Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Okayama Summer ❯ Chapter 1

*Ohohoho. 'Nother re-write. I really needed to do this one; this chapter REALLY STUNK. ^^;; Er... same thing as before; Washuu's healing machine is pretty much the same one she uses in Shin Tenchi Muyou / Tenchi in Tokyo. ... Heh. ^^;; It feels weird, re-writing stuff I wrote over a year ago... yes, I am sad...*

Chapter One

"Ryoko, can you go out and get some berries for this recipe?"

The space pirate blinked at the speaker, a supposedly young girl with pink hair and bright green eyes. "Uh... what're you doing cooking, Washuu...?"

Washuu glared at her. "I'm making food, so we don't starve. Sasami's sick, remember?"

Ryoko nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember... and... um... OH!! I, uh, need to go talk to Tenchi... 'bout something... BYE!!" She teleported before her biological mother could say a word.

Washuu groaned. "Why did I even try asking Ryoko...?" She started back into the Masaki kitchen. "How am I going to make this stupid pie now?"

Aeka, who happened to be passing, looked into the kitchen. "You're making a pie, Washuu?"

Washuu blinked at her. "... Yes..."

"Is it the one Sasami makes, with those scrumptious berries from the patch near the shrine?" The princess exclaimed, clasping her hands together in delight. "I love those!"

"Yes, it is," Washuu said brightly, deciding to take advantage of the situation. "Aeka, do you know where those berries come from?"

"Yes, out near the shrine," Aeka said, "close to those sakura trees."

"Ah," Washuu said vaguely. "Would you consider--"

"I'm going to go check on Sasami, Washuu, I'll see you later," Aeka said, somewhat hastily, and disappeared. Washuu rolled her eyes, and looked out the window, towards the area the Juraiian princess had specifed. "... I might as well go myself... I need a break, anyway."

"Hey, Washuu!"

Washuu glanced over her shoulder. "Oh... hey, Tenchi."

Tenchi had just walked into the kitchen, looking unusually happy. This was, sadly enough, rather strange for Tenchi (who was usually stressed out over one thing or another). "And why are you so happy today?"

Tenchi laughed. "Well, I guess it's because I haven't been ambushed by anything for a while, Ryoko included."

Washuu raised her eyebrows. "She's stopped hanging on you?"

Tenchi shrugged. "Well... sort of... she and Aeka haven't had reason to fight for a while, though... I think they might actually be getting used to one another."

Washuu sighed. "Tenchi, you probably just jinxed it."

He sighed as well. "I know. Well, what are you doing in the kitchen, Washuu?"

"Making a pie... er, I'm going to, anyway... I still need the ingredients. I'm leaving now, actually."

Tenchi raised his eyebrows. "Are you going by the shrine?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I'll walk with you, then."

The two of them exited the house, and were halfway up the stairs to the shrine when Tenchi spoke. "You know, Washuu... I really appreciate you doing this. You know, helping out... we really don't see too much of you, unless you're not working on an experiment, or something..."

"Don't get too used to it," Washuu said, somewhat begrudgingly. "It's only until Sasami gets better."

Tenchi smiled. "Yeah, I know, but still... I was going to thank you before, but I really haven't had a chance..."

"Yeah, well... you're welcome, Tenchi." Washuu paused, and pointed at a group of trees off to the side. "Those are sakura trees, aren't they?"

Tenchi nodded. "Yeah, they are... good luck finding your ingredients, Washuu."

She smirked. "Thanks, Tenchi. I'll see you."

They parted, and Washuu strayed off the path, sighting the berry bushes after pushing through a few filled with thorns. Grumbling about doing petty deeds she shouldn't have to, she picked one off the first bush and popped it in her mouth, frowning. "Not bad.... some sugar would be nice, though..."

She made her tunic into a carrying device, stripping the bush of berries as she hummed to herself under her breath, moving along in the long grass. The sakura trees were in full bloom now, and Washuu knew Ryoko would be pleased, as they were her favorite resting place, besides the roof. She took another step, to get a straying berry, and swept aside a branch. There, she saw a sort of hidden thicket, one she had never seen before. And, lying right in the middle, was a person. The air seemed to be misted or fogged, so she couldn't see he or she properly.

Washuu stared, her eyes widening. "What the...?" There was something about this place that didn't feel right. It was too quiet. There were no birds singing, no small animals chirping to each other. She crept closer, her heart beginning to pound uncomfortably inside her chest. Something very strange was going on here.

She got a little closer, and saw that the personage was male, and not very old, at that. In fact, he was a mere boy, quite a few years younger than Tenchi; four or five at least. He was either asleep or unconscious, she wasn't sure which. She knelt by his side, and shook him, in case he was asleep. When he didn't answer, or move, she gently turned the boy onto his back, and recoiled in shock. "... Oh, my god..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sasami broke out in a sweat, and coughed violently. It was Mihoshi's turn to watch her, although no one really wanted to. Sasami was the strong, nurturing one -- she was the one that always took care of someone when they were sick. Now she was the one that was sick, and it frightened everyone deeply, especially Ryo-oh-ki. The little cabbit didn't know what to do anymore. Without Sasami's presence, Ryo-oh-ki had become withdrawn and quiet. She now perched on Mihoshi's shoulder, miya-ing softly.

Mihoshi gasped, her huge blue eyes widening, and she wiped Sasami's forehead. "Oh, Sasami, how did this happen?" she murmured out loud. Ryo-oh-ki nodded slowly, sniffing. "Miya."

Sasami moaned softly, and her eyes opened. "Where... Ryo-oh-ki? Mihoshi?"

Mihoshi brightened. "Sasami! You're awake!"

Sasami smiled weakly, and Ryo-oh-ki hopped down onto the bed, miya-ing happily. "Yes, I am." She suddenly looked troubled. "Mihoshi, I haven't missed anything, have I? Are you doing all right without me?"

Mihoshi giggled. "Besides being worried about you, everything's fine! Washuu has been doing some of the cooking."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sasami said softly, and was about to ask how Aeka was when the said sister, accompanied by Ryoko and Tenchi, rushed into the room. "Mihoshi," Tenchi said hurriedly. "Have you seen--" he suddenly realized that Sasami was staring at him, smiling a little, and froze. "Sasami. You're awake."

Sasami nodded, and sat up with some effort. "Yes, Tenchi. Hello, Aeka. Ryoko," she greeted the other two. Her pale face broke out into a worried frown. "What's wrong? Is someone missing...?"

That's just Sasami, Tenchi thought tenderly. Always worried about the rest of us, even when she herself is sick. "Well... I suppose you could say Washuu is. No one has seen her for hours."

Ryoko shrugged. She was floating up near the ceiling, and didn't seem all that concerned about Washuu. "Well, she's obviously fine... I doubt anything could really hurt Washuu. We're psychically linked, so I felt something from her a few hours ago, but other than that... I dunno."

Aeka raised her eyebrows at Ryoko. "You did look in her lab, Ryoko, didn't you?"

Ryoko nodded slowly. "Yep. Right after that... the psychic thing, I mean." She snickered, and did a slow loop in midair. "No one was there..."

Tenchi rolled his eyes at her. "Ryoko, stop it. Something might have really happened to Washuu."

Ryoko groaned. "I don't get why you're so worried, Tenchi, she's FINE."

"How do you know?"

"She's WASHUU!"

Sasami stared at her hands, clasped on her lap, then pulled back the covers and pulled herself, painstakingly, out of bed. She stumbled as she put weight on her feet, then steadied herself on the bedside table.

Aeka gasped, and steadied her younger sister by grabbing her arm. "Sasami, you shouldn't be getting out of bed..."

Sasami shook her head numbly. "Did you... did you check Washuu's lab again?"

Ryoko blinked. "Uh... no..."

Mihoshi bit her lip. "Oh, Sasami, it's like Ryoko said... Washuu should be fine. Your fever hasn't broken yet, and you shouldn't be out of bed."

"That's the most sense she's ever made," Ryoko muttered, and Tenchi and Aeka both sighed and nodded wearily.

Sasami smiled back at her, flicking a strand of loose blue hair over her shoulder. "It's all right, Mihoshi. I feel much better already."

"But..." Mihoshi shook her head, smiling at the young girl. "Oh, you go on, Sasami."

The small princess smiled back. "Thanks, Mihoshi." She then exited her room, and they listened, hearing her slowly descend the stairs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Washuu set the coordinates in her computer, her face unnaturally white. The machine hummed, and started up. It was an oblong tube, with the top half covered in a transparent material that looked like glass, but obviously wasn't, knowing Washuu.

Washuu heard a bell echo around the lab, meaning someone had entered. She turned around to see who it was, and was taken by shock when she saw it was Sasami. "Sasami! What are you doing here?"

The eleven-year-old girl took a deep, steadying breath. Her incredibly long blue hair cascaded down her back, lacking in the twin pigtails she usually sported. Her large pink eyes were glazed, and she was dressed only in a long black T-shirt and shorts, borrowed from Tenchi (as her own clothes were too warm, and had made her sweat profusely in the first night of her sickness). "Washuu... everyone was so worried about you." She coughed violently, and continued, taking a step forward. "Ryoko said something had happened--" She suddenly saw he tube behind the pink-haired scientist and inhaled sharply, her eyes wild and glazed. "Who on Earth is that?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*XD MUA HA!! I am SO GLAD I rewrote this... the original version was HORRIBLE. >< I had to do this to realize how bad it really was. ^^;; ... Ah, well. I was eleven (... almost twelve)... and young... so very young... ^^;;;;;;;;;;;;; ... Er.*