----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Randall" <brian@azurite.org>
To: "En-taro-FFML" <ffml@anifics.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 6:49 PM
Subject: [FFML] [Tenchi/Ranma/Sailor Moon] Process of Elimination -- Chapter
7 (part one)

Sorry for all the delay in getting this out, but this chapter is, in
a word, _very long_.

Well, that's two words. Close enough. Enjoy!




Process of Elimination -- Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz
(Ranma 1/2), Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi
(Sailor Moon).

Additional tinting provided by: Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou
Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), and Takahashi, Viz (Inu-Yasha). The
easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2 in
the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs,
not TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but
it's something of an alt anyway. This fic uses the bizarrely vague
'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.

your work is classic fusion.
very good blending. reminds me of John Biles. :)

<snip>

He paused again, considering, then nodded. "We're creating
this world and system, once we move the monopoles into place, as a
refuge and haven for the Amatera we're indebted to. We ask that you,
as evidence suggests that you carry some Amatera blood, name this
moon for your people."

I would assume that all the Senshi - and Mamoru carry Amatera blood. :)

Tenchi stared at the planet for a long, silent moment, contemplating,
and considering his answer before he spoke. "Terra Two," he said at
length. "It's not home, but if you're willing to try to make it
closer, I can't complain."

***

<snip>

"I doubt it," Washuu said dryly. "A bigger gun isn't the answer, and
if it is, then they'll just develop thicker hides because of it --
you'd need baby black holes as projectiles to accomplish what you
want, and I'm not even willing to consider development in those
areas. What can stop then at the moment is radiation, and intense
cold. Unless I miss my guess, those are two forces that the reavers
are unable to counter."

interesting indeed. "intense cold".

hinting at that one artifact that Saffron possess? and the cursed waters of
Jusenkyo? ^_^

interesting indeed...

Norris waved a hand dismissively, confidently stating, "We have
nuclear strike capabilities. Nukes will stop reavers, won't they?"

Washuu frowned doubtfully. "I really don't like that idea very much.
They're dangerous and primitive weapons, at the best..."

Washuu, "Quantum torpedoes are far better. More efficient and destructive."
^_^

<snip a lot of stuff here>

***

<snip once again>

The last remained, and Ranma became aware that Norris and his men,
and Washuu, had fallen silent, studying the interaction. Nervous and
confused about being the center of attention, Ranma glanced at them
for a bare moment, turning his attention to the one child remaining.
A slightly dirty little boy -- though Ranma wondered where he had
found dirt so far at sea -- probably no more than six years old,
with sandy blond hair. "Are you a monster?" he asked suddenly in
infantile English, though Ranma only understood through the translator.

"Yeah," he said after a long moment, noting the silence from Norris's
group and Washuu. "I am."

"But," the child declared knowingly, "you fought the bad monsters, so
you must be a _good_ monster!"

Ranma scratched behind his ear nervously, managing a weak smile. "I'd
like to think so," he said softly.

"Yes," the child said, nodding again, "you're the good guy, 'cause
you stop the bad monsters. I want to be like you when I grow up!"
With that, the child spun, and darted back towards the tents,
disappearing long before Ranma could collect his wits and regain his
composure.

remind me of that quote u used earlier in the story? something about
Monsters...

***

<snip>

***

Yosho awaited Ranma's approach, hands clasped calmly behind him.
Ranma glanced at the man, frowning curiously.

"Hello, Ranma," Yosho said genially, producing a pair of bokken. "I'd
like, if you're willing, to train you a little more in the art of
the blade."

Ranma stared at the bokken, silent for a moment. "I learned kendo,"
he said slowly. "Pops had me learn a few basics from some people he
knew in Japan when I was a kid."

Yosho nodded approval, handing one of the bokken to Ranma. "That's
good, it should help a bit in learning what I want to teach you.
What style of kendo did you learn, if I might ask?"

Swinging the bokken experimentally, Ranma easily replied, "I learned
the Hyoho Niten Ichi, and Yagyu Shinkage schools."

"Yagyu Shinkage, you say?" Yosho asked quietly.

Ranma nodded. "Pops knew someone who was out and down on his luck,
and still taught the Edo variant, and he was willing to teach me in
exchange for Pop's help rebuilding his dojo."

"I'm impressed," Yosho admitted.

Grinning toothily, Ranma shrugged, waving the bokken experimentally.
"Yeah, well, Pops said that I should know how to use weapons -- all
of them -- and if I knew them better, I'd be able to fight them
better without weapons."

Yosho nodded judiciously, slipping into the basic stance of the
Masaki style. "Very well, Ranma. What I'm going to teach you is a
secret traditionally only passed through the sons of the Masaki family."

Ranma stared, blinking. "It's a secret school?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Yosho said, measuring his words carefully. "I have taught what
I wish to show you to only one person in the last twenty years, and
that was my grandson, Tenchi. Obviously, I'll need to wait until I
can be sure no one else can see us before I teach you any of the
deeper secrets, but I can show you some of the basics right now."

The warrior had no need to tell Ranma how much the offer to teach the
secret art meant insofar as trust. The boy seemed to grasp it
instantly, and raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "How old are you?"
he asked cautiously.

Yosho grinned unabashedly. "Old enough to have met the founders of
both the schools of kendo you know, Ranma. Now, prepare yourself!"

With that, Ranma slipped into a defensive stance, somewhere between
the two schools he had learned, and barely managed to deflect
Yosho's initial strike, failing completely to blow the next four
strikes as they battered him to the ground.

"Not bad," Yosho said, offering a hand to Ranma as he lay on the
deck, shocked and dazed.

"Woah," Ranma said, climbing to his feet quickly with Yosho's
assistance. "That was fast..."

Yosho smirked, but hid the expression quickly behind a mask of
patience. "I've got a lot more experience, Ranma. It'll take you
some time to reach my level. Now, your level of control is
impressive enough that I'll spare you the more basic drills. Watch
my feet, I want you to copy this stance..."

***


Ami bowed her head apologetically, explaining, "Makoto-chan
overreacted, and she shouldn't have... shouldn't have done what she
did. I'm very sorry that she lost her temper."

Ranma looked away, his expression colored angrily. "Not her fault.
She saw someone she cared about getting beaten up by a monster," he
spat. "I'd do the same thing, I bet."

"Um," Minako interrupted, before Ranma could walk away, "I don't
think you're a monster." Ranma blinked at her, and she smiled in
return, adding, "If you are, you're one of the cutest monsters I've
ever seen!"

Ranma stared, unsure of how to take that, while Rei added her own
words, "I admit, I was a little angry that you thought that we
needed to be protected... but I know that you're doing your best to
stop the... reavers? I know that you're fighting them, and I'm sorry
that this happened, too."

Collecting his wits, Ranma shook his head, edging slightly away,
while Yosho simply watched the exchange carefully. "It's not your
fault," the boy said simply. "I guess no hard feelings." With that,
he strode away, followed shortly by Yosho.

Rei frowned, looking after the pair as they wandered off, and mused
aloud, "Is he sure? I still don't think he's happy with us."

"Well," Minako spoke philosophically, "they say that time heals all
words."

dang, another Minakoprism. :)

interestingly though, all this friction between the senshi and the other
factions seem pretty... worthless.

i wonder how much of it is generated by Setsuna, even though she might tell
all she knows, what she knows might not be what is right - all the whole
picture.

Michiru frowned dubiously, but looked to Haruka for guidance. For her
part, Haruka was uncomfortable with the idea. She didn't trust any
boys around Hotaru in general, for the most part, and non-human
demon-boys that were apparently strong enough to withstand senshi
attacks with only slight singeing were worse. Never mind the oddity
of his apparently confused gender.

... I will not say the first perverted thing that comes into me mind. :)

"I've found the damage," Setsuna sighed, exasperated, "but there's no
way I can remove it. Unfortunately, the damage is now _integral_
towards preserving Crystal Tokyo."

... Setsuna is way_bent towards preserving the only future she knows.

Pity.

Being cooped up at the Gates of Time ain't healthy at all for this
green-haired woman. :)

"What is the 'damage', anyway?" Haruka asked, exchanging a worried
glance with Michiru.

Setsuna produced a worn, ancient scroll. "I took this from a building
in Tokyo that was destroyed yesterday," she explained, unfurling it
and pointing to the very first listing.

"It's a family register," Haruka noted dutifully.

"Yes," Setsuna sighed, shaking her head, "and the first name on the
register is Higurashi Kagome, who married an Inu-Yasha, in...
fifteen hundred thirty-two."

"Uh-huh," Michiru commented disinterestedly.

Haruka nodded her agreement to Michiru's impatience. "What are you
trying to tell us, Setsuna?" she asked.

Setsuna rolled her eyes, pointing further down the list. "As you can
see here," she explained, "a descendant, Higurashi Kaneda married
one... Saotome Hikaru."

Both Haruka and Michiru exchanged a glance, turning back to look at
Setsuna and asking in tandem, "And?"

Furling the scroll back carefully, Setsuna chastised, "Don't you
remember who 'Kagome' and 'Inu-Yasha' were? The amateur time-traveler?"

"Oh," Michiru said, frowning thoughtfully. "But what does that change?"

"Two things," Setsuna grumbled in irritation. "Firstly, Inu-Yasha was
the amateur time-traveler's pet half-demon. That means that her
bloodline likely contains the blood of demons."

Haruka paused, considering, and frowned darkly. "Saotome... okay,
well, do we know any Saotome? And what risks does that pose upon us,
anyway?"

"I don't know entirely," Setsuna admitted. "Five hundred years would
do an awful lot to dilute the bloodline to the point of... well,
negligibility."

"Of course," Michiru said disinterestedly. "I'm still not seeing the
point of all this, though."

"Well, Kagome charged her descendants -- all of them -- to become as
skilled and proficient as possible in all forms of the martial arts,
specifically to be strong enough to fight the reavers. While the
reason was apparently forgotten, the duty was not. It's a reasonable
assumption that if we _can_ find another 'Saotome' -- the last name
recorded on _this_ scroll is a Saotome Genma -- we'll have an ally
that can see us through this mess without having to rely on...
Ranma. According to my future self, at least, our success depends on
allying with whoever it is that this scroll should lead us to."

"Oh," Haruka mumbled, considering. It was true that having a human
ally would be a tremendous advantage over the dubious aid of the
entirely unknown Ranma... "Okay, well, how do we find him? Or her?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Setsuna admitted. "A lot of my resources are
tapped out, but I'll see what I can dig up. In the meantime, you two
can see what you can find out."

Michiru and Haruka nodded, slowly formulating a plan.

Dang, everything is right under their collecting scheming noses.
Hate the way the Outers work, always plotting and scheming to get their way.
^^

***

"Well," Yosho mused, "there's probably some kind of cafeteria or mess
hall for the soldiers here, but..." The man trailed off, blinking
with Ranma at the sight that awaited them next.

Nuku, Hotaru, and Makoto stood in a neat row, each carrying a large,
carefully wrapped bento. Makoto looked guilty, unable to meet his
eyes, while Hotaru and Nuku simply grinned with a childish, gleeful
innocence. "Um," Ranma drawled, "this is new... what's going on here?"

Makoto spoke first, taking a hesitant step closer. "I... I wanted to
apologize, and... I know it's not much, but I..." she trailed off,
swallowing nervously. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "I'm
really sorry I lost my temper and made you this to apologize, and I
didn't even make Ryu anything, so please take it!" With that, she
held the box forward, bowing her head.

Ranma blinked, stunned, while Hotaru chimed in, "I made you lunch
too, Ranma-san, Mako-chan taught me!"

"Nuku-Nuku made Ranma-papa-san something to eat, too!" Nuku exclaimed
happily.

"Uh..." Ranma managed, stalling for a moment, as Cologne arrived,
followed by Mousse -- who was carrying a large 'Nekohanten' delivery
box. Ryouga trailed behind shortly, offering Ranma a wry grin.

The old woman eyed the three girls with their proffered lunches, and
smirked widely. "I see my idea wasn't so original after all," she
commented.

"You're telling me," a new voice added from behind Ranma. "I thought
I was being clever!" The boy turned around, seeing Washuu carrying a
covered tray of her own. She offered him a sardonic grin,
explaining, "Can't blame a girl for trying!"

Ranma looked around slowly, noting the younger girls growing nervous
as they waited for him to make some kind of choice, and the three
other girls from earlier approaching curiously. A choice, where he
was expected to pick just one. "Okay," he said slowly, considering
his options very carefully. "Give me a moment..." Coming to a swift
decision, he stepped-forward, taking the bento from Makoto, "Why
don't we all share what's here? I bet there's more than enough to go
around."

Yosho smirked, slapping Ranma on the shoulder companionably, and was
the first to take a seat, followed shortly by Nuku, and then Cologne
and Ryouga. Mousse bowed low to Ranma, careful not to drop the
container, and sat at the old woman's side, while Washuu took a seat
at Ranma's own side.

Yosho probably sees this all the time at the Okayama shrine before the
reavers hit. :P

Ranma sank to the ground slowly, shaking his head in thought. "I
wasn't expecting this," he said ruefully.

"Kindness is never to be expected, and always to be accepted," Yosho
commented, as Ryouga produced a number of paper cups, and a large
jug of water.

"Exactly!" Minako answered from her seat near Ami and Rei. "It rains
when you're poor!"

Ranma snorted, uncovering the first bento, and asking loudly, "Is
anyone here familiar with the technique... 'Gourmet de foie gras'?"

At the unanimous headshakes, he grinned, whirling his chopsticks in
the air expertly. "This should be interesting," he commented,
flexing slightly, and setting to work. Less than three seconds
later, everyone had a surprising mouthful of the contents of the
bento. Ranma swallowed his own portion, and grinned. "That's pretty
good." For a moment, he nearly forgot that the girl who had made the
meal for him had only an hour or so prior shot a bolt of lightning
at him, but when the memory returned, he dismissed it. She hadn't
meant it, as she said, and he'd taken proportionately worse from
Ryouga, or even Mousse on occasion.

ho, ho, ho ;)
turns out training to eat like a ravener has its use after all. ^_^;

"Hmm," Washuu mumbled, sipping at her water after she recovered from
the surprise. "This brings an entirely new meaning to 'feeding your
guests.' Tell me, Ranma, are all your meals like this?"

Ryouga answered while Ranma expertly served out the next round, his
movements too fast for the others to see. "Nah, I've seen him
muprh--" Ryouga snickered, pausing to chew and swallow, then
continued, "I've seen him before. Usually his meals degenerate into
challenge matches."

"One of them leading to a chase deep in China," Ranma remembered aloud.

"Er..." Ryouga began nervously. "I, uh... I don't think I can really
hold that against you anymore," he confessed."

"Aside from which," Cologne noted, "the Spring of Drown Man should
cure you when we reach the Joketsuzoku territory."

Ryouga brightened instantly. "Really?"

"Of course!" Cologne said, rolling her eyes. "Turning into a little
pig in cold water would be something of a... hindrance... in battle
with a reaver, wouldn't it?"

Glancing at the girls, who were blinking and watching with completely
undisguised interest, Ryouga blushed, coughing, "Well, yeah, that's
true..."

After the majority of the food had been eaten -- the watermelons
being used to tease Ran-oh-ki -- everyone sat together, content for
the moment. Ranma had been surprised at the nearly overwhelming
generosity of his allies, and... friends, he hoped. He was uncertain
how to feel towards the 'senshi', but they were more honest, now.

they're only the Inners here and Hotaru. Haruka and Michiru follow Setsuna
around too much. :P

He supposed that it was impossibly to really fault them, given what
they'd suffered through and how much everything had changed. Working
with them had gone from a distant possibility, to a very likely one,
though he wasn't sure what harm they could do to reavers yet. The
little one -- despite her parent's probable opinion -- had managed
to destroy one, which impressed him. He'd had enough trouble killing
them on his own... a little help wouldn't be completely amiss.

***

Haruka stared after Setsuna, as the woman marched briskly away.
"Okay," she said evenly. "I don't have the slightest clue where we
begin."

That happens when u follow orders too blindly. (Hope I dun get flamed for a
bit of Haruka and Michiru bashing here.)

Michiru glanced about to make sure they were unobserved, and drew the
Deep Aqua Mirror from a pocket. "We can ask this," she suggested,
turning her attention to it. Haruka nodded, peering at the mirror
curiously.

Focusing on the scroll and Setsuna's words, Michiru formed her
question carefully, asking the mirror for guidance and help. Slowly,
revealed from the swirling in the center of the mirror, an image
came to light. A blue point of brightness, blazing against the
darkness. The blue slowly shifted to green, and the darkness seemed
to stiffen, swirling tendrils of a black morass shot through with
white and blue, then shattering to fall away before the mists
obscured the vision once more.

Haruka frowned, glancing to Michiru and then back to the mirror.
"That doesn't tell us much," she grumbled. "Can you ask it something
else?"

Michiru nodded, concentrating. What would help them? What could
protect them from the threat they were facing?

Again the mists parted, this time showing a scene right out of a
fantasy manga. A sword, ancient and rusted, its age-pitted surface
chipped and worn, thrust point first into the ground, leaning
against a sapling. Beneath the sapling, a faint hint of green, and
behind the tree, more, giving the distinct impression of an ancient
forest, though Michiru couldn't explain _why_ it felt ancient.
Merely that it did.

A necklace of small stones hung from the hilt of the sword, swinging
softly in an invisible breeze, and a large, lustrous pearl-like gem
occupied the lowermost segment of the necklace. The image shimmered,
and the gem vanished, leaving only the sword. Again, not knowing how
she knew it, Michiru sensed that the gem was not nearly as important
as the blade.

A soft, incredibly faint -- nearly ethereal -- voice began, singing a
gentle lullaby too faintly for her to make out, but too persistent
for her to ignore. The image wavered once, then faded to the point
of blue light again, then faded away.

"A sword?" Haruka asked, puzzled. "A really beat-up and ancient sword?"

Is that the Tetsugaia? (argh,  can't remember the spelling... ) ^_^

"Haruka..." Michiru began slowly, discomfited by the singing and
strange feelings, "I don't... I'm not sure what that was, but it
felt important to me. Very important."

Nodding doubtfully, the blonde scrubbed a hand through her hair. "I
suppose," she said at length. "Is that the best clue we're going to
get? It's not much to go on."

"Maybe not, but I don't think we'll get better," Michiru countered.
"What else can we do?"

"Well, if Tokyo were still around, we could search through legal
channels..."

"I think if that can be done, Setsuna will do it."

"That's true," Haruka admitted. "We can trust her to manage that.
What should we do, then?"

Michiru sighed, remembering the small ball of light vividly. "I
suppose keep an eye out for little blue gems, and ancient rusty swords."

Hmm, is that the Shiko-no-tama blue? Thought it was pink... ^_^

"Well, it's a start, I suppose..." Haruka grumbled.

***

"I think that I'd rather have you as an ally anyway."

"Easy," Ryu said, setting the bento down. "Give me the scrolls, and
I'll do it."

I wonder why Ranma tolerates Ryu so much. ^_^

Ranma answered nearly instantly, "Not a chance. They're my father's
gift to me, regardless of family. It's personal, and I won the duel.
You're not getting the scroll."

"Then, no deal," Ryu grumbled, returning to his meal again.

"What if I teach you what I learn from them?" Ranma asked cautiously.

Ryu froze, chopsticks midway to his mouth. "What?" he asked, not able
to believe what he had heard.

"You'll never get the scrolls, but I'll teach you what I learn from
them if you agree to fight with us."

Ryu stared at Ranma, hard, and blinked, shaking his head. "You're an
idiot," he stated firmly. "That's all there is to it."

Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he held his temper in check.
"What do you mean?"

"Look, if you think I'm just going to sit here and let all this
happen without doing _something_, then you're wrong. I don't care
about the scrolls as much as learning the Umisen-ken. That's what's
important to me. I gotta get the scroll, then I'll have both halves
of the school, and -- according to the man who gave the scrolls to
my father -- I'll be able to build a dojo. I think in his own words
it was, 'these are arts for life'... or something like that."

Nodding, Ranma remained where he was, silently studying Ryu.

"I'll help," Ryu said after a moment of tense silence. "I can make my
own copy of the Umisen-ken and the Yamasen-ken."

if the reavers had their way, Ryu wouldn't be able to build anything, much
less a dojo.

<snip>

the following parts are interesting. Kinda nice knowing that even Juraiian
nobility are a shallow lot. ^_^

The Throne maintained its position above Cyaga, Genoh's personal ship
nearby. While Genoh and Karau were gone for the moment, Tenchi
frowned, glancing at Ayeka and then back to the screen. "So," he
remarked thoughtfully, "I know who the Amatera are -- you told me
that last night -- but who are the Laruma?"

Ayeka pursed her lips thoughtfully, glancing towards the door that
Genoh and his younger brother had retreated through. "It is... it
will explain why Laruma-san's words were so rude, I suppose..." she
said softly. "Tenchi-sama, think of the Laruma as... ah... what is
that word..."

"Burakumin," Ryouko said, smirking at Ayeka's discomfiture. "Pariahs.
The caste too low in society to be accepted anywhere. That's why the
Jurian nobles were so angry at the Amatera for giving the Laruma
their ships. Jurian law says something about how only nobles can
have ships, and the Laruma were not nobles, but they had ships anyway--"

hmm... interesting development. Tenchi sure does have a flair for politics.
:)
making an alliance with the outcasts of Jurai would never have occured to
other Emperors. :)

"That's quite enough, Ryouko," Ayeka hissed. "I think I'm quite
capable of explaining my own people's history to Tenchi-sama."

"Humph," Ryouko snorted. "Your own? Isn't he one of you? Far too
elitist. See, as I was saying, Tenchi--"

"Ryouko!" Ayeka cried out. "That's enough!"

"No," Tenchi said, overriding the both of them. "I want to hear this
all out. Ayeka, sometimes what you tell me is really useful, but if
I'm going to be an emperor for Jurai, then I think it would be best
for me to be hearing both sides of any story. Don't you?"

Ayeka bit her tongue, humbled by Tenchi's words, and nodded silently.

Ryouko spared the other woman a glance, then resumed, "Anyway, the
nobility was angry because the Laruma had ships but weren't nobles,
so they decided the best way to deal with it was either to kill all
of their trees, or kill all of them."

Tenchi's eyes widened, and he glanced to Ayeka, whose face was drawn
and pale. She nodded weak confirmation a moment later, then looking
away in shame. Tenchi quickly turned back to Ryouko, who continued
without further prompting, "So there was a little war there, though
most of the Juraian history probably skirts around the issue... The
Laruma lost almost all of their ships in the battles, until Tsunami
stepped in on their behalf and pretty much told all the other
Juraians to knock it off, and that they couldn't kill the Laruma
anymore.

"So the Juraian council had to make Tsunami happy, and she was pretty
mad about the whole thing, so they said that the Laruma would be a
house of nobles, just like them, and then having ships would be okay
for them. Except that it wasn't, because the nobles only pretended
that they called the Laruma equals, none of them really respected
the Laruma."

Tenchi looked to Ayeka for confirmation, and all that she could say
in defense was, "Well... they _are_ Laruma."

The boy hung his head and sighed in exasperation. He harbored some
faint hope that the Masaki clan were better than the other stuck-up,
pretentious and otherwise... elitist, Ryouko had said. The Juraians
were all far too elitist. He had hoped that his own clan would, at
the least, be better than that, but evidently it wasn't, if even
Ayeka were to be acting as she was. "Anyway," Ryouko said, judging
Tenchi to be ready to hear more, "the Laruma got mad about life
still sucking on Jurai, but now they had enough power to make a
difference, so they went ahead and left to some of the closer
territories. Then they started branching out into trade, and to
spite the Juraian nobles, helping out people that the nobles refused
to help. That's why the fleet that went to Earth was composed almost
entirely of Ginraii ships."

"I see," Tenchi said after a moment, straightening. "And the other
half was the Home Fleet. So, they're merchants, too?"

"They have to make money somehow," Ryouko said with a shrug. "Unlike
all of the other nobles, they can't extort taxes from the common
citizenry."

"Now you take that _back_, Ryouko!" Ayeka erupted, fuming. "We are
nobles, we are not _thieves_, and your allegation--"

Ryoko: "Boo hoo, angry that I expose your little misdeeds, eh Princess."
Ayeka: "Why you.......!!!!"
<insert random Ryoko-Ayeka catfight here>

^_^

Tenchi silenced Ayeka by raising a hand to forestall her. "How's that
work?" he asked guardedly of Ryouko. "No one's explained how the
government gets money around here, but whenever I ask one of the
other advisors, they just say, 'donations'. Misaki and Funaho are
too busy, or I'd ask them, but I need answers if you expect me to be
an emperor."

Darn, no catfight. ^_^

Ayeka threw her hands into the air and sank to a seat, glowering at
Ryouko. The cyan-haired woman affected to be unaware of the glare
she was receiving. "Well, I only know from listening into
conversations in the bars I used to be allowed to visit," she shot
Ayeka a cool, level look, which Ayeka returned smugly, "before I was
told that I shouldn't, because it would make you look bad, Tenchi."
The woman turned her attention back to Tenchi, smiling at him and
winking. "What I heard, was that only the nobles own any of the
territory in the area, and that they have to pay substantial taxes
on the land, which is how the nobles get their money -- taxing
people. Then all of that money goes to the clans private holdings,
and they buy whatever they want with it."

"I see," Tenchi mumbled, furrowing his brows and deep in thought.
"That's really inefficient," he commented. "What about the Council?
Where does their money come from?"

"Donations," Ryouko said, smirking. "More donations mean you have a
greater pull within the council, which assures that the greediest
and selfish stay on the top."

Tenchi shook his head. "So the Council is a respected and honored
facet of the government, but is effectively just run by the highest
bidder? And they're equal in power to the emperor of Jurai. I don't
normally like to say things like this, but that's really stupid."

Ayeka flushed, at a loss for words.

when you in the system and surrounded by it, you can't see the mistakes or
flaws unless you step back and assess it. For Ayeka, I assume that would be
even more difficult.

Ryouko lounged in one of the chairs, glancing at Ayeka for a moment,
then back to Tenchi. "I don't think much of it myself, but you're
the boss here, Tenchi. If anyone can make changes, it's going to be
you, and there _is_ the standard of Juraian law..."

"Yes!" Ayeka proclaimed, raising her head triumphantly. "Juraian law
is fair and just!"

"Even if the nobles who uphold that law aren't," Ryouko noted.

"Well, I can see now that there are going to need to be a few
changes," Tenchi murmured.

I read somewhere that the great leaders in our history are just people who
are able to pick the least damaging one among the ones presented to them.
Repeatedly.

I wonder if Tenchi would be the same. :)

<snip>

Shaking his head to clear it, Tenchi gestured to the seats ringing
the room's one table. "Actually," he said, taking a seat himself,
"there might be something you can help me with, Genoh. And call me
Tenchi, please."

Taken aback, Genoh carefully took the seat opposite from Tenchi,
Karau nervously taking the seat to Genoh's right. Ayeka was still
seated in the chair to Tenchi's left, while Ryouko straightened up
very slightly in her seat to his right. "Yes, er... Tenchi? What can
I do for you?"

"Genoh," Tenchi began, rubbing at his temples after setting the
Tenchi-ken on the table before him, "I've been learning a little bit
more about Juraian politics over the last few days, and I learned a
lot more today... I suppose it's all old news to you, but tell me --
has there ever been a Laruma on the Council?"

Karau blinked twice, and turned to stare at Genoh in confusion. Genoh
shot his younger brother a glance, and the boy snapped his ledger
shut audibly, placing his stylus on the table, and stowing the
ledger in his robes. Ledger stowed, Genoh turned his attention back
to Tenchi. "No, Masaki-sama, no Laruma has ever been permitted to
serve in the council. Are you asking because you wish to mock me, or
do you truly not know?" The man seemed genuinely confused.

Tenchi shook his head quickly. "I'm not making fun of you," he
assured the man. "I'm learning most of this as I go along -- I guess
it's probably pretty hard to manage being the head of Ginraii, and
you probably have a lot of work, but try, just for a minute, to see
being the emperor of Jurai without really knowing how the whole
system works.

"I'll be honest with you, because this is all terribly confusing to
me, and it's really easy for me to make a mistake that makes a lot
of people unhappy, and it's beginning to look a lot like even if I
do the right thing, I'm going to make a lot of people unhappy."

"Just make the ones you don't like unhappy," Ryouko joked.

Ayeka colored angrily, but Tenchi merely smiled softly. "That's about
what I plan to do," he said quietly. "Tell me, Genoh, how hard would
it be, with my help, to _get_ a Laruma on the Council? I need to
make some changes, and the Council is almost guaranteed to oppose me
no matter what I attempt to do, unless I can get some support from
within."

Changing from coloring angrily, and only just barely keeping her
tongue in check, Ayeka stared at Tenchi in disbelief, while Ryouko
eyed him with something much closer to awe. "Well," Genoh said after
a moment, he and his brother nervously glancing between the three,
"that would be... The Laruma have enough money to attempt to bid
into the Council, but we'd never win the elections to a seat."

"Why not?" Tenchi asked, frowning.

"Because our blood is considered too ignoble," Genoh answered
blandly. "We own no land on Jurai, so we can't bid as landowners."

Furrowing his brows thoughtfully, Tenchi asked, "What do you own?"

"Ginraii, which is not negotiable, and..." Genoh trailed off, licking
his lips nervously. "And our trade routes. Where the nobles tax the
people living on their lands, we tax everyone who uses our ships for
trade."

"So you need land on Jurai to be considered for the Council," Tenchi
stated flatly. "Fine. Ayeka, I'm the emperor, right? How much land
do I own?"

Ayeka's eyes rolled up into her head as she slumped out of her seat
and collapsed onto the floor.

LOL. ^_^

I forsee problems for Tenchi when he deals with voices of dissention from
his own house, Masaki.
Perhaps later he will forsake Masaki and form Amatera? :)

"Wait," Genoh managed, looking unnerved. "You're offering us, the
_Laruma_, the emperor's land? Tenchi, what you suggest would... Are
you sure you wish to do this? I have no desire to remain an outcast,
but this... This could go a great way towards destroying the caste
system of Jurai."

"Good," Tenchi said, smiling grimly. "Then let's get to work."

Remaining on the floor, Ayeka moaned softly.

Tenchi would make a fine Emperor. Baring the collective apoplexies that the
other nobles are going to have when he starts waving his Light Hawk Wing
Sword around for emphasis. :)

***
[End, Part One]

-----------------------------
Author's notes:

Thank you to Slacker, Ladegard, Ginrai, MageOhki, Unseen, and the
rest of the #void crew for pre-reading, along with special guest
pre-reader Alex Raven.

Very brief notes: Hyoho Niten Ichi, and Yagyu Shinkage are schools of
kendo founded by Morimoto Musashi and Jubei Yagyu respectively,
arguably two of the greatest swordsmen in Japanese history.


--
I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, thanks to
a kind grant from the Larry F foundation:
http://members.tripod.com/lwf58/fan_fiction/durandall/index.html
--
Haiku of my lament:

Forgive my spelling,
my U.S. education,
is the source of blame.

overall, very nice indeed. going to read part two now. :)
and of course, looking forward to part eight. :)
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