As the three girls receded down the hill, Katsuhito turned towards
Tenchi. "It seems there've been some changes around here recently," he
observed.

"Heh heh heh," chuckled Tenchi nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So you, ah, noticed, jiichan? Pretty perceptive of you."

"To tell the sun from the moon is no test of vision. To hear the thunder
is no sign of sharp hearing," replied the old man.

"Yeah, I guess not," admitted Tenchi. "It's that obvious?"

"Were you trying to hide it?" asked Katsuhito.

Tenchi thought for a moment. "No, not really. I just figured that I'd
need to say something for you to know. It's not like I kissed them in
front of you."

Katsuhito shook his head. "I've told you plenty of times, always watch an
opponents eyes. They reveal where his attention lies, the goal which
occupies his mind."

"I guess you're right."

"No guess was necessary," replied Katsuhito. "Now that this has happened,
it's time we had a talk."

"Uh, jiichan, if this is about the birds and the bees, I've already had
that one," said Tenchi. Then he smiled slightly. "And even if I hadn't,
it's a little late now."

"That's not what I'm referring to. Actually, your father should be the
one to tell you these things, but ever since your mother died, he's had
too much trouble discussing serious matters. This isn't a subject for
jokes or foolery. Let's talk inside the shrine office," said Katsuhito,
motioning to Tenchi to follow him. Once inside, they sat down, Tenchi
eye's darting around nervously.

Katsuhito just sat there, waiting patiently, as the silence weighed down
heavier and heavier on his grandson's shoulders.

"Jiichan, I hope you aren't going to say I have to choose one of them,"
said Tenchi suddenly.

"Why would I say that?" asked Katsuhito.

"Because it's not... well, I don't know, *normal*, I guess," said Tenchi.
"It's not something people are supposed to do."

"Once you have sharpened your intellect to the point where *you* can see
whatever in the world is true or not," said Katsuhito with deliberate
slowness, "where *you* can tell whatever is good or bad, and when you are
experienced in various fields and are incapable of being fooled at all by
people of the world, then your mind will become imbued with the knowledge
and the wisdom of the art of war."

"Huh? Art of *war*?" asked Tenchi, utterly confused. "I thought this was
about me and the girls."

"It is," said the old man.

"That sounds a little familiar," Tenchi said, mostly to himself.

"It should," replied Katsuhito. "That's Musashi-sama. The Water Scroll,
to be specific."

Tenchi thought about it for a moment, then decided he'd figured out what
his grandfather was referring to. "Jiichan, it's not *that* bad between
them. Not now, anyway. I think they may even become friends, eventually."

"I'll let you find out the truth or falsehood of that for yourself," said
Katsuhito. "But that wasn't what I meant."

"Well, what *do* you mean, then?" asked Tenchi.

"This is a precarious path you've embarked upon. A dangerous path,"
warned Katsuhito. "I'm not trying to dissuade you. Danger isn't always to
be avoided. But you should think about the task you have ahead of
yourself."

Tenchi shook his head. "The hard part's behind me, jiichan. They still
insult each other and give each other nasty looks, but they haven't had a
fight since Saturday." Tenchi smiled proudly. "I wasn't keeping track
before, but I think that's a new record."

Katsuhito nodded. "I see. And what about you, Tenchi? Have you achieved
balance?"

"Balance?"

"Tenchi! I told you before that a warrior must always strive for a
harmonious balance in all things. You haven't been reading the Five Rings
like I told you to, have you? Don't you remember: 'You should not have
any special preference for a particular weapon, or anything else, for
that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Pragmatic thinking is
essential.'"

"But, jiichan, they're girls, not *weapons*!"

"You're still not *listening*, silly boy! I've said before, the ancient
writings have many applications. Musashi-sama is not speaking merely of
blades, nor just of samurai. He says so himself, in the Water Scroll: 'It
is essential to make your ordinary bearing the bearing you use in martial
arts, and make the bearing you use in martial arts your ordinary
bearing.'"

"Come on, jiichan. Ryoko and Aeka aren't katanas or something."

"That's right, they're *women*, and those are much more dangerous than
any sword."

Tenchi smiled. "I think I can handle them alright."

"So confident, eh? You always carefully plan your strategy ahead of time?
You're always sure of where your swords are, are you? Is that it,
Tenchi?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then where was Aeka-hime five nights ago?"

"Uhhh...." said Tenchi,. starting to sweat. That was the night
he'd first slept with Ryoko, and he suddenly realized that he had no idea
where Aeka had been at the time.

"You don't know, do you?"

"No," answered Tenchi, a bit ashamed of himself.

Katsuhito sighed and shook his head, looking very disappointed. "Since my
grandson seems rather thick-headed, I suppose I'll have to make it
clearer for him. A woman is to a man as a sword is to a samurai. And the
sword is the soul of the samurai. If he forgets it, or loses it, *he will
never be forgiven*."

"OK, OK."

"If you show no concern for your swords, they will be stolen from you. If
you handle them clumsily, you will break them. And if, because of your
foolish youthful pride, you are careless and unwary and do not treat your
swords with the respect they deserve, you'll soon learn how sharp they
are, first-hand."

"I get the point, jiichan."

"You'd better. Because if this were the old days, you'd be lucky to be
committing seppuku right now!"

*The old days, when you were a teenager, sometime during the Tokugawa
period, right, old man?*

Tenchi bowed his head. "Thanks for the advice, jiichan. I think."

"You can thank me by listening more closely. Remember when I've told you
before, that the highest feat of a swordsman is to become one with his
sword, to make himself and his sword each a part and extension of the
other?"

"Yes. But I thought that was just an ideal, that no one ever truly
accomplished that."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. If it can be done, it is a rare achievement. But
ideals are meant to be strived for. And if this ideal is attained,
together sword and man are invincible."

Tenchi nodded, understanding the meaning when filtered through his
grandfather's sword metaphor, but still finding the whole comparison a
little weird.

"And of course, with two swords the task is even more difficult,"
continued Katsuhito.

Again, Tenchi nodded. It was a difficulty he had become all too familiar
with during the last few days.

"They are your 'mi.' Not 'ken', not 'tachi', not 'katana.' 'Mi.'", said
Katsuhito, using the word which besides "sword" also meant "body," "main
part," and "oneself."

Tenchi kept silent. It all seemed a bit too deep for him.

"Alright, you can stop squirming," said Katsuhito, standing up. "That's
all the advice I've got for the moment."

"Now what?" asked Tenchi, also getting to his feet.

"Since you're obviously too green to merit *real* swords," Katsuhito
said, tossing him a bokken. "Time for practice."

"Sword practice, huh?" laughed Ryoko's voice in Tenchi's head. He 
tried to stifle a smile, but didn't quite succeed.

"*STILL* not listening?!" muttered Katsuhito, thwacking him over the
head. "Why do I even try?" he sighed.

Tenchi rubbed his skull for a moment. "Jiichan, I appreciate what you
said, but I don't think I agree with it. Aeka and Ryoko... they're not
like swords. They're *their own*. They don't *belong* to me."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," replied Katsuhito, starting towards the
door. "I think I'll go ask Ryoko what she's doing tonight..."

Tenchi's bokken swished down through the air at chest level and barred
his grandfather's way.

Katsuhito looked back at him, and nodded. "You see?"

"Sorry, jiichan," said Tenchi, as he pulled back the weapon. "It's just
that..."

"I know. I would commend you for your action, except that you shouldn't
let your emotions lead you to attack someone you have no hope of
defeating."

Tenchi sighed and tried to think of a way to explain his feelings more
clearly. "What I meant is, they're not *things*. A sword I can pick up
and it's mine. It doesn't have a say. But they do."

"There are magical swords that can choose to accept their owners, or
not," replied Katsuhito. "Such a sword decides whom it belongs to."

"Magical swords?" scoffed Tenchi.

"Women from outer space?" answered Katsuhito, sounding equally skeptical.

Tenchi thought about it for a moment. "Do you mean you've *seen* magical
swords, jiichan?"

Katsuhito smiled for a moment. "You'd be surprised what I've seen,
Tenchi. You'd be surprised. But in your case, I think you should be
careful. You never know, you might have gotten yourself a pair of
Murasama blades," the old man chuckled.

"That's not funny!" replied Tenchi sharply, glaring at his grandfather.

"Haven't you said before that they were driving you crazy?" asked
Katsuhito.

"Yes, but it's different now," said Tenchi. He looked his grandfather in
the eye. "I'm sorry if I spoke disrespectfully, jiichan, but please don't
talk about them like that. It makes me..."

Tenchi stopped and turned to the sound of female voices coming up the
steps to the shrine. Sasami ran ahead with Ryo-oh-ki beside her, and he
smiled at her a moment before his eyes were drawn to Ryoko and Aeka as
they crested the hill, walking behind the younger girl. He watched their
every step, blind and deaf to all else, as they headed towards him.

Then he felt his grandfather's bokken resting against his throat. He
looked up the weapon, up the arm that held it, and to Katsuhito's face.

"First lesson of the day," said the old man. "Never, *never* confront an
enemy in a matter of honor, and then look away before it is resolved.
*Never*."

As the girls sat down in the shade of a tree, Tenchi and Katsuhito walked
into the middle of the open ground in front of the shrine and faced each
other. They bowed, then held their swords over their heads, waiting to
see who would be the first to break their concentration and attack.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tenchi saw Ryoko lean over to Aeka and
whisper something in her ear. The princess blushed and nodded, laughing
as she and Ryoko continued to watch him.

Momentarily distracted, Tenchi barely parried Katsuhito's sword when it
struck at him from the right. Tenchi twisted at the waist and thrust at
his grandfather's face with the point, but Katsuhito dodged it easily.
They circled for a few moments, each attacking and defending -- though
Tenchi did most of the defending -- wood clacking against wood
repeatedly. 

Tenchi balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to swerve in either
direction, then launched a series of rapid, patternless strikes at
Katsuhito's sword. The old man fended off the attack with little apparent
effort. "You haven't quite mastered the Crimson Foliage Hit yet, Tenchi,"
he chided, as he deflected one of the blows. "Work harder."

Suddenly, Ryoko and Aeka were in the center of Tenchi's vision. 

Aeka smiled and waved at him.

Ryoko put two fingers to her lips, and blew him a kiss.

Katsuhito's bokken sliced towards his neck in a wood-colored blur of
movement.

Recovering his concentration, Tenchi quickly pulled away and put up his
own bokken to block. 

But the attack to his neck never came. Katsuhito shifted his stance,
brought his sword back, and swept it forward with the deceptively-relaxed
motion of the Flowing Water Stroke.

The bokken stopped half a centimeter from Tenchi's groin. Sweat beaded on
his brow as he looked down and swallowed hard.

"A new move, jiichan?" he asked nervously.

Katsuhito nodded. "It seemed the right time to introduce you to it."

Tenchi bowed and backed away. Then they faced off again.

"That was fighting dirty," accused Tenchi, striking towards Katsuhito's
knee.

"It worked, didn't it?" Katsuhito replied, blocking the attack and
sweeping upwards at Tenchi's face. "Read the Fire Scroll again tonight,"
he ordered, parrying his grandson's swift counterblow, "where it says:
What is essential is," he slashed downward at Tenchi's feet, "to suddenly
make a move totally unexpected by the opponent," he ducked the return
strike aimed at his neck, and swung his bokken at Tenchi's chest, "pick
up on the advantage of fright," he thrust with the point, forcing Tenchi
to back away for a moment, "and seize victory right then and there."

Katsuhito held his bokken pressed against Tenchi's neck.

"'This must be worked out thoroughly'," he quoted, his voice and face
calm yet stern.

Tenchi bowed again before the two faced off once more.

"Try using the new move against me, this time," suggested Katsuhito as
they began to spar again.

"What for?" chuckled Tenchi, attempting a face strike. "Earth Scroll,
ninth rule: Do not do anything useless."

Katsuhito responded with a series of quick slashes at knee level. "Oh?
Think your grandfather's *that* old, eh?" He stretched the sword behind
him. "Then let me remind you of the eighth rule:" The bokken streaked
towards Tenchi's crotch again, and he blocked with difficulty. "Be
careful even about small things."

Tenchi smirked and tried the Crimson Foliage Hit once more. He grinned as
he enthusiastically pressed his attack. Katsuhito parried forcefully and
tore the bokken out of Tenchi's hands, then slashed at his legs. Tenchi
fell in a tangled heap and his weapon landed point in the ground, while
the old man thrust the tip of his bokken under his grandson's chin.

"Pay closer attention," chided Katsuhito, shaking his head.

Tenchi nodded, then got up and bowed. The two faced off again, holding
their bokkens overhead in the jodan no kamae "upper level posture." They
stared at each other for almost a minute, each waiting for the other to
move or show weakness and yield the advantage.

Suddenly, Tenchi blinked.

Katsuhito moved in and struck, swift as lightning.

"Some might call you greedy," Katsuhito said, slashing at Tenchi's
abdomen, "having two women."

Tenchi twisted sideways and dodged, then struck repeatedly at his
grandfather's chest, grinning fiercely. "Earth Scroll: 'It is in order to
convey the advantages of these two that I call my school Two Swords in
One.'"

Katsuhito allowed himself a slight smile as he and Tenchi locked bokkens
and pressed close, briefly stalemated. "I'm glad you're learning, a
little. So, which is the katana, and which is the wakizashi?"

Tenchi's face softened as, for a moment, his heart made him forget where
he was and what he was doing. "They're both katanas to me, jiichan," he
said.

In response, Katsuhito nearly decapitated him. 

"You're letting them distract you," he warned, as Tenchi recovered his
stance from his last-moment duck.

"Yes," admitted Tenchi, slashing at Katsuhito's side.

"Two katanas, eh?" the old man replied, making several rapid attacks that
seemed to all come from different directions. "That's a rare style. Some
train that way, as Musashi-sama recommended, but very few men master it."
He blocked Tenchi's feeble return strike and forced him to give ground.
"It takes skill, coordination, practice, dedication, and above all,
discipline." He lunged casually at Tenchi's heart, and the young man
parried. Barely. "Are you up to the task?"

"Yes!" said Tenchi confidently, striking back as hard as he could.

Katsuhito deflected the blow and counterattacked. "Don't be so sure of
yourself. Always be wary. Or what you value most will be taken from you."

Tenchi swept his sword down vertically at his grandfather's head. "Who's
going to do that? You, jiichan?"

"Why, yes," responded Katsuhito, casually stepping aside and slashing
horizontally at Tenchi's midsection. "I can be alone with them in five
minutes, if I want to."

"I'd like to see you try, jiichan," Tenchi challenged, blocking
desperately.

Katsuhito looked over Tenchi's shoulder at the girls. "Aeka!" he called.
"Ryoko!"

"Yes, grandfather?" they answered, more or less at the same time. Hearing
them, Tenchi felt himself drawn to the source of the voices, and started
to turn.

Katsuhito's bokken swept around and smacked Tenchi on the head, hard.
Tenchi tottered for a moment, then crumpled to the ground.

"I'd like to have a word with you two in private," Katsuhito said,
stepping towards them as they started to rush to Tenchi. "Sasami-chan,
put some ice on Tenchi's head, will you?"

As the younger princess took some ice from the bucket holding the drinks
and wrapped it in a handkerchief, the two older girls stood and glared at
Katsuhito. Inwardly, he smiled. "Don't worry. He's not really hurt. I've
hit him much harder before during practice."

Hearing that, Ryoko and Aeka's eyes narrowed further, their faces full of
anger barely held in check.

Katsuhito carefully prevented his own face from looking pleased. "Is
there something the matter?" he asked.

"You used *me* to hurt him," Ryoko almost growled, baring her fangs a
little as she flexed her fingers. "I don't care if you *are* his
grandfather. Don't do that again."

"Yes," agreed Aeka, hiding her anger somewhat better than Ryoko did. "I
realize that learning the arts of war sometimes requires pain, and I
don't wish him to be helpless, but I also don't wish his trust of me to
do him harm."

"Think carefully on what you've just said," Katsuhito replied, looking
them both over. "Meanwhile, we can have some tea."

"Please wake up, Tenchi," said Sasami, a very worried expression on her
face as she applied the wrapped ice to his head. She tried to lift him
off the ground to carry him over to the shrine, but found he was too
heavy, especially while she need one hand to apply the ice.

"Hold on a moment, Sasami, I'll help you," said Aeka.

"No, let him lie there," ordered Katsuhito.

Aeka stopped and flashed Katsuhito an angry look. Ryoko simply ignored
him, floating up and heading towards Tenchi.

"Unless, of course, you'd rather he didn't learn his lesson from this,"
continued Katsuhito, "and someday have someone with a real sword do the
same thing."

Ryoko halted in mid-air, hovering motionless as the old man went inside.
She was still hanging there in indecision when he returned carrying a
tray, teapot, and cups. He noticed Sasami still trying to move Tenchi.
"Sasami-chan, just hold the ice on his head. Don't move him, please."

"But, jiichan..." protested Sasami.

"It's for his own good," replied Katsuhito in a firm voice.

Sasami looked sadly down at Tenchi's face. "If you say so, jiichan, but I
don't think it was very nice of you to do that to Tenchi."

Aeka spoke up, her tone respectful. "I think my sister speaks for all
three of us. I don't like the thought of him being hurt. Even a little,
and even for a wisely-considered reason."

Ryoko nodded, and landed next to her. "I just don't want anything to
happen to him, OK?"

Katsuhito nodded as he filled the cups, then looked very hard at the two
of them. "That's very good. Because I don't, either."

"Grandfather, could I... we please bring him over here?" asked Aeka.
"Surely there's nothing to be gained by letting him lie on the ground.
He's not even conscious."

"There's much to be gained. I want him to wake up where he fell, and
realize why," insisted Katsuhito. He smiled slightly. "I suppose right
now you're thinking I'm a very mean old man." Ignoring the obvious
expressions of agreement on Ryoko and Aeka's faces, he looked over at the
younger princess. "Is that right, Sasami-chan?"

"Well, not really, jiichan," replied Sasami tentatively. "I know you
didn't do it just to be mean, but you shouldn't hit him so hard."

"Look after him for little while, please. I need to talk to Ryoko and
your sister." Katsuhito took a sip of tea and lowered his voice. "I'm
curious about what sort of plans you have for my grandson," he said.
"Long range plans, I mean."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi, the sight of him helpless on the ground still
angering her. "I don't usually make long-range plans," she said quietly.
"All I know is that I'll always be with him, no matter what happens.
Always." She looked up at Katsuhito. "I promise, grandfather."

Katsuhito sipped his tea again and smiled. "I'm not interviewing bridal
candidates. I was merely curious. What about you, Aeka-hime?"

Aeka hesitated for just a moment. There was no way she could permit
Ryoko's declaration to go unmatched, and in her heart she felt the same
way, but she knew she might not be able to keep such a promise. "I am not
as free in these matters as Ryoko is," the princess said finally. "But I
will never leave him of my own free will."

"I see," said Katsuhito. "And will you be taking him out into space with
you? Or will you be staying here on Earth permanently?"

"If he wants to go, sure," said Ryoko. "Like I said, I won't leave him
behind. If he doesn't want to leave, I'm staying."

"I would very much like for Ten-chan to visit Jurai," said Aeka. "There
are things I wish him to see, people he should meet. But if he prefers to
stay, I will not force him."

"Well, I may be just an old man, but I would expect outer space to be a
dangerous place for someone like Tenchi. Am I right?"

Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other, each thinking of deadly situations
she'd been in, or seen, or heard of, and wished Tenchi kept as far away
from as possible. After a few moments, they nodded.

"If it's anything like here, I suppose there are battles taking place,
even now, though not immediately apparent. Very old feuds, going on so
long that both sides aren't even aware anymore what started it."
Katsuhito glanced at each girl in turn for a moment, then sipped his tea
again. "I wouldn't like it if Tenchi were to step into such a conflict,
and find himself unable to cope with it because he wasn't aware of the
situation. He needs to learn to see everything that goes on around him,
or foolishness and ignorance will bite him badly."

"Ten-chan is neither foolish nor ignorant," insisted Aeka.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Katsuhito. "But we've talked enough. He'll
come to, any moment now."

Suddenly, Sasami's face lit up. "Oh, you're awake, Tenchi!"

Tenchi groaned as he rubbed his head. "Owww... what happened?"

"You let your guard down, and you died, that's what happened," replied
Katsuhito. "Be more careful in your next life."

"Will you lay off the sneaky tricks, jiichan?" grumbled Tenchi, as he got
to his feet.

"Only when a real enemy would. Meaning, I won't," said Katsuhito. "By the
way, Tenchi, have you noticed where I'm sitting?"

Tenchi looked at him and realized that his grandfather was seated between
Aeka and Ryoko.

"Be thankful that I'm an honorable man, Tenchi," said Katsuhito. "It's
been a while since I've been in the company of two young ladies at once."

Ryoko and Aeka laughed nervously, then stealthily edged away from the old
man.

Still feeling a little dizzy, Tenchi walked up and glared at his
grandfather, then helped Aeka and Ryoko to their feet. They got on either
side and each girl started to put an arm around him. They stopped, both
Ryoko and Aeka taking a few moments to be as sure as they could that they
wouldn't touch each other. Then they walked with Tenchi down the path
from the shrine to the house.

After a minute or so, Ryoko realized that she'd forgotten something.
"Tenchi? Do you think we could go back for a second?"

"What for?" he asked.

Ryoko hesitated for a moment. "There was... something I wanted to ask
your grandfather about."

Tenchi looked at her, puzzled. "I'm really tired, Ryoko. Sword practice,
school, not enough sleep, and," he squeezed both of them and smiled,
"other things. Couldn't you have asked him before? You've had all day."

"It was something I wanted the two of us to ask him," answered Ryoko.

Aeka tensed briefly, then made herself relax. Tenchi and Ryoko, speaking
to Katsuhito alone about something? This didn't sound good at all. There
was only one thing she could think of that it was likely to be about.

"Tomorrow, OK?" said Tenchi.

Ryoko nodded reluctantly. "Yeah."

Once they got back to the house, Tenchi sat on the couch and pored over
his books, promising himself that he wouldn't be made a fool of again for
lack of studying. Ryoko tried a few times to distract him, but after an
impatient, weary rebuff, she decided to content herself with silently
sitting next to him, as Aeka was doing. Every now and then, though, she
let her fingers test the bounds of Tenchi's tolerance.