Chapter 29: That's the spirit!

Over at the mini, Yoshi, Mikito and Sara had just about finished the arduous task of removing their perspective lunches from its gleaming hull.

Soap, water and a little elbow grease having restored its luster, the final task underway was the cleaning of tires.

"Hey Yuba!" Sara called to where the head grip still sat dejectedly on the rest stop bench.

"Think you might want to lend a hand here?" She then gestured at the task in front of her.

"We could each do one tire?"

"Go to hell!" Came the prompt answer, with Yuba barely bothering to glance, her direction, clearly in no mood for camaraderie.

"My, my!" Sara quipped unsympathetic, holding up her can of ol' Black Magic. "Aren't we still in a bit of a huff?"

"Why don't you harpies just lay off?" Mikito snapped, waving a rag. "Like neither of you have ever made a fool of yourself over some guy?" Shaking her head, she leaned down cleaning the letters of the Spanpebble logo on her respective tire. "She didn't know he was engaged." She added ruefully.

"What are we talking about?" a new voice asked. All heads turned to see Andarka walking their direction looking curiously at them. Mikito spared a single glance, spotting where the still recovering Tod was siting against a tree some distance away.

"If you don't mind me asking that is?" Andarka added politely.

"Sure shoot'n!" Yoshi told her brightly. "We was having a frank discussion about 'Yubdonna's' impromptu concert!"

"HEY!" Yuba stormed rising to her feet.

"You know?" Yoshi continued. "For the benefit of the 'I'm gonna make a total ass of myself over a soon to be married man society?"

"Watch it! God damn it!" Yuba snapped.

"Oh?" Andarka asked seeming concerned, taking a moment then to study each of their faces in turn. "Which man would that be?" She asked earnestly. There followed was a slight pause.

"TENCHI MASAKI!" The four girls snapped loudly in perfect unison.

"Oh?" Andarka exclaimed, "How wonderful!" as her hair settled back into place.

"Which one of you is the lucky girl?" Each of the grips gaped, studying Andarka in her own amazed fashion, recollecting resent events.

"I thought Runion was the one who fell and hit his head?" Yoshi snapped.

In what could be clinically characterized as a 'shit fit', Yuba ran up and began tearing at her own hair glaring at Andarka.

"YOU STUPID LITTLE ZONED OUT BITCH!!" She screamed. "IT'S NOT ONE OF US! IT'S THAT FUCK'N I-ACHE-A ALL OVER BIMBO! WHICH YOU'D KNOW ALL FUCK'N READY IF YA PULLED YOUR FUCK'N HEAD OUT OF YOUR FUCK'N ASS!!"

"Oh?" Andarka asked, somehow oblivious, able to ignore all the yelling and cussing. "But there must be some mistake here?" She added mildly.

Sensing grievous pending harm, Sara and Yoshi lunged, Grabbing Yuba just as she lurched forward while Andarka, somehow further oblivious to her eminent demise calmly produced a small black ledger from her bag.

"Let's see..." She mused, thumbing pages. "Ah."

"Tenchi Masaki," Andarka mused. "Age 21 listed here as the junior priest or acolyte of the holy Masaki shrine." She paused speculatively.

"Hmmm, " She considered. "Current named heir to all shrine holdings, lands and chattels there of, Totaling an approximate one hundred thousand acres nautical."

"Oh." Andarka mildly started, even as Yuba froze in her raving and four separate mouths promptly fell open. "This apparently includes a large percentage of 'Butto station.'" She continued pleasantly.

"Which constitutes a rail spur, leased by Japan rail and maintained with permission by the current holder of the estate."

"A hundred?" Yoshi gasped.

"Thousand?" Sara Breathed.

"Acres?" Mikito slurred.

"They own a fucking town?" Yuba whispered.

"Hmm," Andarka paused thoughtfully. "Well, there is an 'Ayeka Masaki' listed in the official register of the family along with a 'Sasami'. Both however as adopted sisters."

By this time all four of the girls were again glaring Andarka's direction, the same number of expressions which again slackened at this sudden revelation.

"Those Two?" Yoshi hissed.

"Little bitches!" Sara seethed.

"Are his sisters?" Mikito Grumped.

"We've been fucking had!" Yuba snapped.

"Oh my." Andarka sighed dreamily. "Two younger sisters! Playing the foil!"

"No doubt to distract loose women of ill repute from their precious, naive older brother!" She placed both hands on her face. "That's so romantic!"

"Wha?" Yoshi mouthed.

"Why you fuck'n, over educated little!" Yuba growled, making claws.

"Never mind her!" Mikito cried. "Are we gonna let two little bumpkin bitches out fox us street-smart city girls?"

"Ladies?" Andarka said timidly raising a hand watching with growing concern as the four cried in unison.

"HELL NO!"

"I don't think ... you should pursue this?" Andarka added as heedlessly, Sara, Yuba and Mikito headed off!

The three moving purposefully the general direction in which Tenchi and Kiyone had fled. Almost at the foot of the stairs, Yuba halted, suddenly noticing Yoshi heading towards the rest stop.

"Hey Yosh!" She called indignantly. "Aren't you coming?"

"Not dressed like this!" Yoshi laughed looking back, gesturing at her coveralls.

"Give it up girl!" Yuba told her, indicating her own now thoroughly rumpled pom-pom skirt.

"This was about the best outfit." She added. "And the pick'ns were slim then!" As with a smirk Yoshi reached into her handbag.

"Volia!" She said producing a slinky little black dress. "I never joined campfire!" Yoshi grinned wickedly. "But I dated a lot of boy scouts!" Then with a laugh she turned and sprinted towards the rest room.

"Lousy Bitch." Yuba breathed, glancing at the others, realizing they had left her behind. "Correction," She hissed, "Pack of lousy Bitches!" before taking off in hot pursuit.

Mihoshi walked out of the old rest stop, slowly looking around just as Yoshi sprinted past her inside. She then continued over to where Tony and Michel were waiting expectantly.

"Land sakes Miho!" Michele said. "I was beginning to think we were gonna have to send a rescue party in there after you!"

"Do you still want to keep going darling?" Tony asked her. "Or did you suddenly get cold feet?"

"Oh. It's nothing like that." Mihoshi told them sadly. "But could we please hold for about ten minutes?" She continued, wearing a look containing a blend of concern and slight embarrassment.

"I've got to go get Lord Katsuhito. Old Mrs. Yakama's colonastenamy bag broke and the poor thing's too embarrassed to come out."

"OH! FUCKING GROSS!" Came a scream from behind them.

All three whirled in time to see Yoshi come staggering out of the rest stop almost heaving her guts up. After she had leaned gasping on the bench a few moments, she turned and weaving, more than slightly nauseous, headed towards the woods.

"Ryo-chan?" Sasami called into the kitchen. Looking around the doorway confirmed it, Ryo-oki was no where to be seen.

"Dang her fuzzy butt!" She only half swore. "I really could'a used some help about now!" Glancing about She decided there was no point in searching, it was obvious, Ryo-chan was not in the house. So, blowing aside a stray lock of hair, Sasami set to business.

With the top of the rice cooker open she used her 'Easy Slice' on the burlap bag she had acquired. Gabbing then the one pound scoop from the measuring rack and dipped.

"What the hairy flaming hey?" She started then stared, almost bug eyed and stared and then just for a change stared some more and the picture wasn't getting any better.

Sitting in the one pound scoop was a quantity of the most day glow yellow rice Sasami had ever laid eyes upon! Not saying she hadn't seen her share of colored and dye processed foods to be sure. But this stuff looked almost radioactive!

Tentatively securing a single grain, Sasami bit and tasted.

"Wow!" She said pleasantly surprised. "This stuff is going to be flavorful!", before glancing back down.

"Just wish it wasn't so yucky colored!" Shrugging and having little choice, she emptied the scoop into the cooker.

The old well lay about five hundred yards from the back of the Masaki home.

While not overgrown, it was clear this location did not receive the kind of meticulous care afforded the rest of the grounds. Once, according to Katsuhito, there was a boathouse used by local fishermen to recondition their hulls during the winter months.

Now only the well with its hand pump and sluice remained. Over at the 'sink' Tenchi was attempting to wring out his jacket while Kiyone busied herself with the task of washing out his shirt.

"Well Masaki." She muttered, sadly nodding her head.

"You did a real number on this one!" Glancing over at him as he was using an old post attached to the sluice as a make shift place for his jacket to drip-dry.

"I don't think even Sasami will be able to get these stains out!" Key added noticing Tenchi winced visibly at the mention of her name.

"Look," She sighed tiredly. "It's not like you kissed her? I really wish you'd stop kicking yourself about it!" she added.

"I feel like some kind of pervert Key!" Tenchi told her sadly. "Like, I really let Sasami down, just when she could have used my guidance." His moment of self-inflicted melancholy instantly disrupted the second Kiyone burst out laughing!

"That's such load of crap!" She said rolling her eyes. "Tenchi, what happened back there was born out of her love for you!"

"It was innocent and healthy!" She stopped unable to keep from smiling warmly. "You should be flattered by it!"

"More like get flattened because of it!" He replied angrily. "Oh, If ether Ryoko or Ayeka finds out..."

"Screw 'em!" She interrupted, placing hands on hips. "If they're that threatened by the unconditional love of a young girl, the pirate and the princess should just hang it up!"

"This ought to be far enough!" Yoshi muttered, glancing nervously around at the terrain, selecting then a single bush. Conveniently, among a handy grouping to serve as her 'temporary garment hanger' before laying the black dress out carefully then stepping amidst the shrubs, unzipping and dropping her coveralls.

"Eat shit and die Yuba!" She snickered, while taking out a set of four-inch high heel pumps from her bag. Hey, she was not getting any younger and a girl never knew.

She'd really packed the outfit, because of a 'supposedly' top secret executive party back at the station tomorrow.

"This is what happens when you leave doors open and memos just lying around!" She mused triumphantly and why not?

Now, she had good reason to be all a titter. Instead of some boring fat executive, she might actually get a chance at an absolutely, gorgeous hunk, not to even mention rich to boot? Those other three 'hussies' were just gonna have to learn to like the taste of her dust as she flew right past them and oh yes! Into his open heart!

"That's the heavy artillery." She muttered, unpacking a lacy push up bra.

"Now, for the secret weapon!" Yoshi smiled reaching in to the satchel producing a pair of tiny silver panties.

"Someone's about to break their oath of celibacy!" She sighed, pulling off her T-shirt then skinning out of her 'plain Jane' cotton undies.

(Just a little note here, I know that Shinto priests are not required to practice celibacy as part of their religious duties.)

"Hey you guys!" Over to one side, back into the woods away from the clearing, Sara Small happened to glance the right way, spying the clearing and both of its current occupants.

"Over this way!" She courted a horse whisper. Rounding bend behind her, Yuba and Mikito meandered slowly into view, each of the trio's hair already full of an assortment of sticks and brambles. Moving up towards where the American amazon was standing, Sara pulled and held a good size branch away from the path, assuring a good view of the proceedings.

"Ought'a waltz right in there!" Yuba grumbled resentfully. "N' tell that broad the fuck'n jig is up!"

"Well," Mikito said, more cautiously. "We still don't know who THAT 'broad' IS really."

"Who fuck'n cares?" Yuba seethed. "Nobody makes a fuck'n fool out'a me and fuck'n gets away with it!"

"Yeah." Sara said coolly. "I remember that Ayeka chick holding the 'FUCK'N' gun in your back while her sister yelled SING! Plainly."

"Close your fuck'n hole!" Yuba snapped.

Ryo-chan had been chasing her friends around and around for some time. It was a good game, the best! The bunnies would always see her then pretended to run away just so she could always catch them! Feigning utter terror, as she would pet their soft fur before letting them go. Just so the game could start all over because that was simply the way.

What fun! She hoped Sasami wasn't mad. It had been a few hours and Ryo-chan had just realized she was supposed to go up to the shrine with her best friend! Darn those bunnies! They had hopped, right out in front of her then turned and ran! A clear signal, they wanted her to give chase! Drat! Much as she hated to admit, she was going to have a talk with the bunnies about their lack of responsibility!

Ryo-oki looked around, mildly bewildered, suddenly realizing she did not have a clue to where she was. All this ground cover! It was so much easier navigating from the air.

Sighing, sparing another glance round the immediate area, Ryo-chan floated upwards. At about thirty feet, just enough to clear most of the surrounding tree cover, she caught sight of the blacktop.

"OK!" She elated dropping back to the ground. Now reoriented Ryo-chan strolled confidently up towards the road. After all, Tenchi had said never to fly when strangers were around. What nobody had ever managed to get around to explaining to her was exactly what a stranger was.

She had just about come to the point where the rest stop was plainly in view when she stopped.

"Meyow?" She queried, noticing movement over in a clump of bushes. Desperately hoping it was not the bunnies again, she walk slowly over for a closer look.

Almost instantly, Ryo-oki saw that it was not!

Back over at the old well, in spite of her actually being a 'strange visitor from another world'. Kiyone didn't need to hail from 'Krypton' to hear the three girls in the woods.

Glancing that way out of the corner of her eye, she reached over and touched Tenchi's stomach.

He stopped cold, in the process of skinning palms flat against his skull back from his face. Keeping lather out of his eyes, staring then down at where suddenly she was kneeling in front of him.

"What's up with you now?" He asked perplexed, glancing at where her hands currently were.

"We've got company." She whispered.

"Where?" Tenchi asked, his eyes reflexively starting to 'pan'.

"Don't look up you moron!" Key hissed.

"Who do you think..." He muttered gravely.

"Well, I can tell you who its not." Kiyone cut him off, already feeling his spine starting to stiffen. "If Ayeka saw me this close she'd already be down here screaming!"

"And Mihoshi, Sasami or Ryo-chan would likely have announced themselves." Tenchi added cautiously.

"So, it's not a member of our household." Key smiled tightly. The amount of noise they were making alone told her that. Giving credit where due, Kiyone had always been impressed at how quietly both Ayeka and Sasami could move though a forest. Possibly, a simply side effect being of Jurian blood?