Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Autumn of Life ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Sasami struggled in her sleep. Another bad dream. She had grown quite used to them since everyone became aware that she and the Goddess Tsunami were one and the same. The child worried at first she would lose her identity, an existence only the love of her new family and especially her big sister, Ayeka convinced her was real. She was still little Sasami Jurai who fell to her death after Ryoko's attack on that planet some seven hundred years ago. She still held the same pure heart that the Goddess Tsunami resurrected so long ago and in the process, ensured that the two beings, child and divinity, would merge into one. That final assimilation had not occurred, much to her relief; and even though the Goddess, whose thoughts always echoed in the back of Sasami's mind, told her she would still be Sasami, the child had her doubts.

"Tenchi?" She uttered and clenched the fabric of her pillow. Her freckled nose crinkled and a look of fright came upon her face as she slept. This was the same horrible dream she had been having for such a long time. She was very little, her long blue hair was only tiny pigtails and she toddled toward the room in which the royal trees were kept. She didn't even hear her nanny calling for her, nor did she hear the cries of panic as Ryo-Oki's blasts pummeled the palace and city. Nothing could keep her from visiting the trees that day. Her nanny had promised she could go visit the very biggest tree that after noon-if she took her nap. Sasami was so excited that she flew from her bed, not waiting for her guardian, and ran toward the tree room. At the same time, Ryoko, under Kagato's control imposed fiery hell in the form of photonic blasts from her ship Ryo-Ohki. Her mission: to destroy as many as she needed and capture the tree/ship Tsunami, the first tree of Jurai.

Sasami made her way toward the royal tree room. It was enormous and contained multi levels of environments and habitats for the magical trees which formed the source of Jurai power and from which all royal space ships and their keys originated. The child loved to visit the most beautiful and grandest tree in the tree room, the first tree, Tsunami. No one could remember where Tsunami came from, she had always been there. Her offspring became the first generation of tree ships used by the nobility to protect the planet Jurai. The room was filled with many other magic trees, also Tsunami's offspring from which the second and third generation of Jurai ships were created. None of these other trees mattered to the blue-haired child - today she was to visit the first tree.

The little girl made it to the entrance level and took a molecular portal to a lower level. She couldn't remember where Tsunami was. It didn't matter, she was the Second Princess of Jurai, she had all the time in her young life to find the glorious tree.

"Hi!" The child squeaked at a nameless, but none-the-less beautiful tree to her right. But that wasn't HER tree, so she was about to move on to find Tsunami when Ryoko struck the palace.

The initial jolt from the pirate ship's blast caused a concussion wave that exploded an exterior wall of the tree room. The explosion made the poor child lose her footing. She flailed her tiny hands at the wooden railings but could not grasp it. Sasami fell hundreds of feet to the hard ground below.

Her next recollection was that she was no longer a baby but her present age. Still, barely a teenager, the girl lay in a growing pool of her own red blood. Excruciating pain surged through her young body as she felt her life expire. Before she exhausted herself, a bright light and a form of comfort materialized before her. It was Tenchi Masaki.

"Sasami?" He implored as he reached for her hand. The child painfully tried to grasp it.

Tenchi's never made contact with her hand. Before she could feel his comforting warmth, his body was suddenly transported another arms length away from her.

"Tenchi! No!" She cried.

Suddenly, a gigantic hand, a female hand, wrapped itself around Tenchi's body and began to drag him away from Sasami.

"No! Don't take him! Don't take him from me! Please!"

Tenchi was gone. In his place stood the stern image of a beautiful woman, a woman with glassy cold eyes. She smiled and disappeared.

"Tenchi! No! Please don't leave me! Please! Tokimi!" Sasami screamed and violently raised herself up on her futon.

"Ayeka?" She sobbed and looked for her sister. "Ryoko? Mihoshi?" The other girls were not in their room, she was alone, not even Ryo-Ohki was there to comfort her. Tenchi? She wanted to go to Tenchi, he would make the bad memories go away….but….Tenchi wasn't there either. Sasami wailed through her tears and ran for the door, she knew where her friends were and desperately needed to find comfort in them.

*****

Ryoko slouched down in the hot water of the onsen so that it was inches below her lower lip. She fully intended to stay submerged all night and all day if need be. She also intended to get quite drunk. She didn't, however, expect to be interrupted by Ayeka. The princess uttered not a word, but quietly slipped her pale body into the warmth of the waters. She let out a depressed sigh and held out her hand to the Pirate as she motioned for some sake. Ryoko rose up and poured a small cup of the liquor and offered it to the princess. Ayeka, instead, grasped the mostly full sake bottle, leaving Ryoko a bit dumbfounded as she downed a big gulp directly from the bottle.

"THAT was not very lady-like." Ryoko smirked.

"I've come to realize I don't have to act like a lady around YOU….at least….not anymore."

"Hey Princess?" An evil grin spread across the pirate's face. "You wanna fight?" She stood up, her naked body glistening as the onsen water rolled off. Ryoko outspread the fingers of both her hands and tiny yellow and orange sparks flew.

"I'm not in the mood, but thanks for trying to cheer me up." Ayeka didn't give Ryoko a second look and she took another swig from the sake bottle.

"You're no fun." Ryoko pouted as she plopped back down into the water. "You better slow down."

"I don't plan to stop until it is gone. I hope you have some for yourself."

"Are you kidding?" As she spoke another bottle materialized in her right hand. "Since we are doing away with formalities…." Ryoko raised the bottle to Ayeka and they toasted each other. They both downed more sake.

"Ryoko."

"Hmmm?"

"Sasami and I are leaving tomorrow…..we are going home."

"Home, eh? I thought this was your home." She growled.

"At one time, yes, it was. Now, now I can't stand to think of it as ever my home."

"I understand……Ayeka?"

"Yes?"

"I…I don't….." Ryoko stammered.

"What?"

"I….gods, if you laugh at me, I'm gonna sock you….but, I don't want you to go." She plunked back down in the water so that her eyes were just above the waterline.

"Ryoko."

The pirate answered by blowing bubbles and then raising up again.

"Ryoko, perhaps you can come with me?" She already knew that was a bad idea.

"Come on, I don't think your people will exactly roll out the welcome mat for me, you know……."

"Well, I'm inviting you, anyway…..hussy….." Ayeka smiled.

"Priss….."

They both looked at each other and laughed.

"Ayeka, I have a great idea. Please think about this, seriously."

"What?"

"Before you leave, before you give up and go home to mommy and daddy….let's have one more adventure, together, just like old times, like before…"

"With Tenchi?" The princess finished.

"Bingo. What do you say? Let's go back to Washu's station and give that area one last look see. We'll make it a long trip back, no portals so we can make some pit stops at a planet here and there."

"I don't know…."

"Come on! It will be fun, just the two of us….you can go in disguise, we can both be outlaws!"

"What will be fun?" Mihoshi's cheerful voice piped in.

"Uh?" Ryoko stammered again.

"Miss Ryoko? Are you planning a space trip? Can I come too?" Her bulbous blue eyes pleaded.

"We may need her, you know…." Ayeka whispered.

"Yeah, we'll need her to haul our carcasses back home after she blows the station up." Ryoko replied softly. "Ok, Mihoshi, you can come, only if you can get clearance from the GP."

"Oh, that's no problem!" The blond ripped her pink towel off and plopped her tanned body into the water.

"What's this?" Washu made her presence known as Ryo-Ohki hopped to the waters edge to be next to her master, Ryoko. "You girls aren't planning one last hurrah without little Washu, are you?"

"N,n,n,no, Miss Washu." Ayeka babbled.

"Sure! You can come too!" Mihoshi squealed.

"Oh, brother." Ryoko whined.

Suddenly, little Sasami ran into the room crying. She was rubbing her eyes and tripped, falling flat on her front.

"Sasami!" Ayeka yelled and leapt out of the pool, she grabbed a towel and ran to her sister.

"Sister!" The child rose up, gulping between sobs.

"Sasami, what's happened?" Ayeka held the frightened child.

"Bad…bad…dream…Tenchi….." She sobbed.

"That's alright. It will be alright. You see?" She raised Sasami's head up so she could see her bright pink eyes. "You see, we are going to try to find him…one… last…time."

Sasami smiled.