The six of them rapidly disembarked and headed up the escalator. When
they reached the ground floor, Ryoko tugged Aeka aside for a moment.

"What is it?" asked Aeka.

"When we spot that robot, I want to be free to blast it," said Ryoko.
"But I don't want to risk hitting the *real* Tenchi. What do you think
we should do?"

"Perhaps if we have one of the others hold onto him," suggested Aeka.

Ryoko frowned. "There's no way I'm letting *Washuu* get her hands on
him."

Aeka nodded. "Nor Mihoshi. Not after what she did earlier."

"That leaves Kiyone. If she's interested in him, she's hidden it
pretty well. At least *I've* never seen her flirt with him or anything
like that. Have you?" asked Ryoko.

"No, neither have I," replied Aeka. "I suppose she's the only choice."

"Now, the last reading I had for him placed him on the ninth floor,"
said Washuu. "Let's hope he's still up there." Mihoshi ran up the
elevator and pressed the button. The group waited for the doors to
open. When they did, shoppers filed out, and the six of them got into
the elevator. As it ascended, Aeka turned towards Kiyone.

"Would you mind holding on to Ten-chan for me?" she asked.

"Any particular reason?" asked Kiyone, as she and Tenchi gave the
princess rather puzzled looks.

"We just don't want to get him mixed up with the robot," said Ryoko.

"OK, I guess," Kiyone replied.

The doors opened, and the group walked out into the crowd. Kiyone
glanced around, assessing in the situation. "Alright, everyone, here's
what I think we should do," she announced. "Tenchi, Washuu and I will
take the bookstore and the Sanseido stationary store. Mihoshi, Ryoko,
and Aeka, you three make a sweep around the rest of this floor,
checking out all of the smaller shops. We'll meet back here once we're
done."

Mihoshi saluted. "Understood. Officer Mihoshi is on her way!" she
announced.

"You're not in uniform, and this isn't a GP operation," Kiyone
reminded her in an annoyed voice.

"All criminals must face the forces of justice!" said Mihoshi. "Oh,
except you, of course, Ryoko," she added hastily.

Ryoko smirked. "Gee, thanks, Mihoshi," she said. She and Aeka stood
and watched the crowd as Mihoshi headed into the first shop and
started to search.

Meanwhile, Kiyone, Tenchi, and Washuu went aisle by aisle through the
bookstore, their eyes peeled for Mecha-Tenchi. After a few minutes,
Washuu tugged at Tenchi's arm.

"I'll check out the Science and Mathematics sections," she said. "That
way I won't have to keep up with you two and your long legs."

"Keep an eye out," reminded Tenchi.

Washuu headed down a row of astronomy books, glancing from face to
face amongst the customers.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question," asked Kiyone, as she
and Tenchi searched the Travel section.

"Not at all," replied Tenchi. He looked all around, feeling a bit odd
looking for his own face in the crowd.

"Has something happened between you and Aeka? Or you and Ryoko?"

Tenchi blushed. "Well, uh..."

"I'm sorry, forget I asked," said Kiyone.

"No, I've got to get used to it," replied Tenchi, as the two of them
moved over to the next aisle. "Was it that obvious?"

Kiyone chuckled. "`Obvious' would be quite an understatement. So,
which one?"

"Ummm..." Tenchi hesitated, then decided to force an answer out of
himself. "Both."

"Both?" asked Kiyone.

Tenchi nodded. "I don't want to go into the details, though. I suppose
it seems a little weird, doesn't it?"

"Just a little," agreed Kiyone. The two of them switched to the
Foreign Language aisle.

"I hope you don't think I'm *too* hentai," said Tenchi.

"Huh?" Kiyone laughed. "Oh, not *that*. Though it is unusual. But I
meant Ryoko and Aeka tolerating each other like this."

"It surprises me a little, too," he replied.

"I'd always expected that rivalry of theirs to end with one of them
killing the other," said Kiyone.

Tenchi nodded. "It almost did," he said quietly. He closed his eyes
briefly, his face pained. "Almost." They turned and headed down one of
the rows of the Japanese Literature section.

Kiyone thought for a moment. "I'd better steer Mihoshi clear of you,
then. She might do something stupid, and get herself killed."

"She *likes* me?" asked Tenchi, his face a puzzled frown.

"Oh, sure," replied Kiyone. "Don't you remember that dream world of
hers?"

"I thought that was just because I was the only available guy around,"
said Tenchi.

Kiyone shook her head. "No, she likes you. I don't know how much, but
she does. I was kind of hoping she'd settle down with you so I could
get a new partner."

"Well, I'm sort of taken now," Tenchi responded. "I hope she doesn't
take it too hard." He frowned and shook his head. "What is it that
makes them like me, anyway?" he wondered out loud.

Kiyone nodded slightly. She was wondering the same thing.

"He's not in with the science or math books," announced Washuu,
walking up to them.

"Well, that's good," said Tenchi. The three of them moved down the
aisle, their eyes still searching through the faces of the customers.

Meanwhile, Ryoko and Aeka walked rapidly through the gallery as
Mihoshi made a quick check of the Nakanishi Gazai arts supply store.
Carefully they scanned over the crowds in the open area of the mall,
as well as in the shops, each looking for the target. Suddenly, both
of them halted, transfixed.

Mihoshi walked up behind them. "He's not in the arts store. Have you
two checked out this bridal place yet?"

Neither Aeka nor Ryoko answered her question as they continued to
stare contemplatively. "Hey, Mihoshi, which of these do you think I'd
look best in?" asked Ryoko.

"Oh, that one," replied Mihoshi, pointing at one of the wedding
dresses in the display.

"I think I'd prefer this one, personally," said Aeka, looking at the
one next to it.

"Hmmm... yeah, that one does suit you better." Mihoshi thought for a
moment. "This is *really* going to be big news!"

"It is?" asked Ryoko.

"Sure!" replied Mihoshi. "I mean, the crown princess of Jurai
*marrying* a most-wanted criminal -- that's going to shock the whole
galaxy! It'll be the scandal of the century! Oh, wow, and to think *I*
was here helping you pick out the dresses for the wedding!"

Aeka and Ryoko stood, putting forth their utmost willpower to keep
from killing Mihoshi on the spot.

"But won't it be confusing, if you're both brides?" asked Mihoshi.
"Maybe one of you should be a groom, instead. Oh, and can Kiyone and I
be a bridesmaids?"

Sparks began to fly from the two girls' clenched fists.

"Poor Tenchi, though -- he'll be *heartbroken* over this," Mihoshi
added. "And speaking of Tenchi, there he goes now!"

"WHERE?!" asked Aeka and Ryoko simultaneously.

"In front of Socie Vizion," answered Mihoshi, pointing towards a
beauty parlor. "Can't you see him?"

Mecha-Tenchi and Ryoko saw each other at the same time. The pirate
stretched out her hand to attack as the robot, realizing her intent,
started running as fast as he could push bystanders out of the way.
Ryoko unleashed a hail of energy blasts at her target, and shoppers
screamed and ducked for cover. The storefront of Socie Vizion vanished
in a roar amidst flame, smoke, and flying bits of very expensive
cosmetics.

"I'll get him!" shouted Aeka. Her forcefield began to form at the spot
Mecha-Tenchi was running towards as Ryoko, snarling in frustration,
hurled another volley and managed to smash the thankfully-unoccupied
phone booths he ducked behind.

"Out of my way!" shouted the robot, roughly knocking aside a terrified
American tourist and changing direction.

The man howled in pain as Aeka's forcefield activated around him in a
frightful display of crackling lightning.

Aeka winced and deactivated it an instant later. "Gomen nasai," she
said, trying to find the robot again amidst the frantic crowd.

"Ummm, shouldn't you two, you know, not be doing this with so many
people around?" asked Mihoshi.

"I'm not letting that thing get away!" growled Ryoko. Then she caught
another glimpse of Mecha-Tenchi. "Ha! Thought you could hide, did
you?"

A glance to his left and a rapid dodge saved the robot. An instant
after he began to move, Ryoko's energy bolts sizzled through the space
he'd occupied a moment earlier and filled the air with a shower of
frosted green glass when they shattered the windows of a dentist's
office.

"Damn! Stand still, will you?!" cursed Ryoko. Mecha-Tenchi leapt
towards the escalator just as a loud crash announced the destruction
of the front of yet another business. By now most of the shoppers were
huddled on the floor, leaving the escalator clear. Mecha-Tenchi
sprinted towards it as Ryoko ran after him, fighting down the reflex
to fly or teleport instead, as she'd promised Tenchi she wouldn't.

Mecha-Tenchi reached the head of the escalator, just a fraction of a
second too late.

"Gotcha," said Ryoko, grinning.

An energy bolt smashed into Mecha-Tenchi's neck and sent the head
flying through the air. It rolled along the floor as horrified
screaming shoppers scrambled to get out of the way.

"Oh, Kami-sama!" cried a prone woman, putting her hands over her
daughter's eyes to shield her from the awful sight. "She just murdered
that poor young boy!"

"Huh? Oh, no, it was just a robot," assured Ryoko, walking over to the
head and holding it up. "See?"

Red fluid ran down the cables dangling from Mecha-Tenchi's severed
cranium and dripped onto the floor. The woman and quite a few other
shoppers fainted while others screamed some more.

Ryoko blinked, turned and looked at the head, and saw the blood- like
liquid trickling out of it. "WHAT THE...?!" She tossed it and dashed
back towards the elevators, Aeka and Mihoshi already well ahead of
her.

Tenchi, Washuu, and Kiyone, having heard the sounds of battle and
knowing who had to be responsible, were there waiting.

"Come on, everyone, into the elevator," ordered Washuu, holding her
foot in the doors to keep them open.

The group quickly rushed inside. Washuu stepped back and summoned up
her computer while Tenchi hit the button for the first floor.

"Ryoko, you promised not to use your powers!" he said angrily.

"You said you didn't want me to fly or teleport or walk through the
walls," said Ryoko. "You didn't say a word about blasting anything."

"I kinda figured it went without saying," replied Tenchi.

"Why did you make that thing able to *bleed*?!" demanded Ryoko,
looking down at Washuu.

"Realism," replied the scientist. "He has an artificial capillary
network all through his skin, except under the hair. For whipping and
stuff like that." With her eyes fixed on her computer's display,
Washuu didn't notice Aeka's disgusted expression.

"Do you realize how *stupid* that made me look?" snarled Ryoko.

"You should be fully aware of what you're dealing with before you mess
with it," retorted Washuu, typing some commands. "Next you'll be
saying I shouldn't have put in the systems for semen flavor
extrapolation based on hypothetical dietary intake." She frowned.
"Which reminds me: never, never set it for `Asparagus.'"

As her five companions turned a strange shade of blue, Washuu tapped a
few last keys, and a black portal opened in the middle of the
elevator.

"OK, now follow me," she said, stepping through it. Everyone else
followed her, and an instant later the group stood in the middle of
Mihoshi and Kiyone's apartment again. With some more clicking of
Washuu's keyboard, the portal closed in on itself and vanished.

"Wow, that sure was *fun*!" said Mihoshi.

Washuu nodded, her face beaming. "I'm so *happy* to see my latest
invention perform so well under such grueling conditions! If only I'd
given him weapons like Mecha-Washuu -- then he'd have won for sure!"

Ryoko glared down at her. "Hey! Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"And another thing," said Aeka. "Why was it able to move and react so
fast?"

"Scientific genius, that's how!" replied Washuu proudly. "He's got the
most advanced body control mechanisms and sensory feedback circuitry
in the universe!" 

"Now she tells us," grumbled Ryoko.

"I put them in as part of his Tantric orgasm prolongation system,"
continued Washuu, "but I hadn't considered the effects they'd have on
his combat abilities. He's nothing short of amazing!"

"Yes, we were all very impressed," fumed Aeka.

Washuu let out a happy sigh. "Seeing one's work function without a
flaw -- oh, such joy! Such bliss! Such utter fulfillment!" She got out
a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. "So sad that he had to be
destroyed at such a tender age!"

"I'm speechless with grief," said Kiyone, smirking.

Tears started to gush out of Mihoshi's eyes. "Poor Mecha-Tenchi! I'm
so sorry for you, Washuu. You must be heartbroken!" Then she made
herself stop crying and stood at attention. "As an officer of the
Galaxy Police, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished!
The perpetrator will be caught and brought to justice!"

"Hey!" shouted Ryoko.

"I promise to leave no stone unturned in my search for..." she started
to say, before her wrist communicator beeped loudly. "An alert!
Somewhere in the Solar System, evil has reared its ugly head, and the
time has come for the officers of the Galaxy Police to do their duty!"

"We'd better get going," said Kiyone calmly. "Bring the Yagami down,
Mihoshi." She removed a key from her chain and handed it to Tenchi.
"Here's the spare. Lock up when you leave."

"`Bye!" said Mihoshi, as the two officers ran out the door.

"Well, where's the other Mecha-Me?" asked Tenchi, turning to Washuu.

Washuu summoned her computer and checked. "I've got a fix on him, and
according to the Earth computers I've hooked up with, the location
he's at corresponds to a place called the Lavender Club."

"Oh, no," groaned Tenchi, putting his face in his hands.

"Is there something the matter, Ten-chan?" asked Aeka.

"Not *there*! Why did he have to go *there*?!" he whined.

"What's *wrong*, Tenchi?" asked Ryoko. "What's so bad about this
`Lavender Club' place?"

"It's a soapland," replied Tenchi. "My dad sent me there last year for
my sixteenth birthday..."

"Ah..." said Washuu. "Of course! He's going through you and your
father's memories to find the place where he'll have the highest
probability of fulfilling his programming."

Ryoko and Aeka's faces suddenly became very worried. They both thought
of themselves in a way as Tenchi's "first", and what Tenchi had said
didn't sound good at all. They stared at him as he hesitated.

"...but I went to a movie, instead," he finished.

The two girls let out their breath, very relieved.

"Your *father* sent you to this place?" asked Aeka contemptuously.
"Ten-chan, I realize I shouldn't speak ill of him, but..."

"Him and his `Tenchi, you're too shy around women'! Why does my dad
have to be so hentai?" grumbled Tenchi. "Why can't he just mind his
own business?"

Ryoko thought for a moment. "Is that the kind of place where the women
wash the guy with their..." she started.

"Yes," interrupted Tenchi as quickly as he could. Then he sank into
thought.

She held her chin contemplatively for a moment, glanced over at Aeka,
then stared at the princess' chest. "Hmm... well, I guess *one* of us
can try it, anyway," she said in a very low voice.

Aeka tightened her fists and glared at Ryoko.

Tenchi sighed, not having noticed their interchange. "I don't want to
go to someplace so... *seedy*, but we've got to catch him before he
causes any more trouble."

"Off we go, then!" shouted Washuu cheerfully.

Half an hour and another subway ride later, they rounded the corner
and saw the sign: Lavender Club, 10,000 yen per hour. Tenchi groaned,
realizing that he definitely didn't have nearly that much money on
him, if he had to pay just to get in.

There was also the matter of the imposing man wearing a black suit and
dark sunglasses, standing in front of the door. He walked over to
Tenchi and looked down at him.

"The management will be busy for the next twenty minutes or so," the
man said. "I suggest you return then. Nobody goes in or out for now."

"What are you supposed to be, the bouncer?" scoffed Ryoko, putting
herself between Tenchi and the man.

"I represent some of their business associates who handle security
matters," replied the man. "And incidentally, they don't allow women
inside who aren't employees. You looking for a job here? I hear that
they're hiring."

Ryoko's eyes blazed as she drew back her fist. "Why you...!"

"Uh, Ryoko, don't!" warned Tenchi, grabbing her arm. "We were... just
leaving." He had to practically drag Ryoko away as she glared at the
man. In a moment they were back around the corner.

"Who was that person, Ten-chan?" asked Aeka. "He seemed the criminal
type." She smirked as she glanced at Ryoko. "I'm surprised you two
didn't get along better."

Ryoko looked daggers at the princess.

"I'm not sure, but I think he was a yakuza," Tenchi replied. "Maybe he
was getting protection money or something. At least, that's what they
do in the movies." He turned to Washuu. "Are you sure he's in there?"

Washuu brought her ethereal laptop into existence for just a moment,
typed something, and nodded as it vanished. "Yep. Mecha- Tenchi's
definitely in that building."

Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, we know where he is, and they
won't be letting him out, at least. So we can relax for the next few
minutes. I saw a cafe down the street. Why don't we wait there? I
could use a drink, and we can sit down and figure out what we're going
to do."

After a short walk up the street, the four of them entered a
brightly-decorated cafe. They quickly sat down in the only available
booth -- the place was packed and busy -- and looked at the menus
while waiting for their server.

"Well, one thing's pretty obvious," said Tenchi. "I have to go in
there and get him."

Ryoko shot a concerned and angry glance at him. "No way, Tenchi!" she
protested. "I can take care of it fine."

"I can't let you do that," he replied, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Ryoko demanded. "I'll go in there, grab him, and bring him
back out. It would take me a minute or so to find him, tops."

Tenchi frowned. "A minute of everyone in there watching you flying
around and passing through the walls? And what's going to happen when
they see you grab `me' and tell the police I've been kidnaped? That's
if it's not already on the news that I've been murdered at the mall."

"Ten-chan, I think in this case it would be best for Ryoko to handle
it," said Aeka.

Ryoko turned and stared at her. "Wow. *This* is a first, princess.
What is it you always say: that my powers are flashy and useless?"

"There are occasional exceptions to everything. And I'd rather
Ten-chan not go in... *there*," Aeka replied quietly.

"Ahhhh. So *that's* it." Tenchi sighed, a hurt look spreading over his
face. "You two really think I'd do something with the girls in that
place? Don't you trust me?"

Aeka reached over and held his hand. "Of *course* I trust you,
Ten-chan! But I cannot trust *them*."

Ryoko nodded. "I don't want you taking a risk like this, Tenchi."

Tenchi shook his head and smiled as he put one arm around Aeka and the
other around Ryoko. "`Risk'?" he laughed. "You know, for two such
beautiful women, you sure are insecure sometimes."

Aeka's cheeks flushed a deep pink, and Ryoko's colored slightly. They
edged closer to Tenchi.

"And it's not just looks," he continued. "All the other girls I've
seen today -- it's like they're almost invisible, because they're
so... *ordinary*. How can I even *notice* them, when I'm sitting
between a space pirate and a crown princess?" He glanced from side to
side for a moment. "Maybe I can understand you two feeling a little
threatened by *each other*, but right now I think you're being...
well, *silly*."

Within seconds of each other, Aeka and Ryoko each gave Tenchi a kiss
on the cheek. His smile deepened.

"And if you're honest, I think you both can see that about each other,
too," he added. "Right?"

Ryoko nodded. "I'll say this for you, princess: you may be stuck- up,
flat-chested, prudish, and domineering... but you're *not* ordinary,
that's for sure."

"Well, on your account, you may be brazen, lawbreaking, overbuilt, and
gutter-brained... but you're certainly not mundane, that I'll grant
you," replied Aeka.

Tenchi frowned. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"What you said just now, Tenchi... thank you," said Ryoko. "But there
are a couple things you're overlooking."

"Yes," agreed Aeka. "First, as I said, I *do* trust you. I'm simply
afraid of what the women in such a place might choose to do to you."

"I can take care of myself," said Tenchi confidently. "I won't let
them touch me. I *swear*, OK? What's the other thing?"

"Well... Tenchi, how are you going to *make* him come with you?" asked
Ryoko.

Tenchi's body seemed to wilt slightly. "I hadn't thought of that," he
said quietly. "I guess you or Aeka could do it a lot easier with your
powers."

Contemptuous words echoed in Tenchi's memory.

"*This* man... is *Ryoko's*?"

Tenchi slumped a little lower in the booth, thinking that, in a way,
Nagi had been right, and not just about Ryoko. He had no hope of
matching Aeka's fighting ability, either.

"I feel so... useless, all of a sudden," he said. "I shouldn't have to
have you two fight my battles for me. It's supposed to be the other
way around."

Aeka pulled his arm tightly around her. "Ten-chan, you're very, very
wrong. You will always be my champion, because of the strength of your
*heart*. Your courage has nothing to do with power."

Tenchi snorted derisively. "What courage?"

Ryoko smiled at him. "I seem to remember someone brave enough to stand
up to a most-wanted criminal one night a while ago," she said. "Using
just a hoe, too. After he'd seen a gun was useless."

"I didn't have anywhere to run to," said Tenchi.

"That's not how I remember it," said Ryoko. "You could have tried to
get away while I finished off Mihoshi. But you didn't."

"I just doesn't feel right," sighed Tenchi. "There's something *wrong*
about it."

Washuu chuckled, then looked at him seriously. "Those are your male
humanoid instincts talking, Tenchi. The old, old, caveman part of the
brain. You need it about as much as you need your appendix."

Tenchi considered her words for a moment. "I see what you mean, but
still, I don't like feeling so *helpless*." He paused, thinking.
"Mecha-Washuu had switch on her neck to shut her down. What about
Mecha-Tenchi?"

Washuu smiled very slightly. "No, he doesn't have one."

"There's no way to turn him off?"

Washuu shook her head. "That's not what I said."

"So, there's another way? What is it?"

"Finally! It's about *time* you asked that!" said Washuu. "As a matter
of fact, yes, there *is* a way. All you have to do is get close enough
for him to hear you, and say `Zero, one, one, two, three, five, eight,
thirteen, twenty-one, thirty-four.'"

"Then why didn't you say so *BEFORE*?!?!" demanded Aeka, Ryoko, and
Tenchi.

"I wanted to see how long it would take you to think of it," replied
Washuu. "But it doesn't shut him down. That puts him into homing mode.
He'll follow you, or if he loses sight of you, he'll head back to the
lab."

"You mean we could have just said one, two, three, four..." started
Ryoko.

Washuu sighed. "Zero, one, one, two, three, five..."

Ryoko clenched her fists. "Whatever. We could have just said some
numbers, and he'd have gone home? The other one, too?"

"Mmm-hmm," replied Washuu.

"We needn't have chased them all over the city?" asked Aeka, barely
keeping her anger in check.

"Not if you'd had the sense to ask me about this," said Washuu.

The two girls leaned towards her, faces full of rage. "WASHUU!!!"

"My, there certainly are a lot of cicadas flying around this spring,"
commented Washuu, as her spectral computer materialized in front of
her.

Ryoko and Aeka paused, sweating, and backed down.

"But why'd you wait for us to *ask*?" demanded Tenchi.

"Call it a pop quiz," said Washuu.

"But this was an *emergency*!"

"Uh-uh. A comet striking the Earth, the sun exploding, these two girls
cooking dinner..." Aeka and Ryoko glared at Washuu, who smiled. "...
*those* are emergencies."

Tenchi sighed and made himself calm down. "Well, at least now I can
deal with this myself. I'll just go in there, find him, and say those
numbers, and come back here." He smiled. "I don't need incredible
super powers to do *that*."

"But how will you find him?" asked Ryoko. "They won't let you go
looking around, will they?"

"I'll say my twin brother came in a while ago, and that I've got a
message for him. It's true, sort of. If they've seen `me' come in,
they'll recognize me, anyway."

The girls frowned. "At least let us go with you, Ten-chan," asked
Aeka.

"You heard that guy out front. They won't let you in," replied Tenchi,
shaking his head.

"Perhaps if we just wait," suggested Aeka hopefully. "He'll have to
come out once his hour is up, won't he?"

"Not if he has more money. We don't know where he got it. If he
managed to get enough for an hour, what's to say he doesn't have
enough for all night? I don't want to wait around here that long."

"Maybe he'll get tired. How long can he fuck, anyway?" asked Ryoko.

"Until his energy reserves run out," replied Washuu. She grinned
proudly. "Which, depending on the position and various other factors,
will take anywhere from one hundred to three hundred years."

"That's... certainly a long time," commented Aeka, as Ryoko let out a
brief impressed whistle.

"I think that pretty much settles it, then," said Tenchi.

"Please, Tenchiiiiii..." begged Ryoko, twirling a figure-eight on his
chest with her fingertip. "Just let us handle this, OK?"

"No," he insisted. Then he noticed the waitress heading towards their
booth. "It's about time," he muttered. Tenchi glanced from side to
side, and his heart sank a bit at the sight of their worried
expressions. Then he smiled as a thought occurred to him. "Would you
two to like to share a drink with me?" he asked.

Aeka and Ryoko stared at each other for a few moments.

"We'll get drinks, and you can share with each of us," suggested Aeka.

"Yeah, that's better," agreed Ryoko.

The waitress walked up to them, smiling. "Have you decided what you'd
like?"

"Yes, I'll take an Atomic Lokade," replied Washuu.

"Uh, how old are you?" asked the waitress.

"Much older than my supremely kawaii face would lead you to believe,"
replied Washuu.

"I'm sorry, but I can't serve alcohol to someone so young. How about a
lemonade?" suggested the waitress.

"How about I turn you into a tanuki?" answered Washuu.

The waitress smiled. "Oh, you're so *precious*!" she said, patting
Washuu on the head. 

The scientist glared back at her silently.

"Errr, OK, one lemonade for the young lady. How about the rest of
you?" the waitress asked somewhat nervously.

Shortly thereafter, Tenchi and Aeka smiled at each other across her
glass, sipping a bright orange-colored drink through their straws,
while Ryoko sat impatiently waiting for her turn. 

Washuu tasted her lemonade and frowned. She looked around, then dumped
her drink into the potted plant next to the table. She tapped some
keys when her computer appeared in front of her, and a black portal
opened above the table. She put the glass inside. It came out filled
with something glowing. Then the hole in the air closed.

Blue and red flourescent swirls merged weirdly in the scientist's
glass, giving off a shifting purplish light as she tested her
concoction.

"What in the world is *that*?" asked Tenchi.

"Sex In The Lab," replied Washuu. "Want to try it?"

Ryoko and Aeka shifted closer to Tenchi, eying Washuu fiercely. "I've
never seen that in any bar *I've* been to," said the pirate.

"Naturally. The only place they serve these is at the Alumni Club at
the Science Academy." Washuu put down her glass. "Which reminds me..."
she added, summoning up her computer and the subspace hole again. She
reached in and withdrew small rectangular object before the portal
vanished. "This is for your fees at the soapland, Tenchi. In case you
have to pay just to get in, or something."

"What is it? Your credit card?" laughed Tenchi.

"No, someone else's credit card," replied Washuu.

Tenchi nearly choked on his drink. "WHAT?!"

"Hey, way to go, Washuu!" cheered Ryoko.

"Well, it's not *really* a credit card. But that's the closest thing
to it you have here, and it'll do for now. It's for one of the other
professors at the Science Academy," explained Washuu. "He always
bragged about how he could copy *anything*, so one time I copied
*this*, and I've been hanging on to it for the right time to play a
little trick on him." Washuu glared at the face on the card: a rather
ugly old man with white hair and beard curled like the tentacles of an
octopus. "So, my theory about anti-tachyon refraction by meson pairs
at the subspace inversion boundary was `preposterous', was it?"

"Anti-what?" asked Tenchi.

"Never mind. An old academic... *discussion*." She waved her fingers
over the card and the surface coloration changed completely. Then she
handed it over to him. "Hachijuni Bank Visa Plutonium Card, for Tenchi
Masaki."