SPTII

10B: Festivities and Spies

Arryn paced back and forth in the hallway, stopping multiple of times in front of Rio's door. She raised her hand to knock but then cursed and resumed her pacing. The sun had just risen and that meant Rio should just about be getting ready for training.

'What should I say?' Arryn thought as she stood still at Rio's door. 'Hey Rio would you like to go to the amusement park today? It's that simple.' She groaned and wondered why this was so difficult.

She raised her hand once more, closed her eyes to collect her thoughts and motioned to knock calmly. Where there should have been the sound of wood, there was not, and her knuckles rapped not on wood but... something soft yet firm. Arryn opened one eye and to her horror she saw her hand resting casually on Rio's right breast. Rio blushed madly and smiled sheepishly– how did this happen? Arryn drew her hand back slowly and inhaled deeply before clearing her throat and pushing the embarrassing act out of mind.

"Good morning." Arryn spoke calmly and looked sideways at nothing in particular.

"Morning Arryn." Rio let her body cool down.

"I was wondering if..." Arryn's tongue felt stiff as her heart fluttered. "if you'd like to go to the amusement park today." She kept a straight face.

"Amusement park?" Rio's eyes lit up.

"Well it'd be a different way to train." Arryn quickly replied and bit her lip as she did. 'What the hell am I saying, who in the world would buy such an idiotic reason?'

"Oh..." the spark dulled slightly in Rio's eyes, "sure, let's go!"

"Really?" Arryn's cool and calm exterior shifted as she stared at the other girl in bafflement.

Rio nodded. "Is this a type of training you've done before." Rio was sincere.

"Uh, yes, it consists of sustaining G-forces of various degrees." Arryn mentally slapped herself for yet another stupid comment.

"Interesting..." Rio mulled over the idea and looked down at her clothes, and then at Arryn's, "let me change!"

Arryn couldn't move as she registered her somewhat success at getting Rio to go out with her, but she had lied. Before Arryn could further question the ethics of her actions, Rio came back. Arryn's blood rushed as she scanned Rio's outfit– tight jean short-shorts and a snug red cami. She hardly left anything for her imagination, and Arryn was at war trying to figure out if this was a blessing or a curse. Arryn had chosen a ragged pair of pants which were shredded at the knee and a black and white baseball-style tee– not exactly feminine, but it hugged her form adequately enough. Rio was completely smitten with Arryn's style of dress; she had never seen her out of training gear. In her eyes, Arryn was the embodiment of a gorgeous, tough girl type with her light hair, fine eyes and supple curves lending her a feminine touch. The two were so caught up looking over one another that they failed to notice a little Washu-bot observing them from a distance; it's little beady, mechanical eyes capturing every shy glance they took.

Washu watched from her halo-laptop screen and clenched her teeth– that demon was trying to seduce her granddaughter! As a grandmother she had an obligation to save her young one from falling prey to such a conniving predator; not just an obligation, but a divine right! Washu's heart lit aflame as she concocted various ways to foil Arryn's plans. As she began to collect various tools of mass destruction, Ryoko's image appeared in her mind.

'I guess I should consult with her first...' Washu groaned but phased shortly afterwards in search of her only daughter.

As usual her daughter was meandering in the cherry blossom trees, and the twins were nowhere in sight.

"Ryoko, we have a problem."

"What is it this time?" Ryoko groaned and peeped down at her child-like mother; where was her peace?

"Arryn's taking Rio to the amusement park."

"That's wonderful news; I'm still waiting for the problem." Ryoko smiled back at a flustered Washu.

"Whaddya mean you're still waiting for the problem, we have to stop them." Washu retorted. "Who knows what Arryn has planned for her."

"Well she'll probably take her to the amusement park, get on a couple of rides. You know like the love boat, maybe a roller coaster or two, catch some lunch and end the night on the ferris wheel. Then when they come back... well who knows what'll happen then." She winked.

Washu, mortified, replied, "how can you be so nonchalant about this?" Washu turned away from her daughter. "Fine, I can do it by myself anyways."

Ryoko sighed and phased besides her angry mother. She was blowing things out of proportion, which was strange since usually it was Ryoko doing that. She really had it out for Arryn, and that wasn't entirely without cause.

"Fine, I'll help, but first you have to agree to play by my rules." Ryoko looked sincerely down at her Washu's stern gaze. "We're going to do it my way."

"Your way?" Washu wasn't sure she would approve.

"Exactly, come up with disguises for us, preferably so we look like males."

"What?" Washu threw her arms up.

"Look, I know you can do it. They'll be our disguises. We're going to follow them on foot; after all wouldn't you want to be right there when things get bad."

"Well I was hoping to just throw a little virus in Arryn's direction and..."

Ryoko glared at her mother.

"Alright! Let's go to the lab." Washu muttered.

Within a matter of seconds, Washu was able to conjure up holographic disguises for both herself and Ryoko. It really was a waste of perfectly good resources, but Ryoko wouldn't let her simply concoct a virus that would incapacitate her intended target. Instead she was disguised as a teenage boy with short, spiky, pink hair and the same emerald eyes. She pulled the baseball cap lower and mumbled out curses at her new masculine figure. Ryoko stood by her, looking at her new form in the provided mirror.

"Not too bad." Ryoko spoke with a gruff, male voice and eyed her lean figure up and down.

She kept the same hair and eye color, but the hair cut was much shorter than what she was accustomed to. They were both dressed in normal, human attire. Ryoko grinned at her leather jacket, and combed her fingers through her new short hair.

"This is ridiculous." Washu muttered.

"You're the one that wants to intervene." Ryoko responded.

"I didn't expect you to drag us into this."

"Aww come on, it'll be fun!" Ryoko latched on to Washu's arm. "Plus we make such handsome boys."

"What's going on here?"

Both Ryoko and Washu whipped their heads to see who had intruded on them. Washu sighed as she viewed a very dumbstruck Tenchi pointing at the two of them. No doubt, he was wondering what two strange men were doing in her lab.

"Don't you recognize me?" Ryoko, who was bold by nature, approached her Tenchi and placed her face inches away from his.

Tenchi, who had never found another male attractive, was beginning to feel hot in all the wrong places. He found himself ensnared in the golden irises of the male stranger.

"Uhh..." Tenchi felt his tongue melt away and was unable to formulate words.

"Well I'm glad to know you're attracted to me no matter what." Ryoko laughed as she closed in for a kiss.

Washu blushed as she witnessed Ryoko's male-self kiss Tenchi; her daughter was as crazy as they could get.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi finally managed to ask as he stood completely relaxed in her arms.

"You got it." She winked at him. "What do you think?" She held him closely and chuckled at his euphoric gaze.

"Well..." he wasn't sure he wanted her to stay as a him.

"It's just a disguise, so don't worry too much."

"A disguise?" That didn't help him worry any less.

"Washu wants to check on her granddaughter's very first date." Ryoko replied.

"Oh yeah, Arryn asked for my permission." Tenchi smiled but then sweat-dropped as he noticed Washu's scathing glare.

"Aren't you worried?" Washu shouted out.

"I really like Arryn, so I don't see a problem with it." Tenchi spoke truthfully. "She's one of the few people that hasn't inhabited this shrine and blown it to pieces, so that gives her a couple of good points in my book." Tenchi grinned and scratched the back of his head as he was wont to do.

"Good point," Ryoko nodded but still stood by Washu, "but we're going to check up on them anyways, wish us luck!" And with that the two were phased away.

Meanwhile Arryn stood at the entrance to the Amusement Park and felt at a loss on where to go. She had never been to one of these things and couldn't really fathom what Rio would like to do, so she just kept walking in no specific direction. They walked side by side, and passed various groups of people either waiting in lines or getting off of attractions. Rio watched Arryn's brow furrow as she continued her walk and decided it was best to keep quiet and let her concentrate.

"How about those?" Arryn pointed as a slight blush arose on her cheeks.

"The teacups?" Rio responded with a finger to her lips.

Arryn nodded and pictured a serene experience with Rio possibly snuggling up against her side. She would twirl the teacup fast enough so that Rio would have to, by all the laws of physics, snuggle up beside her. With a clenched fist, a small grin and a plentiful amount of determination, Arryn nodded her head in affirmation. Rio smiled and accompanied her partner towards the nonexistent line that led to the teacups.

'I wonder what type of training Arryn usually does here.' Rio thought as she boarded the tea cup.

The ride began and Arryn pulled the wheel in the middle as much as necessary. It didn't take much for Rio's body to slide closer to hers, but Arryn didn't want to push it. Not only was she afraid of making Rio uncomfortable, but she hated dizziness.

'I know!' a lightbulb lit in Rio's head. 'She wants to spin as fast as possible to get as much G force as possible!' It all made perfect sense to her now. "I got you covered, partner!" She exclaimed out loud before she took hold of the wheel and yanked it with her inhuman strength.

"Wait, wha–" Arryn shut her mouth as she felt her center of gravity roughly dislocated.

Rio laughed as Arryn held on for dear life, and the ride overseer watched on in fear, unsure if the cups were built to maintain such speeds. However the ride continued until its natural end, and Arryn held her stomach as she exited the cup and tried her best to walk straight.

"How was that for a G force exercise!" Rio stood in triumph

"Wait, hold on." Arryn was still unsure which way the sky was and if she was walking on it or not.

Rio quickly caught on to her disorientation and pulled her gently so she could rest on her shoulder for a bit.

"Ah!" A voice from yonder exclaimed.

"Shut up will you?" Ryoko muttered to her mother who had reacted almost as soon as Arryn made physical contact with Rio.

"But she's practically all over her." Washu protested as they crouched behind a nearby bush.

"If I had to guess, Arryn isn't one for any kind of spinning contraptions." Ryoko chuckled; she was in for a horrible surprise– Rio loved every thrill-seeking ride.

"Hold on the transmitters are picking up their conversation." Washu tensed as she prepared for the worst possible dialogue.

"I'm sorry was that too fast?" Rio held Arryn by the waist as they neared a bench.

"N,n,no that was nothing." Arryn lied through her teeth, but couldn't let Rio think she was new to this. After all she was the one that proposed the idea of sustaining G forces.

"I think I know the perfect rides to get onto if you want to experience that again." Rio smiled, hoping that Arryn would find her useful.

"Really?" Arryn gulped but kept her cool– she had dug her own grave.

Rio took that as an affirmative and grabbed on to Arryn's arm to drag her towards the north end of the amusement park. From a distance Arryn saw a snaking rail practically reach up to the heavens, disappearing in the clouds and coming back down. She prayed to whatever god there was and hoped that's not where Rio was leading her.

"This is the one!" Rio exclaimed as she pointed to a sign labeled "Heaven and Back"

"That's only metaphorical, right?" Arryn's face paled as Rio simply laughed and led her towards the line.

Her hands felt cold and clammy as they neared the carts that would lead her to heaven and back. She wanted to leave, to run and never come back, but Rio was holding on to her arm and that was comforting. Rio knew for sure that this would surely give Arryn the kind of training that she would be expecting from this trip; even for someone who could fly, this roller coaster gave her butterflies in her stomach.

Ryoko waited at the fence and watched the two as they boarded the ride. Arryn's expression was priceless, and so with one of Washu's high tech cameras, she took some snapshots as memorabilia of the day. Washu was semi-happy because she had heard Arryn's prayer (As a Chousin) and not granted her rescue, perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Once Arryn understood the stark differences between her and Rio, she should detach and eventually leave the Masaki Shrine, or so Washu hoped.

As the roller coaster cart pulled in, Rio realized that her partner had fainted.

"Arryn?" She yanked at her shoulder which produced a long groan from the girl. "Are you alright."

"I suppose..." Arryn grabbed at her stomach, but kept her nausea from erupting. "I think I might have fallen asleep on that one." She wanted to smack herself for saying yet another stupid lie.

"Oh," Rio was saddened at her failure to thrill Arryn, "it's only natural since you've done this before right?"

They exited the ride and went on to others that Rio swore were better. Arryn continued to hide her discomfort and fear, but was doing a horrible job at it, Ryoko could easily tell and wondered why her daughter could not.

"I think it's time for an intervention." Ryoko spoke up as she watched them head towards a food booth.

"Now we're talking!" Washu figured it would be to further separate the two. "What are we going to do?"

"Go hit on your granddaughter." Ryoko commanded as she took a seat at a nearby table.

"What?" Washu took a step back and ogled Ryoko. "I can't do that!"

"Well then I guess Arryn is just going to sweep her off her feet." Ryoko mused as she watched the couple order.

Washu felt her mouth dry but also noticed the small smiles that both Rio and Arryn donned as they sat at their table.

"Fine, but what's the point?"

"Well Arryn's a girl, and you're a boy, so show Arryn that Rio prefers males."

Washu nodded, sighed but headed towards her granddaughter with a strident step. As she neared she built up her male psyche and decided on the best way to approach her.

"Hi there!" Washu spoke cheerfully as she stopped right in front of Rio.

"Hi..." Rio eyed the stranger curiously, did she know him?

"I couldn't help but notice that you're astonishingly beautiful." Washu blushed at the right moment as she spoke.

Arryn choked on her drink and glared at the boy menacingly– what was his deal? But then again, Rio was beautiful, and no doubt she would attract many suitors.

"Thanks," Rio chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head. "that's really nice of you to say." Her face warmed up as she looked at Arryn who was giving the mysterious boy a death stare.

Washu took Rio's blush as incentive to continue.

"I know you came with your friend here," Washu threw a slight glare in Arryn's direction, "but would you mind if I stole you for the day."

Rio looked the boy up and down– he was gorgeous by definition. His build was toned, his hair was a strange magenta color and his eyes a magnificent emerald green. However, she didn't want to part with Arryn.

"I'm sorry, I'm here training with my partner." Rio smiled gently at the boy.

"But it'll only take–" before Washu could continued her botched seduction tactic, another male presence over shadowed hers.

"Forgot this pretty boy, and come with me." A buff, rough looking man practically shoved Washu aside and grabbed Rio by the wrist.

Arryn reacted immediately and grabbed his arm so that it snapped and let go of Rio's.

"Bug off." Arryn muttered as her eyes narrowed in aggression.

"What the hell is your problem?" The man was pissed and he tried to throw his arm straight at her.

Washu watched, surprised that Arryn had intervened since she hadn't done so when she had approached. Rio also sat motionless, after all she could have dealt with the male on her own, but Arryn reacted so much faster than expected.

"You shouldn't grab anyone like that." Arryn calmly stated as she dodged his punch. "Now stop before you hurt yourself." She dodged another weighted punch easily.

The man raged at not being able to land a hit, but decided to vent his fury on the next closest thing– an unsuspecting male, Washu.

"Eh!" Washu squeaked as a sausage-sized fingers clutched her collar and lifted her off the ground.

Arryn quickly closed the distance between her and the brute. With a swift quick to his jaw, the thug went flying towards a nearby bush and Washu wound up safely in the arms of her savior. Almost immediately after the heroic act, a handful of girls crowded around Arryn and Washu with gleaming eyes, and pulled out phones. They snapped multiple pictures and cried out what a cute couple they made. Arryn's face went blank as she registered what everyone thought of the two, and without another thought let the pretty boy fall from her arms. Ryoko chuckled as Washu fell to the floor.

"He's not my type." Arryn stated gruffly as she took her seat by Rio.

All the girls let out a sigh of disappointment, which was quickly replaced by squeals of joy as they realized that the magenta-haired boy was up for grabs. Washu let a sweat drop roll down her face as she eyed the ravenous, teenage girls from the floor.

"I have t,t,to get going. Sorry ladies!" Washu jumped up and dashed away.

The girls gave chase, but Ryoko was waiting up ahead to pull her poor mother into a concealed hall. Washu held her breath as the stampede passed by, and thanked her daughter for the prompt rescue.

"So, what'd you learn?" Ryoko poked Washu's cheek.

The scientist swatted away her daughter's prying finger, "that human girls are monsters!"

"And what else?" Ryoko chuckled at her mother's distraught tone.

"... she's not human." Washu muttered unwilling to say anything good about Arryn.

"Which means she's not a monster, I take it."

"Not for now, but I'll grant her at least an evening without my supervision." Washu patted her clothes which was covered in dirt from the floor.

"Really? That's generous coming from you." Ryoko narrowed her eyes as she saw two Washu bots in the distance. "Those are coming with us too."

"What?!" Washu protested but gulped as Ryoko threatened to throw her to the stampede of girls that ran through every so often. "Fine, fine!" Washu ordered her bots to return to the lab, and the two alien women phased back home.

Meanwhile, Rio was happily eating away at a sunday that she was sharing with Arryn. After the pretty boy had run away, a lot of the noise and commotion had left with him. She admired the way that Arryn had handled the situation even if her rescue was really unnecessary; it still felt nice to feel protected. Rio looked behind Arryn and saw the one ride she had been eyeing every time they passed by it– the ferris wheel.

"Hey Arryn, I know this won't help with your training, but..." Rio began to feel insipid for the suggestion she was about to make. "Can we ride on the ferris wheel?"

Arryn's eyes lit up and her stomach settled in rejoice at the thought of a slow ride.

"Sure, I think we've done more than enough for today."

"Really? I was afraid that none of the rides really challenged you much."

"I'd say they were all effective," Arryn said this, but prayed that they never returned to any of those god-forsaken rides.

"I'm glad, oh," Rio wiped a slight whip of chocolate fudge that had found its way to the corner of Arryn's lips. "there, now we can go." She licked her finger clean.

Arryn held her breath, but rose from her seat and tried her best to act normal. It was difficult not to grab Rio's arm and wind it with her own; it was hard not to blush when she smiled at her. As they neared the ferris wheel, Arryn knew that something was bound to happen; she couldn't keep her confusion to herself. She just hoped it didn't leave Rio feeling like she did after the teacups.