. Imouto: Meaning ‘younger sister’ and often used with the ‘–chan’ suffix although other can be used. Kanji: The Japanese naming characters. Karaoke: Popular pastime. Music is played along with the lyrics and you sing the song yourself. Kimono: A traditional Japanese outfit tied round the middle with a wide ribbon or similar length of material called an ‘Obi’. Manga: Japanese comics. There are types for pretty much everybody, not just the children and collectors. Miso: Bean paste often used in soup. Comes in several varieties. Mori Tatakai: Literally translates as ‘Forest Battle’. I used the Japanese since I designed it as a Jurai thing, not Earth related. Onee-sama / Onee-chan: Meaning ‘elder sister’. The ‘-sama’ variation is respected and the ‘-chan’ one is more affectionate. Onii-sama / Onii-chan: As above but meaning brother. Sasami uses the ‘-chan’ variations of both for members the family because she feels affection for them, as family and friends. (They can also be used without the ‘O’ at the beginning when placed after someone’s name, signifying that that person is their ‘brother’ or ‘sister’. Sasami uses this for the family she is not immediately related to such as Tenchi and those she considers family like Ryoko.) Onsen: A public or communal bath. Often associated with a hot spring. Ramen: A noodle broth. Sake: Japanese rice wine. Sashimi: Small portions of raw fish. Sushi: Small portions of raw fish often with vegetables wrapped in rice and a seaweed sheet. Tanuki: Smallish Japanese mammal similar to a raccoon (I think). Tanuki statues are often placed outside shops for good luck. Tempura: A form of deep fried food. Teriyaki/Sukiyaki: Japanese sauces/marinades. Wasabi: A hot Japanese horseradish often served on or accompanying sushi. *** Completed: March 25th – 2003 Posted: April 24th - 2003