Gawd.  Finally, time to get away from Ranma writing.  I'm not
sure who the target audience of this teaser is, but I'm sure
that it's just waiting to come out.  A little delayed, I think.

***

"Why don't you guys believe me?"

The oldest of the bunch turned back to the fish-seller.  "Come
off it, boy."  He poked the waist-in-question or, more correctly
the waist-of-the-in-question-object.  "This model's state of the
art."  A few more strokes, a pat, several pokes and prods:  "Yup,
this type is kinda hard to come by."  He stepped over to plant
his face in front of the suspect, making the latter blink rapidly.
"And you say 'it fell on you'?!"

"I've got the bruises to prove it!"  He almost took off his shirt
to show where on his back he had impact.

"I'm sure you can get bruises from any sort of MALIGNANT activity."

"What does THAT mean!?"

The old man plodded back to the inert body.  "This must be one of 
those models that..."

"That?"  Still no response, as the man felt the smoothness of the
thigh.  "That WHAT?!"

"This is the model that has ear-scratching and leg pillow action!"

"Eh?"  Then he had an image of the girl, and the old man... "No!"
He roughly took the Marionette by the arm.  "Geez!  You lechers!"
He ran down the road, hoping that he wouldn't be chased before he
could have her under lock and key.

The old man scratched his chin.  "I wonder what he was planning
with that Marionette then?"

---

He slammed the door, and didn't bother to open the lights.

The windows were open slightly, and a shaft of light crossed the 
middle of the room.

Otaru set the Marionette across the floor, only her face 
illuminated, blank blue eyes staring into nothing.  He sat, 
catching his breath.

The old man didn't believe him!  What did he think, he STOLE the
Marionette?  They knew he could barely afford to pay the rent, 
and he'd buy a Marionette?!

At least they didn't try to take it from him, he concluded.  
Finders keepers.

He allowed himself to marvel the mechanical female.  It had a
beautiful head of blonde hair, and a shapely figure:  it couldn't
be one of those combat Marionettes that the Emperor kept.  With
its attire of tight pants and pink tank-top, it seemed like one
of those model-models.  Probably one for a suntan commercial.
Well, he could find out when he reactivates it...

---

Somewhere, a monitor flashed out unnoticed data.  It said:

Program One:  Activated

---

There... maybe I could ask where it works...

She focused her eyes, then blinked them.  She blinked them again.
She turned to Otaru, who opened his mouth.  She looked at him,
then into his mouth, then blinked.

She stood, looked around the room from her position, and blinked.

"Uh..." she began.

Otaru wondered.  Were Marionettes supposed to get confused?

"Where am I?"

He face-faulted.  "Wha-wha...?"

She looked him in the eyes.  "Am I supposed to know you?"

He blinked for her.  "I-I don't know..."

She straightened, then clapped her hands.  "I get it!"  She 
hugged him.  "You must have rescued me!"

"Re-rescued you?  From where?"

She stopped and put him down.  "I don't know."

Otaru felt like screaming frustratedly at that point.

"But I'm safe, right?  And you brought me here, right?  So...
umm... you must be my master!"

"Uhh... right..."  That sounded logical.  Though, who'd throw
away a working, unpatterned Marionette?  "Eh-heh... My name's
Otaru.  Otaru Mamiya."  He extended a hand.

She shook it eagerly.  "I'm Mihoshi."

---

Batteries Not Needed (or No Need for Strings!)
A Saber Marionette J/Tenchi Muyo! crossover

---

Sorry, but I realized that the part of the first episode that I 
didn't watch was the beginning.  I guess that means, since Lime 
is Mihoshi, that Cherry is Sasami and Blood Berry's Ryoko... but 
who's Masamichi Hanagata?  :)

Take this up, if you dare!

Switch
The Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ WWW: The Entertainment Capital of UP Village
Vector, Switch, Yebah, Rain Man, goo, Pervert, Scruples, Hollie, NomaD, 
 Blitz, Gee, Datzo, Jewel, elf, Radler, Pinball, Mayhem, Chaos, Father, 
 Attar and Llewe @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/mezza9.html 
Fanfiction Page @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/fanfics.html
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