The Thousand Mile Journey. Chapter Three: Idobata no chawan.* The Haven ships were hidden within the largest haystack of the solar system; the Asteroid Belt. A thousand war craft among millions of asteroids. The rocks ranged from iron mountains to tiny stones to frozen chunks of water the size of pebbles. Nothing from Earth, even the more advanced 'imported' technology, would be able to detect the alien armada. First Fleet Commander Tally stood before the flickering 3-D image of Lord Lance, Defender of the People, Master of the Relic and Lord-Regent of Haven. His tiny presence stood on the floor in his white cloak, glowing like the ghost of Christmas past. "Well, she appeared and then escaped?" Tally bowed, his cap held under one arm. He did not try to lie or lay blame on anybody else. He just answered the question. "Yes, Lord Lance. Long range sensors have detected her genetic pattern back on Earth. I have moved the ships into hiding. I am not sure if the Jurai or the Galactic Union have detected our presence yet." "Commander Tally, if your report is true, I do not think either will notice the disturbance for a while. Unless the Goddess decides to alert them. OR unless the police ship had a report that was scheduled at the time. Either way, it will take them time to assemble. You must go to Washu." "The ships will move out at once. We will be in orbit about the Earth in-" "No." The tiny Lord Lance smiled up at Tally and said calmly, "YOU will go and talk to her. I have decided we need a new tactic. We'll just ASK her for the information." "Yes, sir," said Tally, his hands twisting his blue cap. "Maybe a small escort of dreadnoughts?" "No." "A few gun boats?" "No, just you and an unarmed shuttle." "With fighters?" Lord Lance shook his blindfolded head at Tally and said, "No, just YOU and a shuttle. No weapons, no pilots, no knife in the boot. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, sir." "Now Tenchi, calm down," Washu said, as she smoothed down Tenchi's bed cover. "My readings show everything is OK. Your body is perfect in every way, from the heart down to the cells themselves. Everything is working. Everything is fine." Washu was in her nurse's uniform, with rubber gloves and even a small black doctor's bag on the floor. "Everything is fine?" Tenchi grabbed his own chest and shouted, "I'm a girl!" Tenchi tugged on his new long flowing jet black hair and pointed to his new heart shaped face. "I look like my Mom! Oh, what will dad and grandpa say?" Tenchi tried to push the hair out of his face and added, "My head itches!" "Now, now, that's not true," said Washu as she tried to push him back down into bed. "Yes, you're now a girl, but you only have some of your mom's DNA. Some of it is your father's and some seems to be from...Sasami." As Tenchi sneaked a peek down his shirt, Washu turned to the shocked Mihoshi and Princess Sasami staring at her from the other side of Tenchi's bedroom. "My DNA?" inquired the tiny Jurai Princess, who was hugging the shocked cabbit to her chest. "Yes," stated Washu as she turned back to Tenchi, to smack his hands. "Hey! I told you to explore your new body in PRIVATE! Where was I? Oh yes, well, it was a safety backup system built into my long range transportation device. When the patrol ship's portal side was destroyed, Tenchi's transference had not yet been completed. The backup system realized that some DNA was missing, so searched its recent memory for DNA that was compatible to Tenchi's. It found Sasami, with her genes of the Royal Family. So it took her Jurai DNA to replace the missing chromosomes. One of them was the Y chromosome and Tenchi ended up as, well, this body. Pretty good for a split-second decision." Ryo-Ohki had pounced onto the bed and was now looking Tenchi over, along with Mihoshi. "Are those real?", asked the police officer, pointing at Tenchi's chest. "Of course THOSE are real," said Washu as she picked up her medical scanner, placing it back into her doctor's bag. "Don't worry Tenchi. I'll explain what happened to your father and grandfather." "Hey! Ryo-Ohki, stop touching those!" "Meow?" "You SURE those are real? You should be too young to be that developed." "Mihoshi!" Sasami blushed and looked away as Washu sighed and shook her head. "So he is a girl now?" asked Ryoko, staring at the blushing Sasami. Ayeka seemed to be frozen, like a statue, kneeling next to the blue haired demon. The meal on the table was growing cold and was virtually untouched. "Yes," Sasami tried to hide her blush and said, "he has my DNA now and he is a total girl. He has, well, everything." Ryoko frowned and tried to decide if she should scream or laugh. "Everything!" Princess Ayeka seemed to almost lunge across the table, her face now inches away from her sister's. "How do you KNOW he has everything like a girl?" Sasami almost fell backwards, stammering, "Was-s-shu did a medical scanner on him. I mean her!" Ryoko was too busy with her thoughts to notice the exchange between sisters. 'Tenchi in a dress? Tenchi wearing a bra? This is going to be fun. No, wait, we won't see him at all. We're trapped up here. Damn.' "Hey Sasami," asked a smirking Ryoko, "have any photos?" Tally went over the check list one more time, as the hanger doors of the flagship slowly rolled out of the way. As he switched on the systems of the long distance shuttle he gave a silent prayer to the Gods of war. 'I hope this plan works. I don't even have a small gun.' As Tally used the control stick to guide the shuttle out of the flagship, and turned on the engines, the other craft in the task group seemed to quickly become smaller. The fish shaped shuttle would bring him to Earth within only a few days at this rate. Tally sighed as he set the simple controls for autopilot. No need for control gloves or interface helmets for this craft. It was no where near as complex as the fighters or battle armor of the combat wings. It was a very swift craft but that was mostly because of its total lack of shielding or weapons. The fact that it was very fast and maneuverable did nothing to reinsure him. Tally leaned back in the chair, crossed his arms and, like any other experienced warrior during a moment of peace, tried to find sleep. Regent-Lord of Haven stared down at the scientists from his hover chair. Lately his decaying body had made it very hard to get around and the technicians had designed the hover chair to help him get around the space station that housed High Command's Headquarters. As he looked down at them, his yellow artificial eyes seemed to glow with a life of their own. He had removed the clothe that hid his eyes from sight for this men and women knew of his eyes. They were the ones trying to keep him alive and he needed to hide nothing from them. In their yellow lab coats and cloaks, they looked like members of some kind of evil priesthood standing before the floating altar of their dark God. "Report." The scientists nodded and one of the older men stepped forward and said, "First. The new batch of clones have been designed and right now are maturing within the vats. The genes you have donated from Rift's report have proven to be very stable. Within a year we will have a million warriors perfect for ground combat." Lance nodded. 'Stable, unlike me, who is decaying before your very REAL eyes.' A second scientist stepped forward and continued with the report, as if they were all of one mind. "Second. Our study of the local universe has proven our theory. We're going to run out of material and energy within a very short time." She pushed some of her white hair out of her aging face and continued, "Maybe a thousand years or so. We need to move to a larger, more richer universe soon or we won't have the power needed to move our bases and nurseries at all." A third scientist stepped forward, the yellow cloak of his rank brushing the floor and remarked, "The problem is, we picked this universe because it was hidden from the Goddess's view, not for the abundance of its resources. What we need is a nice, rich home, yet one she has no access to OR is structured in such a way that she can't find it." "I see." Lance leaned back in his chair and smiled at them. Deep inside himself his heart, one of the last of his organs not yet replaced, started to beat faster. "I see. And I have the perfect universe. One with more energy then we could ever use and one in which the Goddess has not yet accessed." The scientists now showed emotion, glancing at each other and then up at the Lord of Haven. "Where?" asked the first one, his young face amazed. "See, Tenchi?" said Sasami, as she closed her tiny make up case. "Don't you feel much better." Tenchi stood before the mirror. He was in a formal kimono, his long hair having been brushed and braided, his face having been washed and worked on by the tiny princess. He sighed, shook his head and answered, "No, somehow I think this is worse. I feel like a cross dresser." "How can you feel like a cross dresser when you're a girl in a kimono?" Ryo-Ohki sat in one corner and just watched, fascinated. Tenchi shook his head again and said, "I might have the body of a girl, but my mind and my life is that of a boy. I feel so scared." Sasami hugged Tenchi, "Don't be scared. I am sure Washu is working on it right now." At that very moment, Washu was drinking a glass of milk and munching on a cookie, while the computers around her worked on the problem of turning Tenchi back into a boy. She was very concerned about Tenchi, but at this point all she could do was wait as the huge computers worked on scanning the information she had given it and tried to find a solution. She glanced over at the brush on one of her work tables. She and Mihoshi had searched Tenchi's bedroom and had found the brush. It was a great piece of luck, for on it they had found strands of Tenchi's hair, many with the roots still attached. The computers, comparing the old genes with the new, would now find what needed to be replaced and spit out that data within a few hours. "Now, how to make the change back?" asked Washu, as she picked up a cookie. 'The longer he stays in the female body the more harm we will have to repair. The mind is nothing but a plaything of the body.' She just couldn't recreate the accident. That was dangerous and there would be little if any control over such a risky operation. Still, speed was essential and she was running out of it. Soon Tenchi would either snap or start to accept what had happened. Frankly, Washu wanted to turn him back to normal before either events came about. She had faith in herself and knew she would help him turn back into a male again. Yet, she had no idea what kind of emotional or psychological damage there might be in the end. "On the other hand, being a girl might do him some good." Washu suddenly thought of a new problem, "Well, until he has to go to the restroom." She snickered to herself and picked up another cookie. Suddenly one of the alarms started to go off, the tiny cabbit on a spring bouncing about, as one of the shadow screens appeared before her. Washu blinked, leaned forward as she chewed on the cookie. 'Well, well, it seems I have a visitor on the way. I'll have a few days to prepare a welcome.' Tenchi knelt before the Masaki Shrine, both eyes tightly shut and hands held in prayer. He had been there for hours, trying to find his inner self, trying to balance his yin and yang. 'This is hopeless. I was never really in touch with my feminine side to begin with and now to have this happen. I've been calling in sick for the past few days, my friends can't see me and Mihoshi keeps trying to get me to wear a tank top. She does have a nice one, kind of light blue, but still.' Tenchi touched his long hair which he had brushed out so that it was nice and straight. 'And this is driving me nuts. It takes so long to dry! Oh God, listen to me, maybe I am starting to find my feminine side. I'm really not sure that's a good idea. I'm like a house of cards just waiting to fall apart.' Tenchi sighed and started to stand up. 'I feel like I am whining to the Gods. Why is it we only come to the kami when we have a problem?' Tenchi was careful to walk with tiny steps, being new to moving around while wearing a formal kimono. 'I wonder why we take the kami for granted? Like children might take their parents for granted?' Tenchi became still, watching the clouds as he thought, 'No wonder Mihoshi wears pants. I hate kimonos! They look so lovely, but you have to be a trained dancer to do anything in them.' Suddenly his grandfather, Katsuhito, stood before. "Ahem. Tenchi, I have been waiting behind the shrine office for the past 15 minutes. You are late for sword practice. Please go change and meet me there." Before Tenchi could reply or even blink his grandfather turned and walked around the nearest corner, heading to the other side of the shrine buildings. 'Sword practice behind the office? Now? While I'm a girl?' Tenchi came around to the back side of the office building, in a workout outfit he had gotten from Washu. He had tied his hair into two ponytails and carried his practice sword in both hands, ready to react in a moment's notice. Grandfather had a nasty way of surprising Tenchi during practice bouts. Tenchi heard a rustle in the bush and held his sword at the ready. "OK, Grandfather, I'm ready!" Suddenly, zigzagging out of the bush and long grass came the two Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake. They zoomed at Tenchi, brown blurs of motion. Tenchi swung, a low cut designed to bring an opponent to his knees, but remembered too late that these organic robots did not HAVE knees. His sword bounced off Azaka's lower body which such force that the weapon flew out of his hands and landed a dozen feet away, in the long grass. "Damn!" Tenchi, now unarmed, took up a defensive position, preparing to fight hand-to-hand. Before he could even make a decision on what to do Kamidake slammed into him from behind, sending Tenchi plowing into the bushes head first. Tenchi got up, one arm across his chest. 'Ouch! That hurts! My...er...nipples are too sensitive.' Tenchi tried to follow the two Guardians as they buzzed about his position. He rubbed his sore hands together and crouched down. 'Damn it, this is not fair. I'm so SMALL as a girl and I don't have the muscles or reach. HEY! Wait, I'm smaller. That's it! I just have to change the rules.' Tenchi closed his eyes, took a deep breath and released it. When he opened his eyes, he had accepted his new body, allowing himself to think as a she, changed his balance to take into account his new center of gravity and finally, within his head he thought to himself, 'I have to fight like a girl.' Out of the corner of her eyes Tenchi noticed Azaka change direction, making a 90 degree turn to come right at her. 'Gotcha.' Tenchi used her lower center of gravity and smaller size to spin out of the way, at the same time ending the spin by giving the Guardian a slap as it passed by. The robot lost control for a few moments and this time it crashed into a small tree. Kamidake floated over to Azaka and asked, "Are you OK?" Azaka tried to pull itself out of the tangle of small branches and said, "Yes. Continue." Kamidake twirled about and shot at Tenchi, like a bullet leaving a gun. She yet off a shout, leapt at the charging machine, flipping right into the air. While passing over the Guardian, Tenchi gave it a light kick on the side of its upper body, causing it to become unbalanced and plow into the dirt. Tenchi landed and turned about on the left foot, ready for another attack. "Good." Katsuhito stepped out of shadows created by the nearby trees and drew a wooden practice sword. "I did not want you to start training with the idea that the female body is any less dangerous." Tenchi took a few minutes to pull her practice sword out of the grass. "How could I think that? Remembering who I live with?" The exchange of blows, strikes and blocks lasted only a few moments, but when the end came it was no doubt that Tenchi had put up a good fight, if a useless one. As Tenchi got back to her feet, rubbing the knot that was forming on her head, she remarked, "I still lost." "True, but it was not because of pity or a failure on your part to accept yourself." Katsuhito picked up both swords and dismissed the Guardians, who swiftly removed themselves from the field. "You have been thinking of yin and yang, of two sides of a coin, of two liquids twirling together in balance." Tenchi nodded and Katsuhito chuckled. "It is nonsense. Listen to me. We are all alike, in mind, made from the same stuff that formed the Earth and the stars. Males and females have the same dreams and problems. Even two sides of the same coin are OF the same coin. You have not changed in the way you think, only in the way you will view your world." "But," asked Tenchi as she dusted herself off, "my view of my world shapes how I think." "Only the weak allow the outside to twist or mold their thoughts," replied Katsuhito, sunlight reflecting off his glasses. "You live by ideas and principles, basic truths that are real no matter what. Boy or girl, you must live by them. Our body may be a filter, it may change how we see things, but it SHOULD NOT change how we feel or think about things." Tenchi blinked and shook her head, "I am not sure I understand totally." Katsuhito just smiled and said, "Nobody ever understands totally. Either way you look at it, it will be a good experience for you. Remember, the kami are genderless. Now, do something to relax." Tenchi sat in the hot water, enjoying the feeling of the steam and warmth on her body. 'So', she thought, 'we think the same things no matter what gender we are. Nonsense. I feel different right now.' There was a splash and the ripples hit her, as Washu said, "Hey Tenchi, can I join you?" "AAAHHH!" Tenchi's eyes became wide, as she crossed her arms in front of herself. "Washu! What are you doing here?" "Having a good soak, like you." Washu smiled, dimples on her cheeks, "Hey, you're red but your nose is not bleeding. Your male body must have high blood pressure." Tenchi stank lower into the water and said, "Miss Washu. Come on, I still don't feel at all comfortable being a girl." "But Tenchi," said Washu as she settled into the warm water, "that is what your grandfather has been trying to tell you. Don't be a boy or a girl, be an individual. Both boys and girls have the same fear of failure and the same need for success. Both worry about their appearance or their jobs or what kind of people they will meet. Have you ever talked to Ryoko or Princess Ayeka about their day?" "What?" asked Tenchi, slightly startled. "Have you ever just asked how their day had gone? Did you notice what they were wearing? Ever say something about their hair? You go shopping with Mihoshi and Sasami, but have you ever treated Ryoko and Ayeka to a shopping spree? Have you ever treated them as individuals?" "I try to every single day, but they drive me nuts." "Mihoshi almost strangled you when she tried to help you put on your first bra, yet you didn't get mad at her. If you showed the other two as much patience as you show the rest of us, I bet things would be different." Washu started to get out of the water. Tenchi almost freaked, till she noticed Washu was wearing a skin colored bathing suit. "Tenchi, just go up there and try, one more time, OK? Treat them as friends, not girls." The next day Tenchi stepped up to the front door of the work shed and knocked. The door swung open. Ryoko stood there, smiling and saying, "Hello." She did a double-take and asked, "Tenchi!" Tenchi stood there and blushed, wearing a comfortable blouse and a pair of faded blue jeans she had gotten from Mihoshi. She held up the lunch box. "Hi. I've come to visit you two, if that's OK?" Ryoko blushed and bowed in the formal kimono she had borrowed from Princess Ayeka. "Hey, Ayeka, we have company." The dinner was a simple one, mostly of rice and fish cakes. Ryoko and Ayeka don't seem to notice how simple it was, their eyes mostly on Tenchi, who served them. 'At least my nose isn't bleeding. Maybe my male body does have high blood pressure?' "So, Ryoko," said Tenchi as she glanced at the blushing demon, "did Princess Ayeka help you with your hair?" "Why, yes." Ryoko smiled and added, "She has really helped me a lot with my appearance. She even made me a sweater too." Ryoko touched her hair as she thought, 'One arm is longer than the other, but why point that out? Oh Tenchi, even as a girl you look cute.' "Oh Ryoko, you're so modest." Ayeka placed her chopsticks on her plate and said to Tenchi, "She has helped me too. She helped find the fuel for the lamps and even moved the crates out of the way. And she has been helping me a lot with my hair. You can't know how hard it is to brush and braid your own hair." "Yes," remarked Tenchi with a smile. "I can." They all laughed. "Hey Ayeka," said Tenchi, as she picked up her tea cup, "isn't that Ryoko's red jacket you're wearing?" For the next hour they did nothing but talk. Not about the life or death, not about anything important. They chatted about hair, clothes, food and even dreams. Tenchi watched the sunset, after just finishing the last step of the tea ceremony. Her cup was before her on a tiny alter, the bamboo ladle was resting on the kettle, the whisk standing upside down and the cherry blossoms were falling onto the ground like a snowstorm, a few landing on her hair. She smiled and said out loud, "Peony petals fell-*THUD*-OUCH!" Tenchi turned to glare at her father who had whacked her on the head with the tea ladle. "What was that for?" Nobuyuki leaned forward and said, "Listen to me. You are Tenchi. Boy or girl, you will always be who you are. That was what your grandfather was telling you earlier. Now, learning the art of tea is a grand thing, but remember who you are. You are Tenchi Masaki and soon you'll be a boy again, so don't do anything you might regret later, OK?" Tenchi sighed and nodded. "Are you sure we shouldn't have something a tad more dangerous?" asked Mihoshi, as she held a platter of cookies. "No, we'll be fine," said Washu as she scanned the sky with the telescope, "it's just a shuttle, a small unarmed, one person ship. If there was going to be combat, it would have come with the rest of the fleet." Sasami held Ryo-Ohki close, smiling, "So, somebody is coming to talk?" "Yes," answered Washu as she snapped the telescope shut, "I bet we're going to learn a lot." The four of them stood next to the lake, waiting for the ship that was going to arrive any second. "Oh, is that it?" Washu glanced back up at the blue sky and noticed a tiny dot getting bigger, "Yes, Sasami, I believe it is." Washu reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny black box which started to beep. "Now they have a landing beacon." The shuttle soon swung down over the lake and Washu could see it clearly. It was fish shaped, with an organic feel to it. The side fins were extending downwards, becoming longer as it approached the shore, becoming frail looking landing gear. It landed with barely a sound and Washu noticed that the engines had been silent also. 'It uses antigravity when in atmosphere?' The 'mouth' seemed to open, the lower jaw acting like a ramp to allow the pilot to step down. A tall alien stepped down onto the ground, about six foot, in a simple blue uniform, with a blue cap under one arm. His eyes were solid black and his matching hair was cut somewhat short. His skin was very pale, but well within the human range of skin color. 'Could be a human from this planet,' thought Washu as the man seemed to take in his surroundings. First Fleet Commander Tally stood still and glanced about. He had noticed the welcome party by the lake, but was too amazed to be able to acknowledge their presence. Tally had never been on a planet before. He had led ships into battle around blazing stars, had launched wave after wave of smart missiles against planetary defenses and had even fought in battle armor on the hull of his ship when needed to repel boarders, but he had never been ON a planet like the ground grunts of his people. The flow of air, the scents from the plants, the sound of live animals and the feeling of a sun without anything to protect him from its deadly rays. "Hello." Tally woke up from his daydreaming and turned to face the redhead who had just spoken to him. "Greetings. You must be Washu? My name is First Fleet Commander Tally, of the Haven High Command. I would like to have a few words with you." "Hi! I'm Mihoshi. Want some cookies?" asked Mihoshi has she thrust the platter at Tally. "Cookies?" "Welcome to Earth! My name is Sasami," added Princess Sasami. "Yes, thank you," replied Tally as he eyed one of Mihoshi's cookies in his hand. 'What is this? A kind of welcoming gift? A pass or a badge of some type?' "Meow?" Tally stared down at the tiny furry animal in the small girl's hands. "What's that?" "Oh, that's Ryo-Ohki! She's a cabbit." Sasami thrust the cabbit towards sweating Tally, "See?" "Don't you like cookies?" asked Mihoshi. She gave Tally a cheerful smile and said, "Go on, try it." Tally looked at the cookie, "How?" The one called Washu placed her head in her hands and said, "This is going to take some time." High above the ground, skimming the outer limits of the atmosphere was a satellite. From the outside it was a weather satellite, but inside were sensors imported from Jurai. The satellite detected the alien shuttle and notified the agents of Jurai stationed at Tokyo. Within minutes a faster-then-light report was being beamed to Jurai. Within hours, the General Inspector of Information would know of the shuttle's presence. Inside the house, First Fleet Commander and the three girls (and one cabbit) kneeled about the table. "You see, you do this," said Mihoshi right before biting into a cookie. "I see," said Tally. "It is some kind of protein disk." Washu tapped the table with a few fingers and remarked, "Surely you did not come all the way here to learn about food products. So, Fleet Commander, what are you here for?" Tally placed the cookie on the table next to his hat and replied, "As I said before, I am here for you. We are-" "For cute little old me?" Washu blushed, placing her hands on the side of her head, looking away. "Oh, you've come all this way for me. To have your way with me? Oh Commander!" "Meow!" smirked Ryo-Ohki. Sasami giggled, as Tally looked confused. 'These people are going to drive me insane.' "Washu," continued Tally, "I am here to ask you a few questions. For example, how old are you?" "Oh course," answered Washu. "You would want to know me better, but please, call me Little Washu." "You really should never ask a lady her age," commented Mihoshi as she chewed on her cookie. Tally sighed and glared down at his cookie. 'So many rules about behavior on this planet. Maybe if I just told her the whole story.' Tally pulled a memory stick from one of his uniform's pockets. It was a smaller version of a memory cube, used mostly to store information for short missions. He placed it on the table and typed onto the code keys. "Maybe I should show you this," said Tally as a blizzard of light started to form over the table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------- Tenchi Muyo! and related characters was created and is owned by AIC and Pioneer. Haven, Lance and Tally and related characters were all created in my mind. Boy, is it yuckie in there. *A teacup on the edge of a well.