Hello everybody, and if you're still reading, thank you!  Welcome to the
tenth episode of my fanfic, Bushido Muyo!  I want to mention quickly before 
we
begin that I do not lay any claim to the characters depicted here.  Any such
claim perceived is refuted here.  The characters contained in the various
universes of Tenchi are the property of Pioneer LDC and AIC.  I don't want 
to
be sued into oblivion just for being a fan; that would be pathetic.  So I 
let
go of any claim to these characters and only stand by the origionality of 
the
storyline.  To a point anyway.  I'm sure someone has done a fanfic like 
mine.
But I should just shut up and get on with the story, I guess.

*******************************************************************************

				    Bushido Muyo!
			      by Jeremy "Kraken" Acord
			       azhrei701@hotmail.com

		Episode 10: "No Need for Sasami!"

Silence choked Tenchi's living room.  The routine sounds of the ouside world
slid unappreciated through the empty space.  They echoed in the ears of the 
six
people there.  Although only one slumbered, all were dead to the interloping
noise.

Ryoko and her mother Washu stood, perplexed, by the window.  Aeka stood 
beside
Tenchi, staring at Tsunami, whose gaze was locked in Tenchi's.  None spoke.  
All
considered the implications of Tsunami's anouncement.  All but Sasami, who 
slept
peacefully next to Ryo-oki.  Breathing easily and synchronously with 
Tsunami.

Tsunami waited for her words to take full effect.  Despite the urgency of 
her
revelation to Tenchi, she was, it seemed, infinitely patient.  She looked
steadily into Tenchi's bewildered eyes.  His brown eyes swam with confusion, 
in
contrast to his utter physical stillness.  Suddenly, his eyes seemed to 
clear,
gaining a peaceful, almost hypnotic gleam.  Tsunami snapped herself out, as 
she
was beginning to lose herself in them.  She reflected for a moment on the
uncanny prescence this boy generated, unlike that of any other Juraian.

This is good, she observed to herself, because no normal Juraian can help me
now.

"What do you mean, dying?" Tenchi asked, "I didn't know you could die."

"Yes," Aeka mused, "This is most unexpected."

"To be more accurate," Tsunami explained, "the ship known as Tsunami is 
dying.
Sasami, the other part of myself, is in perfect health."

Tenchi looked behind him, to where Sasami slept on the couch next to 
Ryo-oki.
She dozed, peaceful and undisturbed.  He looked back to Tsunami.  "So, why 
are
you dying, Tsunami?  I thought that space trees lived forever."

Tsunami's image apeared to take a deep breath, but Tenchi recognized it as
artifice, serving to anthropomorphose her, and make it easier for humans to 
talk
to her.  "Generally, we space trees have an indefinite lifespan.  As long as 
we
are in fairly close proximity with each other and do not over-exert 
ourselves, we
can indeed live forever.  However, I have not been in close proximity to a 
large
number of other space trees in a long time.  I also expended much energy in
helping you to rescue Aeka and Ryoko from Kagato.  Now, I am trying to 
conserve
what I have left, but I cannot last much longer."

Tenchi glanced downward.  "How much longer do you think you have?" he asked. 
  He
looked expectantly back up at her.

Tsunami met Tenchi's eyes squarely.  "Maybe two months."

Through the transparence of Tsunami's body, Tenchi saw Washu step forward.  
She
cleared her throat.  "Is there anything I might be able to do?  I mean, I'm 
only
the universe's number one genius scientist."

Tsunami looked over her shoulder at Washu.  "I trust Tenchi," she stated 
flatly.
Washu's mouth dropped open, and Tenchi grinned nervously at her.

"Uh, Tsunami, what can we do to help you?" he questioned.  "What are the 
options
we have?"

Tsunami turned unhurriedly back to him.  "There are two ways to circumvent 
my
death.  One way is for me to assimilate fully with Sasami.  After that, 
Sasami's
memory would be complete, and she would become an adult.  The other way 
would be
for me to aqquire massive amounts of energy."

"Well," Tenchi said, scratching his chin, "I'm sure Washu could build a 
device
that would provide you with the energy you need-"

"No." Tsunami interrupted.  "I require the life force of a living thing.
Unfortunately, most living organisms don't have the energy to spare that I
require."

"You have me." Tenchi volunteered.  He held up his wrist, displaying the gem
inset in it.  "I have all three gems, and I am kind of powerful."

"Even with your vast resources of energy, it is possible that you would be
drained completely, or be otherwise killed in the transfer.  It's a very
dangerous undertaking."

Tenchi paused, withdrawing into himself.  His mind mulled over the options.
Sasami could assimilate with Tsunami, but she would miss the experience of
growing up.  Tenchi knew the confusion of being thrown into unfamiliar
surroundings, and wanted to avoid this for Sasami.  But ultimately, the
decision was hers.  "This isn't my decision," he stated, "it's Sasami's.  We
have to ask her.  I won't force her to assimilate with you, Tsunami."  
Tenchi
strode to the couch, and gently shook the sleeping girl.  "Sasami, wake up."

Sasami's eyes opened slowly.  She blinked a few times, and looked to Tenchi,
uncomprehending.  "Tenchi?  What is it?  Oh," she observed, "are you feeling
better?"

"I'm feeling much better, Sasami," Tenchi replied.  "Thank you.  But, 
there's
something else..." Tenchi swallowed.

Sasami's brow creased, and she projected a nearly painful level of concern.
"What's wrong, Tenchi?  Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

Tenchi swallowed again.  "Tsunami," he nodded over his shoulder, "is dying.
She's running out of energy.  And she's told us there are only two ways to 
keep
her from dying."

"You want me to assimilate with her."  Sasami interrupted.

Aeka's eybrows rose, and she blinked in surprise.  "How did you know that,
Sasami?  Weren't you asleep?"

Sasami looked away from her sister.  "I've thought about it a lot," She
admitted.  "I'm scared to." the princess added.

Tenchi craned his neck a little to look into Sasami's eyes.  "You don't have
to, Sasami," he said, smiling reassuringly, "I can give Tsunami the energy 
she
needs."  Ryoko began to say something, but Tenchi silenced her with a look.

"Really?" said Sasami hopefully.  "Are you sure you can do that?"

Tenchi patted her head.  "Have I ever let you down, Sasami?"

					***

Tenchi, Ryoko, Washu, Sasami, Aeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone stood before 
Funa-Ho's
tree.  Tenchi looked down at their reflections in the pond, and saw himself
standing beside Tsunami.  He looked further to his left, and Sasami looked 
up
at him.  She gazed at him hopefully, searching for a sign of reassurance, 
that
everything would work out.

Aeka turned to Washu.  "Miss Washu, are you sure this is the only way to
Tsunami?"

Washu looked up at her.  "Tsunami's physical self is in another dimension.  
It
would take me forever to find it,"  She gestured at Funa-Ho.  "Funa-Ho, as a
space tree, could locate Tsunami easily.  And scince Tsunami doesn't have 
the
energy to come here, they have to go this way."

"Well, Sasami, are you ready to go?"  Tenchi asked.  Sasami took a deep 
breath,
and nodded assent.

Sasami and Tenchi walked to stand some distance away from Funaho.  Behind 
him,
Ryoko and Aeka stood behind him, in front of Washu, Mihoshi and Kiyone.  
Sasami
closed her eyes, and the double mark on her forehead began to glow a light
blue.  She murmured softly to herself, but Tenchi couldn't discern what she 
was
saying.  Sasami's ponytails played out in the slight breeze as gravity 
deserted
her.  She floated upward, coming to shoulder height with Tenchi.  Tenchi put 
a
hand on Sasami to ensure that they went together.  Now, he could hear what 
she
said.

"Show me the path engraved by the light," Sasami conlcuded.  Her eyes 
opened.
Funa-Ho's trunk glowed, revealing a pair of zigzag slashes that framed it.
Tenchi felt a tingling on his skin, and a lightness in his feet.  Behind 
him,
Aeka and Ryoko exchanged a conspiratorial look.

"Now!" they shouted, lunging at Tenchi.

The two broke apart into particles of light, luminous droplets floating in
space.  The mass of tiny lights flew forward, impacting on Funa-Ho's trunk.
Ryoko and Aeka grasped momentarily at empty space, suspended, it seemed, to
add comedic value to their fate.  Ryoko fell flat on her face, sprawled on 
the
bank.  Aeka hopped on her toe for a few inches, then fell herself. landing 
with
her head in the pond.  Shocked, she pulled her head from the cold water.
Ryoko's extremities twitched, spread akimbo.  Washu sighed.  "Ah, the
foolishness of youth," she commented wistfully.

					***

Tenchi felt himself pull back together, and when the brighness he perceived
before his eyes finally dimmed, he found himself standing beside Sasami on a
smooth, light purple hued platform, the lower portion of which was immersed 
in
water.  A few other platforms extended before him, staggered like stepping
stones.  They terminated at a wooden cylinder, which seemed to be filled 
with
earth.  Out of it grew the space tree Tsunami, as massive as Funa-Ho.  Soft
concentric ripples emanated from this wooden pot, spreading amongst the
stepping platforms and radiating towards numerous other trees in the 
distance,
framed in light against the utter blackness beyond.  Tenchi wasn't sure if
these trees were reflections of Tsunami, or other trees, fulfilling some 
other,
unknowable purpose, perhaps the management of Tsunami's vast power.  This
brought Tenchi to the task at hand, the replenishing of this now-absent 
power.

Sasami skipped over the stones to stand beside Tsunami, and in her 
reflection,
the humanoid figure of the space tree mimicked Sasami's lighthearted 
hopping.
Tenchi's longer legs bridged the gaps easily, and he soon joined the 
princess.
"Hmm." Tenchi mused.  He looked about him, and seeing naught but the tree,
turned to his royal companion.  "Uh, Sasami, how am I supposed to do this?" 
He
asked sheepishly.

Sasami screwed her face, and her eybrows rose, giving the general impression
that she was concerned for the boy.  "Well," she admitted, "I don't know
either."

Tenchi pondered this for a moment.  Then, he gasped, and snapped his 
fingers.
"I remember now!  Aeka used Tenchi-ken to access Funa-Ho's memory... but I
don't have it with me.  Hmm," He sat down to think.  Idly, he twirled the
wooden ring that adorned his left hand.  Sasami started to say something, 
but
then simply coughed.  Tenchi looked up at her, and she stared at him
expectantly.  Her gaze moved from his eyes, to the ring, and back again.
Tenchi started.  "Oh."

Tugging at the ring, he activated it.  After a moment of disorientation, and 
a
flash of light, he found he had risen to his feet, clothed in his Juraian
battle uniform.  The power bracers that normally covered his wrists now had 
a
circular opening, through which shone the red spark of Ryoko's gems.  Tenchi
approached Tsunami's trunk again and pressed the back of his wrist to it.  
The
triple mark on his forehead felt warm, and he beamed over his shoulder at
Sasami.  She smiled back.  Then they examined their surroundings as all the
colors around them became photo-negative.  Tenchi shrugged at Sasami, but 
his
expression turned to surprise as he was yanked forward into the tree.
Blackness covered his vision.

Tenchi turned his head, or at least it felt as if he were.  Unending total
blackness, coupled with an apparent lack of gravity, disoriented the boy.  
He
could feel his ponytail swish back and forth, without anything to pull it 
down.
Gradually he became aware of a light below him.  He looked down.

What he saw confirmed the suspicion that he was floating in space.  His feet
were silouhetted against a blue light from far below him.  "And that would 
be
Tsunami, I guess..." Tenchi reasoned.  "Well, I'd better get this show on 
the
road."  Concentrating, he called his power into play.  The gems reacted, 
and,
instead of suppressing them, he added their output to his own.  He willed 
the
energy he had ammassed toward the light below him.  The warmth at his brow
increased, but he ignored it.  His body began to glow, and a sliver of red-
green light siphoned off toward the blue mass.  When the two strains of 
energy
met, Tenchi's was absorbed, and the other became larger, more vibrant.

"Good.  This is pretty easy," Tenchi reassured himself.  "Well, I'd better 
get
this over with."  He poured more energy into the hungry pool below.

					***

Sasami stared at Tenchi.  He stood, head slightly bowed, eyes closed, with 
his
wrist placed against Tsunami's trunk.  Both the bracers on his wrists and 
the
triple mark on his forehead glowed softly.  She shifted where she sat on one 
of
Tsunami's giant roots, and leaned to her left, looking over the edge at the
reflection of Tsunami.  Tsunami threw the girl an expectant look, and Sasami
recoiled back into her previous postion, somewhat intimidated.  She resumed 
her
vigil, and soon approached the meditative boy.  She could see that he was
breathing evenly.  She reached out and pressed Tenchi's wrist with her 
thumb,
feeling his pulse.  She leaned back against the bulk of Tsunami, and sighed.
"How long is this gonna take," she wondered to herself.  "I wish Ryo-Oki was
here."

					***

Tenchi was finding the work of restoring Tsunami's power tedious.  He began 
to
wonder how he would know when he was finished.  He had assumed that Tsunami
would somehow notify him, but he was unsure of this.

He noticed that the swell of energy was becoming larger a bit faster than
usual.  Tenchi could see the energy swirling within it.  Just then, he felt 
a
gentle tug on his ankles.  Tsunami's energy suddenly loomed before him.
Shocked, the boy realized he was being dragged down into Tsunami.  
Frantically,
he tried to think of some method of getting away.  He tried to use his own
energy to pull him back, but as he applied more energy to this, the sea of
energy only grew closer.  Tenchi tried to withdraw, to open his eyes, but he
could not.  He panicked, at a loss for a way to escape.

					***

Without warning, Tenchi's breathing quickened.  His heart was racing.  
Sasami
blinked a few times, but she could not be both seeing and feeling things!  
She
looked up at his face, and found it shot with worry.  Sweat beaded on his 
brow.

A small hiss came to the princess' attention.  She tilted her head farther
back.  To her horror, she saw that Tenchi's arm had entered Tsunami to the
wrist!  Sasami immediately grabbed the arm with both hands and pulled with 
all
her strength, but her stature prevented her from amassing any amount of
leverage.  Sasami put both hands on Tenchi's stomach and braced her feet
against Tsunami, but she couldn't stop his slow absorbtion.  Tenchi was 
dragged
steadily and slowly forward.  Sasami was crying, not strong enough to stop
Tenchi from dying.  She could feel Tsunami in the back of her mind, a tremor 
of
fear.  Sasami became angry, and flung herself at Tsunami' pummeling the 
giant
tree with her fists.  She cried, "Why!?  Why are you killing him, Tsunami!?"
She sobbed, "I don't..."  Then she screamed, "I DON'T WANT TENCHI TO DIE!"

					***

Tenchi could feel searing heat wafting up to him from Tsunami.  He flailed 
with
his arms and legs, spectral as the were, at the blackness above, searching
frantically for some purchase with which to save himself.  Then, a deep 
rumble
reached his ears.  He looked down, to see the veritable ocean of energy in
incredible turmoil.  It seemed to boil, faster and faster.  Suddenly, Tenchi
could see only a blnding white light, accompanied by the sound of a loud
explosion.  He let out a yell as he was ripped backward, and enveloped in
blackness again.

					***

Aeka stood beside Funa-Ho, standing straight and tall, dwarfed by the 
massive
tree.  The princess stood very still, as if in meditation, executing 
exacting,
controlled breaths.  She projected a near perfect image of calm, the slight
twitch of her eyebrow the only thing betraying that the princess had waited
almost as long as she could stand.  Ryoko lay at the waters' edge, watching 
the
clouds roll by.  Her left leg was bent at the knee, and her right folded 
over
it.  The toes of her foot made small circles in the air.  She paused
momentarily, took a deep breath, and resumed her earlier inactivity.  Washu 
had
produced some snacks and a blanket, setting up a small picnic some distance
from the pond.  Mihoshi munched greedily on the rice crackers and cookies,
while Kiyone sat, idly watching the landscape, unaware of the number of
crackers she had eaten.

Tenchi fell from several feet up into the lake, yelling as if in pain.  He
splashed into the shallow water and landed with a dull thud on the silt 
bottom.
he began to get up but was slammed back below the surface as Sasami landed 
atop
him.  He heard a splash followed by some sloshing as Aeka jumped into the 
water
and headed toward him.  He could also hear the reverberations of several 
feet
pounding the wet sand, and muffled voices yelling.  The weight on his chest 
was
suddenly removed and Tenchi was yanked bodily from the water and dragged to 
the
bank.  Kiyone helped the boy to sit, and after a few coughs, Tenchi 
signalled
to her that he was all right.  He coughed twice more, and then looked up.

Aeka was helping an adult Sasami out of the water.  She was naked, other 
than
the few scraps of clothing that still clung to her.  Her hair was down, 
without
any ties to control it.  She was unsteady on her feet, and her eyes seemed 
not
to focus anywhere in particular.  Washu tossed Tenchi the blanket, and he
approached the two sisters.  Sasami's face turned red when she saw him, and 
she
turned away.  Aeka took a corner of the blanket and they wrapped it about 
the
nude princess' shoulders.  Ryoko, standing off to the left, clenched her jaw
but remained silent.

Katsuhito strode out of the underbrush to stand at the bank.  He folded his
hands behind his back.  "Well, it seems that the party is over," he 
observed.
"Tenchi," he added, gesturing to Sasami, "take this young woman back to the
house."

"Yes, grandpa," Tenchi replied.

					***

Sasami had been adamant about cooking dinner, despite her recent traumatic
experiences.  She tried to focus totally on the meal she was preparing, at 
the
expense of all else.  She sliced the carrots before her to near paper
thickness, but she could not stop the thoughts she wished to avoid from
invading her consciousness.

Whatever suffering she endured now was her own fault.  She had forced 
Tsunami
to assimilate with her, to keep her from absorbing Tenchi.  It wasn't 
Tsunami's
fault that it had happened; she had lost control, the dangerous factor in 
the
energy transfer that Tenchi had attemped.  Wherever her mind wandered, she
found her own memories and experiences mingled with Tsunami's.  For every
moment of her life, she had two memories.  Worst of all was the knowlege 
that
for all she didn't believe it, she was the real Sasami.  She had gone 
through
with the assimilation despite her fear, because she thought nothing would
change.  She felt the small spurt of pain as the knife she held bit into her
finger, but it found itself awash in the rest of the pain clutching at the
princess' heart.  Tears mingled with the blood on the counter.

Tenchi, sitting in the seat on the couch nearest the door to kitchen, heard 
the
sobs.  From the corner of his left eye, he saw Ryoko looking at him.  Her 
sharp
ears had picked up Sasami's distress as well.  Tenchi got up quickly and
hurried to the kitchen, followed by Ryoko.  Aeka, Mihoshi, Kiyone and Washu
followed, and hurried faster when they too heard Sasami's crying.  Tenchi
entered the kitchen alone, while Ryoko and the rest waited at the doorway.
Sasami was hunched over the counter, wearing the kimono she had borrowed 
from
her sister.  Both her hands were pressed into the counter, and her tears
streamed from her eyes, down her cheeks, and dropped from her chin to land 
on
the growing puddle on the surface of the cutting board.  She looked up when 
she
detected Tenchi's approach, and sniffed.

"What's wrong?" Tenchi asked.  "Sasami?"

"Am I really?" She asked.  "I don't think I'm her."

"Sasami," Tenchi said dissapointedly, "don't say things like that.  Of 
course
you're you."  He put a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to him.  Sasami tried not to look Tenchi in the eyes, staring at 
her
feet.  "When I assimilated with Tsunami, I thought it didn't make a 
difference.
I was never the real Sasami to begin with, after all," She sniffed, "But 
once I
had Tsunami's memory, I found out that I was the real Sasami," She paused
momentarily, trying to dry her eyes on her sleeve, "I found out that I was 
once
I wasn't anymore.  I gave up one of the things I wanted most for another.  
It
seems fair, but was there a price to what I gave up?"

Tenchi frowned.  He put a hand to her chin, and lifted her face to the 
light.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, bloodshot, brimming with tears.  She sniffed 
again.
"I think you're Sasami," he said, "but there's only one way to be sure."  He
took Sasami's injured hand, holding it before her eyes.  "Red blood.  That's 
a
start," letting go of her hand, he twirled the hair of Sasami's bangs 
between
his fingers, "Your hair is the right color.  So are your eyes," He brushed 
the
hair covering her forehead back, revealing two dull green circular marks.  
He
counted them with his finger.  "One, two.  Hmm.  Okay so far..." He looked
about, then strode to the doorway and bent down.  He returned with Ryo-Oki,
holding the cabbit by the scruff of her neck.  He placed her in Sasami's 
hand.
Ryo-Oki sniffed at the wound on the princess' finger, licked it twice, then
meowed and nuzzled Sasami's arm.  She ran up to her usual place atop 
Sasami's
head.

"That settles it.  You're her, all right," he smiled softly, "Now, let's get
this cut cleaned up, shall we... Sasami?"

Sasami sniffled a bit, then lunged forward and embraced Tenchi, crying 
again.
He hugged her back.  Sasami cried on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry, Tenchi," she
apologized, "I caused you so much trouble."

"You have never caused me any trouble," Tenchi whispered to her.  They 
parted
when Aeka approached

Aeka petted Ryo-Oki, nodded to Tenchi, then turned to her sister.  "Is
something wrong, Sasami?"

"No, nothing's wrong, sister," Sasami replied.  She hugged Tenchi again.

*******************************************************************************

Thank you for reading the tenth episode of Bushido Muyo!  I have taken quite 
a
while in the writing of this episode, and I hope that it was worth the wait.
I assume that if you should be reading this that you did wait.  I have been
swamped with schoolwork recently and have not been able to work as hard on 
my
fanfiction.  Thank you again for reading my series!

-Kraken