A Tenchi Christmas Snow had fallen during the night. Tenchi Masaki stood on his balcony, looking at the snow-covered grounds of his home. "Ah yes, winter is definitely here," he breathed, going back indoors and closing the door. Downstairs he could here Sasami preparing breakfast. "I do hope it's a warm breakfast." Tenchi wandered down the stairs in his dressing gown and slippers. In the hallway, he bumped into his father. "Hey Tenchi," he laughed. "Morning Dad, you're up early." "Well, I had to go and fetch these, you know it's the beginning of December." Noboyuki opened the bag he was carrying. Inside were various Advent calendars. "Dad, we haven't had Advent calendars for ages," Tenchi chuckled. "The girls might like them though. Come on Tenchi, get into the Christmas spirit and have some fun," chortled Noboyuki. Then he handed Tenchi a calendar and went upstairs. Tenchi just laughed and went into the kitchen. "Morning Sasami." Sasami looked around from the cooker. "Oh hi Tenchi," she giggled. Tenchi sniffed the air. "Mmm, something smells delicious, what are you making?" "Beef casserole," Sasami beamed as she threw a handful of carrots into the steaming pot. "Yum," Tenchi smiled. "Could you get the others up for me please? Breakfast is almost ready." Tenchi pulled a face but said that he would and went out into the hall. Sasami smiled and began setting the table. She noticed a flat cardboard box decorated with a picture of a large man dressed in red. "What's this?" The box was covered with little numbers, all muddled up. Sasami puzzled over it for a moment but set it aside when Mihoshi stumbled into the room. "Hi Sasami," Mihoshi chirped. "Hello Mihoshi." Mihoshi pulled her dressing gown around her and sat at the table. Shortly after, Washu and Aeka arrived. They said good morning and sat at the table as well. Sasami dished up the casserole and put it on the table. She also laid out some tea and sake and then sat down to wait. There was silence and then a loud commotion from outside broke it. The girls all scrambled to the door and looked out. Tenchi lay sprawled on the floor, Ryoko sitting on his shoulders. "Ms. Ryoko!" Aeka screeched. "Hi Princess," Ryoko laughed as she floated off Tenchi. Tenchi groaned. Sasami ran over and pulled him to his feet. "Are you okay Tenchi?" She asked. "Yeah, I just fell downstairs, that's all." Everyone turned to look at Ryoko who just shrugged and went into the kitchen. Everyone followed her and went and sat at the table. The food was delicious and everyone complimented Sasami on her great cooking. Sasami just blushed. Whilst everyone was eating, Noboyuki came into join them. He was still carrying the bag containing the advent calendars. "What do you have in the bag Mr Masaki?" Sasami asked. "Presents for you lot," Noboyuki replied. He tipped the bag up on the table and the assortment of Advent calendars fell out. The girls crowded together to get a better look. "What are they?" they asked. "Advent calendars," Noboyuki explained, "You use them to count up the days until Christmas by opening one door each day." "Wow!" Noboyuki handed out the calendars to each of the girls and then left for work. They stood staring at them for a moment and then Tenchi said, "You can open door 1 today, it's December 1st." The girls examined the calendars, looking for the number. "I can't find it," Aeka huffed. Tenchi took her calendar and kindly pointed it out to her. Washu used her computer to find her number and Ryoko found hers too. Mihoshi and Sasami found it almost straight away. They each opened the door and a chocolate fell out. "Ooh, a treat," Ryoko smiled, picking it up and pooping it in her mouth, "YUM!" "Mmm," Sasami and Mihoshi agreed. "Delicious," Washu said. Aeka eyed the chocolate and then said, "This chocolate is so cheap. My stomach won't be able to take it and it'll ruin my figure." "Alright Princess," Ryoko grinned, snatching the chocolate from her hand, "I'll have it," and she ate it. "HEY! That was mine!" Aeka screamed. "You didn't want it." "You can have mine Miss Aeka," Tenchi sighed, passing it to her. "Why thank you Lord Tenchi," Aeka beamed. Ryoko scowled and flew over to Tenchi. "So what is Christmas darling?" "Yes Lord Tenchi, what is Christmas?" Tenchi stared at them. "You don't know what Christmas is?" The girls shook their heads. "Well, it's an Earth holiday where we hang up decorations, decorate a tree, have a big dinner and give each other presents," Tenchi explained. "Ooh, that sounds fun," Sasami squealed. "Yeah, when is it Tenchi?" Mihoshi beamed. "The 25th of December." "Ooh, I can't wait." Later that week, Noboyuki was returning home. He was shivering. Suddenly, a large snowball hit him in the face. "Argh!" he yelled. Looking around, he could see Tenchi laughing from behind a tree. He was wearing a jacket and earmuffs, thick socks, warm trousers and large boots. Also he had a scarf around his neck and gloves on his hands. "Ha ha, gotcha Dad." "Ooh, you're going to get it now Tenchi," Noboyuki laughed, scooping up the snow in his hands and lobbing it at Tenchi. Tenchi dodged and the snow hit the tree. "Is that the best you can do?" he called mockingly. Sasami looked out of the window and Ryoko and Aeka came to watch as well. Tenchi and Noboyuki were running around, throwing the snowballs at each other and laughing. "What on earth are they doing?" Aeka asked. "I have no idea." "Shall we go out and see?" Ryoko asked. "Yes, why not?" Aeka opened the door and a gust of icy wind flew into the house. Aeka immediately slammed the door. "Brr, it's freezing out there." "Well I don't mind," Ryoko chuckled and she flew through the door. "Ms. Ryoko!" Aeka grabbed her scarf and muff from the peg and stormed out through the door after Ryoko. She ran across the snow, the icy wind beating in her face. Ryoko flew ahead of her and reached Tenchi within seconds. She threw her arms around Tenchi, making him look around and get caught in the face by a snowball. "Aw, Ryoko," he moaned. "What?" Before Tenchi answered, a large snowball hit Ryoko in the face. Noboyuki howled with laughter. It dripped off to reveal Ryoko's face wearing a very frightening look. She leapt into the air. Scooping up a snowball the size of an armchair, she launched it into the air and then kicked it in Noboyuki's smirking face. It knocked him flying. "Ha!" Ryoko shouted. Noboyuki lay buried beneath a pile of snow, twitching. Tenchi ran over and pulled him up. Noboyuki clasped his head and said, "I think I'll go indoors," and then headed for the house, sneezing as he went. Tenchi turned to yell at Ryoko but she had vanished. Tenchi spun around but there was no sign of her. "Where'd she go?" Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. He began to scrabble at his jumper as the snow began to seep into his trousers. He could here Ryoko laughing. Aeka ran over. "Lord Tenchi, are you alright?" She squealed. "Yes, I'm fine. I've just got some snow down my back, that's all." "Oh, let me help you." Aeka reached out to help him remove the remaining snow but Tenchi jumped out of reach. "No thank you Miss Aeka, I can do it by myself." And he ran back to the house. Aeka gazed after him. Ryoko floated behind her, watching her and she scowled. She hated moments like that. She would put a stop to it. Ryoko scooped up the snow in her hands and formed a ball. She squeezed it very hard and threw it into Aeka's head. Aeka screamed and rounded on Ryoko. Ryoko was hysterical. "You think you're funny do you, you demon?" Aeka sneered. She scooped up a bundle of snow and threw it at Ryoko but she phased out of the way before it could reach her. "Missed me, Princess," she laughed. She tossed the snowball in her hand into the air. "Catch Princess!" She cried as she caught it and threw it at Aeka. The snowball went over Aeka's head. "Do you call that a throw Ms. Ryoko?" Aeka jeered. Ryoko smiled and pointed up. Aeka looked up and she turned pale. The tree branch above her was quivering. She threw her arms above herself as a large pile of snow fell from the branch and landed on top of her. Ryoko screamed with laughter. She ran over and pulled Aeka out of the snow. The princess was covered in white powder. "Oh Princess, you don't know how funny you look!" Ryoko shouted. Aeka glared at her. She was shivering. "I think I will go inside thank you!" Ryoko pulled a face, and then, after deciding that it was no fun out here alone, she reluctantly followed her. Tenchi and the others sat around a burning log fire when Ryoko and Aeka entered the house. Sasami pulled Aeka over to the fire to warm up whilst Ryoko just collapsed on the sofa. Tenchi tossed Ryoko and Aeka some sticks and bread. "Come on, we're toasting bread." Ryoko and Aeka looked at him. Mihoshi grinned as she pulled her freshly toasted bread out of the fire. "Wow! Look, I did it this time," she crowed. She had previously dropped her last five attempts into the fire. She grabbed the butter and spread it thickly on the toast. "YUM!" Ryoko and Aeka caught on and soon they were all munching on warm toast. "ATISHOO!" "Oh no!" The violent sneeze coming from upstairs had caused Aeka to drop her toast. She hurriedly grabbed some more bread and started again. Ryoko looked up at the ceiling. "What was that?" "That was Dad," Tenchi explained, "He seems to have caught a cold." Ryoko gulped down her toast guiltily. "I guess that's sort of my fault," she said. "Not really. He brought it on himself. He should know by now that you don't like to be hit in the face," Tenchi replied. Ryoko thought about it and then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she grinned. The next day, a loud crash awoke all the girls except Washu. Peering out from behind their doors they could see Tenchi lying on the ground, rubbing his head. "Ow..." A ladder lay on the floor beside him along with a few upturned boxes. "Lord Tenchi? Are you alright?" Aeka asked. "Yes, thank you Miss Aeka." "Tenchi, what are you doing?" yawned Ryoko. "I was just fetching some stuff from the attic." "Why?" "Because I've just bought a tree and I need to decorate it," Tenchi explained, getting up. "Why have you got another tree? There are plenty outside," Mihoshi said, cocking her head. "This is a special tree, one we don't have outside. It's called a Christmas tree." Tenchi pointed downstairs where a large fir tree stood propped up against the wall. Sasami came out of her room dressed in her carrot pyjamas. She picked up one of the overturned boxes. "Wow!" She exclaimed. A pile of beautiful tree decorations had fallen out onto the floor. "They're so pretty," she squealed. "Oh yeah, wow!" Mihoshi cried. She bent down and looked at the decorations. "What are they for Tenchi?" Ryoko asked. "That's what we decorate the tree with," Tenchi grinned. He scooped up the decorations and put them back in the box. He piled the boxes up on top of each other and carried them downstairs. Ryoko floated down after him and the other girls followed. Tenchi placed the boxes on the dining table and then looked at his watch. "Ooh, I've got to go. I have to pick something up." He grabbed his coat and went out the door. The girls all turned their attention to the boxes. "Let's have a look!" Sasami smiled. She opened a box and tipped its contents onto the floor. Out tumbled different coloured baubles, rolls of tinsel, stars, glitter covered fruit and some ribbon. She opened the other boxes and more decorations spilled out onto the floor. The girls all began to sort through the decorations, picking them up and holding them to the light. They laughed as they played with the ornaments. "This is beautiful," Aeka said, picking up an ornate angel dressed in a long red gown and with gold wings stretching out behind it. "ATISHOO! Morning girls." Noboyuki entered the room, dressed in his tartan dressing gown. "Good morning Mr Masaki," the girls chorused. Noboyuki smiled. "Where's Tenchi?" He asked. "He went to get something, we don't know what it is though," Ryoko yawned. "Oh, alright." Noboyuki turned and left the room. Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather, watched as Tenchi hurried back to the house, clutching a small package. "Tenchi!" He shouted. Tenchi looked up and grinned. He ran up the steps of the shrine to see Katsuhito. "What is it Grandpa?" "What is it that you have in your parcel?" Katsuhito asked. "Oh, just a surprise for that lot back home," Tenchi grinned. "Oh, I see. Hurry on back then," Katsuhito smiled. Tenchi nodded and hurried back down the steps. The girls were still playing with the decorations when Tenchi arrived. They all dropped what they were holding and ran over to him. "What's that Tenchi?" Mihoshi asked, bobbing up and down. "Something special," Tenchi said mysteriously. He placed the package on a shelf and instructed them not to touch it. He then went outside again. The girls looked up at the parcel. "I wonder what it is," Sasami murmured. "Yes, I wonder," Aeka nodded. "Well, I say we open it and find out," Ryoko said and she flew up and took the parcel off the shelf. "Ms. Ryoko, you put that back this instance," Aeka screeched, "Lord Tenchi told us not to open it until he said." Ryoko scowled and put the package down. "Fine." Tenchi's face appeared at the window. "Hey, can one of you give me a hand?" he called. All the girls scrambled to help and ended up tripping over each other. Ryoko pulled herself free. "I'll help you Tenchi," she called and phased through the wall. Aeka pulled herself free next, dusted herself down and then she pulled Sasami up. "Sasami, do you think you can make us some breakfast? I'm starving." "Sure," Sasami smiled and she hurried into the kitchen, Ryo-ohki bounding after her. The door banged open and Ryoko flew in, clutching a large red pot. Tenchi came in after her. "Where do you want it Tenchi?" Ryoko called over her shoulder. "In the corner if you don't mind Ryoko," Tenchi replied. Ryoko grinned and set the pot down in the corner. "What's the pot for?" Washu was finally awake and was standing in the doorway in her pink pyjamas. "To put the tree in," Tenchi replied. He pointed over Washu's shoulder to the fir tree. "Oh, I was wondering why the tree was there," Washu said. Tenchi smiled and then walked out into the hall. He picked up the tree and slowly began to move it into the living room. Ryoko flew over, took the tree from him and dropped it into the pot. "Er...thanks Ryoko," Tenchi said. "That's O.K." "Breakfast's ready!" Sasami shouted from the dining room. They all walked through the door and sat around the table. Sasami had out-done herself as usual. There were plates piled high with toast, tureens of soup, a platter of fried eggs, a salad, rice, bacon, tea and sake. "Yay! I'm am starved!" Ryoko cried, digging into the food. Everyone else followed suit and soon it was all gone. "Delicious!" Tenchi exclaimed. All of Sasami's meals were tasty but each one always seemed tastier than the last. "Hey Sasami," Noboyuki called from across the table. "Yeah?" "Will you be able to cook our Christmas dinner?" Sasami picked up the dirty plates and began carrying them into the kitchen. "What's that?" Noboyuki grinned and he picked up some more dirty plates and followed her. "It's the dinner you have especially on Christmas Day." And he set off explaining about all the different things that you eat. Sasami listened intently as she washed up the dishes. When Noboyuki had finished, Sasami smiled and said, "I'll give it a go. It sounds like fun." "Great!" Tenchi and the girls had returned to the living room where the pile of assorted decorations lay. When Sasami came back in, Tenchi said that it was time for them to decorate the tree. They cheered, and then paused. "How do we do that?" they asked. Tenchi rolled his eyes. "Like this." He picked up a shiny red bauble and hung it on the tree. "Oh," the girls exclaimed and picked up their own decorations and hung them on the tree. "That's it," Tenchi laughed. The girls all congratulated themselves and began decorating the tree. It took them most of the rest of the morning but they finally did it. There was a small scuffle about who should put the star on the top. Noboyuki said that it would be sensible if Ryoko did it because she could fly up and put it on without the whole tree falling down. Ryoko stuck her tongue out at the others and then flew up to crown the tree with its star. When it was completed, they stood back and admired their work. "I think we did rather well," Aeka smiled. "I agree," Tenchi said, "But there is one thing missing." He reached up onto the shelf and pulled down the small package. The girls all crowded around as he opened it. When Tenchi removed the lid, the girls gasped in amazement. Inside were nine, hand crafted ornaments, each resembling a member of the Masaki household. There was Aeka wearing her long pink kimono and her long purple hair braided, Sasami with her blue hair in its usual bunches and she was wearing her green dress. There was Mihoshi in her pink hooded jumper and brown trousers, her hair back in an untidy ponytail. Ryo-ohki was there, clutching a carrot, and Washu had her computer. Tenchi was there looking worried, wearing his shrine robes. Ryoko was there in her blue and yellow striped dress, her hair all spiky and she was blowing a kiss. Finally there were Katsuhito, looking all proper and respectable, and Noboyuki, reading his paper and grinning. "Tenchi, these are so cool," Ryoko cried, picking up the ornament of herself, "They look so lifelike." "I agree with Ms. Ryoko, these are wonderful," Aeka smiled, picking up her ornament. Tenchi grinned. "I had them especially made to have on the tree. There is one for each of us, go on, put them on the tree." The girls all grabbed their ornament replicas and began choosing the ideal spot for them to go. When Tenchi put his on, both Ryoko and Aeka tried to put theirs up on the branch beside his and ended up arguing. Tenchi pointed out that it would look quite odd if the ornaments were too close together so Ryoko and Aeka put their ornaments on branches that were the nearest to Tenchi's but far enough away so that it didn't look silly. Noboyuki hung his up, which just left Katsuhito. Tenchi decided that they should wait for him to come down so that he could hang it up and so he packed it back into the box and put it on the shelf. That afternoon, Noboyuki and Sasami had gone out shopping to get the food for the Christmas dinner. They arrived home, their arms full of bags of food, which they dumped in the kitchen. Sasami put it all away and was left with only one bag. She didn't know what was inside the bag because Noboyuki had bought it secretly. "Mr. Masaki, here's your bag!" she called. "Oh yeah. Hey everybody, look what I've got!" Noboyuki grinned. They all crowded into the kitchen and Noboyuki delved into the bag. He pulled out a bunch of green leaves and white berries. The girls all looked puzzled but Tenchi groaned. "Dad, why did you buy mistletoe?" he moaned. Noboyuki grinned evilly. "Come on Tenchi, get in the Christmas spirit. I thought it would be fun." He glanced at the girls. "So what are all the leaves for?" Ryoko cocked her head curiously. "It is a rather ugly plant," Aeka added. "You won't be thinking that when you know what it is for Miss Aeka," Noboyuki smirked. "And why not?" Aeka remarked crossly. "Because this is mistletoe." Noboyuki paused. The girls just stared at him. "It's a special plant..." "Weed," Tenchi corrected hastily, he did not want the mistletoe around. "A WEED!" Aeka screeched, "Get it out of this house at once!" "Miss Aeka, please, let me finish," Noboyuki panicked, "This is a special plant that you hang from the ceiling and if you end up under it with someone, you have to kiss them." He beamed at them. The girls all turned their heads from the mistletoe to Tenchi and grinned. Tenchi bowed his head and sighed heavily. He knew what each one of them was thinking and he did not like it at all. The next few days, Tenchi avoided the house and hid up at the shrine. All the girls had been trying to get him under the mistletoe, which was hanging over the front door. When he had to enter the house, Tenchi went through the back door or a window. Unfortunately, what Tenchi didn't know was that Washu had stolen a leaf from the plant and was analysing its DNA. She had received a request from Ryoko to make clones of the plant for, "No particular reason," as Ryoko put it. Aeka had also asked for some, as well as Mihoshi and even Sasami. Washu now had a whole greenhouse full of blooming mistletoe. Ryoko was the first to pick up her order. She grinned as Washu handed over a huge bunch of leaves and berries and then flew off to do whatever she was going to do with the mistletoe. Aeka collected hers, smiling joyously. When Mihoshi came, she tripped over her own feet and crashed into the greenhouse, squashing the mistletoe. Sasami was very upset because she had not yet collected her bunch but Washu surprised her by producing one of her spare bunches. That night, Tenchi sneaked into the house through the kitchen window. Everyone seemed to be asleep. He crept across the floor and towards the stairs. He stepped over the first step, because it creaked, and crept up the rest then he tiptoed along the hall to his room. He opened the door and almost screamed in horror. The whole of his ceiling had been covered in mistletoe. "Oh no," Tenchi groaned softly, "What shall I do now?" He closed the door and went back downstairs. He decided he would have to sleep on the sofa instead. He pulled a blanket from the airing cupboard and curled up on the sofa and fell asleep. Sasami was the first awake. She hurried downstairs to start making breakfast; collected the morning post and found Tenchi, asleep on the sofa. "Aw, he looks so sweet when he's asleep," Sasami whispered to Ryo-ohki. "Meow." Sasami smiled and went into the kitchen. She opened her calendar and ate her chocolate, handed a carrot to Ryo-ohki and then pulled out her cookbook. "What shall I make today?" she wondered, poring over the recipes. She wanted to make something really nice for breakfast and decided on a chicken marinade and salad. She also started on a lemon meringue pie and some carrot cake. The cluttering of pots and pans awoke Tenchi. He stretched, wondered why he was on the sofa, and then traipsed into the kitchen to talk to Sasami. "Post," Sasami said, pointing to the pile of envelopes. "Thanks Sasami." Tenchi picked up the envelopes and began to sort through them. "Dad, bill, Dad, Dad...ooh, one for me." Tenchi put the other letters back on the table and opened his bright red envelope. It was a Christmas card with a picture of a Father and Mrs. Christmas on the front. Inside it said, "To Tenchi, Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Your Pal Amagasaki." "That was nice of him," Tenchi smiled, standing the card up on the window ledge. Sasami looked at the card. "What is that for Tenchi, is it your birthday?" "No, it's a Christmas card. One you send at Christmas." "Oh." "We've got a box of them somewhere, we can send some later if you like," Tenchi suggested. "Yeah, that'd be fun," Sasami squealed, bobbing up and down excitedly. Tenchi laughed. "What's so funny?" Ryoko yawned. She was wearing a pair of white pyjamas covered in pictures of holly and mistletoe. She collapsed in the chair beside Tenchi and stretched. "Morning Ryoko," Sasami said, not looking up from her cooking. "Hi Sasami." Ryoko looked at Tenchi. "So, what's so funny?" she repeated. "Nothing really. Sasami and I are going to write some Christmas cards later, that's all," Tenchi replied. Ryoko nodded and then said. "I didn't hear you come in last night, where were you?" "Up at the shrine. I was doing some jobs for Grandpa." "All night?" "Not all night. When I came in I didn't want to wake you so I slept downstairs." "Oh. Ok." Tenchi smiled but Ryoko was looking at him like she didn't believe him. Before she could say anything however, Washu came in. "What's for breakfast Sasami?" she asked. "Chicken marinade and salad," Sasami called back. "Yum, can't wait," Washu smiled. She waved at Tenchi and Ryoko. "Morning guys." "Morning." "Good morning everyone." Aeka came in, dressed in her long silk nightgown. Mihoshi followed her soon after. Sasami dished up their breakfast and they all began eating. Tenchi looked at his calendar. '19th of December,' he thought 19th OF DECEMBER!' He just remembered he hadn't bought gifts for the girls. What was he going to do? He leapt up from the table and pulled on his shoes and jacket. "I'll be back later!" he called as he hurried out the door. The girls all stared at the door and then Aeka said, "Where's he off to?" "Probably gone Christmas shopping," Noboyuki replied, coming into the kitchen. "Huh?" "He gone to buy you lot gifts for Christmas." "He's getting us presents. Why?" Mihoshi asked. "Because that's what we do at Christmas. We give each other gifts. Christmas is all about giving." "Well," Aeka said, "That means I will have to buy a present for Lord Tenchi." "So will I," Ryoko agreed. "I've done my Christmas shopping," Noboyuki said, "I've got presents for everyone." "Then we'll have to get presents for everyone," Mihoshi squealed. "Let's go shopping after breakfast," Washu suggested. "What a good idea," Aeka smiled. "You can count me in," beamed Ryoko. "YAY!" Sasami cheered, "We're going shopping!" "Meow." The crowds in the streets all turned their heads as Ryoko, Aeka, Mihoshi, Washu, Sasami and Ryo-ohki all wandered through the town. The procession walked along the road, discussing gift ideas and then they split up to have a better look. Aeka, dressed in her long, pink, fur trimmed coat and her muff, Sasami, who was wearing her green puffer jacket and bobble hat, and Ryo-ohki went one way. Mihoshi, in her earmuffs and long brown coat, went with Washu, who was wearing a red fur trimmed jacket and a green a white scarf. Ryoko went by herself. She wore her Santa's hat, tight red vest, a fur trimmed red skirt with slits on both sides and red leather boots. Sasami gazed in the window of the toyshop where toys were piled high; despite it being so near to Christmas. Aeka watched her sister looking at the giant teddy bear in the back of the shop on the highest shelf. "It's so cute!" Sasami exclaimed. Aeka thought about it. Maybe she could get it as a present for Sasami but she would have to come back later because she wanted it to be a surprise. "Come on, we've got a lot to do," Aeka said, tugging at Sasami's sleeve. "Ok, I'm coming," Sasami sighed and she and Aeka continued up the street. "Mihoshi come on!" Washu shouted. She was getting very frustrated with the Galaxy Police officer. Mihoshi kept stopping at every window and looking at all that was on display. She continuously asked if they could go inside and Washu kept saying no. "Please Miss Washu," Mihoshi begged, "Please can we go in this one?" Washu looked around and sighed. "Mihoshi, that's a D.I.Y shop. What do you want to go in there for?" Mihoshi looked up at the sign. "Oh yeah, so it is." She grinned apologetically. "Sorry." Washu shook her head. "COME ON!" She grabbed Mihoshi around the wrist and dragged her along the street. "Ow that hurts!" Mihoshi whined but Washu was not listening. Ryoko was having no trouble doing her shopping. She found the item she wanted, materialized to the front of the queue, paid and was out of there within a matter of minutes. She had soon finished all her shopping so she decided to look for the others. She walked around the streets, carrying her many bags with ease, and came across Sasami and Aeka. They had several bags of their own. Sasami waved and Ryoko hurried over. "Hi, how you doing?" Ryoko beamed. "Fine. We've bought so much!" Sasami squealed. "Yes we have. Um...Ryoko, would you mind watching Sasami whilst I finish my shopping?" "Sure, I'll watch the kid," Ryoko replied, "Come on Sasami, let's find Washu and Mihoshi." Aeka waved as Ryoko and Sasami disappeared into the crowd and then she set off to finish shopping. Mihoshi and Washu weren't that hard to find. Mihoshi's whimpering and Washu's shouts could be heard over the crowd and Ryoko and Sasami found them almost at once. Washu was sitting on a bench surrounded by shopping bags and Mihoshi was prancing about, looking at all the shops. "You've had some fun I see," Ryoko laughed. Washu scowled. "You have no idea. How did I get her tagging along with me?" Washu groaned. "I dunno." Washu looked about. "Where's Miss Aeka?" "She's finishing up. She has a couple more presents to get," Ryoko explained, jerking her head at Sasami who had joined Mihoshi. "Oh I see." "So," Ryoko asked, looking at the piles of shopping, "How are we going to get this lot home?" Washu beamed. "I already thought about that." She produced her computer. "I'm going to teleport them home." She tapped some keys and some of the bags vanished. She continued to do it until all the bags were gone. "There we go. Simple." "Very." Aeka thanked the shopkeeper and left the shop with a very big bag in her arms. She struggled down the street, looking for the others. She found them soon enough. Washu and Ryoko saw her first and they went over to her. "Hey Princess, what's in the bag?" Ryoko asked. "A surprise," Aeka replied. She turned to Washu. "I need to get it home before Sasami sees. Can you help?" "Yep. I'll do it the same way I sent the others home." Washu produced her computer, tapped some keys and Aeka's bag vanished. "Thank you Miss Washu," Aeka beamed. "You're welcome." Tenchi almost yelled out in fright when he opened the front door to the house. The hall was full of bags, thousands of them. "Where did all of these come from?" He exclaimed, dropping his own on the floor. He reached out to look inside one when he heard Ryoko shout, "Hands off!" "Huh?" Ryoko flew through the door and removed his hand from the bag. "Don't go fiddling with other people's things." She pointed to the bag. It was labelled 'Ryoko'. Washu's computer had carefully labelled each bag so that its owner could find it quickly and without going through other people's belongings. She smiled and pulled Tenchi away from the door so that the others could get in. "Right everyone, collect your bags and go hide them," Washu ordered, scooping up her own bags and going into her lab. Aeka claimed hers before Sasami could suspect anything and Ryoko and Mihoshi grabbed theirs as well, leaving Sasami and Tenchi's bags in the hallway. Sasami found hers and took them upstairs and Tenchi just stood in the hallway. "When did they do all that?" He wondered. ********************************************************************* It was now Christmas Eve and excitement was buzzing in the air. Cards had been sent and a fire burned in the hearth. Everyone was hiding somewhere, wrapping up the gifts. Noboyuki had instructed them to put them in the large cupboard on the landing when they were done. However, the cupboard wasn't big enough to hold all the presents so Washu created a link to another dimension and everyone put their presents in there. When they finished, Sasami went over her final plans for Christmas dinner with Noboyuki and the others collapsed in front of the fire. "This Christmas business is exhausting work," Ryoko yawned. "Yeah, I must agree with you Ms. Ryoko," Aeka said sleepily. Tenchi smiled and stretched. This December leading up to Christmas had been tiring but it was going to be worth it. Everyone went up that night except Tenchi who spent the night downstairs again, his room was still full of mistletoe. When Tenchi forced his eyes open the next morning, they fell on the tree and all the presents crowded beneath it. He closed his eyes once more and then he sat bolt upright. "It's Christmas!" He shouted. He gazed around the room. More decorations had been hung; the presents were under the tree and seven stockings hung from the mantelpiece, one for him, the five girls and Ryo-ohki. Tenchi grabbed his and tipped it out onto the sofa. It contained chocolate, a chain to wear around his neck, a photograph of himself, Noboyuki and Achika, Tenchi's mother, a teddy and a small key ring. "Cool," he muttered. "Let's see." Tenchi almost jumped out of his skin. Ryoko was hovering in front of him. She studied the contents of his stocking. "Ooh, I wonder what I got in mine." She found her stocking, came over to the sofa and poured its contents onto the sofa. Inside was chocolate, like Tenchi's, a photograph of Tenchi ("Where did Dad get that?!"), a candy cane, a teddy and some red lipstick. "Funky," Ryoko smiled. "I wonder when the others will be up?" Tenchi said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, there was a crash of doors opening and Aeka, Sasami, Mihoshi and Noboyuki ran downstairs and Washu came out of her lab. "Merry Christmas!" they all shouted. "Merry Christmas," Ryoko and Tenchi called back. Everyone looked in their stockings and got some cool little trinkets. Tenchi leant over to Noboyuki and whispered, "You've really outdone yourself this year." Noboyuki beamed. "Tenchi, you wouldn't mind fetching Grandpa from the shrine would you. I want to open some pressies." "No need to Noboyuki, I am here," Katsuhito said and he sat down in a chair. "Alright!" Noboyuki called, "Who wants to open some presents?" "I do!" everyone cried. They all sat down on the floor and Noboyuki reached under the tree. "The first present is for...AEKA!" Aeka squealed with delight as Noboyuki handed her a small, well-wrapped package. "Who is it from?" Washu asked. Aeka looked for the card. "To Aeka, Merry Christmas from Ryoko," she read. Ryoko grinned. Aeka pulled back the paper and laughed in delight when she discovered a bottle of perfume. "Why, thank you Ms. Ryoko," Aeka smiled. "Think nothing of it Princess. I thought you may need something to cover up your awful body stench," Ryoko said. Sparks flew in Aeka's eyes. Ryoko burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding Aeka, I knew it was what you wanted." Aeka smiled again and set the bottle down. Noboyuki continued. "The next one is for...MIHOSHI!" "Ooh, really?" Mihoshi gibbered. Noboyuki tossed her the parcel. Mihoshi found the card. It read, "Mihoshi, Have a Merry Christmas, this may come in useful to you, from Washu." Mihoshi ripped off the paper and a large, leather bound book fell out. On the cover in gold lettering it said 'MEMO'. Mihoshi looked at Washu in confusion. "What's it for?" She asked. "You write things you need to remember in it or things that you think are important," Washu explained. "Well that'll be used up by the end of the month," Ryoko laughed. She knew Mihoshi always had trouble remembering things. Mihoshi pulled a sad face. "That's mean," she whimpered. "Ignore her Mihoshi," Aeka said. Noboyuki pulled out another present. "To... TENCHI!" Tenchi took his gift from Noboyuki and looked for a card. "To Tenchi, Merry Christmas, love from Sasami." Tenchi carefully unwrapped the paper and pulled out a large box of assorted chocolates. "Thanks Sasami," Tenchi smiled. Sasami glowed. "Next we have..." Noboyuki continued, "...WASHU!" Washu caught her present as it flew across the room. "Dear Miss Washu, Happy Holidays, Love Aeka, First Princess of Jurai." Washu opened it and beamed. Inside were several test tubes, beakers, a pair of goggles and a book on different formulas. "Thank you Miss Aeka," Washu bowed. Again Noboyuki extracted a present from under the tree. "For...Ryo-ohki." He gave the present to Sasami to read. "For Ryo-ohki, it's all I could think to give you, from Mihoshi." Sasami put the package down for Ryo-ohki to open. It was very lumpy. Ryo-ohki pawed at the paper, trying to get it off. In the end, Sasami did it for her. "MEOW!" Ryo-ohki bounded up and down as the paper tore away to reveal a pile of carrots. Sasami laughed and Mihoshi said, "Glad you like them." Noboyuki pulled out the next parcel. "To...RYOKO!" He passed Ryoko her package. She found the card, which read, "To Ryoko, Have a Very Merry Christmas, Love Tenchi." Ryoko smiled at Tenchi and pulled off the paper. Inside was a small velvet box. She opened the lid and squealed in delight. Inside the box there was a golden chain and a heart shaped locket on it. Ryoko didn't know what to say. Instead she smiled happily at Tenchi and mouthed, "Thank you." "I thought you'd like it," Tenchi beamed. Noboyuki continued handing out presents until there was only one left. There was a very large parcel hidden at the very back. Noboyuki reached under and pulled it out. "For...SASAMI!" Sasami's eyes widened in delight when she saw that the package in Noboyuki's hands was for her. She leapt up and took the package from him. She looked for the card. "To Sasami, Merry Christmas, You've been such a good girl and sister, I love you very much, Love From Aeka." Sasami glowed as she pulled back the wrapping. Out fell the giant teddy that she had seen in the toyshop. Sasami threw her arms around it and hugged it tight. Then she let go and ran to hug Aeka. "Thank you so much Aeka," Sasami cried, cuddling her big sister. "That's alright Sasami," smiled Aeka. Noboyuki glanced at his watch. "Oh my, we'd better get started on that Christmas dinner young lady," he said to Sasami. Sasami let go of Aeka and she and Noboyuki went into the kitchen. The rest of the Masaki household cleared away all the wrapping paper and put their gifts upstairs. They all bathed and put on their smartest clothes for dinner. When they arrived back downstairs, dinner was all set up on the table and Sasami was dressed in her new red velvet frock fastened with a white sash. They all sat down, Noboyuki at the head, Aeka and Sasami on either side of him, Tenchi and Ryoko next to Aeka, Mihoshi and Washu next to Sasami and Katsuhito at the foot, and Noboyuki carved the turkey. As they ate, they chatted happily and towards the end, Noboyuki proposed a toast. They all raised their glasses and Noboyuki said, "To the best Christmas ever. To family and friends and to peace in the house!" "Hear hear!" They all cheered and drank deeply from their cups. THE END 1