Musashi shook Kojiro awake. "Kojiro! Get up! That twerp and his friends have already started off! If we don't hurry we'll get left behind!"
Sasami rapped on the closet door. "Washu? Miss Washu, breakfast is ready!"
"Nanda kanda to kikare tara!"
Washu stopped with lightning quickness as six small yellow lights blinked wildly on her screen. "Bingo! Good to see 'em all gathered in one place for me!"
The ground beneath Kojiro, Musashi and Takeshi began to shimmer gray-blue.
"There's nothing quite like being a space pirate," Ryoko said happily. She was floating about five feet above the lake in front of the Masaki home, basking in the sun's rays.
KA-WHUMP!
"Ryoko! What are you doing?" Sasami cried.
"Here," Tenchi said, handing Takeshi some khakis and a shirt. "It's not much, but I guess it'll have to do until your clothes dry."
"Yes, I believe you would look lovely in this," Aeka said, holding a fancy dress up to Musashi.
Ryoko opened up her closet. "There's the goods. Go nuts."
Refreshed and over their momentary shock, Kojiro, Takeshi and Musashi walked in to the Masaki living room at about the same time. The others were already there, and Sasami had just brought out something that resembled some food they had back home.
"Little Washu?" Tenchi said as he came up behind the mad scientist. "Do you think you can design a room for Takeshi and Kojiro? We don't have any extra space around the house, so if it's not too much trouble-"
There was not quite an hour left until dinnertime, and Musashi was having a major crisis.
Takeshi, after putting his stuff away, got bored and made his way down to his regular place of Zen- the kitchen. He found Sasami there, mixing in ingredients for some sort of soup.
Musashi sat quietly at the dinner table, eating without a sound and shooting evil glances at Aeka from time to time.
"I can't believe I'm stuck sharing a room with the Sugarplum fairy," Takeshi complained, throwing his stuff down on his new and temporary bed.
Musashi sighed, watching the TV in Ryoko's room with unseeing eyes. She'd asked Washu to make a television to put in the room- the scientist had obliged. Not only that, but she got every channel from Earth, Jurai AND Nomékop. Sometimes it paid to have a genius around.
Ryoko materialized suddenly, causing Musashi to jump in surprise. "What are you doing here??"
To Be Continued...
Tenchi: It looks like the D-Space Travellers are fitting in pretty well with the rest of the family. Musashi and Ryoko seem to have really hit it off.
Kojiro blinked sleepily. "I'm up, I'm up! What time is it?"
"Noon," Nyasu answered briskly, tossing Kojiro a can of food. "We overslept again. I told you two to lay off the drinks last night."
"Whatever," Kojiro said between bites, dressing and eating at the same time (something he and Musashi had mastered). "Where are the twerps?"
"They left an hour ago, according to the cat," Musashi told him, throwing her stuff into the back of their jeep. "We'll park a few miles away and do what we always do."
"Fail?"
Musashi smacked him. "No, stupid! Create an amazing plan!"
"And this time it's gonna work!" Nyasu encouraged.
"If you say so. "Kojiro sighed and hopped into thr passenger seat. "Let's hurry up and get this over with."
In a few moments Washu, famous mad scientist of the Juraiian Galaxy (and probably the smartest person in the universe) came out of her alternate-dimension lab and into the Masaki residence. "Ah, you're just in time!"
"On time?" Sasami wondered. "On time for what?"
"Get the others," Washu directed.
"Even Kiyone and Mihoshi?" Sasami asked.
Washu nodded. "Call 'em up! You're about to see a genius in action!"
Twenty minutes later the entire group- Tenchi, Aeka, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Sasami, and a grumbling, sleep-eyed Ryoko- were all crowded into Washu's lab.
"What's this all about??" Tenchi asked impatiently. "I can't stay here forever, Grandpa needs me up at the shrine."
"Yeah, spill it!" Ryoko growled. "I've got a lot of stuff t'do ya know."
"As if sleeping and eating are a lot to do," Aeka said under her breath.
"Don't push me, Princess, it's still early," Ryoko snapped.
"It's nearly ten o'clock," Aeka argued. "Most of us were up at least an hour ago!"
"Would you two shut up so Washu could tell us something?" Kiyone practically ordered.
"Priss."
"Barbarian."
"Ah-hem!" Washu interrupted. "Ladies and gentleman, aliens and earthlings, pirates and princesses! I would like to announce that I, Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, have just made my best invention yet!"
Washu pulled a cover off of a large object. A machine, with several blinking lights and a computer screen were displayed.
Washu's robot friends popped up on her shoulders.
"Washu you are the greatest!"
"The best there ever was!"
Kiyone paused. "Um... what is it?"
Washu waved her arms dramatically. "It's a dimension portal! By molecularly deconstructing any creatures original compontents I can then reconstruct them so that they are able to appear right in front of us! I AM a genius!"
"Uh..." Mihoshi cocked her head. "What's it called again?"
Washu did an Animé fall-over. "I don't know why I bother!"
"Perhaps if you explained it to us as if we didn't understand what you were saying," Aeka suggested. "I did, of course, but for Mihoshi and Sasami's sake..."
"Liar," Ryoko told her. "You're just as miffed as any of us."
"To put it simply: this baby can bring anyone from anywhere and any time period right to this house!" Washu announced. "Get it now?"
A pause, then Mihoshi's, "Oh, I get it!"
"What crap!" Ryoko spat. "You woke me up for this? What good is it?"
"WHAT GOOD IS IT??? WHAT GOOD IS IT??" Washu got up in Ryoko's face. "WE CAN BRING ANYONE FROM ANYWHERE HERE!! THIS IS THE BIGGEST DISCOVERY IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!!"
"Sorry I asked," Ryoko said, backing away from the eccentric scientist. She floated up to the ceiling and prepared to leave. "It's been great, but I think I'm gonna head outside and catch some rays." She winked at Tenchi. "Wanna come?"
He sweat-dropped. "Eh, that's okay. I've got some stuff to do."
"Oh. Fine." Ryoko sighed. "I'll be out by the lake if you need me." And with that the infamous space pirate had transported back to her room to change.
"Can we go now?" Kiyone questioned. "I'm sure this is really amazing and everything but we've gotta make our patrol and daily report."
"Oh, c'mon Kiyone this could be fun!" Mihoshi objected. She turned to Washu. "You think you could show us how it works, huh?"
Washu smiled. "I'm glad you asked." Immediately her holographic computer appeared in front of her. Washu began typing in some coordinates. "Let's see... ah, here we go!" More frantic typing. "There's a solitary planet at the edge of a nearby galaxy. It's technological time period is only a little ahead of Earth's, and they appear to speak the same language as the Japanese here do."
"What's it called?" Tenchi asked.
"The planet? It's uncharted, but if I can get a reading from one of their computers... Here we go! They've called it Nomékop; apparently it's a backwards spelling of the animals who live there, Pokémon. I can't get an exact reading on the place- even my technology isn't good enough to drain things from a minuscule planet over 2000 light years away- but it seems like a good place to test my invention."
"Nomékop, you say?" Aeka repeated. "That name sounds familiar to me."
"It should. The Juraiians, on their planet-search, populated both Nomékop and part of Earth. You wouldn't know much about it, after all it was over 30 thousand years ago, but to a famous scientist like myself it's a well-known fact." Washu said, voice swelled with pride at knowing something not even the Crowned Princess of Jurai knew. She turned her attention back to her computer. "All I gotta do is enter in a spot on Nomékop where a few humans are standing, hit transport and we're set!"
She walked over to the large machine and began entering the planet's position. "We'll set it for the here and now- no use in bringing forward the past or future on our first try. All right... the land of Johto, that seems like a nice place to start! Now we get to the hard part- my machine only picks up people with strong personalities and a good head on their shoulders. That way if we ever got in trouble we'd call people who would be of help to us. But where am I gonna find a few people bunched together with strong wills?"
The other members of the extended Masaki family watched in mild confusion as Washu clicked away, looking for bodies that would show up on her sensors.
"Kotaete ageru yo no nasake!"
"Sekai no hakai o fusegu tame."
"Sekai no heiwa o mamoru tame."
"Ai to shinjitsu no aku o tsuranuku."
"Raburii chaamii na katakiyaku."
"Musashi!"
"Kojiro!"
"Ginga o kakeru Roketto-dan no futari ni wa!"
"Howaito hooru shiroi ashita ga matteruze!"
"Nya, nyaate na!"
"Ach! Not you three again!" Satoshi Tajiri complained, pointing to where Rocket Dan stood. "Haven't you given up yet?"
"We never give up when there's Pokémon to be stolen!" Musashi informed him, throwing out a Pokéball. "Go get 'em Arbok!"
"C'mon Wheezing!" Kojiro also sent out one of his Poképals.
"Pikachu, I choose-"
"Wait Satoshi, I wanna have a chance!" Takeshi said suddenly.
Kasumi and Satoshi stared at him. "But Takeshi! You never battle!"
"It's never too late to start," Takeshi answered. "I just decided that I want to raise my Pokémon to be the best they can be! And how do I do that? Well, taking good care of them, of course, but battling also!"
"It'll be over soon anyway," Satoshi whispered to Kasumi. "Then we can get in the fight."
Kasumi sweat-dropped. As much as she hated admitting it, Takeshi's Pokémon were pretty weak, and even if Rocket Dan didn't have the best of the best, they still had more experience than Onix or Vulpix.
"Go.... GEODUDE!" Takeshi sent a Pokéball flying.
"GEO... DUDE!"
"He used that thing??" Kasumi said in surprise. "Uh, Takeshi-chan?" She said tentatively. "Wouldn't it be smarter to use something a little stronger?"
"Geodude can handle it," Takeshi insisted. "Rock throw!"
"GEO!"
"Arbok, poison sting!"
"Wheezing, smog attack!"
"Are you gonna bring 'em all here?" Sasami asked.
Washu shook her head. "Too many could cause a plug and cause both planets to be blown to bits. I'll just take the three closest together."
She pressed a green button on the dimension portal, making it glow an odd grayish-blue color.
"So they're just going to come out of the machine, right?" Tenchi asked nervously.
"Um..." Washu paused. "I'm not sure."
The others all fell over.
"You mean to say that they could come out in the middle of Tokyo or something?" Kiyone practically shouted.
"Well, no," she said carefully. "They're bound to pop out within the area of the shrine and house, anyway. I just don't know where." A thoughtful pause, then, "Oh well! Guess no one's perfect!"
Tenchi and the remaining girls groaned, preparing for the dimension travellers to fall on their heads.
"What the-" Satoshi began, but stopped short. He could only stare.
Kojiro watched as his hand started to glow the same color as the ground. "Musashi-chan?"
"Yes?"
"I'm scared."
"Me too."
Their quickly dimishing bodies hugged.
Takeshi started to run back to where Satoshi and Kasumi were standing in shock, when the ground below the three opened up.
"AAAAH!" Takeshi screamed as he was blown into D-Space.
"Yana kanji!"
KER-SPLASH!
Ryoko felt a few water droplets hit her face. She opened one eye, figuring that either Mihoshi or Sasami had jumped in. She looked up- just as a tan kid with a green vest appeared out of nowhere and fell straight towards her.
Ryoko teleported away just in time, re-materializing above where the first peace-destroyers had splashed in. A few moments later two heads, a girl and a boy, popped up.
"Ittai koko wa doko nan da?!" Musashi said angrily, looking around.
Ryoko's sword was in her hand in an instant, glowing a bright orange. She pointed it directly at the red and lavender-haired teens. "You'd better start explaining some stuff! What are you doing on Tenchi's property?!"
The sight of a very mean-looking woman pointing a sword made of glowing energy was enough to make the two hug in fear.
"Don't kill us!" Musashi squeaked.
"I don't wanna die!" Kojiro wailed.
Just then Takeshi, the one who had almost fallen onto Ryoko, surfaced.
"What the-"
"Take him! Take him!" Kojiro and Musashi said, pointing at the confused kid.
Ryoko kept her sword on the duo, but turned her eyes towards Takeshi. She pointed one hand at him, palm open, as a glowing circle of power began to grow. "Explain something to me quick or you and your friends are blown to the next galaxy."
Takeshi stared in surprise and wonder. He didn't see the dangerous look in her eye, or the menacing sword. Rather, Takeshi was viewing a beautiful young woman, floating above the water as if she was an angel, and decked out in nothing but a red two-piece. He swam over to her as fast as his body would allow him, ignoring the ball of power and taking her hand in his. "I've died, and this beautiful angel has come to take me up to heaven! Carry me away, O Lovely One, for if all angels are like you I would be delighted to pass on!"
Poetic, yes. Scary? Very. Ryoko's sword disappeared from her hand as she was momentarily busy. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" She flew up, trying to get him to let go, but Takeshi hung on resolutely, convinced that she was taking him to the great beyond.
"I shall follow you wherever you wish to take me, Angelic Beauty! For I am Takeshi, Knight of the Pewter realm, here to sweep you off your feet!"
Ryoko flew above the water and headed towards the shore, trying to shake the love-sick teen off of her. Musashi and Kojiro, with no better option, followed the struggling space pirate to the shore.
"Let go of me! You're not dead and I'm not an angel!"
"But you float as if you had wings!"
"I'm a space pirate, freak! I'm supposed to fly!"
"No pirate was ever this gorgeous!"
Ryoko, tired of the small annoyance, flung her arm out in a great show of power. Takeshi was finally thrown off, skidding on his butt across the yard and into the side of the house.
"Looks like our guests have arrived," Washu said simply, getting out of her chair. "I hope Ryoko didn't give them too warm of a welcome."
Perplexed, the rest of the gang followed her outside and into the front yard.
The pirate, who was just about to do what she had promised- blast Takeshi into the next galaxy- looked up.
"Is that any way to treat houseguests?" Mihoshi questioned.
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Houseguests? Are you kidding me!? I just got attacked by THAT one!" She pointed at a dazed Takeshi.
"Well, they're bound to be a little temperamental," Kiyone replied. "After all, they've just been transported from their home to a completely different planet."
"Can't someone tell me what's going on?" Ryoko demanded angrily.
"Miss Washu used her dimension portal to bring them to our home," Aeka explained.
Kojiro and Musashi, who had been standing at the shoreline listening to the conversation, now walked up to the strangers. Musashi wrung her hair out as the went, thoroughly dousing Kojiro on the way.
Washu walked up to the duo and bowed regally. "Welcome to Earth, D-Space Travellers. My name is Washu, famous scientist of the Juraiian Galaxy."
"Uh, Musashi."
"Kojiro."
"Do you think you can tell us what's going on?" Musashi asked carefully. "One minute we're battling-"
"And the next we're being attacked by a mad-woman in a bikini!" Kojiro finished.
"Who? Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. He laughed. "Ryoko's not mad- just a little wild and protective."
"Well, can you blame me?" she said, floating down to stand next to Tenchi. "How was I supposed to know they weren't here to kill us?" She hugged Tenchi fiercely. "I'd never let anyone hurt my Tenchi."
"YOUR Tenchi?! Ugh!" Aeka groaned.
Musashi blinked a few times. She pointed first to Washu, then Ryoko, then Tenchi, repeating their names. She turned to the other girls. "And you are...?"
"First class detective Mihoshi!"
"First class detective Kiyone!"
"Princess Aeka of the Planet Jurai."
"Just call me Sasami!"
Takeshi, who had recovered from his fall, looked at the three older women with new hope. "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, but now I see that I'm very much alive and heaven has been brought to me! Women from space! It's a dream come true!"
He dashed to Aeka's side, grabbing her hands. "What did you say your name was, miss?"
She blushed nervously. "Eh... Princess Aeka."
"The name suits you! You certainly look like a gorgeous Princess to me!"
Now she was blushing happily. "Why, thank you. You're rather sweet."
"But Princess isn't enough for you, oh no!" he continued. "You ought to have the title of Queen! And then maybe I could be your King, huh?"
Aeka pulled back sharply. She didn't mind a little flirting (if only to get Tenchi jealous) but this was ridiculous! "No, thank you. I barely know you and you're a bit young... I don't even know your name."
"I am Takeshi, knight from the Nomékop world! The god of Love, if you will," he said regally.
"God of Love my butt," Kiyone muttered, rolling her eyes. When she looked back down Takeshi was there, staring up into her eyes.
"You're a detective, eh? What kind?"
Kiyone frowned, pushing him away from her. "Get off me, Romeo. I'm not interested."
"Hey Kiyone, you oughta be nicer to him!" Mihoshi said. "He's just been zapped a thousand million miles from his own planet!"
"Mihoshi, right?" Takeshi asked, now going for the blonde.
"Yeah, that's right," she agreed.
"You know, you can violate my rights anytime you want," he said, trying to sound cool.
Mihoshi giggled. "You're kinda cute, did you know that?"
"I've been told."
"What's with this guy?" Ryoko said more to herself than anyone else.
Even so, Musashi decided to answer. "Hormone levels."
"Through the roof," Kojiro added.
"TENCHI!?" someone yelled from across the yard. "I've been waiting nearly an hour for you up at the shrine. What's taking so long?"
"Uh, sorry Grandpa!" Tenchi shouted back. "We've got some visitors."
"Nevermind, I'll come to meet them!" he replied, already walking to where the group was standing. Once he had taken his place next to Tenchi, he viewed the wet and confused Nomékop visitors. Acting like this was perfectly normal, he said, "Are you just going to let them stand here, soaking wet? Get them inside and get them some dry clothes."
"Uh, a shower would be nice," Musashi said tentatively.
"And some answers as to why we're here," Kojiro ventured to say.
Tenchi's grandpa, Katsuhito -or Yosho- nodded. "We'll dismiss your chores for the day, Tenchi. You can help the boys get comfortable." He turned to the girls. "And you can get the young lady something to wear and a shower."
"I'll go get lunch started!" Sasami volunteered. Everyone had forgotten all about breakfast in their excitement.
Ryoko sighed. "Come on girl, I'll suit you up with something."
Aeka took Musashi's arm. "I've got some lovely dresses you might like trying." Aeka wasn't about to let Ryoko turn this new guest against her before they'd barely met! "Much better than that savage's garments!"
Musashi followed Ryoko and Aeka into the house, followed shortly by Tenchi, Takeshi and Kojiro. Katsuhito went back up to the shrine, and Washu retreated to her lab.
Kiyone and Mihoshi left the job to their friends. "We still haven't made our report!" Kiyone told Mihoshi.
The Galaxy Police Officers trotted off towards their ship. Guests or no guests, they had a job to do.
Takeshi ignored what Tenchi had and threw his big backpack off of his shoulders. "Don't bother. This is waterproof and I've got an extra set."
Takeshi pulled out... the exact same outfit he had on. Tenchi decided not to ask. He turned to Kojiro. "Do you need these?"
Kojiro took the khakis, shirt and other items gratefully. "All my stuff's back home."
"So what's it like on Nomékop?" Tenchi asked curiously. "Anything like here?"
"Sorta. Same color sky and trees and everything." Kojiro answered, but he seemed distracted. "Uh, where exactly is your bathroom? So I can change?"
Tenchi blushed. "Stupid me. Down the hall and on your left. Can't miss it." Takeshi and Kojiro began to make their exit. "Just head on downstairs when you get done. Sasami'll probably have lunch ready by then."
Takeshi cocked his head. "Lunch? Made by... someone else?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
He still seemed amazed by this simple fact. "Wow... oh, sorry! It's just, I've never actually had anyone cook for me since I was, like, nine. I'll just, go, change now."
As Takeshi left, Kojiro rolled his eyes. "The kid's a basket case waiting to happen." He started to go, but stopped. "Can I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"Are their such things as Pokémon and a Rocket Dan here?" Kojiro asked nervously. "Any bosses, annoying rivals, and twerps?"
Tenchi blinked a few times, surprised by the odd question. "No. I've never even heard of a Rocket Dan. Or Pokémon."
Kojiro seemed relieved. "Great. I'll see you in a few."
Tenchi sweat-dropped as Kojiro disappeared around the doorframe. His guests just kept getting weirder and weirder.
She looked down at the five layers, huge sleeves, and purple sash. "No, I wouldn't."
"No worries, I have much more-" she shuffled to find another dress.
"Maybe you should ask her what SHE wants, Princess," Ryoko commented lazily. She was spread out on a sofa, still in her bathing suit and thoroughly enjoying this. "Just 'cause she's from another planet in an inferior galaxy doesn't mean she's an idiot, ya know."
"Very well," Aeka consented. "What is your preference, Miss Musashi?"
"Just Musashi," she said sharply. "And I don't want any of this. I'm soaking wet and we've been standing here for ten minutes. I'm not interested in all this frilly crap."
Ryoko stood up, cracking her back. "I figured. Come with me, girl, I've got some things you might like."
Aeka, still steaming from Musashi's insult about 'frilly crap,' let the two young women leave.
"Humph!" she muttered once they were gone. "Some people have no respect for dressing properly. I shouldn't be surprised though, what with that tiny skirt she was wearing."
Ryoko stuck her head around the door, completely taking Aeka off-guard. "Shame shame, Princess. Talking about people behind their back. Not a very royal thing to do, now is it?"
"It's also not a very royal thing to spy on someone," Aeka retorted.
"I wasn't spying," Ryoko justified. "I overheard. Bye now, I've got a guest to entertain."
Before Aeka could add another stinging comment, Ryoko was gone.
Musashi didn't have to look long before finding a thin, light blue, ankle-length dress that she liked. "This is perfect! Not like that priss' junk. God, how can someone walk around in all those robes all the time?"
Ryoko was just about to answer when a small animal with rabbit-ears crawled out from underneath the bedspread.
"Oh, you awake Ryo-Ohki?" Ryoko said, holding out her hand for the cabbit to jump on. The sleepy-looking animal scrambled onto her shoulder, mewing happily.
Musashi pointed at the creature in amazement. "Is that a new Pokémon?"
"A what?" Ryoko asked, scratching the critter's chin. "This is Ryo-Ohki, my spaceship."
"Space... ship?"
"Nevermind. Just go take a shower and get dressed. I'm starving, and the sooner you get done the sooner we can eat!" she almost snapped.
Musashi was about to smack her over the with her kitchen utensil of choice, but thought better of it. Ryoko was some sort of power-house witch, or something, and Musashi wasn't going to mess with her until she knew exactly what the pirate could do. "Right. Where is the bathroom?"
Ryoko stood up to lead the way. "Washu's got this dimension thing made for the girls. I'll take you to it." She grabbed Musashi's hand. "Hold on, this'll feel kinda weird."
Musashi gasped as, for a split second, she was hurled into nothingness, but then she was back out in a beautiful garden-like area with hot springs gushing from the center.
"What just happened?" she asked, blinking.
"I teleported us here." Ryoko pointed to a door. "You can get to the house from there, then take the stairs down to Tenchi's living room. Now, I gotta go find Tenchi before Aeka does. Who knows what she'll do if she gets him alone?"
Ryoko was about to leave, when Musashi said, "Don't you think you should put some clothes on first?"
The space pirate looked down at her bikini-clad self. She blushed. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Thanks!"
And with that, she was gone.
Musashi stepped into the springs, sighing in content when the hot water hit her ankles. After all the crap that'd happened over the past few hours, she needed some relaxation.
"I hope you like egg rolls," Sasami said, looking up at the guests. "I made plenty so have as much as you want."
The trio dug into the food with a will, outshining even Ryoko in inappropriate table manners.
Aeka coughed a few times. "Ah-hem, pardon, but I believe we here eat with our elbows off the table."
"Of course, Princess!" Takeshi yelped, blushing violently. "I was distracted by all the pretty faces!"
Kiyone groaned, Aeka sighed, Ryoko ignored him and Mihoshi giggled.
"That's really nice of you to say! You really think I'm pretty?" Mihoshi asked sweetly.
"Of course! I would never lie about that!"
"Well I think you're kinda cute too. So where did you say you were from?" she inquired, taking a bite of egg roll.
"Nomékop. It's uh... well, I'm not sure where it is compared to Earth."
"Speaking of Nomékop," Musashi ventured, looking at Washu, "how did you find us and get us here?"
Washu paused, thinking reflectively. "It's kind of a long story, but if you want I can tell it to you."
"We could use a little info," Kojiro agreed. He finished off his third egg roll. "Mm, these are good! I'm stuffed!"
"That's a first," Musashi said dryly. "You and your abominable pit."
Kojiro laughed. Apparently it was a private joke.
Sasami picked up the plates. "I'll go clean these off. You can go ahead and start the story if you want, Washu. I won't be long."
The scientist took Sasami's words to heart, and immediately began explaining how the trio of D-Space travellers had arrived there. She also went a bit farther to tell everyone about her and the rest of the Masaki extended family. By the time she was done Sasami had finished with the dishes and joined the rest of the party back in the living room.
"There's one thing I don't get," Takeshi was saying as Sasami walked out. "How is it that we all speak the same language, but we're from halfway across the galaxy, as is Earth and Jurai?"
Washu glanced in Aeka's direction. "I think the Princess can explain that to you a bit better than I can."
Aeka looked up suddenly, surprised that Washu had called on her. "Me? I'm sure a famous scientist like yourself could-"
"What's the matter Princess?" Ryoko chided. "Don't know enough about your own planet to tell 'em what's up?"
Aeka bristled, sparked on by Ryoko's challenge. "I shall tell you everything you need to know, from beginning to end."
"That's my girl!" Washu chuckled, leaning back against the couch behind her.
"Very well, then. How do I begin?" she paused, to gather her thoughts, then went on. "I suppose it started nearly 35 thousand years ago, back when Jurai was becoming acquainted with Hyper-speed space travel. Our planet was quickly becoming overpopulated- recent medicines and technological breakthroughs had made life-spans longer and babies more likely to survive- and we were in need of spreading ourselves to different planets. We found ten planets uninhabited planets in the Universe; they were all life-worthy, but we had no idea which ones which would be suitable for Juraiians and which were not. As groups were sent to explore, we found that four of the planets weren't as hospitable as we'd hoped, and one was already inhabited by primitive creatures called humans. Nevertheless, four of them were good for us, and we settled the four immediately. A scattered dozen or so scientists and such visited Earth, where they landed on a small island and taught the people the Juraiian language. Apparently it stuck. Those people were the Japanese.
"One of the four planets that was good for Juraiians was your own Nomékop. The people on that one decided that, rather than start life at a high level of technology, to practically start over, with nothing but the bare minimum. They would forget about their Jurai roots, and tell their children nothing. Very soon we lost contact with the planet, and the two of us drifted away from each other. You developed most of your own traditions, but apparently the language and some of the culture stayed." She relaxed, looking to Washu for approval. "I believe that is all, Miss Washu?"
The genius nodded. "Very nice, Aeka. I guess you were paying attention during your history classes."
"A good Princess pays attention to everything all of her schoolmaster's say," Aeka said, trying to sound humble but ending up sounding like a snob.
Ryoko faked a snore, then sat upright as if she'd just woken up. "Is it over yet?"
Sasami, Mihoshi, Musashi and Kojiro hid laughs. Aeka steamed. "Well I'm sorry that you have no interest in your own roots! The planet you were born on was one of the second-planets of Jurai too, you know."
"I could care less about the past! That was a million years ago! Who really gives a hoot what happened then?" Ryoko argued.
"Any honest and good person would! But I guess that leaves you out!" Aeka shot back.
"If being honest and good means being a stuck-up priss like yourself than count me out!"
Takeshi sighed happily. "They're like Satoshi and Kasumi, but with better bodies." Odd looks from Musashi and Kojiro. "Uh, you didn't hear me say that."
"That reminds me," Musashi said suddenly. "This place is great and all, but how are we supposed to get back home? I'm sure Nyasu is worried-"
"And Boss Rocket is throwing a party," Kojiro continued wryly.
"But anyway, do you have something that can take us back home?" Musashi finished.
Washu sat upright with a start. She scratched her chin, as if in deep thought. After a moment of silence, she grinned and said, "Gee, I never thought about that!"
Everyone fell over.
"You didn't WHAT?" Takeshi yelped. "You mean we can't get back home?? Ever??"
"A vacation's okay but if we stay for too long we'll get fired!" Musashi snapped.
"I DON'T WANNA STAY HERE IN OKIYAMA! ALL MY STUFF'S BACK HOME!" Kojiro wailed.
Tenchi jumped up, hands out to keep the trio from attacking Washu. "Calm down! I'm sure Washu has a perfectly good solution!"
Kiyone shot the scientist a look. "RIGHT, Washu?"
Another pause, then, "Nope! I'm stumped!"
Everyone face-vaulted.
"That's what most scientists would say," she went on. "But since I am Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the Universe, I'll just build a tunnel that goes out instead of in!"
"And how long will that take?" Kojiro wondered.
"Oh, let's see..." Washu counted on her fingers real quick, muttering to herself. "If the input took... then the output... plus equipment... add technicalities... two to three months!"
"But what about our lives back home?!" Musashi shouted, pulling out a mallet and holding it menacingly above Washu's head.
"Relax," she said calmly, always maintaing her composure. "When the time comes for you to go home I'll just set it for this day. Then you'll go back home not more than two hours after you left. How does that sound, huh?"
None of the three could even begin to comprehend time travel, but Washu DID seem to know what she was talking about.
"That could work," Kojiro agreed.
Musashi's mallet disappeared. "All right, pinkhead, I'll take you up on that offer. But you better get moving, 'cause I'm not waiting any longer than I have to to get back home."
"No problem, fire-scalp," Washu replied easily. "I'm on my way down to the lab already."
"Fire WHAT??" Musashi growled as Washu stood up. She pulled out a paper fan and made as if to hit the scientist.
WACK! Washu had pulled out a small device that had sprung open and smacked Musashi across the face. "They don't call me a genius for nothing, you know. If anyone needs me you'll know where to find me. 'Till next meal."
She opened the closet door, and was gone.
"You okay, Musa-chan?" Kojiro asked his partner.
She rubbed her face hard, trying to remove the red mark. "Yeah. Can you do me a favor, Kojiro?"
"Uh..."
"Collect some of Wheezing's acid in a tube for me- the next time I see that woman she's getting a faceful of burning liquid for ruining this perfection." Musashi threatened. It was an idle threat, of course, after seeing what Washu could do Musashi wasn't about to mess with her. "Ugh, I can't get this darn mark off! Can I go up to my room and-" she stopped.
"Where exactly are we gonna sleep for the next four months?" Takeshi asked.
"Well, Aeka and Sasami share a room, Kiyone and Mihoshi have an apartment, and Washu's got her lab..." Tenchi rattled off people's names, thinking aloud.
"Perhaps you should put the young woman with Ryoko and have Washu make the boys a dimensional room." Katsuhito had snuck in to the house without anyone noticing.
"With all due respect, Grandfather, but are you sure it would be wise to put Miss Musashi with Miss Ryoko? Miss Ryoko will only cause trouble for the lady-" Aeka began to object.
"Trouble? That's my motto," Musashi interrupted. "Back home Kojiro and I are famous Pokémon thieves."
"Thieves!?" Aeka put her head in her hands. "This household is going down the drain, I just know it..."
"Why don't you take Miss Musashi up to your room, Ryoko?" Katsuhito suggested. "And Tenchi, do you suppose it would be too much trouble if you asked Washu to build a dimension portal and room for the young men?"
"I'm on my way, Grandpa," Tenchi obeyed, heading to the closet. He motioned for Kojiro and Takeshi to follow him. Kojiro waved good-bye to Musashi, then disappeared with the others.
"I guess I'll get you set up," Ryoko said almost grudgingly. "Just what I need, some girl ruining my privacy."
"Uh, if you want I could just share a room with Kojiro," Musashi volunteered. "We're used to sleeping togeth- what I mean is that Kojiro and I have been best friend for years and are used to the other ones company." By now she was blushing as red as her hair.
"Around here we like to segregate the girls and the boys room-wise," Katsuhito said decisively. "That way no problems or... other things can arise."
Ryoko tugged on Musashi's long hair- which now hung wet and limp down her back- teasingly. "Yeah, so two certain people can't have the other's 'company.'"
Once again Musashi felt a rising urge to slap the pirate, but stopped herself. She threw a hand up as if it didn't matter. "Whatever. Let's go Ryoko."
"Kiyone, Mihoshi, could you go pick some vegetables from the garden for dinner?" Sasami asked as Ryoko and Musashi left.
"Okay," the duo agreed, standing up.
"I think I will go help Tenchi get the boys settled-" Aeka began to follow her heartthrob, but Sasami took hold of her robe and steered her into the kitchen.
"No way, Aeka. You're going to help me count the money we've saved up. If we're gonna have more guests here they're going to need clothes and your average day-to-day things."
"Oh... fine. Lead the way, Sasami."
"No problem for a genius like me," Washu smirked, typing busily on her holo keyboard. "Just tell me where and what you want it to look like and I'll have it up within a few hours."
Tenchi thought about where the best place for the room would be. "There's an empty closet that nobody uses upstairs next to Ryoko's room. You could put it in there!"
More typing, then. "Done! I've set up the portal. Now it's up to the others to decide what it should look like."
"Tan walls!" Takeshi said.
"Pastel blue walls!" Kojiro said at the same time.
They glared at each other.
"I don't want a stupid color like that! Tan is simple and manly."
"Well, blue is romantic!"
"Blue is gay!"
"Tan is boring!"
Tenchi stepped between the two, saying to Washu. "Just make it like the other rooms in the house."
"With beds as far away from each other as possible!" Kojiro put in, staring down Takeshi.
Takeshi met the gaze and held it. "Exactly what I was thinking."
"Freak."
"Pansy."
Tenchi smiled weakly. "Can't we just all be friends?"
"NO!"
He slumped back into a chair Washu had placed for him. "I was afraid of that. Now we have two pairs of dueling dragons in the house."
Washu grinned. "At least they aren't fighting over you, Tenchi!"
"You mean NO ONE in this house has any hairspray??"
Ryoko shrugged. "Sorry, but I've never even seen a can except in stores."
"Then how do you get your hair to stick up like that?"
"Like how?"
"All spiky!"
"Hmm..." Ryoko pulled a strand down, held it between her fingers, then let go. It sprang immediately back into it's old position. "I guess it just stays that way! What's the big deal?"
Musashi held up her long red hair. "Look at this! Without the spray I won't be able to get it into the right style! I can't show my face in public with my hair looking so... grotesque!"
"I still don't see what the problem is. Just brush it, put it up in a hair-tie or something and go with it. Who's gonna care?"
"Me, that's who! I never do anything plain! Eck!" Musashi complained, rubbing a strand of hair between her fingers.
Ryoko ran her hand through her own hair. "Whatever." She floated to the door. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up. You staying here?"
Musashi nodded, trying to lift her hair up with her hands... and failing. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be here when you get back. Unless I'm not."
"You know, you can go wherever you want. Everybody else does."
"I don't know where anything is."
"Well, you'll never know until you look around." And with that the space pirate was gone; teleported to the spa-like bathroom.
"Ugh, what am I gonna do?" Musashi grumbled.
A familiar purple-haired head poked around the door. "Miss Musashi? I couldn't help but overhear your predicament, and it just so happens that I am very good with hairstyles."
Aeka, of course, and looking like she'd just gotten out of the bath. Musashi wasn't exactly thrilled with the snooty Princess, but at that moment she didn't have a better option. "Oh, fine. Do you have any hairspray?"
"No. But I do have some ideas that I believe would make you look lovely." Aeka smiled winningly, and almost sincerely. Musashi knew she was up to something.
"I guess that could work-"
"Come along, then, to my room. We can chat while I work!" Aeka pulled the startled Rocket out of Ryoko's room, down the hall and into her own. Within moments she had grabbed brush, clips and hair-ties, plunked Musashi down in front of a chair and began to brush out the long red strands.
"It's so nice that we can have a little time together. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get you away from Ryoko in time." Aeka prattled, running the brush none-too-gently through Musashi's hair. "You see, someone needs to warn you of the dangers Ryoko poses to people."
"Ow! What-oo- dangers?" Musashi asked, wincing between hair-pulls.
"Oh, it's nothing, not really..." Aeka paused to grab a clip. "But then again, it could be something."
Musashi grimaced as her hair was pulled back tightly. "I hate guessing games, Princess. Just tell me what's wrong with her."
"It's just... well, Ryoko is a very violent space pirate, you realize."
"Yeah. I'm violent too. So?"
"Not only that, but she tends to be rather possessive- of both people and items- and a pathological liar. She tells so many stories about me, none of them true of course, but still... I just supposed I should give you fair warning, especially since she may become covetous of your Kojiro-" Aeka explained.
"MY Kojiro??" Musashi snapped, whipping her head around so Aeka's hands flew off her partly-finished hair. "Who ever said he was mine? Who made up the lie? I oughta deck the person who said that bull!"
"N-no one said anything, Miss Musashi," Aeka said quickly. "I just assumed-"
"Well you assumed wrong!" the Rocket practically shouted, turning back the way she'd been. "And I'll decide who I like and who I don't like. I don't need anybody spreading half-truths about other people."
Aeka was about to open her mouth to say more, but decided against it. She'd already put this guest on guard- she'd have to be extra careful now or Ryoko would turn Musashi against her for sure! "I apologize. Next time I shall think more before I jump to conclusions."
The rest of the time was spent mostly in silence. In about five minutes Aeka proclaimed that she was done with Musashi's hair. Musashi stood up and looked into a mirror uneasily.
"Ah!" she cried, eyes going googly. "I LOVE it!"
Aeka really hadn't done that much, but what she had done did look nice. Musashi's long red hair was pulled up in a pony, then tucked back under into the same hair tie. The shorter side pieces of her hair hung over her ears similar to the way Ryoko's did.
"You're a genius!" Musashi praised. "Everyone says Washu is but I bet she can't do this!"
"You're too kind," Aeka said, chuckling darkly. Maybe she could win this one over after all.
Musashi noticed something that made her do a double take. "WHERE ARE MY EARRINGS??"
"You're, you're what?" Aeka wondered. "You weren't wearing any when you came in here."
Musashi dug around in the dresses pockets. "Oh, where are they?? My beautiful green earrings..."
Aeka felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Did they happen to be large, green spheres?"
"Yes, yes, those're them. Where ARE they?? Do you know??"
Aeka twisted a strand of purple hair nervously. "I, er, found a pair like that in the spa."
Musashi whirled around to face the princess. "AND??"
"Well... I thought they were some sort of experiment made by Washu... and I, well, they were rather ghastly, huge things... oh, this is quite embarassing..." Aeka sighed, and said in a very small voice. "I had my guardians disintegrate them."
Musashi's face went from anxious to bright red anger. "YOU. DID. WHAT???"
"I'm very sorry, Miss Musashi. I have plenty of earrings if you would like some more-"
"No thanks Princess I-Have-Better-Taste-Than-Everyone-Else, you've done enough for one day!" Musashi shouted, stomping out the door and slamming it forcefully behind her. Outside Aeka heard Musashi wail, "AND THOSE WERE A PRESENT FROM KOJIRO, TOO!"
Aeka winced. She hadn't done quite as good of a job as she had hoped.
"Hm, I followed the recipe perfectly," she said to herself. "But for some reason it doesn't taste right."
The young cook leaned over the cookbook, seeing if she'd missed something. Silently Takeshi came over, picked up the wooden spoon and tasted the concoction experimentally. After a moment he said, "Pepper."
Sasami jumped, looking up. She found the houseguest Takeshi standing next to her. "What'd you say?"
"Pepper," Takeshi repeated, already going to the cabinets. "It's not spicy enough- it needs a little more zip."
Sasami followed him, pointing out the cabinet where he could find the spices. "You sure seem to know what you're talking about. Have you made this before or something?"
"Nope," Takeshi told her, pulling down the pepper. "I'm just a natural-born cook. My mom always said I had a good taste for all sorts of food. Everyone's gifted in some way, I guess." He dumped a tablespoon of pepper into the mix, stirred and tasted. After a couple of seconds he added a teaspoon more and repeated the process. He smiled. "There! That's more like it!"
Sasami tasted the mixture herself. She smiled back at Takeshi. "Wow! That's exactly what it needed! You must be a famous chef back home!"
"I wish," Takeshi said dreamily. "I'm just your regular, average teen...mostly, anyway." He paused, then went on. "You know, since you guys are kinda giving me room and board and things like that, I was wondering if maybe there was some way I can repay you."
Sasami smiled. "Sure is! You can help me with the cooking! Everyone else in this house couldn't boil water if their lives depended on it!"
Takeshi laughed. "That doesn't seem like much of a hard job to me- cooking's one of my favorite pastimes."
"Yeah? Mine too. My sister- Aeka- thinks I'm crazy for it," Sasami giggled, taking the pot of the stove to cool.
Takeshi smiled, looking with new interest on the kid. She couldn't be more than eleven- he had no relationship interest with her, of course- but at least he'd found himself a soul mate while he was on this alien rock.
"Musa-chan, is something wrong?" Kojiro wondered. "You're never this quiet. You okay?"
Musashi shrugged, and continued eating.
"You sick or something?" Kojiro pried, moving closer to feel her forehead. He stopped, and stared. "Musashi, where are your earrings? I've never seen you without them, unless we're sleeping-"
She glared daggers at Aeka. "Why don't you ask the Princess? She knows exactly where they are."
All eyes turned to Aeka. The Juraiian Royalty looked down in shame, explaining the entire story. "I am very sorry for the distress I may have caused, and for the personal damage which cannot be undone."
The silence was broken only by the sound of Mihoshi slurping her soup. "Wow, this is awesome! What's it called Sasami?"
Kiyone head fell against the table in frustration. "Can't you think about something other than food for one second??"
"Sorry Kiyone but I've got to compliment Sasami on this new soup!" Mihoshi explained.
Sasami decided this would be a good way to change the subject before a fight erupted. "You ought to be thanking Takeshi! It would have tasted all yucky and plain if he hadn't helped me!"
"Oh, so you're a cook," Tenchi said, following Sasami's lead. "Had a lot of experience?"
"All my life," Takeshi said, beaming. Getting compliments from your friends was one thing; getting compliments from alien strangers was completely different.
Aeka turned away from Musashi and joined in the other's conversation.
"I can't believe they're just going to let her get away with that!" Musashi growled.
Kojiro sighed. "Just let it go, Musashi."
"But I know you spent a lot of money on those-"
"It's okay. We can always get another pair," Kojiro interrupted. He hesitated. "Well... for what it's worth, you look really nice, with your hair up like that and that blue dress."
Musashi turned away, pretending to be upset, but in fact she was blushing. Ryoko noticed that deep shade of red on Musashi's cheeks and winked encouragingly. Musashi, enraged by the fact that someone had seen her freaking out over a little compliment, excused herself in a hurry and went up to Ryoko's room.
"Look who's talking apron-boy," Kojiro shot back, though he seemed distracted.
"What's with you?" Takeshi wondered, pulling out his frilly pink apron and hanging it in the closet. "We're going to be spending half of the next three months with each other, and you don't even seem freaked by that."
Kojiro flopped down on the bed. "Oh, I am, don't worry. I'm just worried about Musashi. She was kinda... why am I even telling YOU about this? Forget I said anything."
"Someone's got a crush," Takeshi sang.
"Shut up and go to sleep," Kojiro muttered. "That's your problem, you don't know when to quit. There isn't a single girl on this planet who will EVER go for that insane style, just like there was no one back home."
"Then why did Mihoshi call me cute?"
"She was humoring you," Kojiro replied easily. "We talking or we unpacking and sleeping? The last thing I wanna do is make some sort of guy-guy bond with a twerp like you."
"Right back at you!" Takeshi finished putting away his things, crawled under the covers, and turned off the lights.
"Well, this IS my room," Ryoko said sarcastically. She held up a jar of liquid and some cups. "You seemed kinda stressed at dinner, so I brought up one of my favorite delicacies."
Musashi held the cup as Ryoko poured some of the drink in. "What is it?"
"Sake," Ryoko replied. Upon seeing Musashi's odd look, she explained. "It's a kind of alcoholic tea. Calms the nerves and helps you forget your problems."
"Anything like beer?" Musashi guessed.
"Yeah."
Musashi held the glass high. "A kindred spirit!" She gulped down the alcohol, shivering happily. "It's got a nice zip to it!"
Ryoko laughed. She sipped the drink, not wanting to get too drunk before she got a couple answers from Musashi. After the Rocket had had a few cups (the tea was pretty potent), Ryoko decided to chat. "What d'you think of the others, huh? Gotten any first impression yet?"
Musashi nodded. "Well, Kiyone seems okay, even for a police officer."
"Hasn't turned me in yet," Ryoko agreed. "I think in a way we're kind of alike- as much as pirate and police can be, anyway."
"And Mihoshi is a total ditz," Musashi went on, "but I bet she's fine. Prob'ly a crack-up." Ryoko nodded, and Musashi continued. "Aeka is... I'm not gonna go there. I can't believe she'd throw away my earrings like that without even ask people anything."
"I couldn't agree more."
"Sasami's a nice kid. Hard t'believe she's related to Aeka. I guess Washu's fine, but kinda wacky."
"Mm-hm. And Tenchi?" Ryoko pried, curious as to if the new girl would become a rival or a friend.
Musashi smiled. "Tenchi's nice... real sweet and junk... and a nice host. Make a good friend, loyal and all that, I bet."
Ryoko bared her teeth. "Well, back off! Tenchi's mine, all right? We took an oath to die together and everything!"
Musashi held up her hands in self-defense. "I didn't say I liked him! Naw, Tenchi's not my type. 'Sides, I've already got someone in mind."
"Kojiro?"
No answer.
"Aw, Musashi, come on!" Ryoko goaded, already feeling a bit tipsy herself.
Musashi looked at her hands and nodded. Ryoko laughed, patting her on the back and almost knocking her out of her chair.
"I had a feeling! Are you'n'him close're something, huh? Datin' and everything?"
Musashi let out a single humorless laugh. "I wish! Kojiro and I've been friends forever... nothin' more than friends, unfortunately."
"Why's that?" Ryoko wondered. "You don't seem t'have any rivals for him like I do, and it's not like you haven't known each other long enough..."
"Well, I guess part of it's my job," Musashi confessed. "We're always so busy with everything. And then Nyasu's hanging around, so there's another problem-"
"That has been erased with this dimension trip!" Ryoko reminded her.
"Also... well... I don't know how to put this... I'm not good at expressing myself, you know? Everytime I wanna tell him, I panic and smack him over the head or comment about catching Pikachu- that's a Pokémon. And, well, quite frankly I don't know if Kojiro feels the same way about me. I've always wondered about his gender preference, too, even though he's never actually come on to a guy... or a girl..." even in this stage, Musashi knew when to stop. "So what about you? What's keepin' you back from Tenchi?"
"Aeka," Ryoko said bluntly. "Not to mention the fact that we don't have ANY privacy, not with a million people around this house."
She paused, and Musashi knew that wasn't all. "Go on."
"Eh..." Ryoko blushed. "I know nothing about men, or love, or any of that junk. I've been alone most of my life, and the rest was usually spent around other female pirates. So guys are a new thing for me. Everytime I try something Tenchi just gets farther away from me."
Musashi sipped her Sake thoughtfully. "You know, there might be a way we can help each other."
Ryoko sat up intently. "How's that?"
"Well, I'm no good at expressing my feelings, but I know a lot about guys. And you're great at expressing you're feelings, but know nothing about guys. The way I figure, if we pair up-"
"We can teach the other one what they need to know!" Ryoko finished triumphantly.
"Not only that, but we'll help the other one get a little privacy."
"An amazing scheme."
"Naturally."
The held up their glasses.
"To a perfect partnership!" Musashi toasted.
"And the boys of our dreams!" Ryoko added.
"To Washu's invention-"
"May her portal back to Nomékop take twice as long to build!"
They paused, trying to think of something else. Finally Musashi said:
"To us?"
Ryoko smirked. "To us!"
Mihoshi: Yeah and isn't Takeshi cute?
Ryoko: Heheh, with Musashi on my side fighting against Aeka, I can't possibly lose Tenchi on this one!
Aeka: What!? Are you two planning something already? UGH!
Kiyone: Don't you ever stop fighting? This is getting silly.
Washu: Coming up next in the PokéMuyo Series: No Need for Houseguests!
Aeka: It's unquestionably irritating!
