Samy^3
Episode 2: You Don't Know?
by Leaf-Chan (leaf_chan@excite.com)

Disclaimer: Blah blah characters not mine except for Kyoko Yanaguchi yah
de dah don't sue me blaaaargh Pioneer owns them.

			[-----]

[Cue the intro animation, set to the tune of Megumi Hayashibara's "Too
Late". After the intro, the scene abruptly switches to an overhead view of
Misao Amano's hospital room, number 3516. Sasami is standing next to the
bed, next to the Misao, who is deathly pale and tired. Dr. Fujisawa is off
to the side, careful not to interrupt anything but ready in case anything
happens.]

[Sasami]: Misao...

[Sasami begins smiling, hesitantly at first, as if she wasn't quite all
there, then in earnest as the now-grown Misao returns her smile and nods
slowly.]

[Misao]: Hi Sasami...

[She trails off as she realizes that Sasami now looks very much older than
when she had seen her last.]

[Misao]: Sasami, how long was I... ~cough cough~

[Dr. Fujisawa glances at Misao briefly, but decides not to do anything...
yet. Sasami reaches over and gently pats Misao on the back, trying to get
the coughing eased up. After a few moments, the fit subsides, leaving Misao
on the bed, limp and looking utterly drained.]

[Sasami]: Are you going to be okay? ~turns to Dr. Fujisawa~ Please, tell me
if Misao's going to be all right!

[Misao]: I'll... I'll be fine, Sasami...

[Dr. Fujisawa rubs his eyes with one hand for a moment, then looks up at
Sasami with a tired glance; it's clear that he's been awake for more than a
few hours.]

[Fujisawa]: She's been through a lot, Miss Kawai... I hope you can realize
just how difficult it is for a girl who has been out of the realm of the
living for a good part of her life to gain back what she has missed out on.

[Misao listens, and slumps down slightly, covering her mouth with both
hands in a gesture of shock.]

[Sasami]: ... I understand.

[Fujisawa]: We have yet to put her on the rehabilitation program... she's
going to need a year, at the very least, to be able to walk again without
the use of crutches, and her physical condition...

[He glances over at the girl again, and gently asks her something. Misao
nods slowly, and Dr. Fujisawa draws back the covers on her bed, revealing
her body.]

[Sasami]: ...

[Misao Amano's body is swathed in a white hospital gown that looks more
like it's wrapped around her instead of hanging off of her limbs. She
carefully raises an arm, and manages to further draw the covers down,
revealing her unnaturally-thin arms and legs and a sallow, malnourished
look that permeates every part of her skin.]

[Sasami]: Misao... omigod...

[Fujisawa]: She's going to need a lot of time in the sun, to get rid of
that look. It may look bad, Miss Kawai... but I'm positive your friend will
pull through if you give her time.

[Misao smiles and nods faintly at Sasami.]

[Sasami's face is a mask of emotions. Concern, anxiety, and a faint sense
of anger.]

[Sasami]: /No, Misao... I won't let them do this to do. I *won't*./

[She looks up.]

[Sasami]: I want to help her.

[Fujisawa]: I understand your sentiment, Miss Kawai, but you must
understand that the best way you can help your friend in this situation is
to give her your understanding, your love, and your patience.

[Sasami]: I've already given her that; I have been for the past nine years.
I want to do more. Even if it means helping her get back on her feet and
being there everyday for her when she needs me.

[Fujisawa chuckles lightly, and turns to Misao, who's awake, but silent.]

[Fujisawa]: A most admirable claim, Miss Kawai... but you must realize that
such a task is very strenous, and would cut into your time. As a student,
you are perfectly aware of the value of time.

[Sasami] ~nod~ Yes... but Dr. Fujisawa, I can do this. Just leave it up to
me.
/There I go saying that again.../

[Fujisawa tucks Misao back in, and she soon falls asleep, with the machine
in the corner of the room beeping at regular intervals to keep track of her
pulse.]

[Fujisawa]: Miss Kawai, I think it would be best if you just stayed within
visiting hours. Our staff can handle this task quite well.

[Sasami]: /He thinks I can't do it./
Well, okay... but if you need anyone to help, please feel free to tell me.

[Fujisawa]: ~slight smile~ We will, Miss Kawai. You'll be the first to
know. And now, if you will... Misao must get her rest. It's been a hard day
for her.

[Sasami bends over Misao's prone form, and gently takes her hand in both of
her own.]

[Sasami]: /It was always a hard day for her... but now it's finally over.
We'll be able to talk, just like old times./

[She bends a bit closer, whispering gently.]

[Sasami]: Don't worry, Misao... I'll be with you.

[She stands up, and bows her head towards Fujisawa, then heads out the
door. Cut to a view of the now-darkened parking lot, with only a few cars
parked on in the lot. Sasami walks out, and tries to find her car in the
dim lights of the lot floodlights.]

[Sasami]: /I always hated being in the dark.../

[A flash of red flies by her.]

[Sasami]: Huh?! ~looks around~

[A faint shuffle comes from behind Sasami. She whirls around, and comes
face-to-face with a tall, handsome man with aquiline features, dark red
hair, and an elegant costume that Sasami immediately recognizes as being
Juraihelm.]

[Sasami]: ... hi, Rumiya.

[Rumiya glares at her, then lets out a small snort of discontent.]

[Rumiya]: So, you never forgot, did you, Sasami... or should I say, Pretty
Samy?

[Sasami]: No... was I supposed to?

[Rumiya nods slowly.]

[Rumiya]: Actually... yes. Big sis said that her Majesty Tsunami didn't
have the balls to go through with it, and so you were left with the entire
memories of your servitude under her Majesty.

[Sasami]: I... ~she looks down at the ground numbly~

[Rumiya]: That's when I pointed out that her Majesty wasn't supposed to
have balls, and... ~wince~. Big sis still has a mean left hook...

[Sasami]: Why are you here, Rumiya? Causing more trouble for your sister
again?

[Rumiya]: Hah! As if! I refuse to have anything to do with that h-- ~looks
around nervously~ hag.

[Sasami]: Then...?

[Rumiya walks around for a bit, in and out of a circle of light cast by one
of the overhead lamp posts. He pauses behind Sasami, and taps her on the
head. She doesn't react--yet.]

[Rumiya]: Don't you know by now, Pretty Samy? The enemy doesn't tell all
their plans until the very end of the story.

[Sasami]: This isn't a story, Rumiya! ~turns to face him~ This is my
*life*!

[Rumiya plants a look of hurt on his face.]

[Rumiya]: Oh, I'm *terribly* sorry! I suppose we should all move aside for
*your* life, right, Pretty Samy?

[Sasami]: ... please, don't call me that.

[Rumiya]: Ah... I see. You don't want to have anything to do with her
Majesty either, do you?

[Sasami]: It's not that. It's just that being Pretty Samy made my life into
something... I don't know *what* it made my life into. But it wasn't the
most pleasant time... sure, there were some great times I had with Tenchi,
and Misao... when I wasn't saving my brother or trying to kill my best
friend.

[Rumiya]: So... what you're saying is, you don't want to have anything to
do with her Majesty, right?

[Sasami]: Rumiya, are you here to see Misao?

[Rumiya]: ...

[Sasami]: You were her partner... and you were that bird that always was
hanging around her.

[Rumiya]: ... shut up.

[He gets up, and looks at Sasami in a frightened, but gleeful fashion.]

[Rumiya]: What I do is my business. Not yours, Pretty Samy. Even if you
weren't the enemy... which you still are.

[Sasami]: Rumiya, that was a long time ago--!

[She's cut off as Rumiya simply vanishes after stepping out of the circle
of light.]

[Sasami]: ... ~sigh~ Not again...

			[-----]

[The Kawai dinner table isn't usually the most festive of places to have an
evening meal; however, tonight is special, as Tenchi is visiting from his
new place in another part of Japan where he currently works. Talk is quick
and smattered with an occasional non-sequiter comment from Chihiro, and
the clinking of chopsticks melds in nicely with the conversation until it
is interrupted by a ring of the doorbell.]

[Tenchi, getting up]: I'll get it.

[Sasami]: No, Tenchi, let me.

[She gets up first in an insistent fashion, and opens the front door. Two
women are standing there: one is a tanned, blue-eyed, blond-haired female
wearing a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans, and the other is a
teal-haired lady wearing an old-looking red headband and a look of complete
and utter exasperation.]

[Sasami]: ~blink~ ...

[Tanned woman]: Hi, Sasami! ~grin~ Wow, you sure grew right up! It's been
so *long* since we last came by! May we come in?

[Without waiting for a response, the woman barges right on in and makes
herself comfortable in Sasami's spot at the dinner table, leaving the other
woman apologizing frantically.]

[Teal-haired Woman]: I'm *really* sorry aobut this, Sasami. I didn't want
to come along, but you know how Mihoshi gets...

[Sasami nods in understanding.]

[Sasami]: It's nice to know some things never change--

[Teal-haired Woman]: Please. Don't. Remind. Me.

[Sasami]: --Kiyone. ~polite smile~ Would you like to come in?

[Kiyone]: Sure, might as well...

[Kiyone comes in and sits down on the couch, keeping a close eye on Mihoshi
and staring at the floor with a look at says "how the hell did I end up in
this mess"?]

[Chihiro]: Ooohhhhh! Mihoshi, Kiyone, how absolutely *wonderful*! I'm *so*
glad you took this time to drop by... later on we can all gather 'round and
listen to my new album, now on DVD as well!

[Tenchi]: Er... mom... DVD is for vi--hi, Mihoshi, hi, Kiyone--videos.

[Chihiro]: ~beaming~ I know! My newest concert tape was just released!

[Tenchi]: Ohboy... I think I'm full, Mom. 'Scuse me... great meal as
always, Sasami!

[He quickly heads up to his room--the one that Chihiro's kept neat for the
past few years while Tenchi was gone.]

[Sasami]: ~sigh, then a smile~ So, Mihoshi, what brings you here?

[The scene cuts to the inside of Tenchi's room, which looks almost
identical to Sasami's room save for the lack of stuffed animals and a
more-masculine color motif. Tenchi shuts the door behind him, and sits on
the bed, placing his face in his hands.]

[Tenchi]: And here I thought it'd be a good idea to visit Mom... I guess
fame hasn't made her any less weird.

[He glances around, and sees a neat pile of manga stacked on his desk.
Tenchi gets up, and takes a small sticky-note from the top manga.]

[Sticky-Note]: Dear Tenchi, I saved these up for you when you come back. I
know you love this series! Love, Mom.

[Tenchi]: ~groan~ Mom, I've never even heard of this series...

[He opens the first issue and begins to flip through it. A drop of blood
promptly splats on the leg of his pants.]

[Tenchi]: Gaaaah! This is a hentai doujinshi!

[Tenchi quickly closes the manga and tosses it back on the desk, and stuffs
a small wad of tissue in one nostril. The tissue quickly turns red.]

[Tenchi]: Geez, this is ridiculous. I know I don't have a wife or even a
girlfriend yet, but--

[????]: Have you ever figured out why?

[Tenchi]: Huh?! Who's there?

[He looks around frantically for the source of the voice. Nothing.]


[????]: Tenchi Kawai, brother of Sasami Kawai, correct?

[Tenchi]: Wait a minute, who are you? How do you know who I am?

[????]: Heh... we know a lot about you already, Tenchi. Please, come with
me.

[A sharp sound and a bright light flares up behind Tenchi, and before he
can move aside, he is drawn directly into the light and promptly
disappears. The camera moves slightly to the side, revealing a figure
wearing the clothes of a Juraihelm noble...]

[????]: I'm sorry, Sasami.

[Meanwhile back downstairs, the scene has somehow managed to remain calm
for the time being; if Chihiro and Mihoshi talking away and drowning out
the television set can count as "calm", that is. Sasami and Kiyone are
sitting across from each other in the living room, switching back and forth
between watching TV and talking.]

[Kiyone]: ... and it's almost like she *wants* to keep things the way they
were before, ugh. I mean, doesn't she realize that I have my own life now?

[Sasami]: Well... it's nice you graduated and all, but I don't think that
should stop you and Mihoshi from being friends.

[Kiyone]: That's the worst part, too; somehow the ditz managed to pass with
flying colors. I swear, I have no idea how she does it...

[Sasami shrugs.]

[Kiyone]: ~pause~ Sasami, I'm sorry. Here I am, rattling on about myself
when you're just sitting here listening to my problems--

[Sasami]: Oh, no, no, it's all right, Kiyone. I haven't talked to you in a
while, and well...

[She looks back over at Chihiro and Mihoshi.]

[Mihoshi]: And it's *so* cute how he does that, don't you think?

[Chihiro]: Ooohh, that's my Mihoshi! Good taste in men *and* a smart head
on her shoulders! Now, what do you think about...

[Kiyone]: ...

[Sasami]: ... ~sweatdrop~

[Sasami turns fully back to Kiyone, smiling almost savagely, as if to deny
what she just heard.]

[Sasami]: I think you get the idea.

[Kiyone]: Yeah. Hey, how's the store doing?

[Sasami]: CD-Vision?

[Kiyone]: Uh huh.

[Sasami]: Oh--well, um...

[Kiyone, a bit blandly]: It flopped, didn't it.

[Sasami]: No, no, it didn't! It's just that... well, we sold the store to
some other people when Mom managed to start singing.

[Kiyone blanches, and manages to conceal it with a pretense that she's
coughing. Sasami, of course, notices, but doesn't say anything.]

[Kiyone]: Oh God... *singing*?!

[Sasami]: ~nervous smile~ It's really not that bad, Kiyone! I actually like
some of Mom's tunes... like that one where she sings, "I've loved you for
so long, and yet you've never seen... the passion in my heart, the depths
of my--"

[Kiyone clamps a hand over Sasami's mouth.]

[Kiyone]: Hey, how odd, I never heard that one, but I'm sure I can borrow
one of your Mom's CDs later on, how's that sound, good, okay, thanks!

[Sasami]: ... ~sweatdrop~

[Mihoshi]: Hey Kiyooooneeee! Come join us, we're having a great time!

[Kiyone]: That's... quite all right, Mihoshi, thanks. ~turns her full
attention to the TV set~

[Sasami]: /... that's odd, Tenchi should've come back down by now... I
better go check on him./
Mom, I'm going to go check up on Tenchi, okay?

[Chihiro]: Sure thing, Sasami! ~somewhat-drunken grin~ Oh, can you do the
dishes tonight? Mihoshi, me, an' Kiyone'll be goin' out later for sh--some
karaoke!

[Sasami]: /Oh no, not again... she's going to get drunk and come home all
red in the face and hanging off of some scary guy that I don't know.../
All right, Mom...

[She heads upstairs, her footsteps a hushed beat against the wooden
staircase, and knocks on Tenchi's door carefully. Tock tock tock.]

[Sasami]: Are you in there, Tenchi?

[There's no response, of course.]

[Sasami]: Tenchi? ~frowns~ Are you hiding again? I've got a nice plate of
rice balls waiting on the dining table!

[Nothing.]

[Sasami]: Tenchi?

[She turns the knob and to her surprise, the door swings open, revealing a
very empty room that is devoid of Tenchi.]

[Sasami]: ...

[She glances around.]

[Sasami]: Tenchi, this is *not* funny. Honestly, you're too old to be
playing these games!

[????]: It's not a game.

[She whirls around, and comes face to face with the same stranger that
appeared before; only this time, the camera pans up to show his face, which
is curiously feline-like in appearance, with slitted eyes, furry ears that
protrude from the top of his head, and a lean, sharp face that's currently
displaying a grim smile.]

[Sasami]: ... *Ryo-Ohki*?! But--how?

[Ryo-Ohki]: Hi, Sasami. I'm back.

			[-----]

[Room 3516 of the clinic is completely dark, save for the faint green pulse
of light that shines an eerie sheen on the tiled floor; a green pulse that
is in rhythm with the equally-faint beeps that come every second or so from
the machine. Misao Amano is sleeping a calm, undisturbed sleep, swathed in
her blankets and hooked up to a machine that keeps track of her vital signs
constantly. She was a special case: one so young, with such an 
affliction... the doctors couldn't afford to lose her.]

[Misao stirs slightly and shifts in her bed. The faint rustle of the sheets
is just enough to obscure the noise of two very-quiet feet making their way
across the floor at the moment, their owner having flown in through the 
slightly-ajar window. As the drapes blow aside for a second, the shadow of
a medium-sized bird--a raptor, rather--simply *expands* and stands up,
until it's once more the shape of a human. A humanoid, anyways.]

[Rumiya]: ...

[He carefully makes his way over to the side of Misao's bed, and traces one
finger along her forehead, brushing a strand of purple-black hair away from
her face.]

[Rumiya]: /I let this happen to her./

[Rumiya bends down closer, trying to listen to her breathe, as if the sound
would reassure him in some way that this was not his fault.]

[Rumiya]: /Sis didn't care at all... she didn't have any feelings for any
of us, not even Misao... *especially* not Misao. She... she--/

[Misao moves again, and for a very brief moment, the regular beeps on the
machine speed up slightly, and her eyelids open the smallest fraction of an
inch.]

[Rumiya]: ...! ~quickly darts away from her, hunching over in the shadows
of the room~

[The girl--the woman--gently settles back in, the pulse dropping below one-
a-second now.]

[Rumiya]: /Can't let her see me... not like this./

[He moves forward once more.]

[Rumiya, aloud]: Misao...

[He reaches one hand forward and touches her face again, this time letting
his fingers caress her cheek in the way a lover would.]

[Rumiya]: I'm sorry. We have to start all over again.

[Misao]: ...

[Rumiya lingers there, and inhales sharply for a moment, the noise much
louder than he had anticipated in the empty room. This time, though, Misao
doesn't even stir.]

[Rumiya]: I'll come by later, Misao. I love you.

[He backs away slowly, and shifts into his bird form, hopping up onto the
window sill and winging off into the night without so much as a noise. The
drapes flutter over the open window.]

			[-----]

[Sasami's voice is unusually cold.]

[Sasami]: What do you want?

[Ryo-Ohki looks back up at her, and sighs, sitting on the bed and making
himself very much at home, to Sasami's mild annoyance.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Look, Sasami, I never expected to have to do this again, you
know--

[Sasami]: Rumiya said the same thing earlier tonight.

[Ryo-Ohki's eyes fly wide open. Wide, wide open.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: RUMIYA'S HERE ALREADY?!

[Sasami]: ~nod~ ... and where's Tenchi? I saw him walk in here and when I
came up to check he was gone.

[Ryo-Ohki]: ...

[Sasami]: ... did you have anything to do with it?

[Ryo-Ohki]: No, no! ~sweatdrop~ Of course not!

[Sasami]: Ryo-Ohki... ~stern glance~

[Ryo-Ohki]: ... fine. Sasami... I need you.

[Sasami]: But... you're not even human, Ryo-Ohki...

[Ryo-Ohki glares at her.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Not in that sense, Sasami--geez, when did you become such a
pervert?

[Sasami]: I am *not* a pervert!

[Ryo-Ohki]: GAH! You don't have to yell... all right, look. Tsunami needs
us to work together again, Sasami... and she needs us as soon as possible.

[Sasami]: You don't expect me to just go on and say "yes", do you?!

[Ryo-Ohki]: No. Which is why...

[Ryo-Ohki gestures with one hand, and a globe of bluish energy appears in
the middle of the room, floating. Within the globe is the form of Tenchi,
hunched up and sitting down on blackness, his face concealed in his hands.]

[Sasami]: ~gasp~ Tenchi!!

[She turns to Ryo-Ohki.]

[Sasami]: Let my brother go! What does Tsunami want from me now?!

[Ryo-Ohki]: She wants to finish uncompleted business, Sasami. We're not
going to hurt either of you; in fact, we want to try and help you, and make
up from those years when we had you as our Magical Girl.

[Sasami]: How can I trust you this time? You've already taken Tenchi
hostage... if you were trying to get me on your side, that wasn't the way
to do it.

[Ryo-Ohki]: Would you have helped us if I'd just approached you?

[Sasami]: No.

[Ryo-Ohki nods sagely, waiting for her.]

[Sasami]: But now you're capturing my brother to ask me for help? That's
even worse than the first time! This... this is coercion!

[Ryo-Ohki]: Sasami, I'm sorry, I really am. Both for this and for last
time. But you've got to help us! There's no one else qualified to take the
position!

[Sasami]: Who will you be going up against? Ramiya again?

[Ryo-Ohki shakes his head firmly no.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Not her. That's why I know I could ask you, Sasami, and not
another first-time newbie. You won't be going against Ramiya, or Rumiya...
or Misao.

[Sasami]: /Then why was Rumiya flying around earlier at the hospital?
Ramiya would *never* have let him go on his own.../
Misao can't even *walk*. If I find out that she's involved in
this... I'll never forgive you!

[Ryo-Ohki]: /Like that's a threat of any sort.../
I promise, Sasami.

[Sasami]: ... all right. But you promised, Ryo-Ohki.

[Ryo-Ohki]: Yes. Can we go now?

[Sasami]: Hold on... I gotta tell--

[Ryo-Ohki]: You're going to tell *them*?! Sasami, don't you remember the
first rule of being a Magical Girl? "Never tell anyone your secret
identity!"

[Sasami, flatly]: I was *going* to tell Mom that I had to go out for a
while. Geez, you're so high-strung.

[Ryo-Ohki]: Oh. ~frowns~ Hurry up.

[Sasami walks downstairs, and sees that Chihiro and Mihoshi have both
passed out at the dinner table, bottles of sake around them. Kiyone is
still watching TV as if nothing had happened--or as if this happened all
the time.]

[Sasami]: Oh, not again...

[She makes her way over towards the table, and gently shakes Chihiro by the
shoulders.]

[Sasami]: Mom? Mom... wake up, Mom.

[Kiyone]: No use, Sasami. They both had a good 8 jugs or so of that stuff.

[Sasami sighs.]

[Sasami]: Kiyone, could you do me a favor?  When Mom wakes up, tell her
that I had to do some late studying over at Kyoko's house, okay?

[Kiyone]: Sure, Sasami. ~smile~ Working hard as ever, I see.

[Sasami]: Yeah... I gotta go... bye!

[She absolutely flies up the stairs and slams the door shut behind her.]

[Kiyone]: Odd. I never knew Kyoko's house was upstairs...

[She shrugs and goes back to watching TV.]

[Back in Tenchi's room, Sasami looks around and sees Ryo-Ohki standing
there, tapping his foot impatiently.]

[Sasami]: ~sigh~ Okay, I'm done. Let's go.

[Ryo-Ohki nods.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Good. Get ready.

[He begins chanting a spell in an unknown language, and as he does, a
swirling gateway of blue light spins into existence aside from both of
them, pulsing and crackling with electricity.]

[Sasami]: /Tenchi... I hope you're all right.../

[Ryo-Ohki]: All right, it's ready. Ladies first.

[Sasami]: Looks like you got a lot nicer over the years...

[Ryo-Ohki]: Well... maybe. C'mon, go, go, go!

[Sasami nods, and steps into the swirling light, promptly disappearing from
the room with a sharp fizzle.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Well... let's hope this works.

[He steps through as well, and the portal slowly closes, leaving an empty
room behind.]

			[-----]

[Shadows obscure Sasami as she appears in front of the screen; however,
some of the shadows have parted to reveal more of her body and face. She
slowly looks up at the screen and smiles, although the smile is something
that is nothing like her former, happy smile of youth.]

[Sasami]: I didn't know what to think. He captured Tenchi... and he wanted
me to help them. I was kind of sure that I would be going against Ramiya
again, and that they would use Misao... I mean, she was the one they used
before, and because they're using me, it only makes sense they're going to
use Misao, right?

[Sasami pauses, and drops her gaze.]

[Sasami]: I hope this all turns out okay...

[She looks up, and as she does so, the camera pans off of her face and
upwards, the colors melding into a palatial ceiling where a few elaborate
chandeliers hang down beautifully. Slowly, the shot pans back down, and we
see a huge chamber divided neatly in half vertically by a length of red
carpet leading up to a large, comfortable throne. Currently sitting on said
throne is a woman with calm blue eyes and hair that falls behind her in
thick tresses tied together with ivory-set bands. She is garbed in a
typical Juraihelm outfit... except there are certain jewels inlaid along
the collar and an overall "more elaborate" (if that was possible) look to
it.]

[Ryo-Ohki, in humanoid form, walks through a pink portal that suddenly
shimmers to life in front of the woman--the queen, obviously. A moment
later, Sasami stumbles through, blinks, and looks around the room,
impressed. Her inspection is cut short as the queen, smiling benevolently,
stands up and extends a gloved hand towards Sasami in greeting.]

[Queen]: Greetings, Sasami Kawai. I am Tsu--

[Sasami]: Tsunami... I know.

[Tsunami blinks, obviously confused.]

[Ryo-Ohki whispers harshly at her.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: You never did that spell on her, remember!

[Tsunami]: Oh... OH! Well, Sasami, it's nice to see you again. I'm sure
Ryo-Ohki told you all about our mission this time.

[Sasami]: Well, no, not really...

[Ryo-Ohki]: I told her the basic details, your Majesty. Are we going to
hold a briefing before going in?

[Sasami]: This sounds like some sort of war you're involving me in...

[Tsunami]: Don't worry, Sasami... everything's going to be just fine.

[The Queen moves forward and peers closely at her for a moment.]

[Tsunami]: ~smile~ You've certainly grown, Sasami... how's everything? Have
you been studying hard?

[Sasami]: Tsunami... er, your Majesty--

[Tsunami]: You may call me Tsunami. It's only the nice thing to do, after
all we've been together.

[Sasami]: /... I don't remember having you next to me when I was fighting
Misao.../
All right, Tsunami... you sound just like my mom. ~sweatdrop~

[Ryo-Ohki]: She's worried about you, Sasami! I told you, we're not going to
hurt you... now do you believe us?

[Sasami]: I guess... who are we going to fight against? I mean... it's not
Rumiya, is it?

[Ryo-Ohki]: ~sigh~ No, Sasami... it's not.

[Tsunami, her voice suddenly serious]: There is a faction within the
Juraihelm society that is threatening to rebel... and as Queen I cannot
allow that to happen.

[She raises one hand, and a globe of blue energy appears, showing what
appears to be a movie of some men running. They are dressed in soldier
uniforms: ugly, dark-green, very reminiscent of Earth outfits, and they are
each carrying a firearm of some sort. The globe "pans" up to show an
imposing-looking figure standing in the background, waving one hand to
command the armies beneath him.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: That's him! That's him!

[Tsunami continues in an even tone of voice, looking unperturbed.]

[Tsunami]: Najira... that is the name that he is known by. He has already
managed to commandeer a portion of the towns in Juraihelm under his
control, forcing the citizens to obey and fight for him.

[Sasami]: Ooohh... when did you find out?

[Ryo-Ohki and Tsunami exchange glances.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Last Thursday.

[Tsunami]: ~oblivious smile~

[Sasami]: ~sweatdrop~

[Tsunami]: *ahem* At any rate... I wish for you to inspect this matter,
Sasami... Ryo-Ohki, as before, will be your helper and counselor.

[Ryo-Ohki]: Are you ready, Sasami?

[He places his left hand inside his coat, and a faint shine of energy comes
forth and manifests as a glowing orb in his hand, eventually solidifying
into a new, slimmer baton with a heart on the top and a series of braided
ribbons at the bottom.]

[Sasami]: ...

[Tsunami quietly returns to her throne, and watches Sasami quietly, smiling
all the while.]

[Ryo-Ohki]: Come on, Sasami, hurry!!

[Sasami]: All right... here goes nothing.

[The scene freezes--and fades out, as the ending animation plays, set to
the tune of Kikuko Inoue's "Sotsugyou~Graduation"...]

			[-----]

Please send any and all comments to leaf_chan@excite.com.