[repost, revision]

  Well, this was my first RAAC submission, though I've been writing for
some time with Colliding SYmphonies, FFML, and of course FFIRC. This
version has had some revision, though. I hope you like sugar coated.

By: TJ
C&C welcome. I'd be happy to hear what you think.
MST's not welcome
RYOUGAECHO@ABRAXIS.COM 
www.ryo-oh-ki.net
__________

A Colliding SYmphonies production. . .
__________

PART ONE Version 1.5
__________

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 living room
again.

"We won't be gone long, Ryo oh ki, so you just hang out for a little
while," Ryoko had said. Ryo oh ki loved her big sister, but sometimes
she had a twisted 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, her voice reaching a pitch similar to Sasami's.

"We'll be back soon, Ryo oh 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
-


Her great ears dragged along the carpet as she walked in front of the
sofa, sitting down at the arm-rest.  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,
but now, 

Her ears perked up suddenly. For certain, there 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, nowhere near the counter.

"Miya. . ."

How to get up? She doubted she could jump it without use of her powers,
and she still wasn't used to shifting. 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 struggling, 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 and utensils went flying to the ground with a
spectacular crash, "Miya!!!" while Ryo oh 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 across 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 that's right, she had
to ignite the blast wave after she seeded the stream.

She reached over the edge of the counter at the knob. Maybe that was
what the magnesium's for. It burned pretty hotly when it reacts. She
turned the knob slowly with an outstretched paw. A slow hissing noise
followed. It didn't make that noise when Sasami did it. Then she smelled
methane composite. Her muzzle crinkled as 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 propped her hind legs on the window frame, intent
on pushing it open. After a bit of grunting, the window clacked and
flipped open outside.

After getting a breath of fresh air, she paused to look outisde. It
looked pretty calm, a typical early autumn day; a bit of an overcast.
She sniffed the outside air smelling thick tree sap and chlorophyll
being carried on the lightly blowing wind. 

Satisfied that the smell was taken care of she turned back to the
kitchen. Now what? She looked around the counter top 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, like the other jars. 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, and she didn't
have a tool to open it. "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 this 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 tongue 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 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. Satisfied that she worked hard, she pulled
her tongue 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 little maw. It
tasted kind of salty, but it was pretty good. She managed to get some of
it on the back of her tongue and swallowed.

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

That's it! Perhaps she could wash it away. (Drink, drink, drink,) she
thought fervently as she hopped over to the faucet. Examining it only
for a moment, she knocked the faucet handle in its place and water
rushed into the sink. Without hesitation, she began to lap, swishing the
water into her mouth vigorously.

After several repetitions and walking in little circles next to the
faucet, she was satisfied 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. Still not keen on exerting any power, and idea formed in
her head. She bared her claws, hopped directly at the apron, latched
onto it. And slid down the fabric, shredding it in her journey to the
floor.

With an unceremonious ker-thump, she landed on the floor, en route to
the living room and not looking back. She paid no heed to the continued
flow of water the faucet produced, let alone the scatterd silverware, or
the open window.

___________________


Knowing that there wasn't much else downstairs other than Washuu's door,
Ryo oh ki made her way to the stairs. Maybe there would be something to
do up there, she thought, hopping up the steps gingerly. After reaching
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 was 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 two 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 and in the door-parts. There sure
seemed like a lot of stuff here. . .She looked, and then stopped at one
particular object.

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

Then, Ryo oh ki 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 oh ki found several other sweet smelling items that
she couldn't identify, dismissing them as well as any thoughts why Aeka
would have 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 she could 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 rreturned, Ryo oh ki's little head 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, and of course,
the crumbs in the bag as well. Looking left to right, she began to
gather the cookies off of the floor, stacking them as she went. Once
satisfied that she had gathered them, she snatched one from the pile and
began munching happily.

__________

Her belly satisfied between the peanut butter 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 head first again, she entered Tenchi's
room. She seldom came in here, as Tenchi was seldom to be found in here
anymore. Apparently he used to be in here a lot 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 permeated 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. Guess
he still studies. They had 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 she 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 went on to give a long
winded explanation of the roots of Japanese in Juraian Runic. Ryo Oh ki
shook her head, telling the computer to shut up and upload the Japanese
and English.

Two 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 oh 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 revolution 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 ofrests rich colour
change in its foliage and the gentle wind created almost a visual
symphony. The shrine in particular was showing a great deal of order.
Not a leaf on the walk, or piece of pine needles in the paths. Katsuhito
stood in front of the shrine looking out at the forest below as it
danced in the light breeze. 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 dripping 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, appraising himself as he reached for
his scroll and calligraphy brush.

His head suddenly whipped up. Something greatly metallic had sounded in
the area 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 oh ki's new clothing and fashion style!
A revelation about toilet paper!
Azaka finds out what happens to other Earth trees!
Curiosity killed the Cabbit!? Find out in part two!

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Please, feel free to email me.

This has been a Colliding SYmphonies fanfic.

Thanx to the rest of CSY, Dave Eddy, and everyone else who read the
teaser. I'd love to hear what you tink of the more complete version. 
Ryougaecho@abraxis.com
www.ryo-oh-ki.net

TJ