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Book of Sephiroth: Sasami's Wish
A Tenchi Muyo Fanfic by Nall-ohki, ( Tyson Roberts ) Email:nall@goldengate.net
Chapter 3: Unseen actions, Unforeseen Consequences
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, though I may love or hate
them as much as I want.
Notes:
* This Fanfic is based upon the timeline set forth by the Tenchi
OAV series, and takes place after the final episode thereof.
* Some minor things are borrowed from Magical Project S
* All Japanese used is translated in author's notes (If not, feel
free to ask!)
-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-
Friendship is a strange emotion. It is not as overtly powerful as
other emotions such as anger, hatred, or even love. Even so, the emotion
is not to be underestimated, as it has proven its power time and time
again.
The roots of friendship are not always understood. Usually,
people who are alike in form, mind, or status become friends out of
association of things they like; usually themselves. This type of
friendship can be very shallow or extremely deep, depending on many
factors.
Sometimes, though, people who no one would ever expect to get
along become friends very quickly. Seeming opposites; an outspoken TV
announcer is best friends with the quiet librarian, an auto mechanic meets
nightly for board games with his best friend from the country club, the
body builder makes his free time with his childhood buddy who cannot lift
his own weight. The lists are endless, and though they are not the norm,
they serve as reminders that the meaning of a friendship with a particular
person is not always due to seeing something someone likes in themselves.
Sometimes, it's the opposite.
- Hakubi Washuu-chan. 'Memoirs of a Super-Genius'
======================
Washuu frantically typed at the insubstantial keyboard, her mind
moving just as quickly over the events that had just unfolded. Her
concern was etched upon her features as she initiated a search, trying to
pinpoint just where Tsunami had taken Misao and Sasami.
A moment later she allocated two more satellites and dispatched
several additional audio sensors so she could get an uplink going once
they found something. That is, if they found something.
She sat back and tried to get a grip on the situation. Through
the viewpoint of the satellite, Washuu had seen everything, the head
bully's injury, the boy that had threatened Tsunami when Misao was down;
even Tsunami's appearance on the scene. The thing that was so scary about
it was the method of her appearance.
Washuu remembered the incident vividly. Sasami stepping
backwards, then falling to one knee. For a brief instant, there was a
cyclone of water around her, rising three to four feet in the air, and
then disappearing instantaneously. In the brief moment, Sasami
disappeared, Tsunami taking her place; the sequence only taking a few
seconds. After which Tsunami turned around, placed her hand upon the
sobbing girl's head. She went silent.
Tsunami had taken Sasami's place. The standoff that followed was
odd. For one, she talked very indirectly to the lead bully, almost as if
he was an interpreter, and she was talking to someone else through him.
What she said was just as strange.
"I will not allow you to hurt either of these children." she had
said.
Either? At that point, there was only Misao present, unless...
"They were in the same body!?" Washuu said incredulously to
herself. "Does that mean they were merged?!"
From what Tsunami had said, that frightful night at the hot
springs when everyone discovered the truth about Sasami, their merging
would not occur until much later when Sasami reached maturity. The fact
that this event had happened now could indicate something very wrong.
Her thoughts raced wildly about the implications, and the motives.
Was the true merging taking place? Or was this just Tsunami taking
control of Sasami's body? Couldn't Tsunami have used less direct methods?
These were elementary school children after all, no matter how vicious
they were.
Washuu glanced at one screen, still monitoring the scene. The boy
that had run off had now returned, leading an older man in a business
suit. The man rushed up to examine the boy. Washuu watched as he went to
the boy's aid. He tried to get the bully leader to relax and release his
grip on his injured leg at the knee. The boy was stubborn and would not
let go. Looking at the scene around, she watched as she saw a person in a
medical outfit arrive on the scene, followed by two others.
They moved the man and the mobile child to the side as they went
to work on the injured one. She watched the uninjured boy, Shohei as he
anxiously watched his sempai worked on. It then struck her as odd that
the other boy was nowhere in the scene.
'Oh, well' she thought after a moment. 'Probably just frightened
by what happened.'
Indeed, Tsunami had used an incredible amount of force in this
incident. She wondered for a moment if it was safe for Sasami's small
body to wield that amount of power, even in Tsunami's form. She stopped,
realizing she had just struck on the answer.
"Power! Of course!" she said, raising both her fists into the air
and making an action as if to pound repeatedly on an invisible door.
Jurai power left a very distinct signature behind, she should be able to
easily trace it; with her own sensors on the scene, the readings should
be fairly accurate as well.
"Kegani, show me a bipolar graph of Jurai-type power activity of
this planet, on lower right corner of location on monitor 34, graph type
3, diameter ten meters. Time interval, 15 minutes ago until current.
Overlay and sync playback with last footage on camera 438, begin."
"Hai, Washuu-chan!"
She waited less than a second for the graph to appear. No Jurai
power sources found.
"Kegani, fast forward until a Jurai power source occurs in this
area, then track until present time, and pause."
Doing so, she drew a circle on the translucent monitor with her
finger, indicating the area around the hedge where the girl with Sasami
had fallen.
"Hai!" the machine replied. Barely a moment later it came back.
"Cannot comply, Washuu-chan. Location of subject at time zero four
seconds ago is out of bound specified in search. Recommend long-range
sensors be allocated."
Washuu had feared this. Tsunami had left the planet, and her
short range tracking ability. She could possibly trace Tsunami back, but
it would take some time. Instead, she thought it would be best to verify
the location of Sasami and her friend.
"Rewind to first occurrence of Jurai power in time within search
criteria, playback."
She watched the graph patiently. On it was a small red dot,
surrounded by a rosy glow representing Sasami. Washuu had expected this.
The power level was low compared to the Jurai trees; normal for a member
of Jurai royalty. Sasami's power was higher than even most royalty,
though; hers actually visible as a concentrated point on the graph rather
than merely a red glow. Most non-royal Juraian people's power in would
barely show on this scale; their abilities a mere tenth of that of a
noble's. Or less.
Something bothered her. While Sasami's glow could be accounted
for, the pattern in which it emanated was a bit odd. It was not
spherical, but seemed to intersect with another sphere less than a meter
from her.
"Remove this energy source from the graph and compensate." she
indicated Sasami as the focus of the energy by a touch to the screen.
"Amplify other energy sources. Pause playback."
The machine replied in it's normal fashion. Again, the results
came to her. And again, Washuu was startled by them.
"That girl glows with Jurai power!" she exclaimed. "What the hell
is going on here?"
She began typing quickly away at the keyboard, attempting to get a
reading of the power level. The results intrigued her. The girl laying
on the ground was emanating power close to 24% of that of an average
normal Juraian person.
"How is that possible!?" Washuu exclaimed. After a pause, she
spoke again to the machine. "Kegani, restore last energy source removed,
return power level representation to normal level, resume playback."
She watched silently for a moment. In a few moments Sasami's
small point of light exploded into what seemed a blazing inferno of power.
It emanated outward, covering the virtually imperceptible glow of the
other girl. The glow then lowered some, and Washuu could now see Tsunami
standing there.
She waited patiently, absent-mindedly using a keyboard command to
lower the intensity of the power representation, knowing that the three
boys would appear soon. She very much wanted to know if they had readings
of Juraian power, and really wouldn't be able to tell very well with
Tsunami's overpowering aura if she didn't do so.
The leader boy and both of his subordinates showed readings
similar to that of Sasami's friend. The leader boy and the one named
Shohei were very close, both almost exactly 18%. The last boy, Guy had a
much higher reading, almost 53%.
Of course, these readings were not extremely accurate because of
Tsunami's power, and the fact that these were readings extrapolated from
data in her censors. Jurai power had a tendency to bolster itself when
more of it was around. Such was the same with Jurai trees.
Washuu watched the confrontation happen again. The boys stood off
in a triangle formation, the two subordinates flanking their leader behind
and to either side. She waited patiently, watching and remembering the
situation. It had been the third boy, Guy, that had stepped forward,
right? Washuu watched, waiting for the boy to step forward, wanting to
see the exchange.
When it happened, Washuu was once again shocked. Before the boy
stepped forward, his readings were normal. As he stepped forward, his
readings began to increase rapidly, and almost an instant later, the power
of his aura almost equal to Tsunami's.
Washuu barely had time to analyze the situation, when Tsunami's
power reading intensified three to four fold; almost off the chart. Her
aura expanded in three dimensions at once; it was so powerful as so
Washuu could no longer see the woman beneath. It cut through the other
aura like it wasn't there, striking the boy. Once on the ground, the
boy's power level returned to the faint red glow, and Tsunami's power
level returned to what it had been before.
The leader boy charged in a few moments later. This time,
Tsunami's power level did not increase, and there was only a slight
flicker as the boy literally bounced off Tsunami's aura, and flew off
screen.
Washuu continued to watch Tsunami as the replay continued. After
the boys turned away from her, she leaned over to pick up the unconscious
girl, carrying her over her shoulder. Again, a pillar of water appeared,
the glow once again intense. Then they were gone.
"Kegani, pause playback!" Washuu said quickly, remembering her
objective in viewing this: location of Sasami and the other girl.
"Hai, Washuu-chan!"
'Damn' she thought. Then to the machine, "Rewind 3 seconds, and
track prominent energy source on monitor 34. Trace until present time.
No graphical representation."
She waited as her machine did the calculations.
"Describe path of last trace. Description level 5."
"Path occurs as a perfect inverse parabolic path, reaching a
height of .515 kilometers at peak at velocity approximately half the speed
of light, and touching down at a space 1.03 kilometers from position at
commence of search. The energy source then is stationary for 28.83
seconds, and then is out of range."
"Adjust optical sensors to position where energy source in last
trace was stationary."
"Hai!" Kegani replied, "Optical sensors already on target."
"Eh?" she said. "Why would they be..."
She slapped her head in realization. The search had already come
back with results, and was focused on the spot while she had been busy
doing the other trace.
"Display on monitor."
"Hai!"
On the screen Washuu could see a narrow alleyway. Aside from a
garbage can and some leaves, it was very empty alleyway. Washuu was
puzzled for a moment, putting her hand to her chin. Then, understanding,
she snapped her fingers.
"Kegani, repeat last visual search with on screen as starting
coordinates."
"Hai!"
A moment later, Washuu saw what she wanted to see, but far from
what she expected. Sasami and Misao walked side by side, their uniforms
clean, smiling and chatting with each other, walking down the street.
Exactly as they had before the encounter.
---------------------------------------
"Oneesan was so embarrassed!" Sasami exclaimed, giggling. Misao
smiled, a giggle escaping as well.
The two came to a corner, and turned it, Misao indicating the way
they should go. Sasami continued talking until they had walked another
block, this time going straight. When they had walked another block down,
Misao stopped walking. Sasami stopped with her, continuing to talk until
she finished.
"Ryoko-oneesan got really angry after that!" she finished. They
laughed again, Sasami stopping first as she looked around.
"You live here?" she asked.
"Mmm..." Misao answered, meekly.
"Wow! It's so big!" Sasami exclaimed, looking up.
The house was a mansion, three stories tall with an enclosing
brick privacy fence that extended around the entire block. The only break
in the fence was in the form of the iron gate which Sasami now peered at
the estate through. Sasami wasn't so impressed by the dimensions itself,
being royalty, and living in estates many, many times the size of this.
She was more impressed by the size ratio of this house compared to others
she had seen. Misao's family must be very wealthy, Sasami realized.
"Will you come in?" Misao asked her.
Sasami nodded. Misao reached into her pocket and produced a small
black key chain, she pressed a button on it, and the gates began to slide
open with a rolling sound. She smiled at Sasami and walked forward,
towards the mansion.
When they got to the house, Sasami had expected to meet Misao's
parents, or siblings. Misao had changed the subject earlier when Sasami
had asked her about her family. Sasami had not really thought about it at
the time, but now the conditions inside the house brought that
conversation back to mind.
The entryway was large, having a large rug where you were expected
to remove your shoes. Straight ahead there was a large staircase, flanked
on the left by a long hallway; several doors on either side. The house
was completely silent. There were no shoes by the doorway; no one else
appeared to be home.
Misao removed her shoes and Sasami followed.
"Shall we go up to my room?" Misao asked. Sasami nodded.
The two walked up the staircase, and turned down a long hallway.
When they reached the end, Misao turned to the right, opening a door
leading into a medium-sized room.
"Please come in." Misao asked plainly. Sasami walked in,
accepting the invitation. Once in, she looked around in awe.
The room was filled with cats. Not living ones, but every other
kind imaginable. Stuffed cats and small porcelain figurines were
scattered about the room in every section. Looking to the side to a
western-style bed, Sasami saw the bedcovers were adorned with kittens.
Even a feline-shaped pillow graced the spread.
"Misao-chan, your room is so cute!" she said, continuing to look
from side to side, seeing something new every time. "You like cats, don't
you?"
"Yes." she said, but paused for a moment. "It's strange
though..."
"What?" Sasami asked.
"I don't really know why, but I like them... and I'm afraid of
them too."
"You're afraid of them?" Sasami asked, puzzled. "Why?"
"I don't know..." she stopped. "It's just that cats are always so
confident."
"What do you mean?" the girl asked, taking a seat on the floor.
She motioned for Misao to sit also.
"Well... they always know what's going on around them. Even when
they're sleeping."
Sasami smiled, knowing the animal she was talking about from this
world's television broadcasting. It was very similar to another animal on
Jurai, called a kura.
"Yeah, I know what you mean... but then why do you keep them in
your room? If they scare you, I mean."
"I don't know. I feel safe with them around." Misao continued.
"Safe?" Sasami asked, confused. "I thought you just said..."
Misao frowned and looked downward. After a moment she continued.
"I don't understand it either. For some reason, I feel safe from
them here. It's like I'm a mouse inside a small hole. They can't reach
me, because they're too big, and I'm too small and..." she stopped and
closed her eyes, exhaling. "Is it strange?"
Sasami didn't know what to make of what her new friend was saying,
but knew she had to immediately answer or risk disturbing her.
"No, not at all." Sasami said cheerfully, beaming at her.
"I..., really?" she asked, hopefully.
"Not at all. We all have our little quirks, Misao. We all do
things other people would think strange." Sasami said, something
disturbing bugging the back of her mind. Reflexively, she pushed it down,
maintaining her smiling visage.
Misao hesitantly smiled back. Sasami continued smiling;
reassuring her. She absent-mindedly rubbed her forehead with her index
finger. After a long moment, Misao broke eye contact and looked down
again, her smile still present.
"Sasami-chan is the first person I've ever shown my room." she
said, quietly.
"Really? I think it's really cute!" she said, looking around for
effect.
"Th... thank you..." she said. Then, thinking for a moment.
"Would you like to go swimming?"
"Swimming? Where would we go?" Sasami asked, not knowing of any
place to swim for kilometers.
"Downstairs, there's a pool..." she continued.
"Downstairs?" Sasami asked, never having guessed. Her family was
rich indeed! "But... I don't have a swimsuit."
"Don't worry, I have a bunch that I've never used, Sasami-chan
could use one."
"That would be great..." she said, pausing. "Misao, why did you
ask that all of a sudden? Swimming, I mean."
"I just thought... I just thought that it would be something that
Sasami-chan would enjoy... if not-"
Sasami cut her off. "No, I'd enjoy it very much, it was just how
you asked."
"Oh." Misao replied. "I'm sorry, I'm not good at these things,
and..."
"Don't worry about it! I'd love to go swimming." she said,
interrupting once more. "But, before we do, may I use your phone..."
--------------------------------------------------
"Masaki residence, This is Washuu-chan!"
"Umm, hello Washuu-chan, this is Sasami."
"Sasami! I thought you would be home by now."
"Ummm, actually I was calling to ask if I can stay over at a
friend's house for a while."
"Oh, I'm sure no one would have a problem with that. Everything
going alright?"
"Umm, yeah..."
"That's good, just be sure you're home before too late!"
"Yep, I will!"
"Bye Sasami!"
"Bye Washuu-chan!"
Washuu hung up the phone slowly.
'They have no memory of what happened,' she thought. 'How?'
The answer was obvious: Tsunami had wiped their short-term
memories. It was the only possible explanation.
Washuu watched the two girls as they continued down the stairs of
the house and through the corridors using the visual sensors available on
the audio tracking device. The picture was actually much clearer than it
had been from the primitive satellite. Washuu wondered idly why she hadn't
thought to use them earlier.
Washuu continued watching the girls for some time, trying to get
some clue on what had just happened. As the time wore on, Washuu realized
there was no more information she could get from the girls right now.
She took a deep breath and stretched her arms. She was feeling
quite exhausted by the emotional roller coaster the events had put her
through. There were so many questions opened up, and they disturbed her
every moment she thought about them. She sighed deeply, knowing she would
not sleep much tonight. There was really nothing she could do about it.
It was in her nature.
She would have to find the answers.
-------------------------------------------------
Tenchi sat silently at the dinner table, staring downward. It had
been almost an hour since he had finished the meal, and still no sign of
Sasami. After he had finished his cooking and completed the cleanup, he
had waited patiently, knowing she would walk through the door, or emerge
from Washuu's laboratory soon. It never happened.
Tenchi was glad at first. He had simply placed the unserved meal
into a small box Washuu had produced for Sasami a while back. Tenchi
didn't know exactly how it worked-Washuu had said something about a stasis
effect-but the machine kept warm food warm and just as good as it was when
you put it in. Then, he reflected on what he was going to say.
The long minutes of word searching stretched into three quarters
of an hour before Tenchi next realized the time. When he did, he was
disturbed. There was no doubt in his mind Sasami should have arrived by
now. The reasons she was not present zipped back and forth in his head.
Was she forced to stay late at school? Did Washuu still have her?
Was she avoiding coming home?
The last one scared Tenchi the most. Sasami was very young, only
eight physically. If she was avoiding coming home, because of him...
Tenchi suddenly felt the urge to run out and search for her himself. He
caught himself almost as he stood up and so doing sat himself back down,
realizing there was no point. He had no idea where she would be.
Pushing this idea out of his mind for a moment, he considered
other options. If she was forced to stay late at school, she would be
home soon. The buses ran very late in this part of town, and he had no
doubt in her ability to travel them.
The last option was that Washuu had kept Sasami for some reason.
This was possible also, but posed no more threat. He had not heard Sasami
enter the house, but then Washuu would have probably intercepted her
outside, anyway.
He sighed, resting his temple in one hand. It was frustrating,
but he would have to endure it. He was to blame, after all.
-------------------------------------------------------
Sasami and Misao stayed together for almost two hours, first
swimming in the pool, and then going upstairs to a large room to watch
television. The screen was large by earth standards, theater style,
almost two meters wide and half that high. They watched two shows, the
first one was a rather flashy shonen program. It had lots of fighting
with energy balls in it, of which Sasami enjoyed some, but there was very
little substance. After it was over, another show came on, this one about
a girl who lived a normal life in Japan, until she was transported to
another world. It wasn't the first episode in the series, so neither fully
understood what was going on, but the show had an excellent villain, and
the plot seemed very well done. Sasami didn't catch the series title, but
noted that the main character's last name meant 'courage.'
After that, it was getting late. It was almost eight o'clock, and
Sasami realized she would have to leave soon. Finally bidding Misao
farewell, she left to catch the bus for home.
Once on board the bus, Sasami's mood began to darken. The joy she
had felt with Misao was now giving way to the fear she had of facing
Tenchi-niichan again. She knew he was angry, and she knew she was to
blame. She had to come up with some way to make him forgive her.
The bus passed several shops advertising Valentine's day candy and
flowers. Sasami looked on, reminded again of what day it was. Looking
downward, she reached a hand into the book bag she had and pulled out a
small package. It was a square box, bright green. Cris-crossing it was a
purple ribbon and a matching bow.
"Sasami, you're such an idiot." she said. "You're supposed to
give this to the person you like, and..."
Tenchi-niichan was angry with her. All of a sudden the feeling
was so bad she wanted to cry. All she wanted was him to like her again!
Her stomach hurt as the muscles tightened in her abdomen, the fear
that Tenchi would reject her getting to her on a physical level. On top
of that, Sasami realized she was hungry. She hadn't eaten lunch due to
the events that had transpired, and she had only grabbed a single Kanomipu
before running off to school in the morning. Well, she'd have to go home
and get some dinner going.
Sasami's mind froze for a moment as several seconds ticked by.
"Dinner..." she whispered. It was her responsibility to make
dinner. She had forgotten the entire time. Normally, she made dinner
after she got home from school, as the family preferred to eat early.
She glanced out of the window where the sun was in near set, and then
realized how late she was.
Only one thought echoed through her mind: she had messed up again.
------------------------------------------
Sasami walked up to the door with a great deal of trepidation. She
had no idea where the family was, or if they were angry.
After a moment of gaining courage, she put her hand on the
doorknob and slowly pulled it open, expecting anything from 'Okaeri nasai'
to the family riding on the back of Washuu's pet fish, ready to eat her.
As the door swung open, Sasami found none of these things. In
fact, she found just that: nothing. She could see no one in the
entryway, and upon inspecting further, no one was present in the family
room, either.
She cautiously took off her shoes, leaving them in the entryway.
Then made her way across the main room to the kitchen. Once there, she
took another breath and looked inside. She wondered idly if anyone was
eating in the room; a pang of guilt coming to her as the thought occurred.
Peeking inside, she saw the one person she feared most to encounter:
Tenchi.
She gulped and she felt herself become tense, expecting him to be
angry. It faded some when she realized he was not about to yell at her.
In fact, he didn't even know she was there.
Tenchi sat motionless at the table. His right arm sat upright,
supporting his head at the temple, fingers extending into his hair.
Sasami could hear him breathing, and his nostrils flared very slightly
with the motion.
She stared at him for a long moment, then sat down at the table
opposite him. Silently, she put her books down next to her and looked
down at the table, listening to him breathe.
Tenchi dreamed on, oblivious.
---------------------------------------------
Pitch blackness. Void. Tenchi floated in a sea of perpetual
darkness. He looked around frantically for a moment, attempting to find
something; anything. His search ended without fruition, nothing could be
found in the void. He looked down, trying even to see himself, but found
he could not, so deep was the barrier. For a brief instant, Tenchi
thought he might be blind. The thought terrified him, and he began to
panic but was interrupted by a glow emanating from behind him. He turned
around. The lady Funaho looked at him from a seated position.
She was dressed in her formal Juraian attire, her long dark braids
falling in front of her shoulders, ending just above her bosom. Behind
her, a white glow that irritated his eyes peeked out from around her form.
The face she made at him was neutral, but her eyes hinted at anger.
"Why did you not protect our daughter?" she asked, formally, in an
even tone.
Tenchi opened his mouth, about to ask a million questions relating
to what she was talking about, but was cut off by another voice and glow
behind him.
"You let my poor Sasami-chan get hurt! I will not forgive you for
this!" the voice shouted.
Tenchi turned instantly, to see Misaki staring at him, murder in
her eyes. She was also dressed in formal attire, but she sat forward to
him; like a cat ready to pounce. Tenchi feared she would jump at him any
moment. Again, Tenchi tried to ask for explanation, but as before was cut
off.
"You!" came a third voice. Tenchi, startled once again, turned to
his left to see the emperor of Jurai glaring at him. "You let my daughter
come to harm! Look!"
The king pointed to a location behind Tenchi. When he turned to
look, he saw Tsunami standing there. In her arms, she cradled a small
form. Tenchi felt compelled to approach, and he walked toward her. When
he reached her, Tsunami pulled back a small piece of cloth; revealing
Sasami's small form.
She was unconscious, not dead. Tenchi could tell this as he
watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed. She was beautiful,
dressed in her formal Jurai attire, complete with flower-shaped pins for
holding her long locks of hair. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth
opened slightly whenever she exhaled. She did not appear to be hurt.
He was about to ask what was wrong with her, when Tsunami handed
the girl into his arms. Tenchi took her into his arms and looked at her.
She began to change.
At first, it was barely perceptible. Her face became a bit more
gaunt, and it became longer vertically. Next, her nose extended a bit,
and her facial features became sharper. During this he felt her body
extend and swell some, especially in the chest. As her body became
larger, it also became more shapely. Her waist became smaller around, and
hips expanded. Her legs began to lose some proportion with her body, and
grew longer.
It did not stop there. Her hair continued to grow longer, as her
body continued to age. He watched as the little girl passed into her
twenties, then thirties, and onward. It never stopped, in fact, it seemed
to accelerate as she went on, passing from middle into old age. A moment
later, the girls face was wrinkled and old, but there was no end in sight.
Tenchi watched in horror as Sasami's body began to rot and then turn to
dust, falling from his hands, leaving only her clothing falling in his
hands.
An overwhelming feeling of helplessness took him. He didn't know
why, but he felt that somehow this was his fault. Something he had done,
something he had said. The pain was too much, he felt the anger and fear
overtake him as he reared back and screamed upwards to any gods that might
listen.
"Sasami!"
"Yes!" came the response.
Tenchi looked up to see Sasami staring him straight in the eyes,
her own eyes wide as saucers. She was afraid. He blinked a few times, to
clear his vision. As he did, his surroundings began to register to him.
A small motion to the side caught his attention for a moment, but then
disappeared. He shrugged mentally, continuing to look around.
He was in the kitchen. Sasami was here. She seemed frightened.
It was evening, by the clock behind Sasami, and he had just woken up. He
had just woken up!
Suddenly, the rest of the situation came to him. He was waiting
for Sasami, and she had been late returning home. He had sat at the table
and waited for her, and then must have fallen asleep. Now she was here.
Tenchi struggled to say something to her. The plans he had made
on how to apologize lost in the deepness of his recent slumber. He felt
the shame as she stared at him, her big eyes boring into him.
"I'm sorry!"
Tenchi stood there, stunned. He had not spoken the words so
suddenly blurted out. Looking up at the girl, he saw tears begin to flow
from her eyes. She wiped them almost immediately. Before he could
interject, she spoke again.
"I'm sorry I didn't get you up this morning. It was the least I
should have done, after waking you up last night. Tenchi-niichan is so
nice to me, and I just made you angry..."
She closed her eyes, a tear escaping her right eye as she did so.
"Sasami you idiot!" she yelled suddenly, and then began to sob
uncontrollably into the table, folding her hands over her face.
Tenchi felt a dagger stab him in the heart with each whimper the
girl made. She blamed herself for what had happened. His selfish anger
had made her suffer this much. Gathering up his courage, he spoke.
"Sasami, I'm not angry at you." he said, gently. She peeked her
eyes out from above her arms, but continued to sniffle a bit. "I was
never angry at you."
"But you..." she tried to object, lifting her head in the process.
The act revealing her red eyes and tear soaked face to him. He merely
shook his head.
"No. I was angry at Ryoko and Aeka. Only them." he said.
"But I didn't wake you up, and then they..." she argued, her
sniffles subsiding some.
"They what? If you had woken me up earlier, something else would
have happened to make me mad." Tenchi sighed. "I really wasn't angry at
what happened, I was more angry at how OFTEN it happened."
Tenchi paused for a moment, shifted his arms, and continued
speaking.
"Ryoko and your sister... they make me very angry sometimes,
without knowing it. I like them both very much, but they are always
fighting. They're always so noisy. It bothers me. Today, they came very
close to hurting me badly."
"They..." she said, weakly.
"Sasami, it was NOT your fault. It's them. They forget common
sense when they fight. They just don't seem to understand."
Tenchi gazed into her eyes, still glassy from the tears she had
been spilling. He locked his stare with hers.
"I'm sorry, Sasami."
---------------------------------------------
The setting sun cast a deep crimson glow, bathing everything with
it's departure, however brief. To the two girls on way home, this
magnificent departure did not set melancholy mood, but merely augmented
it.
dark mood had caused more than one person to lift head from
reading material as they left the bus together, to watch them walk down a
path into the woods as silently as they would walk to a funeral. As it
was now, not a word had escaped either pair of lips in hours.
The stillness of the forest was barely disturbed by passing. They
continued on, ignoring the birds and animals who watched them carefully,
unsure why these two normally noisy creatures were so quiet. Were they
hunting? Was it a trap? Perhaps they were merely ghosts, passing by.
After long trip, the two arrived at the house. Once it was in
sight, both stopped and looked up to gaze upon it. The house was large by
earth standards, two stories, with a deck on the second floor. Only one
light appeared to be on: the kitchen.
After a long moment, courage pressing them onward, they continued
on and finally, cautiously, stepped inside. They removed shoes
immediately, and looked around for any sign of life. They stood silently
there for a long moment, searching for life, both in the house, and
within.
They were interrupted by a male voice from the kitchen yelling for
Aeka's little sister. It was immediately followed by a reply from a
familiar, high-pitched female voice, but they paid this no heed. Aeka ran
immediately to the source of the sound, Ryoko in tow.
---------------------------------------------
"Tenchi-niichan... you're sorry?" she asked, perplextion adding to
the emotions she felt.
"Yes, for making you feel sorry." he said. "I never should have
been mean to you. You did nothing wrong, and I hurt you. I am very
sorry."
Tenchi clasped his hands and bowed his head, making the apology
wholly sincere.
Sasami was shocked at the turn of events. She had expected him to
be angry, and yet here he was, apologizing to her, and she was younger
than him! Tenchi had always respected Sasami, but had never treated her
as a princess, only as a younger girl, as was customary on his world.
His apology was genuine.
Suddenly, Sasami felt weak. A moment later, she was out of her
seat and lunging at him. Sobbing, she hugged him tightly. He returned
her hug. She cried for almost a minute, and then separated.
"You don't hate me?" she asked him.
"No. I like Sasami-chan very, very, very much. I could never
hate you," he replied, smiling. She crinkled her face as if she was going
to cry again, but caught herself.
"Do you hate Aeka-oneechan, or Ryoko-oneechan?" she asked, trying
to keep a straight tone, but her voice cracking at the end of the
question.
"No. I do not hate them. They made me angry, but I'm not angry
anymore." he said.
"Really?" she asked.
"Re-" he began to reply.
"REALLY?" came two voices in unison from the doorway. Tenchi
looked up, startled. Sasami turned her head to see Aeka and Ryoko.
A moment later, Tenchi regained his calm.
"How long have you been listening there?" he asked.
"Ummm... well..." Aeka stuttered, looking downward.
"I... er, well..." Ryoko stammered, looking down to the side.
Tenchi raised an eyebrow.
"Ummm... about the time when you... woke up, Tenchi-sama..." Aeka
finally said. Ryoko nodded, not looking.
Tenchi sighed, and paused for a moment.
"I forgive you," he said, looking at them, "Both of you."
"Tenchi-sama, I-"
"Tenchi! I am-"
"Wait." he said sternly, cutting them off. "I have something to
give to Sasami-chan."
The two girls, stopped on cue, not daring to disobey his order,
glowing from their reprieve.
Tenchi reached over to his side to where he had placed the meal
into the small box. Opening the faceplate, everyone heard the
characteristic 'Whoosh!' that the machine made. Tenchi pulled out a
medium-sized pot of food. He placed it down on the table, and motioned
for Sasami to look.
"Wow! Sukiyaki!" she exclaimed. "But, Tenchi-niichan, how could
you..."
"I'm not such a bad cook, you know Sasami-chan." he replied,
smiling.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, it's so expensive, with the
beef, and..."
"Don't worry about it, Sasami-chan. It's my treat." he said,
emphasizing that he was insistent.
She paused a moment. Her wondrous expression toning down a
little.
"Thank you... but..." she said, suddenly serious. Her eyes
wandered to Aeka and Ryoko, who were taking on the look of children
betrayed by their own mother.
Tenchi's look once again became serious.
"Well..." he said, turning to them. He appeared to think for a
long moment, "I suppose so."
He waited for the phrase to sink in. As their faces began to
light up, he spoke again.
"I made enough for everyone, after all."
---------------------------------------------
Late that night, long after everyone went to bed, Sasami stared at
the ceiling, thinking. Today had been long for her, and now she finally
had the opportunity to rest, and yet, she didn't. Something was bothering
her.
She thought back to what could possibly be wrong, but could not
find anything that should disturb her now. Despite the day's bad
beginnings, it had turned out better than she could have hoped. She had
met Misao, and Tenchi-niichan had shown her how much he cared. Sasami
couldn't help but smile when she thought about Tenchi and his actions.
After the group had eaten, they had made their way into the living
room to talk. Aeka as usual had been very polite, but it was surprising
how well Ryoko was able to follow suit. The two formerly squabbling girls
also seemed to be careful not to step on each other's toes. Even when
both decided to simultaneously give Tenchi their valentine's gift, Ryoko
managed to give way to Aeka, and let her present her gift first.
Tenchi, however, would have none of it. He insisted that Sasami
be allowed to give hers first. At first, Sasami had wondered how he knew,
but then simply let it go, his smiling face melting her will to ask any
questions.
The rest of the night had been good, with everyone describing
their day to the group. Sasami told them about Misao, but left out the
part about the bullies. Instead, she told them about her home and how
beautiful she thought it was. Aeka and Ryoko told about how, after
school, they had went to an ice cream parlor, at the instance of some
friends. They said that the girls would not let them go, telling the two
that they had some cheering up to do. Tenchi laughed, replying that they
had made some good friends. The stories continued for some time
afterwards, everyone laughing and participating joyously.
Sasami finally gave up her inner search. She had to sleep, and
knew it. Her studies had suffered a bit today, she would have to be alert
tomorrow in class or she could fall behind. She sighed, covering her
mouth with her hand, and then rubbing her forehead, scratching a spot in
the center where it itched slightly. She glanced to the side, to where
Aeka had slept for some time, and then reset her stare. Then, finally,
closed her eyes to the world.
-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-
Japanese Vocabulary Lesson:
hai "Yes"
"Okaeri Nasai!" Lit. "Please return! [Into the house]" (said to
people as they return home)
shonen "Young boy"
shojou "Young girl"
oneesan "Older sister"
sempai Social Superior, usually someone older than
oneself
Things heard following people's names
-chan Affectionate ending, used for children, pets, and
all things cute (kinda)
-kun For teenage boys and social inferiors
-san ~ Mr./Ms.
-sama Lit. "Master," "Lord". Very formal.
-niichan "Older Brother" (affectionate)
-oneechan "Older Sister" (affectionate)
My proofreaders are (in no particular order):
- David Arjuna Stevens
* Larry Fontenot MVP (Most Valuable Proofreader) 2 timewinner!
- Mark Ferrer
- Phuc Tram
- Souldrake
- David Farr
Author's Notes:
Sorry about the delay, but I had quite a few things to do. I was,
and am still preparing for my departure to Japan as an exchange student.
I will be leaving the country as of 13 days after I write this. This
intails things such as finishing my painting (paint won't be good when I
return, right?), finishing FF8 (I have to leave in the states), studying
(I need to speak Japanese, right?!), and cleaning my room (impossible
task).
Anyways, getting down to business. This part will, unfortunately
probably be the last part for quite a while. I will be spending the next
couple of months doing nothing but learning Japanese and attempting to
survive when I can't comprehend enough kanji to read cooking instructions.
Once again, I must thank my pre-readers for all of thier love and
support. After a swift kick in the butt, they delivered for me this time
in full force. I have so many plans in my head for this series, but
without time to impliment, they will be for naught. I'm sorry if this
fate comes about, it's really not what I wish. And so, I begin my hiatis.
Remember: it will be difficult to start again after a long break, so if
you like it, tell me! I'm a huge sucker for praise, however fake it is,
and it will greatly increase the chances of me continuing to write
afterward.
Oh, by the way, if anyone cares:
Departure Date: 10/03/1999
Place of Departure: Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP)
Destination: Narita Airport, Tokyo
School Attending: Akita Daigaku
Return Date: 10/??/2000
See you!