Chapter Six

Two Weeks Later

"... And the authorities say that while Cell's position is still unknown, everyone should be on their guard..."

Mihoshi moaned, and shook her head. "Oh, wonderful. Not this 'Cell' stuff again." She switched the channel to Space Police Policeman, which was just coming on. (I know that was only in Shin-Tenchi Muyo, but it was so funny that I had to put it in here.)

"What are you TALKING about, Mihoshi-chan?" Kiyone argued, grabbing the remote control and turning it back to the news. "This guy is trying to destroy the world!"

"So? What else is new?" Mihoshi muttered, frowning. "Kiyone-chan, that was Space Police Policeman!"

Ryoko floated through the ceiling and watched the screen with half-hearted interest. "Mihoshi-chan's right, actually, Kiyone. There have been tons of weird-looking guys like Cell trying to destroy the world."

"Hai, they're all green and ugly and muscular..." Mihoshi yawned, and glanced up at Ryoko. "Ne, Ryoko-chan, where is everyone? Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami, and Gohan don't seem to be around, and Washu's locked up in her lab."

Ryoko thought for a minute, then said, "Tenchi's at the shrine with Yosho, training... Sasami and Gohan are around there too, I think... Ayeka's up by Funaho, she said she wouldn't be back for a while." The cyan-haired young woman shrugged. "Mihoshi, didn't you get a transmission from GP headquarters yesterday?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Hai, they want to ask me more confidential questions on the report I sent in. The one they confis-" She couldn't finish, as Kiyone had suddenly wrapped her arms around her neck and began to cry to eyes out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tenchi trudged up the stairs to the shrine, his eyes dull. "Great... first ojiisan accelerates my training, and keeps jumping out at me without warning..." He rubbed a fresh lump on the back of his head, and shrugged. "At least that part isn't new. Then, Ryoko begins hanging on me again... I'm not sure if she's doing it because she's bored, or she likes annoying me and/or Ayeka-san, or what... And now, I'm talking to myself! Out loud!" He stopped and hit himself in the forehead. "Ughh... what a horrible day..."

"You've got to be kidding." There was a rustling of leaves, and Gohan dropped out of a tree to Tenchi's right. The young boy had adapted to life at the Masaki home VERY quickly, and was always running around, either with Sasami, Ryo-oh-ki, or by himself, exploring the grounds. "This is great day!" He walked over to Tenchi, his eyes bright and optimistic. "It's always beautiful here, and there's so many places to explore! Plus, every day something unexpected happens!"

Tenchi groaned. "Yeah, I guess it would be nice, as long as you're not me..." He rubbed his forehead, eyes downcast. "Sometimes... I wonder what it's like to be like you."

Gohan cocked his head. "Like... me?"

"Hai. You're so carefree, and you have nothing to worry about." Tenchi met Gohan's eyes. "It's like you don't have any problems."

Gohan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Sometimes, the best way to cover up your own hardship is to pretend it isn't there." Then, he ran up the stairs to the shrine, calling Sasami's name, as Tenchi tried to figure out what he had meant.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Neesan!"

Ayeka blinked, then twisted her head to glance at her little sister. "Hai, Sasami-chan?"

Sasami giggled. "Ayeka, I didn't know you could climb trees!"

"I- well-" Ayeka was sitting on one of the many thick branches of Funaho, her brother's retired spaceship-turned-tree. She blushed slightly, and laughed. "If you remember, Sasami, I can fly- it's just hard for me."

"Oh." Sasami struggled to scramble up the tree. After a few tries, she succeeded, and smiled at her sister. "So- what're you doing up here, anyway?"

"Nothing much," Ayeka replied, smiling, then blushed, her eyes going starry. "Actually, I have come here to muse about my relationship with Tenchi-sama, and how I will win his heart!"

Sasami sighed, and Gohan shook his head. "Grown-ups have weird problems."

Ayeka twitched. "Well, that's nice- GOHAN!" She laughed nervously. "I told you not to sneak up on people like that!"

Gohan shrugged. He was hanging upside down on the branch above the one Sasami and Ayeka were seated on. "Gomen- I don't mean to. I guess I'm kinda quiet."

"Maybe," Ayeka muttered, put off that Gohan didn't find her thoughts of Tenchi maddeningly interesting.

Gohan yawned, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I hope I never fall in love," he commented. "All Ayeka does is sit around and fantasize." He then escaped into the higher branches of Funaho, before the Juraian princess could blow up in his face.

The said young woman simply blinked for a moment, then yelled, "THAT ISN'T TRUE!! GOHAN, GET BACK DOWN HERE!!!"

Sasami giggled.

((Gomen nasai, minna, for taking so long. But- I live in the USA, and with everything that's been happening- I just got sidetracked. :( Well, I know a bunch of people like this ficcie a lot, so I'm going to TRY to get the chapters out faster. I'll TRY. Okay, minna? ^_^ It was very short, but I think most of them are going to be, anyway. Ja ne! ^_~))