"I'll start looking right away through the classified ads," said
Mihoshi cheerfully. She picked up the newspaper and started flipping
pages.

"You do that. I'm going to lie down..." groaned Kiyone, dropping onto
her futon.

After a while, Mihoshi's face brightened. "Here's one: Krystal Fashion
Health Clubs. Branches in Roppongi, Dogenzaka, and Kabukicho. Wouldn't
having jobs as aerobics instructors be great, Kiyone?"

"I don't know, Mihoshi, that's not exactly my line of work."

"But it would be fun! Hey, let's go work at the one in Kabukicho."

"What for? That's a pretty rough area, you know."

"We're Galaxy Police officers! Danger is our way of life! And besides,
it says right here: `Applicants at Kabukicho branch required to
perform in two-girl option at request of clients, with commensurate
salary increase.' We'll be partners, Kiyone, like always! And we'll
make more money, too!"

"`Two-girl option'? Let me see that..." Kiyone got up off the futon
and grabbed the paper, then started reading it. "Mihoshi, do you know
what this place *is*?!?!"

"Sure! It's a Health Club, like it says in the ad."

Kiyone shoved the newspaper back to her. "It's a *BROTHEL*!" 

Mihoshi blinked. "It is?"

"What do you think `oral service' *means*?! Finish reading the ad next
time!" snarled Kiyone.

"Oh, OK." Mihoshi scanned the paper some more. "Hey, how about this:
`Pink Salon attendants wanted.' It sounds so glamorous! Wouldn't it be
fun to work with hair?"

"Yeah, *pubic* hair," groaned Kiyone, putting her face in her hands.

"Huh?"

Kiyone sighed. "Why don't *you* take the job, Mihoshi? I'll find a
different one."

"But what would I do without you there to help me?!" asked Mihoshi,
sniffling and starting to cry. "I'd miss you so much, Kiyoneeeee!"

"Then find us something a little less sleazy, OK?"

Mihoshi dried her tears. "Well, I'll try... OK, look at this one."

"What's it for, porno actresses? Strippers? Phone sex operators,
maybe?" Kiyone asked, a smirk on her face.

Mihoshi shook her head. "No, office ladies. `Azumi Heavy Industries,
secretary pool, two openings. Excellent pay and benefits with a
rapidly-expanding, diversified company. Contact Mr. Mikura.'"

Kiyone blinked, then grabbed the newspaper. She read the ad several
times. "I don't believe it. You actually found one that's not half
bad!"

About forty minutes later, Washuu activated the tracking device and
hooked it into the computer system. She tapped some keys and watched
her screen. "Aha! It looks like they're closing in on... make that
*stopping at* Mihoshi and Kiyone's apartment."

"Oh, no! How awful!" gasped Aeka.

"No, how *convenient*," corrected Washuu. "Now, if they'll just stay
there, I can try out one of my other recent inventions."

"What invention?" asked Tenchi.

"This!" shouted Washuu, pointing to soot-covered door leaning against
a once-neat stack of equipment. "Give me about ten minutes to run some
tests to be sure it's safe, then we'll be on our way."

"Wait a minute," protested Tenchi. "How is *that* going to help us."

"It's a dimensional portal to Kiyone and Mihoshi's apartment," said
Washuu. "I was working on it as a way to save them on their train
fare, and so they can visit more often, use the women's bath, come
over for dinner, that kind of thing."

"I guess at least *some* of your inventions are useful," said Ryoko.

"Watch it, or you'll be bathing in the lake," warned Washuu. "Now go
phone Mihoshi and Kiyone, and let them know what's happening. It's the
least you can do to atone for this mess you've caused."

"Hey! You should have explained better how the damn thing worked!"
replied Ryoko angrily. "And what kind of computer explodes when you
press the wrong part of the screen?!"

"I was thinking the same thing," said Tenchi. "When something goes
wrong with the ones at school, all that happens is that the screen
turns blue and there's a message that says you have to  reset it.
Maybe you should get whatever program it is we're using."

Washuu closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and ground her teeth as
her entire body shook with mounting livid rage at the horrible insult.
Then she turned her gaze on Tenchi, her eyes blazing green infernos as
she spoke slowly through a clenched jaw. "I'm the greatest scientific
genius in the universe, and you're suggesting that I...!!!"

"Errr, I take it back!" interrupted Tenchi, eying Washuu in terror as
sweat beaded on his brow.

"I'll, uh, go call Mihoshi and Kiyone," said Ryoko, exiting the lab as
rapidly as she could.

"I think I will go see that Sasami is safe," said Aeka nervously,
following her.

"I'd probably better go and do... something," said Tenchi, unable to
think of a reason but wanting to get away from Washuu as soon as
possible. From the look on her face, he suspected she might well turn
him into pond scum.

Washuu glared at them as they went out, then set about her work,
grumbling.

When she got upstairs, Ryoko quickly dialed the number for Mihoshi and
Kiyone's apartment.

"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected due
to non-payment of fees," said a recording.

"I don't care. I need to talk to them!" replied Ryoko angrily.

"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected due
to non-payment of fees."

"Just get me Kiyone or Mihoshi!" demanded Ryoko.

"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected due
to non-payment of fees."

Ryoko slammed down the receiver. "Damn... Earthling... crazy...
stupid... GRRRRRRR!!!"

"Something's wrong with the phone," she said, as she walked into the
kitchen where Tenchi was getting himself a drink. Then she sat down,
thinking of the explosion in the lab and preparing herself for the
angry words that always came after she directly or indirectly damaged
something around the Masaki residence.

She waited, and waited, the dread growing on her as she did so. She
watched as Tenchi continued drinking his soda in slow motion for what
seemed like an hour. Then he glanced over at Ryoko, and she hung her
head. "I'm sorry, Tenchi," she said.

"It's OK, Ryoko," replied Tenchi. "It wasn't all your fault."

Ryoko blinked and looked over at him in disbelief. "You... mean it,
Tenchi?"

Now it was Tenchi's turn to be puzzled. "Huh? Of course I mean it," he
said.

"Really?" asked Ryoko, her eyes widening.

Tenchi stared at her, attempting to figure out what was going on.
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

Ryoko jumped up and tackled him with a flying leap.

"Thank you, Tenchi!" she said, hugging him tight. "Thank you."

Tenchi smiled at her and shook his head. He was getting used to having
Ryoko's arms around him be something to be enjoyed rather than
avoided, but he decided that sometimes there was just no use trying to
understand her. "You're welcome," he said.

While Tenchi gave up trying to solve the problem of determining the
cause of Ryoko's sudden gratitude, miles away his two robot likenesses
tried to solve a different dilemma.

"How are we going to get in there?" asked Mecha-Tenchi-A.

"You know as much as I do," responded Mecha-Tenchi-B. "But I still
think we should have stayed at the house and gone after the girls
there. There were two for each of us!"

"Maybe *you* want to get caught and have to fuck Mecha-Washuu again,
but *I* sure don't," said A. "Anyway, I think we should get onto the
balcony and go in that way."

"Good idea. Breaking down the front door would make too much noise,"
said B.

"Give me a lift, then," ordered Mecha-A.

Mecha-B's face and voice grew angry. "No way! *You* give *me* a lift."

"It was my idea!" snapped Mecha-Tenchi-A.

"Yeah, but what do I get out of it?" demanded B.

Mecha-A thought for a moment. "I'll let you pick which of the girls
you want. Sound fair?"

B sighed. "Alright, alright. But you'd better help me up there once
you get onto the balcony."

"Hey, no problem," assured A.

Mecha-Tenchi-B let Mecha-Tenchi-A climb onto his shoulders. Then A
pulled himself onto the balcony, and looked inside.

"Wow, take a look at *that*!" he gasped, crouching down next to the
glass door.

"What? Where? Hey, help me up!" shouted Mecha-Tenchi-B.

"Oooooh... she can arrest me *any time she likes*!" said Mecha-A,
drooling.

"This isn't fair! Give me a hand!" demanded B, trying to jump onto the
balcony.

Inside the apartment, Mihoshi folded her sweater and slacks, clad only
in her underwear as she stood in full view of the window. "It's such a
nice day today, Kiyone," she said, looking down at her partner on the
futon. "I think I'll do some sunbathing. Wanna join me?"

"Maybe later," answered Kiyone in a rather miserable voice. "My head
still hurts."

"I'm sorry, Kiyone. I guess we aren't going to work in any more music
stores, huh?"

"Not ones that play *that* kind of music that *loud*," said Kiyone.
"It's alright, Mihoshi. I'll be OK after a nap."

"I'll let you rest, then," said Mihoshi. She got out her bikini and
set it on the table next to a large towel and a bottle of suntan oil.
Then she reached behind her back to undo her bra.

Mecha-Tenchi-A's eyes bulged out of his head in anticipation. Noticing
his expression, Mecha-B got even angrier than he already was. "What's
happening?! LET ME UP THERE YOU BASTARD!!"

Mihoshi removed her brassiere and set it next to her top on the table,
exposing her breasts.

Mecha-A's equivalent of a nervous system flashed with urgent signals
that, had he been human, would have sent blood spurting out of his
nose. Moments later, as Mihoshi set her panties on the table next to
the bikini and bra, Mecha-Tenchi-A's eyes bugged out even more when
they verified that she was indeed a natural blonde.

"I said, let me up there!!!" demanded Mecha-B, once more leaping for
the balcony and falling short.

"Oh, noooooooooo! Don't do *that*!" groaned Mecha-A, watching as
Mihoshi put on the bottom of her bikini.

"Hey! You promised! YOU PROMISED!" shouted B.

The cups of Mihoshi's bikini top hid most of her breasts from view as
she slipped it on and tied the strings. "Nooooo! Not that *too*!"
Mecha-Tenchi-A moaned.

"Alright then! If you won't help me, I'll go find my own women!"
shouted Mecha-B. "And I'll keep *this*!" he added, holding up the
passbook to Tenchi's savings account the two of them had swiped before
leaving the house. He turned and started walking away from the
apartment building.

"Ha! Fine by me! I'll get both of *these* ones for myself!" called
Mecha-A after him.

Mihoshi blinked, finally noticing the commotion outside. She walked up
to the balcony door.

Seeing her approach, perversion and cowardice warred in Mecha-
Tenchi-A's cybernetic brain. It was a very near thing, but cowardice
won out. He scrambled over the balcony railing and held on to it with
his hands, peeking up over the edge.

"Who's making so much noise?" wondered Mihoshi aloud, as she opened
the door and went outside. She looked down at the courtyard. Seeing
nothing, she dismissed the sounds as unimportant. She brought out the
towel and spread it on the balcony, then lay down and started rubbing
suntan oil onto her already-bronzed skin.

Mecha-A watched as if hypnotized while Mihoshi's hands applied the
shiny liquid all over her body. Finally satisfied that she wouldn't
burn, she lay back, put on her sunglasses, and sighed, basking
contentedly in the wonderfully-warm rays of the sun. 

After a while, Mecha-Tenchi noticed that she seemed to have dozed off.
He pulled himself up onto the balcony. For a few moments his optical
circuits lingered on Mihoshi's curves. Then he knelt between her legs
and started reaching down towards her breasts. The balcony creaked
slightly as he moved.

Underneath her sunglasses, Mihoshi's eyes fluttered open. Her training
from the Galaxy Police Academy rushed back into her brain. She noted
that she was in a vulnerable position with someone crouched over her
reaching towards the general area of her neck. Vivid memories of her
unarmed combat instructor's screaming voice reverberated in her mind,
and she lashed out reflexively before she realized what she was doing.
Numerous kicks and punches connected in a the space of two seconds.
Her foot struck Mecha-Tenchi's jaw, sending him flying back just as
Mihoshi recognized her assailant. The force of her blow knocked him
over the railing and off the balcony.

Mihoshi bounced to her feet. "Oh, no!" she cried, as she looked down.

Mecha-Tenchi-A lay still, his head in the center of a pattern of
cracks in the concrete.

"I've killed him!" sobbed Mihoshi. Tears started to stream from her
eyes. "Oh no! I've killed Tenchi!" She slammed the balcony door back
open and ran into the apartment.

Kiyone rolled over on her futon and massaged her temples. "Don't make
so much *noise*, Mihoshi!"

"I just killed Tenchi!!" wailed Mihoshi, rushing towards the front
door.

"WHAT?!?!?" 

Kiyone leapt up and followed her partner out of the apartment. Moments
later the two of them stood staring at a dent in the cement with
cracks radiating from it.

"And now someone's stolen the body!" sobbed Mihoshi.

"Will you mind telling me what's going on?" demanded Kiyone.

"I kicked Tenchi off the balcony and he hit his head *right here*!"
cried Mihoshi, pointing to the depression in the ground. "I didn't
mean to, Kiyone! Please believe me! He startled me, and it all
happened so *quickly*!"

Kiyone crouched down and examined the dent suspiciously. "If that's
what happened, why isn't there any blood?" 

Mihoshi stopped crying for a moment. "Huh?" She bent down next to her
partner. "You're right."

"And a human skull isn't strong enough to break concrete," continued
Kiyone. "Except *your's*, maybe," she added under her breath. She
looked up. "Are you sure you didn't just imagine this?"

"I'm *really* sure!"

"Well, tell me exactly what happened, then."

"I was lying on the balcony, sunbathing, and I fell asleep. When I
woke up, Tenchi was kneeling in front of me, almost on top of me, and
he was reaching down... towards my neck, it looked like, though come
to think of it he might have been reaching for my chest..."

Kiyone rolled her eyes and put one of her hands over her face. "One of
*these* daydreams again..." she muttered.

Mihoshi went on, not having heard her partner. "So I remembered
something one of unarmed combat coaches at the Academy said -- you
know, the really tall one with the dark hair? Anyway, I thought of all
the times he yelled at me, stuff like `Cadet Mihoshi, pay attention!
If this was real, you'd be dead now! Do you understand? Not that we'd
miss you, but we'd all have to waste our time going to your funeral
when we should be out catching criminals instead!' He really didn't
need to shout, you know, but every time I told him that it only seemed
to make him madder and he'd scream at me in front of the whole class,
and it embarrassed me so *much* Kiyone -- you remember, don't you? And
then there was the time that he said that I was..."

"OK, OK, I get the point!" said Kiyone. "What happened *after* that?"

"I was just about to get to that part," said Mihoshi. "Well, I sorta
acted out of instinct, I guess, before I really saw who it was. I
kicked him in the groin, and then I punched him in the solar plexus,
then I punched him in the throat, and after that I kicked him in the
right knee... no, the left knee... or maybe it *was* the right knee.
And then I punched him twice in the stomach and kicked him in the jaw,
and he fell off the balcony." She started to cry again. "I didn't
*mean* to, Kiyone! Honest! It all happened so fast!"

Kiyone shook her head. "I really think you imagined it, Mihoshi."

"But I didn't!" protested Mihoshi.

"You were having a bad daydream, and when you saw this hole in the
ground, your still-sleepy brain connected the details for you," said
Kiyone. "Case solved."

"That's not the way it happened, Kiyone!"

Kiyone sighed. "I'm going back upstairs," she said, and proceeded to
do so. 

Unable to think of anything else to do, Mihoshi followed her, still
letting out the occasional sob. Kiyone lay down on her futon again,
then looked over at her partner tear-streaked face. Whatever had
happened, Mihoshi seemed to genuinely believe she'd killed Tenchi.
Kiyone decided to make another attempt at logic to allay her partner's
fears.

"Look, Mihoshi. Do you really think Ryoko and Aeka would let Tenchi
out of their sight long enough for him to come over here? You know how
possessive they are."

This only seemed to make Mihoshi more upset. "What are they going to
say to me when they find out? And Sasami and Washuu! And his dad and
grandpa! They were both so nice to me! How could I *do* this?" Mihoshi
dried her eyes for a moment. "I want you to arrest me. I'm placing
myself in your custody, for unlawful termination of inhabitants of
primitive worlds, under Galactic Law article... um, article..."

"Fifteen twenty-nine, amendment two-seventy-four," finished Kiyone,
laughing. "Don't be ridiculous! There's no evidence!"

"What about...?" started Mihoshi, pointing a trembling finger towards
the balcony.

Kiyone shook her head. "Now, let me see... I'm supposed to arrest
someone on suspicion of murder. But there's no body, no report of the
victim being missing, no motive, and the testimony of the only witness
doesn't match the physical evidence." She smiled. "What are you trying
to do -- screw up my career even *more*?"

"But I killed him, Kiyone! I *know* I did!" Mihoshi wept into her
hands. "Poor Tenchi!"

At that moment, three people sneezed. One of them was standing in
Washuu's lab, carrying a twelve-sided dark grey crystal the size of a
basketball. "What's this thing for, anyway?" he asked.

"*That* is a subspace guide-beacon," replied Washuu proudly. "Another
first of its kind from the universe's greatest genius!"

Tenchi grunted as he struggled under the objects's weight. "You
already said that. What I want to know is, what does it *do*?"

"It serves as a reliable marker for opening dimensional portals
through subspace. As long as we're within one light-second of it, I
can use my computer to open a gateway back to it."

"That certainly sounds useful," said Aeka. "So, once we find them,
we'll use this to get to them?"

"No. I said we can get *back* to it. It gives me an accurate fix on
where I'm opening the portal *to*," explained Washuu. She went over to
a door standing in the middle of the floor, and examined it carefully.
"OK, time to get going," she announced, sliding it open.

Tenchi steeled himself and headed through, followed by Aeka and Ryoko.
Washuu entered last, and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment that served as Galaxy Police HQ for
the Sol System, Kiyone watched as her partner continued crying over
what was obviously only a bad dream.

Kiyone grumbled for a moment. It was just like Mihoshi to get the
facts mixed up so crazily. So was becoming so emotional over nothing.
But the two of them were friends. Sort of. If friendship could be
stretched to include words like "Now I will never see you again, and
that makes me so happy!"

Well, Mihoshi *had* repeatedly set back Kiyone's career, nearly
destroyed it a few times, and gotten her assigned to an unimportant
patrol sector in the middle of nowhere. But Kiyone had to admit to
herself that, when off duty, they did have a good time together. If
only they weren't partners, if only Mihoshi's mistakes weren't able to
affect Kiyone's advancement, she'd probably be a lot nicer to her, she
figured.

Kiyone sighed with exasperation and put her arm around Mihoshi. "Will
you quit crying? I've still got that headache, you know."

"I'm sorry, Kiyone, but I can't help it," replied Mihoshi. "He was so
nice, and he protected me from Ryoko that time, and then I smashed his
head open!"

Kiyone gritted her teeth as her patience wore thin. "I *told* you, you
*didn't* do that! You saw that there wasn't any blood there, didn't
you?"

"Yes, but..."

Kiyone frowned. "I guess the only thing that will convince you is if
we go visit the Masaki's and you see that nothing's happened to him,"
she said.

"But we have to be at our job at the supermarket in less than an
hour," Mihoshi reminded her. "If we're late again, they'll fire us."

"Yeah, well, we can always find another grocery store to work at,"
sighed Kiyone.

"I don't think I should go, though," said Mihoshi. "When they find out
I've killed them, everyone's going to hate me."

Kiyone's temper suddenly snapped. "I TOLD YOU, WE'RE GOING THERE SO
YOU CAN SEE YOU *DIDN'T* KILL HIM!!"

Mihoshi buried her face in her hands and cried uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Kiyone forced herself to calm down. Trying to find some
way to console Mihoshi, she reached out and hugged her. "Tell you
what. You can stay back down the path up to their house, and I'll go
to the door. That way, if you did kill him, you won't have to face
everyone," she said, scarcely able to believe she was saying something
so ridiculous. "And if he's alive, I'll come back and get you. OK?"

"Thanks, Kiyone," sniffed Mihoshi, drying her tears. "You're the
best."

Kiyone sighed again. "It's OK. We're supposed to watch out for our
fellow officers, right?"

Mihoshi nodded as she looked into her partner's eyes. "Kiyone..." she
started to say.

"Wow, fraternization in the ranks!" said Ryoko. "I thought you guys
weren't supposed to do that."

Kiyone cringed and backed away from Mihoshi. "It's not what it looks
like!" she protested loudly, standing up as quickly as she could.

"I apologize for intruding," said Aeka, still in a bit of shock from
the sight of the two officers embracing.

"Yeah, sorry for barging in on you like this," agreed Tenchi, blushing
slightly as he set down the subspace guide-beacon.

Mihoshi's eyes widened. "Tenchi!" she shouted, throwing her arms
around him. "I thought I'd killed you!" she said, crying tears of
relief as she embraced him. "I thought I'd killed you!"

Tenchi, Aeka, and Ryoko's eyes bugged out -- Tenchi's in surprise, the
girls' in fury. He tried backing away from her, feeling intensely
uncomfortable due to Mihoshi's almost-nude body pressed up against
him. Her proximity affected him in ways it hadn't before. And as his
own body started to respond in defiance of his conscience, Tenchi
blushed, ashamed of himself and very nervous because of it.

There was also the matter of the small logs beginning to float in the
air, and the reddish-orange glare that had suddenly filled the room.

Mihoshi let go of him and started to compose herself. "I'm sorry,
Tenchi," she giggled, her grief gone as if it had never existed in the
first place. "I'm so *embarrassed*!"

Aeka stared at her coldly. "I trust that you have a *very* good
explanation for that?" she asked. Next to her, Ryoko nodded, holding
her energy sword ready.

"Mihoshi thought she'd killed Tenchi," explained Kiyone, nervously
watching the pirate and princess. "I *told* you it was just a dream,
Mihoshi. See?"

"It wasn't a dream," said Washuu, stepping out from behind Ryoko and
Aeka. "That was one of the Mecha-Tenchis, my latest invention."

"Wow, he sure was realistic," gasped Mihoshi.

Washuu grinned. "Thank you!" She turned to look at the two girls, who
still stood gathering up their rage in preparation for combat.
"*Somebody* appreciates my work. Now, would you two calm down,
please?"

Tenchi nodded. He moved next to Ryoko, took hold of her sword arm, and
nudged it downward, while putting the other hand on Aeka's shoulder.
"Stop it. You're being impolite," he said, thinking what a vast
understatement "impolite" was. "It was just a kiss," he whispered to
them. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"I'll be watching her," warned Ryoko in a low voice.

"As will I," agreed Aeka.

The energy sword and the Juraian force field vanished as the two girls
relaxed ever so slightly.

Kiyone cocked an eyebrow for a moment. Aeka and Ryoko were just as
fiercely possessive as ever, so their behavior wasn't unexpected,
given what they'd seen Mihoshi do. A bit more extreme than usual,
perhaps, but that was all. A bit more cooperative than normal, too,
although they could have just set aside their mutual animosity in the
face of Mihoshi's actions. The way Tenchi acted, though... something
was different about it. Something Kiyone couldn't quite put her finger
on yet.

"What was this about `Mecha-Tenchi'?" she asked.

"Mecha-*Tenchis*," corrected Washuu. "Due to some problems induced by
certain people..." She glared at Ryoko "...they're running loose. Now,
explain to me what happened, Mihoshi."

"Well, you see..."

A few minutes later, Washuu stood typing on her computer. "It would
have been good if you could have captured them and kept them here,"
she said. "But we'll get them, don't worry."

"What exactly did you make these for?" asked Kiyone.

"Uh, *please* don't ask that," begged Tenchi, before Washuu could
speak up.

"Aha! There they are," announced Washuu. "It seems they've split up.
One of them seems to be moving rapidly... let's see... yes, he's on a
subway line. The other one is mostly still. We'd better deal with that
one first. We don't know where the other one's going to stop." She
frowned suddenly. "Something's wrong here, though. His signal keeps
starting and stopping. The transmitter is in his head, so perhaps it
was damaged when he hit it... uh- oh." She sighed. "Lost him."

"Where was he at?" asked Kiyone.

"The Tennoji Mio shopping center," replied Washuu.

"Why, though? I thought he was going to go someplace where he
could..." started Ryoko.

"Uh, no need to go into that," interrupted Tenchi quickly.

"The blow to his cranial compartment must have also damaged some of
his memory circuits, altering his programming," decided Washuu.

"But what's he programmed to do?" asked Mihoshi.

Tenchi cringed. "I really don't think we should discuss that."

"We'd better get over there before he leaves," said Washuu.

"The Tennoji Mio's a big place," said Kiyone. "Searching it will be
quite a job. Want us to help you?"

Tenchi smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that," he said. "I've got
enough for train fare to get us there. The station's just underneath
it."

"Well, Ten-chan, shall we be off, then?" asked Aeka, standing up.

Kiyone blinked. *Ten-chan*?

"Yeah, let's get this over with," agreed Ryoko, putting an arm around
Tenchi. She whispered something to him, and he blushed before she gave
him a brief kiss.

Kiyone blinked again, and tried not to stare in shock. Her self-
control was tested once more when Aeka gave Tenchi a kiss of her own,
and Ryoko merely tensed a little. And Tenchi had just looked somewhat
embarrassed, instead of terrified, as he usually did.

Well, *something* happened recently, Kiyone decided.

Minutes later, she watched with an investigator's eye as Tenchi sat on
the seat of the train, squeezed in between Ryoko and Aeka, each of
whom only objected moderately whenever the other showed affection to
him. No violence, no words, just the occasional nasty look.

They hadn't become less possessive, that was for sure. They'd seemed
almost ready to *kill* Mihoshi for kissing him. Which only made their
behavior now see even more strange.

"One thing, Ryoko," said Tenchi. "I want you to promise me that you
won't use your powers while we're in public. No walking through
things, no flying, no teleporting. OK?"

"But, Tenchi! How am I supposed to catch him?" protested Ryoko.

"Just promise me," he insisted.

"Alright," agreed the pirate, very reluctantly. "But only if I get a
kiss."

Tenchi sweated a little. "Just a quick one, OK?" he whispered.

Ryoko leaned over and pressed her lips against Tenchi's, holding the
kiss for a long time.

"Can you at least let him *breathe*?" hissed Aeka. Ryoko smiled and
let Tenchi go. Then the princess gave Tenchi a kiss, obviously much
gentler, and rather briefer, before she withdrew.

"You didn't promise anything," accused Ryoko.

Aeka smiled. "I promise I will not fly, nor pass through the walls,
nor teleport, either."

"You can't do that, anyway," said Ryoko angrily.

"Of course. So I know I'll keep my promise," replied Aeka.

After a few minutes, Ryoko put her mouth to Tenchi's ear and cupped
her hand around it. Moments later, he blushed fiery crimson and
started sweating. Ryoko continued to whisper, and something she said
made Tenchi gulp and his eyes dart around nervously.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing him," warned Aeka quietly, giving the
pirate an angry look.

Ryoko didn't budge. Suddenly, Tenchi's eyes widened and he swallowed
again as he shifted his legs uncomfortably. Then he froze stock-still,
perspiration gathering on his forehead and trickling down in visible
streams. After a while, Ryoko leaned back into her seat, a wry smile
on her face.

"And don't think I won't, either," she warned, her lips forming a
feral grin as the train pulled to a stop at the JR Tennoji Station.