This is an idea I concocted one night with keener in FFIRC after
suffering a lack of caffeine about 4 months ago. I'm now finally giving
the semblance of a story instead of just an Idea. It bases off of the
OAV continuity. C&C is welcome, of course, and as said, this is really
beta, without even a spellcheck ran.

________________________________


Ryo oh ki looked up at the world around her. Well, actually, it was just
the living room. The house was very still as she softly padded her way
through it, going from room to room with a curious look on her face. She
eventually stopped in the livingroom again.

"We won't be gone long, Ryooki, so you just hang out for a little
while," Ryoko had said. Ryo o ki loved her big sister, but sometimes she
had a nasty concept of what does or doesn't bug others. Mommy didn't
help much either.

"If you need something, just get into the lab. You'll find whatever you
need," Washuu had said.

"We'll be back soon, Ryo o ki!" Sasami had said as she held tenchi's and
aeka's arms.

So here she was. Home. 

Alone.

"Miya. . ."
   
[RYO OH KI'S BIG DAY]
[by- TJ]


Her ears dragged the carptet as she sat down in front of the sofa.  They
had only been gone for 14.7 minutes and she was already bored. Usually
she would be in the kitchen, cheering on Sasami as she cooked and trying
to beg off some handouts.

Her ears perked up suddenly. For certain, ther would be something to do
in the kitchen!

"Miya!"

She hopped into the kitchen and stopped immediately, looking around as
she did. Sasami's apron was hung up and the stool was all the way
against the wall, no where near the counter.

"Miya. . ."

How to get up? She doubted she could jump it. She looked around the
counter for a few minutes, somewhat perplexed on this situation.

Her ears shot up again, and idea forming. She ran up to the counter and
used her mouth to open one of the lower drawers slowly, until it almost
came out. She carefully pushed it back in a bit, and then hopped onto
it, reaching for the next drawer up to do the same. After about another
ten minutes of struggle, and five drawers later, she placed her front
paws on the counter top.

At that particular instance, the drawer she was on decided to shoot
outward as she tried to push up to reach the counter. The entire drawer
of makeshift silverware went flying to the ground with a spectacular
crash, "Miya!!!" while Ryo o ki was left trying to climb up using only
her front legs. After a few tense moments of scurrying she managed to
haul her little body up.

"Miya. . ." She looked down at the mess now scattered about the floor.
What would Tenchi say? She chewed on her lip for a few moments
nervously. She decided to just pick it up later. 

Having crossed that thought, she looked around. Now that she was up
here, what would she do? The refrigerator was all the way acrost the
room, and the pantry was even higher above her. The only things in real
view were the sink and the stove.

The stove?

She padded over the sink and reached the stove, sniffing at the grills
over the flame port. She smelled. . .magnesium? What good is that for?
She tried to think about breakfast this morning. She remembered Sasami
turning a knob on the front, she heard a click, and a flame ignited. 

"Miya. . ," she thought. Click, then fire. Well, she clicked a few times
before she fired a tetra bombardment. . .fired? Oh thats right, she has
to ignite the blast wave.

She reached over the edge of the counter at the knob. Maybe that is what
the magnesium's for. It burns pretty hotly when it reacts. She turned
the knob slowly with an outstretched paw. A slow hissing noise followed.
Her muzzle crinkled. It didn't make that noise when Sasami did it. Then
she smelled methane composite. She played with the knob some more until
the hissing stopped. 

"Ack. . hack!" The methane was messing with her senses. She hopped back
over to the sink and proped her hind legs on the window frame, intent on
pushing it open. After a bit of grunting, the window clacked and flipped
open outside.

It looked pretty calm outside. A typical early autumn. A bit of an
overcast. She sniffed the outside air smelling thick tree sap and
chlorophyll being carried on the wind. 

Satisfied that the smell was taken care of she turned back to the
kitchen. Now what? She looked around the countertop for something else
to play with. Not much in sight. a spice rack, a knife rack, boring. She
hadn't bothered learning much of the local visual language, she always
just asked big sister what it was. That was when she spied a jar. It
looked like a poly material instead of glass. She hopped off of the sink
towards the jar, intent on seeing its contents. 

She realised as she got to it, she didn't have thumbs. "Miya. . ."
Luckily it was loose already, she found. She smelled, a little salt, and
something sweet out of the jar. How to get the top off? After a bit of
fumbling, she held it with her legs and used her head and nose to loosen
the top further. One great turn knocked the lid off completely. She let
go of the jar and moved the lid carefully so it wouldn't fall off the
counter. 

"Miya. . ." She turned back and looked at the jar. She recognised some
of the lettering. It was the same as what most of the world used in its
communication network. It had only three characters though.

J

I 

F

"Miya," she said. Sitting back on her hind legs, she nosed the content a
bit more, and then slid her tounge in, sneaking a taste. Her first
attempt failed. The stuff sure was thick. Two, three times she didn't
get any.

"Miya," she complained. Setting a good firm stance for herself, she used
her paw on the substance. She stepped in in with a fore-paw, but only
succeeded in making a small impression. Losing her patience, she stuck
her head down the jar slightly and tried a more firm lick.This time she
actually scooped up some. Satified that she worked hard, she pulled her
tounge back into her mouth and began to chew the substance. 

Much to her surprise, it couldn't be chewed. It became more manageable
in her mouth, acting a bit pasty in the warmth of her mouth. It tasted
kinda salty, but it was pretty good. She managed to get some of it back
on her tounge and swallowed.

As she began to try and put back the lid, she realised there was some
still in her mouth under her tounge. She licked carefully, trying to
reach the offending food substance. She failed, almost gagging herself
with her tounge in the process.  "Ny ny nya!!!" she wailed, walking in
little circles by this point. She had to do something, and do it
quickly! 

Thats it! Perhaps she could wash it away. Drink, drink drink, she
thought ferverently, as she hopped over to the faucet. Examining it only
for a moment, she knocked the faucet in its place and water rushed into
the sink. Without hesitation, she began to lap, swishing the water into
her mouth vigourously.

After several repitiions and walking in little circles next to the
faucet, she was satified the substance was now gone from her mouth.
"Miya," she sighed in relief. Deciding in fact that she did not like the
kitchen, she looked for an easy way down. She noticed the apron Sasami
wore hanging on a peg near the counter. After a bit of thought, she
hopped over, bared her claws, and slid down the fabric, shredding it in
her journey back to the floor.

With an uncermonius ker-thump, she landed the floor, enroute to the
livingroom without a second thought. Never did she notice the faucet's
continued spilling, nor the plugging of the sink.

___________________

Knowing that there wasn't much else downstairs other than Washuu's door,
she made her way to the stairs. Maybe there was something to do up
there, she thought, hopping up the steps gingerly. After reacheing the
top, she wandered down the hall a bit.

Ryo oh ki displaced herself and walked through the sliding door to the
room. -That's right, Aeka's and Sasami's room, though Sasami only went
here to sleep and seldom else.- A futon laid on the floor, very neatly
made, and another was rolled up  in the corner, flanked by several logs.

Logs?

Oh, yeah. Jurian stuff is all logs. Ryo oh ki approached one of the
smaller, three foot logs, sniffing it. It suddenly released a rush of
air, startling her and raising her ears. She returned to it and smelled.
. .sugar. Sugar? Why would they have food in their room? She continued
to sniff until the log suddenly shot out in different direction. Ryo oh
ki retreated 2 meters, growling as she did.

"Mrrrrarr!"

After a moment she calmed down. -Oh, it just opened up.- She hopped up
to it again, examining the interior of the hollow log. It opened like a
double-door, revealing shelves inside an in the door-parts. There sure
seemed like alot of stuff here. . .She looked, and then stopped at one
particular object.

Sasami's cookies? Why would she. . .?

Then, Ryooki smelled Aeka. It's Aeka's log? She looked deeper inside and
found a Monjyu package, carefully wrapped. She likes candy too? She
looked upward inside the log. Donuts?

"Miyaaa. . ." Ryo o ki found several other sweet smelling items that she
couldn't identify, dismissing them. She returned her attention to
Sasami's cookies. They were very good, almost as good as carrots, and it
looked like Aeka saved some. 

She climbed up to the bag on her hind legs. -If I can just reach it. .
.-

After some neck stretching, she snagged the plastic baggie with her
teeth, sitting down as she did. 

Suddenly, the entire contents of the shelf began to shift as she tugged.
-Uh oh. .-

(crunch)

After silence set in, Ryo o ki emerged from the pile of goodies that had
fallen on top of her, cookie bag still in mouth.

"Miyaa?" Oh great. What would Aeka say?

She decided to pick it up later.

After a bit of struggle she freed herself from the pile and carried the
cookies away a few feet. The next few moments became frustrating quickly
as she tried to 'open' the zip-lock-type baggie. 

"Miyaar!"

She grew tired of that real fast, and simply bit it open with her sharp
teeth, spilling half a dozen cookies onto the bedding. 

__________

Her belly satisfied between the peanutbutter earlier and the cookies,
she found herself wandering down the upstairs hall again, aiming in the
direction of Tenchi's room.

<Thud>

After crashing into the door again, she entered Tenchi's room. She
seldom came in here, for Tenchi was seldom to be found in here anymore.
Apparently he used to be in here alot when he was still going to school,
but now he just practised and farmed and played with everyone. She
remembered how he liked to see her come crashing through his door as he
sat at the desk.

She poked around the room a few minutes. Tenchi didn't really play with
things. He played with people, though. . .Nothing fun in his room. She
sniffed. Lots of cotton. After a bit of work, she forced his closet
open, releasing more clothing smell. Some pulpen smell permiated as
well. Similar to paper. There was a poly material too. . .

And. . .sniff. . .foil?

She entered the small, dark closet, carefully scanning as she moved. As
she suspected she found a small stack of books in the left corner. -I
guess he still studies. They have been moved recently.- Her eyes lit up
like flashlights, shedding illumination into the closet.

"Miya. . ."

She looked at the cover of the book, not entirely comprehending its
writing. -Maybe I should get the language down.-

As an intelligent life form with limited psionic capability, she could
communicate with almost anything that had intelligence and a language
without really knowing its language, and if she did need to know, big
sister could tell her. And now that Mom is back, maybe she could too. .
.

<"Remember, the lab is open.">

"Miya!"

She sat down, and After a bit of thought, she accessed one of Washuu's
databases by remote and compared what she saw. Computer said it was mix
of Juraian Runic, Japanese and English. It then gave a long winded
explination of the roots of Japanese in Juraian Runic. Ryo oh ki shook
her head, telling the computer to shut up and up load the Japanese and
English.

2 minutes later she read the cover.

Trigonometry and Physics. Tenchi needed to study math? She nosed it off
the top to look at the one beneath. English Studies. Tenchi studies
language too? 

Her interest in Tenchi's text books rapidly diminished. She turned
around and her lighted eyes glared off of something else in the closet.
The poly material? And now she smelled. . .Aluminum?

Cubical. Cardboard with foil overlay, and flax lace.  She gazed at the
object. Oh, now she remembered. It was a 'present.' They gave funny
boxes with things inside them to Tenchi a little while ago, and then to
baby Mayuka.  Didn't he open them all? Did he save one? The box smelled
almost entirely of Tenchi, and barely Washuu. That wouldn't make sense
since it smells so much like him. She paced around the box that was
almost as big as her, then noticed an extra paper dangling from it. Oh
goodie! It had writing on it. She read it.

To: Ryo o ki
love: Tenchi
Happy birthday

Happy birthday? Birthday? Date of birth. What was the big deal? she
asked Washuu's computer. 

Most humanoids remember certain days periodically as they occur in a
cycle corresponding to the revolution of their word. One day each
revolution? Oh, the same day they were born the revollution before.
Makes sense.

Happy birthday? She had a birthday? And Tenchi was giving her a present?

". . Mi . .mi . . mi. . .miya!!!" she wailed, tears flowing from her
eyes as she hugged the box with her front legs, imagining it was Tenchi
rather than a box.	

________________________


The day was showing strong signs of Autumn. The shrine in particular was
showing a great deal of order. Not a leaf on the walk, or piece of pine
in the paths. Katsuhito stood in front of the shrine looking out at the
forrest below. His arms behind his back, and glasses resting on the tip
of his nose, he seemed perfectly at peace.

Truth be told, he was very nervous, sweat slowing dropping from his
brow. The entire �family' had departed somewhere, and as much trouble as
they were in the house, he could only hope they managed to make it back
without getting in too much hot water.

"Never does the wild dog drift far from its meal. . ," he said calmly.
"That was nice," he spoke again, apraising himself as he reached for his
scroll and calligraphy brush.

His head suddenly whipped. Something greatly metallic had hit in the
house about 200 yards away. Roughly the same distance as the house. "Hm.
. .trouble -without- them here?" he commented quietly. The wind
responded by blowing sharply in the direction of the house. Nodding to
himself, he calmly set aside his literary tools and grabbed his wooden
bokken from its resting place by the door.

To be continued!
Ryo Ohki's new clothing and fashion style!
A revelation about toilet paper!
Azaka finds out what happens to other earth trees!
Curiosity killed the Cabbit!

C&C welcome!