Here begins the second arc of Tenchi Muyo: Manifest Destiny! Secrets are just beginning to unravel in this series, but I would be awfully unkind to reveal them! However a warning for the faint of heart: This series is going to be LONG, and I already have several sequels planned! (Imagine something the scope of the original *Star Wars* series.) Again, this series is not intended to be the OVA 3. This is merely my vision of how the OVA progresses after Episode 13.5. Tenchi and the gang belong to AIC/Pioneer LCD and do not belong to me. Karasu is my creation, and Tanell is a modification of the fire-lizards of the *Dragonriders of Pern* series and does not belong to me. For permission to use any of my characters, living or dead, to ask questions, make comments, or miscellaneous, please E-mail me at QueenIsis94@aol.com. Tenchi Muyo: Manifest Destiny! Chapter 9: A Slice of Life Ryoko lounged on the couch in the Masaki family's living room. She had the house mostly to herself, which was a rarity for her. Half-asleep from the sake she had been drinking, her mind lazily ran over the places where the other family members were. Mihoshi and Kiyone were on patrol, Noboyuki was at work, Washu was working in her lab, Sasami was at the market buying fresh ingredients for tonight's dinner with Ryo'ohki, Katsuhito was up at his shrine office, Ayeka and Karasu were who-knows-where (Ryoko tended to rate the locations of people she was not particularly fond of as "less than important" and usually forgot them) and Tenchi was at that strange human institute called "school." Ryoko still didn't understand what school was really about, but she had come to equate it as equal to Tenchi working in the fields, as time Earth custom dictated he must be away from her. Recently, she had even stopped begging him to stay. Ryoko was shaken out of her stupor by the ringing of Noboyuki's new cellular phone. As usual, he had forgotten to bring it to work with him. Ryoko looked left and right for someone to get the phone, hoping someone would materialize out of the emptiness of the house to answer it. Of course, no one did. Sighing, she picked up the phone and pressed the "talk" button. "Yeah, who is it?" she demanded. "Hello, is Noboyuki Masaki there?" a young female voice asked at the other end of the line. Ryoko could barely hear her through the static. "What?" she yelled. "I can't hear you. Speak up!" "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I really need to speak with Noboyuki Masaki. My name is Hidari. Do you think you could transfer me to him?" Ryoko rembered a new gadget her mother had added to the cellular phone. Knowing how forget-prone Noboyuki was, Washu had added a button that would, in the event that Noboyuki left the cellular phone at home, transfer the caller to Noboyuki's office. "Yeah," Ryoko said. "I can do that. Just give me a minute." Ryoko reached to the buttons on the cellular phone and pressed what she thought was the button Washu had added to it. However, she was still slightly drunk, and her fingers slipped, instead pressing the "hang-up" button. "Okay, lady, you should be connected with Noboyuki in a few seconds," Ryoko said, speaking into the receiver of the cellular phone. She was surprised to hear, instead of a response from the woman on the phone, the dial tone. "Well, how do you like that?" Ryoko demanded of the air. "She hung up on me!" Ayeka walked into the main house, her hands covered with dirt up to her elbows from potting plants in the greenhouse and out in the fields. She would never have admitted it before coming to Earth, but there was a certain satisfaction in getting on your hands and knees and doing some good honest labor. She had never had the chance to experience that sort of thing back on Jurai, where she had been a fourth-generation member of a royal dynasty and had had her every whim tended to by a multitude of servants. She had hated that, she remembered, smiling at the memory. She had not known why at the time, but it had led to her systematic explorations of the branches of the royal palace of Jurai, the Tenju. The outside of the enormous tree that made up the royal palace was the only place she could be alone, away from those constant annoying voices asking Ayeka if there was anything they could do for her. Ayeka's face sobered as she remembered an unpleasant memory, the memory of the last time she had climbed the branches of the Tenju. She had been 1200 years old, (translated into human years as about ten) and the prototype of the key to Ryu'oh had been on her forehead even then. She had been perfectly aware of the gem resting in the center of her forehead, but had not known of its origins or power. She had always been ashamed of what her mother Misaki and her father treated as a facial deformity. That day, she had climbed up high into the highest boughs of the Tenju to the quarters her father Azusa shared with his two wives. She had heard her father express doubt that she was a fit match for her brother Yosho, what with the possibility that her facial deformity might be passed on to her offspring. Her Aunt Funaho had, with perfect tact, reminded Azusa that the marriage pact existed only between Misaki and herself, and there was no doubt in either of their minds that Ayeka was a fit match for her son. Her father had clearly been angry, but Misaki and Funaho could always get the upper hand when it came to their husband. Azusa had left his quarters for his study, and Ayeka had climbed down to her own quarters, devastated by her father's words. Her father thought of her as a mere object, a bargaining chip at best, instead of the complex individual that she was. And worse, a *flawed* object. It wasn't *her* fault that the gem wouldn't come off! Many people had tried to remove the gem from her forehead, some of them experts in the removal of birthmarks, but the gem had never been successfully removed. That was why she had to wear her tiara all the time. Ayeka stiffened with old memories. Back then she had simply thought the gem was simply an odd sort of birthmark. She had been completely unaware that it was a remnant of an attempt for the goddess Tokimi to assimilate with her. She had blamed herself for harboring such an unattractive mark, and, deep with in the facade of a timid, perfect princess that had eventually been how even she had seen herself, a deep hatred had begun to burn for her father. Of course, she had not known, at that young age, how her father truly saw her. Such insight had come to her only as she stayed on Earth, witnessing the close family bonds that existed between the three Masaki men and how it had been extended to all seven women now staying at the Masaki house. She realized now how her father had always found ways to leave her behind on their trips to other planets, always leaving her alone on Planet Jurai, surrounded by those awful maids, "safe" from outside cultures and new, mind-opening experiences. She realized now how her father had hindered her emotional development, and it angered her. But now it no longer mattered; now she was free. The fact that Planet Earth was a primitive planet did not bother her in the least. Tenchi had freed her from the mindset of the perfect princess, which had lain in her so long that it had become a reality, and had brought back the Ayeka of her childhood. Although this awakening had nothing to do with the source of her feelings for Tenchi, she was nonetheless grateful to him for it. Ayeka entered the living room. Ryoko was asleep on the couch, several empty bottles of sake strewn around the carpet around her. Ayeka decided to leave Ryoko as she was. Tenchi hated drunkenness and debauchery, although he tolerated it out of necessity. If Ryoko didn't wake up in time for Tenchi's return from school, Tenchi might get angry at her for drinking herself into a stupor. "Not that it will matter," Ayeka thought dejectedly. "We are all Tenchi's family, and he sees us as such. He will put up with anything any of us do for the sake of harmony. And, though he often gets angry at Ryoko, he always forgives her later." She sighed and headed into the kitchen to wash her hands. Before she could get through the hallway that led to it, however, there was a ring at the door. Ryoko yawned and turned over. "Could someone get that?" she mumbled in her sleep. Ayeka looked angrily at Ryoko. She was so *lazy!* "Who could that be at this hour?" Ayeka thought with surprise. Noboyuki wouldn't be home from work until much later, and it wasn't quite time for Tenchi to come home from school yet. Sasami always just let herself in without bothering to ring the doorbell, as did Karasu. Shrugging, she slid open the sliding door. Outside the front door were two deliverymen carrying a number of boxes, some of them quite large. "Hello," the one who had been ringing the doorbell said. "You wouldn't happen to be Karasu Oijosei by any chance, would you? She bought these and asked to have them delivered to this address. She has to sign these papers for us to give her purchases to her." Ayeka wondered how *anyone* could confuse Karasu, with her dark, chocolatey skin and flashing amber eyes with herself, then realized that these two men had probably never seen the falcon before personally. "No, I'm afraid I'm not Miss Karasu," she apologized. Her hand involuntarily moved forward to sign the papers, but at the last minute Ayeka decided it would be better to have Karasu do it personally. After all, Ayeka didn't have a way of doing business transactions without Noboyuki's intervention on this planet. Hadn't Karasu said she would be helping Washu out today? "But I do know where she is," Ayeka hastily continued. "Would you please wait a few minutes while I get her?" Ayeka hurried across to the door to Washu's lab, knocking on the door with a few sharp raps. Washu's face appeared in the green glass of the window of the door. "Yes, what is it?" the deceptively young face asked. "Miz Washu, do you have Karasu with you? Two deliverymen showed up with some boxes and they need Karasu to sign some papers. I could really use her," Ayeka explained. "Oh, is the karaoke machine here already?" Washu asked. "Fine, I'll loan her to you for a few minutes, but on one condition--that you come visit me in my home when she comes back down. Don't worry, there aren't going to be any experiments on you, I just want to talk to you about a few things." The door was suddenly flung open, and Karasu stood behind it, her braids trailing all the way down to the floor, amber eyes shining with continuous curiosity. With absolute silence, she bounded down the hall to the deliverymen and signed her name. "Bring 'em in, boys," she said cheerfully. "I'll unpack 'em later." Something struck Ayeka's curiosity. "Karasu, where did you get the money to pay for this? You didn't wire the money in from America, did you?" Ayeka really was baffled as to how Karasu had gotten the money to pay for the karaoke machine. She never asked Noboyuki for money, and Ayeka had never seen Karasu work at any kind of job. "Karasu . . . please tell me you didn't take the money from Noboyuki's bank account without asking!" Karasu looked righteously incensed. "Of course not! What do you take me for, a common criminal??!" "Oh, well, that's a relief . . ." Ayeka murmured. Karasu wouldn't lie about a thing like money. She considered the whole monetary system a joke by the commerce gods. Ayeka wondered, not for the first time, just how old Karasu really was . . . "I took it out of my bank account. Here, in Japan." Ayeka was struck speechless. She knew Karasu was well-traveled, but not to this extent! "Y-you have a bank account in Japan?" she finally managed to stammer out. "How did you manage to set it up?" "Oh, easy. A few decades ago I was on assignment in Japan. I won't trouble you with the details of it, but it was a rather long-running one, and since I didn't have such a lovely Pack like the one I have now to depend on, I had to get a job. Now, because I'm a Priestess, a *qadishtu* as it was, I can translate any foriegn language into a recognizable tongue, and speak any tongue as well. That's how I speak Japanese so well. Well, one thing led to another, and I eventually got a job translating ancient documents at the Japanese Museum of Natural History. I looked Japanese back then, so fitting in wasn't a problem. I translated a great number of the documents that scientists around the world now study, and came to be greatly valued there. I even got an honorary degree from Tokyo University! "Well, as I'm sure you can percieve, it didn't last. My assignment was finished at long last, and I got another assignment in Brazil. I couldn't just up and leave, because people would have been wondering where my previous "incarnation" had gone. So I did the only thing I could do, under the circumstances. I faked my own death. Don't look at me like that. It was the only way. My friends and co-workers were already getting suspicious because I never looked any older than my early twenties. I made a simulacrum, the ideal red herring,--a *good* simulacrum, too--and made it look like I had been killed by a member of the Japanese government who was already under suspicion for other offenses--though what he was suspected of was only the tip of the iceberg of what he'd really done. "Now I bet you're wondering how all of this connects to my Japanese bank account. Well, simple. I already had a bank account in Japan from all the money I'd made over the years, and of course I had life insurance, which augmented my savings quite a bit, since I had no next of kin. Now, it so happens that the museum was so distressed at my death that they offered a grant to people with extreme skill in healing injuries. A Priestess that worked at the museum put that idea into their heads, since they knew what I planned to specialize in during my off time. After my death, all my accounts were frozen, and that and the grant was held until a person with a suitably innovative healing method was found. Cue my entrance, twenty years later. This time I looked as you see me now, so I was not identified with my previous incarnation. There was some deliberation as to whether my profession was suitable to recieve the grant, what with it being considered rather esoteric (oh, if those poor dex only knew!) but the Priestesses on the board managed to convince enough people on the board to give it to me. I wired back half of the grant to my office and kept the other half to myself, so, rather ironically, I inherited my own bank account." She closed her mouth and glanced at Ayeka, waiting for her reaction. Ayeka screamed, "KARASU, HOW COULD YOU *DO* SUCH A THING? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY *LAWS* YOU'VE BROKEN WITH THAT LITTLE STUNT!" "Oh, quite a few, I'm sure," Karasu said, completely unruffled by Ayeka's outburst. "But what I was doing had nothing to do with laws. Some laws are quite stupid, and some even aid criminals, but you have to follow them anyway. What I did had to do with survival. I knew that eventually I'd be on assignment in Japan again, and I refuse to be unprepared for any situation. Didn't Washu say she wanted us downstairs in her lab?" "Yes, I believe she did," Ayeka said. She was forced to concede that while Karasu's methods were not orthodox, on closer inspection she hadn't actually done anything wrong. She had killed no one, the only person who had come to harm at all from her little escapade was someone who deserved it anyway, and the only iffy part, her "inheritance" of the grant money, was counterbalanced by her wiring half of it back to the place of business that she had left. "What did Karasu do for a living before she came here, anyway? She's never mentioned it,"Ayeka thought. And besides, her brother Yosho had probably been forced to do the same thing while he had been on Earth. 700 years was a lot longer than even the most long-lived human lived. Humans' lives were so short . . . like insects in comparison to the Juraians. That thought, and its inevitable conclusion, frightened her immensely."Aren't you going to open the karaoke machine?" she asked Karasu hesitantly. Karasu had never mentioned what she had wanted it for. "Nah, I'll do it later. The All-Powerful Washu is not to be kept waiting!" With that irreverent statement, Karasu led Ayeka into Washu's lab. Washu checked and rechecked the data from the Galaxy Police station where Tenchi had manifested the Light Hawk Wings most recently. The three blades were becoming so refined in their construction. They were better even than Tsunami's, and in a species where power was as much art as it was brute force, that counted for a lot. Then she crosschecked her data where she had examined Tenchi last. She had sprinkled him with atoms of anti-material(after shielding his physical body, of course--anti-material could become quite explosive when it came in contact with regular material) and seen the vague shadows of more Light Hawk Wings than the three Tenchi normally manifested in the anti-material dust. She hadn't been able to count how many, but there were more. That was promising. It went well with the data she had been recieving from Tenchi's astral scans-- his anti-material content was increasing, slowly but steadily. "Tsunami, you clever girl," whispered Washu. But that helped her very little with her present problem--finding Tokimi, her eldest sister, and the one she had always sided with--except for that one time 20,000 years ago-- "biggest mistake of my life," she thought briefly. Something was storming on the horizon. She could sense it. And D3's interference was not good news. The boy had always acted too big for his britches. Which was why it was so important that Karasu, who of course was aware of all of this,--it had been her suggestion that they hide their knowledge of D3's involvement from Sasami and thus, Tsunami--bring Ayeka to her. "She doesn't trust her either," Washu thought. Now that she thought of it, Karasu was late. Where was that falcon? "*Waa*shu! Brought down your sister for ya, Aunt!" Washu smiled softly. That irreverent tone could only belong to Karasu. Before that horrible day 20,000 years ago, she had often teased Tokimi about Karasu's species' lack of respect for basically any culture in the universe. Tokimi had always answered, "Little sister, it is their very lack of respect that makes them so dear to me. Their very irreverence helps them see all cultures without bias, and besides, it gives me a respite from being 'Ladied' and 'Queened' all the time. You know how some cultures insist on doing that to us, and it gets tiresome after a few millennia." Washu smiled. Now, after so long, she finally understood what her sister meant. Now she had to find her and tell her so. "Ayeka! Very good to see you down here for something besides tending Ryu'oh," Washu said to the Juraian princess. "We never get a chance to *talk,* y'know?" "Well, Ryu'oh is growing very rapidly, even for a royal tree," Ayeka said. "I rather suspect Tsunami did something to her seed. What's so funny, Karasu?" she asked the falcon, who was chuckling softly. "Washu knows. About your partial assimilation with Tokimi." "Karasu! I told you not to tell *anyone* about that!" "You never told me that. I merely operated under discretion. Anyway, Washu figured it out on her own. She *is* a genius, after all. After seeing Tokimi manifest around you, it was pretty obvious. Anyway, you should be thanking her. She helped us cover." "Well . . . yes, I suppose that's true . . ." Ayeka said slowly. "Small talk's over," Washu said briskly. "Ayeka, I need you to help me create a link into Tokimi's consciousness. Anything she can tell us would help us." "But . . . I don't even know how to do that," Ayeka protested. "Don't worry, I'll help you. I've done this sort of thing before thousands of times," Karasu said brightly. "First, I need you to take Ryu'oh's key off." "Why?" asked Ayeka. She was protective of Ryu'oh's key. It was the only thing that kept her gem from the sight of the public eye. If Tenchi ever saw her on without it . . . She gasped as Karasu reached towards the back of her head and removed it. She calmly handed it to Washu. "Clever little piece of work," she commented. "But whoever put this on you was immensely stupid." "What do you mean, Miz Washu?" Ayeka asked, taken aback. "This key is made from the wood of your royal tree, right?" Washu asked. "And *those* royal trees were all created by Tsunami . . . heh. I think I've found out the reason for your attacks, Ayeka. It's quite simple, really. The wood and sap of this key is imbued with Tsunami's magic, but even at her best--which Tsunami *isn't* at the moment--Tokimi is at *least* twice as strong as her. Probably more. The key, I infer, was made to do double duty--both to control Ryu'oh and to control Tokimi's power. But one-third of Tokimi's power is more than equal to a second-generation royal tree, and every so often Tokimi's power would break through. I wouldn't wear it at all if I were you," Washu said, spinning the key on her finger. "But . . . if that's true, why didn't it hurt me when I wore the prototypes as a child?" Ayeka asked. "Prepubes don't have magical Gift. That happens only when they go through puberty. I suspect that's why Tsunami couldn't assimilate with Sasami fully," Karasu explained. "But Tokimi could with me?" "*Very* young children are an exception." "All right. Now can we do this? Tenchi'll be home from school soon, and I don't want him to know you're partially assimilated with Tokimi just yet. He's intimidated enough by you as it is," Washu said. Ayeka looked confused momentarily, probably wondering why Tenchi should be intimidated by her, but then Washu, after casting a spell on Karasu to make her momentarily deaf, uttered the true name of Tokimi three times in the Pure Tongue. There was a very good reason why Washu had cast the deafness spell on Karasu. Uttering someone's true name three times gave you power over that individual, no matter how talented magically in relation to her you were. Even the most powerful goddess in the universe was not immune. Karasu understood, Washu knew. She understood a lot for a person with her brain size. Ayeka's face immediately went blank, and Washu undid the deafness spell on Karasu. "Did it work?" Karasu asked breathlessly. "I don't know yet. Let's give her some time," Washu replied. Ayeka suddenly looked up at the two friends. Her irises had a ring of darker pink around the pupil. "Sister Washu?" she asked in a voice that was somehow deeper, more mature. "Is that you? What am I doing here?" "Ah, hello, sister Tokimi," Washu said. "Nice to hear your voice again. Although I must say it sounds different. Not as deep as it once was." "Washu, listen. I don't have much time," Tokimi in Ayeka's body said. "D3 is gone for now, but I have no idea how long. I don't have time for pleasantries. Get right to whatever you wanted me here for, then send me back. I can't have D3 knowing I added a loophole for you to regain your powers when he exiled you." "Very well, then," Karasu asked. "Mother, why did you send Clay to bring Washu to you?" "I need allies. There's a turbulent time coming up soon, and there's a chance I can break free. But I can't do it alone." "You can count on me to do whatever I can!" Washu and Karasu said at once, then Karasu laughed and said, "Jinx! You owe me a soda." "What?" Washu said. "Um, it's an American thing," Karasu explained. "Next question. What does D3 hope to accomplish with your power?" Washu demanded. "I didn't tell this to Ayeka, you understand, because she is still very young. But the reason D3 wants my vast power is to recreate the Multiverse with all civilizations in it totally devoted to him. He's already tried it on a few planets near my temple, and though they fought against him, D3 used my power against them and they were destroyed, then remade. It just hurts so much, knowing my face was the last thing millions of people saw . . ." "What, if anything, does Tsunami have to do with this?" Karasu asked. "Well, you know what her name means . . . 'tidal wave . . .' She was the one who manipulated me into a place to allow D3 to get his claws into my power. She's always been jealous of me. I don't know why. I don't think they talk anymore . . . she is rather stationary now . . . but if you really want to know everything, talk to Hinase." "Who's Hinase?" Karasu asked. "Ayeka's paternal grandmother," Washu answered distractedly. "But I thought she was dead." "Well, she wasn't as of a three days ago, when I last heard from her," Tokimi said. "I can give you the coordinates to where she is." "Please do," Washu said, and coordinates to a seemingly out of the way planet appeared on one of Washu's screens. "Nice," Karasu said. "To a humanoid alien, this place would be one of the boondocks of the galaxy, but I know at least three populated planets in this region besides the one Hinase is staying at." "How do we get to where you are? Do you even know?" Washu asked. "I don't, but I tricked D3 into opening a route to where I am. He put memory blockages on both Clay and Zero, who I understand resides with your daughter Ryoko now. Only I put a little trick inside the treatments. Instead of opening a route to where I am, the regaining of memory from either Clay or Zero will transport anyone within a certain radius to D3's temple. But I don't know why I have to explain this to you. Ayeka told all this to Karasu several months ago." "Really? Why didn't you *tell* me, Karasu?" Karasu looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure. I think I forgot." Washu sighed. You never knew what to expect from that falcon. "If you've found out everything you need to know, I really need to get back now. D3 could be back at any minute. I anxiously await for the day when you free me, dear sister and daughter. And if it's at all possible, bring that boy Tenchi along with you . . ." Ayeka went blank again, and soon Ayeka was her normal self. She grabbed her key from Washu and put it back on again. "I heard it," she said breathlessly. "All of it. Can all this be true?" "You better believe it," Karasu said darkly. "I know what Re's capable of, and it explains Isis's mysterious disappearance the past few thousand years on Earth." "But this all happened 20,000 years ago!" protested Washu. Karasu laughed. "Yeah. Well, you know us in the boonies . . . we're always the last to hear about anything." "Wait a minute! What does an Egyptian goddess have to do with Tokimi?" Ayeka asked, confused. "Isis is simply a manifestation of Tokimi, as are many other historical goddesses on this planet and many others. They are all known by many names." Karasu chuckled. "Well, I'm for a bath in the onsen right about now. You two can chew the fat all you like." She stepped out of Washu's lab and disappeared. "I do not understand that falcon," Washu said. "Didn't 10,000 years ago, don't now. She is fun to be around, though. Life with her is never boring. Now, Ayeka, I imagine you must have some questions about what Karasu and I just did?" Ayeka nodded, and Washu began to explain matters to the Juraian princess. Tenchi Masaki walked home from school, desperately hoping that Ryoko would not have caused too much of a crisis around the house and that Washu would refrain from locking him in that infernal machine again. He smiled briefly. And he hoped that Sasami would have a delicious dinner waiting for them all. But the happiness was brief. Karasu had been right. School had not prevented the altercations between the girls, but between Washu's Infernal Machine, Kiyone's bad luck, Mihoshi's accidents, and Ayeka and Ryoko's neverending fights for his attention, there was less and less time for homework. Fortunately, Karasu had anticipated this and had given him a snow globe that slowed time when shook. It was made out of crystal and was very pretty. Unfortunately, the downside of Karasu's gift was that he spent more time awake than anyone else in the house and had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Then there were Karasu's *lessons.* The day that school had started, Karasu had woken him up early, saying she had a surprise for him--a practice Japanese sword made out of the same material Karasu's sickle swords were made out of. He had yet to learn what the material was made out of. Karasu said it was a surprise for him, and had told him to pick it up. Tenchi had, and had subsequently dropped it--it was very heavy. She had said that wouldn't do at all, and had ushered him out into the porch and had immediately ordered him to fight her. She had then attacked almost too fast to see, and Tenchi had made an attempt to defend himself, only to find the sword whacked out of his hand and a pointy tip at his throat coupled with the words "Killing stroke." The lessons had continued for an hour, until at last Tenchi had figured out how to handle the sword. These hellish lessons had been in progress for two months now, and he had gotten to the point where he could spar with Karasu for a full five minutes before getting "killed." Karasu had said he was improving faster than she had expected, and Tenchi certainly had to admit that he had surprised his grandfather in their kenjutsu lessons, so much so that he actually won occasionally. "Hiya, Tenchi!" Tenchi stared down at the young girl standing next to him, smiled, and said, "Hello, Sasami! I didn't see you there." "I'm coming home from the market," Sasami said cheerfully. "Boy, I got some good stuff for dinner!" "Really? Like what?" Tenchi asked. Sasami pressed the basket close to her chest. "Can't tell. It's a secret." "Okay, then, I won't ask anymore. It would spoil the surprise." Tenchi smiled at the little alien princess, who he regarded as a little sister. Even Ryoko liked Sasami. She was impossible to hate. "Hey, Tenchi?" Sasami asked. "Since we're both here now, can we walk the rest of the way home together?" "Of course, Sasami," Tenchi said, missing Sasami's flush. He had forgotten that on Jurai it was legal for brother and sister to wed. They walked the rest of the scenic road to the Masaki household in silence, except for one brief instant when Ryo'ohki, in her cabbit form, peeked out of Sasami's shopping bag and meowed, then jumped up onto Sasami's head. "I think Ryo'ohki likes you better than she does Ryoko!" Tenchi joked, but stopped as Sasami's face grew pensive. "I know. I wish she were mine. Of course, I wouldn't steal her from Ryoko, but I really wish she were mine. I even asked Washu if she would make me a cabbit of my own, but she said no." "Why would she say that? She could make one that wouldn't turn into a spaceship," Tenchi said, sympathizing with the little princess. "She was out of masu," Sasami said sadly. "Oh." Tenchi remembered *that* incident all too well. When they reached the Masaki residence, Sasami ran around the house and said, "I'll go in the back, Tenchi. See you later!" "All right. Goodbye, Sasami," Tenchi said, and opened the door, only to be almost knocked over by an enjoyed Ryoko. "Tenchee!" she squealed, and hugged him so hard Tenchi was left literally breathless. "Oh, I missed you so much! Why do you have to go to that nuisance of a school all day long? Why can't you stay at home with me, like you did before?" "Ryoko," Tenchi snapped, "the only reason I stayed at home all last year was because *you* blew up my school. Now it's been rebuilt, and I have to go to complete my education. Be glad I'm only a sophmore. If I was in a higher grade, I'd have a lot more homework." "Well, if this school thing is taking time away from your being with me, I can always blow it up again," Ryoko suggested, raising her energy sword. "No . . . no . . . that won't be necessary, Ryoko," Tenchi said hastily. Ryoko had made this offer before, and Tenchi knew a surefire way to get out of it (thank god). "Tell you what. I'll take you for a walk after dinner, as long as I'm done with my homework, as long as you don't try to seduce me. Is that all right?" His guts cramped as he thought of what might happen if Ayeka found out, but he managed to silence his qualms. "You . . . you mean it, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked joyfully. Her energy sword disappeared. "Really? I won't do a thing to bother you then. I promise! Now, you had better go up and start on your homework," she said, pushing him up the stairs. "All right! All right! Take it easy!" Tenchi said. Then he noticed the empty sake bottles strewn around the floor. "Ryoko, don't tell me you were drinking *again . . .*" "A little. Why?" Ryoko asked. Tenchi sighed and went upstairs to do his homework. About an hour later, during a rare moment of calm in the Masaki family house, Mihoshi and Kiyone's skimmer crashed into the lake after patrol, right on time. Sasami looked up from making dinner and sighed. "Oh, no. Not *again . . .* She sighed and continued to make dinner, secure in the knowledge that Kiyone and Mihoshi would appear safely on shore. Karasu looked up from her extended bath in the onsen, and said, "Well, I guess Mihoshi and Kiyone are back from patrol." She yawned and sank into the onsen until only her nose and eyes were above the hot water, secure in the knowledge that she would have company soon. Meanwhile, on the porch next to the entrance of the Masaki household, Kiyone snapped at her partner, "Mihoshi, can't you land the skimmer the proper way, just ONCE?" She then sighed and began to squeeze her long, pine- green hair dry. "You're going to break the skimmer again if you keep landing like this! Washu won't agree to fix it forever, you know." "Sorry! I'm just not that talented with mechanized devices!" Mihoshi exclaimed. Kiyone let out a gusty sigh. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Our patrol today was completely void of other spaceships, as usual. This area of space is so out of the way that no one ever bothers to even *fly by* here!" "Oh, don't worry, Kiyone," Mihoshi said cheerfully. "I'm sure something will turn up soon." Kiyone rubbed her head, the headache she always got from interacting with Mihoshi acting up. It was less intense than usual, although she did not notice it. "What are you basing that on, Mihoshi?" "Well, think about it, Kiyone. We're living in the same household as a reformed space pirate, a 20,000-year-old scientific genius who's been locked in a crystal for the past 2,000 years, two princesses and a prince from Planet Jurai, a bodyshifted falcon who is a Priestess for Tokimi, and a boy who is evidently turning into a god. *Someone's* bound to be interested in *one* of them." Kiyone blinked. "That's a very good point, Mihoshi." She had to admit Mihoshi did have a fabulous eye for detail. As far as she could tell, Mihoshi had never forgotten anything in her life since she had had that ribbon put on her--which reminded Kiyone, it was loose. She quickly tightened it, and Mihoshi, who was taking a step forward at the time, pitched forward onto the ground. "Ouch," came forth from the ground. Kiyone sighed and picked Mihoshi up. Her uniform was now all muddy. "Well, we needed a bath anyway," Kiyone said. "Why don't we go to the onsen?" "You mean it? Really? Oh boy!" Mihoshi cried, jumping up and down in a circle. Kiyone groaned, almost knocked breathless by the renewed force of her headache. Kiyone entered the floating onsen to see Karasu getting ready to leave. "Go well, Mihoshi. Hello, Kiyone." she said, rubbing her extremely long curly hair dry with the wrap that was supposed to go over her body. Kiyone had learned early on in her stay at the Masaki household that Karasu had a Ryokoesque preference for bathing nude. Strangely enough, that didn't bother Kiyone. It was as if Karasu had a gene inserted into her that prevented anyone from reacting to her nakedness. At least she didn't do it in the house, only in the onsen. "Heyla, Mihoshi. You should really take that ribbon off while you soak. You might get it wet and ruin it." Karasu's arm reached towards Mihoshi's ribbon, seeking to untie it. "No! Karasu!" Kiyone gasped and grabbed the raptor by the chest, dragging her backwards. "Hey! What's this about? You better have a good reason for doing this to me, Kiyone!" Karasu snapped. "You idiot! If you remove Mihoshi's ribbon, she'll lose her memory!" Kiyone hissed. Karasu looked intrigued and knocked Kiyone down with a well-placed kick. "Reeeally? HEY, MIHOSHI! COME HERE!" she yelled. "No!" Kiyone hissed, recovering from Karasu's move partially. She clapped a hand over Karasu's mouth. "You don't understand!" she snapped. Karasu gave Kiyone a strange look. "All right then, enlighten me," she said. "All right," Kiyone said, knowing that would probably be the only thing that would stop Karasu from her disastrous action. "But you have to promise to tell no one." "Words of this conversation will not leave my lips," Karasu promised. "And no writing it down, either!" Kiyone snapped. Karasu looked despondent. "You caught me. All right, fair's fair. I won't write it down, either. But please tell me why I can't take off Mihoshi's ribbon! I'm dying from the suspense!" "You see, Karasu, if the ribbon is taken off Mihoshi's head, she will lose her memory." Karasu looked baffled. "Elaborate." Kiyone sighed. Karasu would have to be one of those people who wanted the full story. "Well, before Mihoshi was partnered with me, she was actually a very competent detective. Her methods were a little unorthodox, I'll admit, but she always caught her humanoid. Then, just a few weeks after she had made Detective First Class, she suffered an intense burnout that left her confused as to who she was. She actually thought she was someone else! The King of Jurai was gracious enough to give the Marshal a ribbon that would restore Mihoshi to her old self. There were side effects, however. When the ribbon was placed on Mihoshi's head, she suffered a loss of intelligence and body coordination. The only thing that wasn't affected was her amazing memory. Although after the ribbon was placed on her head the things before the ribbon became somewhat hazy in her mind, anything after that was crystal clear." "That's a very sad story," Karasu said. "Do you happen to know who Mihoshi thought she was before the ribbon was placed on her?" "It's the weirdest thing. She thought she was a fox." Karasu's eyes glinted in sudden interest. "Continue." "Well, every couple of years Mihoshi would need a new ribbon, and the King of Jurai would send the Marshal a new one. But while she was ribbonless, she began to assert she was someone she was not. She claimed she was not really the Marshal's granddaughter and was trapped in an "alien body." She always insisted we call her by her real name, which she said was Kitsune. But she always calmed down after the ribbon was put back on." "I see," Karasu said. "Thank you, Kiyone." Kiyone, who was gettiong busy scrubbing herself, was surprised to see Karasu fully dressed (albeit braidless) and walking out of the onsen. Kiyone had a sneaking suspicion that Karasu was not done with trying to take Mihoshi's ribbon off. But she wouldn't do it as long as Kiyone was around, so she would stay around Mihoshi until Karasu forgot about the whole thing. No matter how bad the headaches got. Tenchi walked calmly up the steps to meet his grandfather for their daily kenjutsu practice. Before, he would have been scared to go and duel with Katsuhito, but now he realized that his grandpa wasn't so bad, not compared with Karasu. It was Karasu he kept a healthy fear for while he dueled. Practice seemed like a breeze after the early morning sessions with Karasu. His steps were a lot more sure on the slanted pieces of wood Katsuhito had set up to test his balance. Karasu did not limit swordfighting to just one area and he had been forced to duel on the edge of the porch more than a few times. And listening for the slight swish of Karasu's sword attacking him had given him a better sense of when the wooden block was coming from. He kept at it for a half-hour until Katsuhito eventually told him to stop, a slightly bewildered expression on his face. "Tenchi, you've improved a great deal lately with this exercise," Katsuhito said. "Now let us see how you handle a sword." Tenchi and Katsuhito crossed swords in the traditional Juraian way. Tenchi still hadn't got over how light the wooden sword was in his hands after Karasu's strange metal. He could handle it much better than he could the sword Karasu had given him. He and Katsuhito sparred for ten minutes, then Tenchi saw his grandfather display an opening that normally he would have considered impossible to take advantage of, but he had slowly been learning Karasu's moves after having them used on him so many times, and used one of those moves to disarm his grandfather. He then raised the point of his wooden sword to Katsuhito's throat and pronounced, "Killing stroke." He then stepped back and allowed his grandfather to get up. Katsuhito looked utterly flabbergasted. "Tenchi," he asked, "where did you learn to move like that?" "Heh," Tenchi said. "So, even he doesn't know about my lessons with Karasu!" "Well," he said shakily. "I guess my lessons with you lately have really been paying off!" Katsuhito looked at Tenchi oddly, and Tenchi could tell he didn't believe a word of what he was saying. "Well, no matter," he said at last. "I've felt that you've been ready for the next step even before you improved so. Perhaps I delayed in introducing it to you for too long." He got out two blunted swords out and tossed one to Tenchi. Tenchi caught it, then promptly dropped it. It wasn't that it was too heavy--it was heavier than the sword he used in practice with Karasu, though not by much--it was that it made him feel just plain nervous holding it. "What's the matter, Tenchi?" Katsuhito asked. "Not too much for you, is it?" "Of course not, Grandpa," Tenchi said, and bent down to pick up the steel--yes, he *knew* it was steel--up. When he picked it up, he was astounded to see just *how* blunted the sword was. Karasu's blunted swords were nowhere near this dull. "For today, just try to get used to the heaviness of the sword. Tomorrow I'll have a new practice area set up," Katsuhito said. After his grandfather left, Tenchi took a few practice swings with the sword. It wasn't too hard to handle. He decided to practice a half hour more, then go back and take Ryoko for her walk. That is, if Sasami wasn't finished with her surprise dinner yet. Ryoko was so excited! Tenchi was going to take her for a walk! And maybe, if they were out long enough for it to get dark . . . no, that wasn't going to work. Ryoko had been afraid of being out in the dark ever since Tenchi had released him from the cave. She would never tell anyone, of course, but she would sometimes stay up half the night whimpering softly to herself. When other people were there, it wasn't so hard. But *alone . . .* She shivered just at the thought of it. "But I won't be alone. I'll have Tenchi," she thought to herself. But she couldn't seduce him . . . not outside, in the dark. Inside, definitely, but not outside. All the sounds of things she couldn't see . . . it was scary. So unfortunately, she couldn't finish things and convince Tenchi to pick her tonight. She'd just have to revel in his company--something Ayeka, at least, wouldn't be able to do. Tenchi opened the door and stepped in. "Tenchi, Tenchi!" Ryoko cried, flying to embrace him midair. "Can we go for our walk now? Please?" "All right, all right, Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Calm down. Get off me and we'll go." Ryoko looked outside. The sun was setting already. It would be scary soon. At least she would have Tenchi to comfort her if she found she couldn't take it anymore. Tenchi and Ryoko walked around the woods, talking about little things. Ryoko asked Tenchi to tell her what a day at school was like, and he complied. Ryoko told Tenchi about the things she was learning from Washu about healing, and how it bothered her that Washu spent so much time with Karasu and Ayeka. Tenchi said some things to calm Ryoko's building rage after those words, and they walked in silence for a while more. Ryoko was touched that Tenchi cared about her so. Not like he cared about Ayeka, she'd wager! Finally, they stopped at the cave that Tenchi had freed Ryoko from. "Tenchi," Ryoko said, "I'm so glad you released me from that cave! If it wasn't for that, none of this interesting stuff would have happened! And you'd've never gotten to meet me." Tenchi was looking at Ryoko strangely. "Aren't you glad you released me from the cave, Tenchi." Tenchi smiled. Ryoko fancied it was at her, but in reality his eyes were staring past her, seeing an image only he could see. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I *am* glad I released you from the cave, Ryoko." "Oh, Tenchi!" Ryoko cried, and embraced Tenchi. "Heh . . . heh, heh," Tenchi said. "Let's go back to the house now. It smells like Sasami has dinner ready." That was fine with Ryoko, since it was starting to get dark. She and Tenchi walked slowly back to the Masaki household. When a very relieved Tenchi got himself and Ryoko inside the house, everyone was already sitting at the dinner table, including Noboyuki, who was looking extremely disappointed. "What's the matter, Dad?" Tenchi asked. "We're not going to the hot springs next week like we planned, son," Noboyuki said sadly. "A woman named Hidari called me today at work--for some reason she said she'd gotten connected to a very rude secretary, which is strange because my secretary was out sick today--and she said your great-aunt had died earlier in the week." "Heart attack?" queried Karasu. "No, she got hit by a car. Anyway, Hidari said she'd be glad to invite us back later, but not too soon. Something about the springs being polluted by the death of our great-aunt." "I should've guessed," Washu murmured. "When a person starts to see the goddess of death as themselves in their youth, you know that their time's just about up." "What was that, Washu?" Kiyone asked. "What was what?" Washu replied innocently. "Is she related to your great-aunt, Tenchi?" Ayeka asked. "No," Tenchi said. "Hidari was a childhood friend of my cousin. However, she had no desire to take over a hot springs resort, while Hidari found the prospect fascinating. My great-aunt eventually became so fond of Hidari that she made her the heir to the hot springs resort." "Dinner, everyone!" said Sasami, carrying in ten plates of something that smelled delicious and a bowl of carrots for Ryo'ohki. "Carrot! Carrot!" Ryo'ohki demanded. "Wow, that smells wonderful, Sasami. What is it?" Tenchi asked. "It's a foriegn recipe Karasu tought me how to cook. It's very good." Tenchi tasted it, and found his taste buds alive with pleasure. "This doesn't taste like an American recipe, Karasu." "It's not," Karasu said. "It's a recipe I picked up on one of my travels. Better than anything they could cook in America. But Sasami, remember your promise. Don't teach this recipe to *anyone.*" "Why not? This is delicious," Mihoshi said. "I wasn't supposed to teach it to anyone," Karasu explained, blithely unaware of all the faces staring at her. "What? With a talent like hers, it would have been a crime *not* to teach it to her," Karasu said, shrugging. In the end, they all enjoyed the meal very much, everyone too busy enjoying the novel taste of the foriegn cooking to fight. The only moment of disaster came when Mihoshi accidentally spilled her second helping on Kiyone, who jumped up screaming with pain (it was very hot) and ended up spilling the entire dish on the floor. Tanell was quick to clean it up, however, and Kiyone excused herself to go change. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Ryoko and Ayeka were both too full to fight, Mihoshi and Sasami were busy reading hen-books, and Washu and Karasu were both making notes on their respective computers and books. Soon, everyone retired to bed. Katsuhito went back up to the shrine, and everyone else to their respective rooms. Karasu was on the verge of drifting off when her sensitive nose picked up frustrated hormones, and her sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of the rustling of magazine pages. "I should've taken care of this earlier," she murmured to herself, and, rising up from her nest of blankets, shifted herself into her more endowed version, and subtly altered her hormones so they would arouse human men. She quietly stepped out of her nightclothes. "And I need this myself. I've been away from my man too long." So silently she didn't even wake Ryoko, Karasu crept up the stairs to Noboyuki's room. She found him in there looking over hentai. He was so ashamed to see a woman see him in a moment of weakness that he shoved the dirty magazines in their hiding place before realizing that Karasu was naked. Karasu smiled to herself. She herself did not consider naked a turn-on. In a species that went around naked all the time, it really wasn't that big of a deal. But she'd been along humans long enough to know that it worked for them. He then turned around too see the nude raptor and he gasped. "M-Miss Karasu, what are you doing in here dressed like that?" "I'm here to cure you of *that* nasty habit," she said, executing a simple dance step and singing a note, and Noboyuki's stack of dirty magazines spontaneously combusted. "You've been celibate too long. You need to have some fun." "B-but after Achika died, I swore I would never take another lover," Noboyuki protested. "Yes, and look at what it's doing to you," Karasu said contemptously. "Reading dirty magazines, causing so much trouble in the onsen that you got kicked out. Wouldn't Achika be proud to see you now!" Karasu climbed up on Noboyuki. "Noboyuki, life goes on. It's been ten years since Achika died. You've made your point. And people need to be pleasured. Just because Achika is dead is no reason not to live again. You've grieved long enough. It's time to let go." Karasu tactfully did not mention what had *really* happened to Achika. She leaned close to Noboyuki. "Noboyuki, will you help me bring you back to life?" Noboyuki kissed her, and no more needed to be said. Noboyuki walked in for his breakfast the next morning whistling. "Good morning, Tenchi!" he said. "It's a beautiful morning! I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders!" "Well, it sounds as if someone got lucky last night," Katsuhito said, and glanced suspiciously at Karasu. She grinned unrepentantly back at him. Ayeka stared. "Karasu! You--I can't believe you would do something like that!" "And why not?" Karasu countered. "All I did last night was teach Noboyuki that although we can't change the past, that's no reason to go moping over it forever." "Yes, but the manner in which you did it--" Ayeka shuddered. "Ayeka, you're very naive in this area, so I'm just going to state it bluntly. Men think with their nuts." Washu chuckled. "Well, she's right about that!" "Tenchi doesn't," Ayeka noted. Karasu laughed. "Tenchi, my dear, is the exception that proves the rule!" "Well, I still don't see how you could perform such a wanton act, Karasu!" Ayeka snapped. "Aren't you a Priestess of Isis? Haven't you taken *vows?*" Washu sighed. "I see," she said. "Ayeka, part of what Karasu does as a Priestess of Isis is have intercourse with men. You see, men think of almost nothing but sex all the time, so what the ancient cultures of the world figured is, why fight nature? The Priestesses of Isis, as well as using magic to fight Re and Set, also give themselves to men to avoid sexual frustration." At Ayeka's look of horror, Washu added, "It may seem disgusting to you, but it's considered perfectly natural where Karasu comes from. In fact, she was acting charitably-- usually men have to make a donation to the temple in order to enjoy the pleasures of a Priestess. Karasu served Noboyuki pro bono." Washu looked at Karasu. "It was pro bono, wasn't it?" "Yeah." Karasu seemed to inhale her breakfast with a yawn. "I'm going to set up the karaoke machine now. I'm going to teach you and Ryoko how to sing!"