"The trees have been doing very well since you left Sasami" the voice said in Sasami's head as she slept. "I'm glad" smiled Sasami "Tsunami do Royal trees ever die?" The voice didn't reply. Sasami was sitting comfortably in the Royal tree chamber. Light flooded the chamber as Sasami looked around. "Tsunami?" Sasami asked, worried. "Sasami, I was dying" the voice said. Gary rubbed his face as he woke up, Mihoshi was breathing deeply as she slept, mumbling the odd word here and there. He popped his face round the screen door, Mihoshi was there on her Futon, her covers sadly though not covering her whole body as she shivered, her face contracted in sadness. Gary pulled the cover back up to her neck. As he did she smiled softly again. Gary in turn smiled as he walked out to get a glass of water. "Dying?" Sasami blinked "but how?" "When I was something before a tree" "Tsunami I don't understand" Sasami shook her head. "Over 30,000 years before you were born, I was dying. The Jurain people gathered to find a solution. They decided to transfer my mind and spirit to the sturdiest and biggest of the first Royal trees of Jurai. Yet after the process was complete, the tree began to wilt. For 25,000 years I have been living in the Royal chamber, watching over those who serve Jurai." "But you are still dying Tsunami" Sasami said, a tear forming in her eyes. "When you were born, you were struck down with a devastating disease. Your sister Ayeka was away at that time, only your mother was present to give consent for you to participate in the convergence ritual" "What is that?" "This was when you were only a couple of weeks old. The ritual sets our two souls and minds on a path of telepathic convergence, eventually Sasami we will be one, but it was my spirit which is what kept you alive" Sasami thought back. She remembered now, how the priests came to her bedside to pray for her recovery, how the finest Doctors and physcisians in the Empire had come to find a cure and how her Mother cried. Then it went black. She had died. Tears began flowing down her cheeks. "But why now, why tell me now?" Sasami sniffed. "Because you had to know sooner or later Sasami" Said the voice, a tall woman with long flowing, light blue hair appeared out of the vast and massive tree, dressed in the finery of a Goddess. "You are...I am" Sasami said, dropping to her knees, sobbing quietly. "I'm sorry Sasami but it was the only way to save you" Tsunami said, placing a hand on Sasami's head "Please don't feel sorrow" "Tsunami" cried Sasami quietly. "I must leave now" Tsunami said solemnly as she stepped back. "No please don't leave me" sobbed Sasami. Sasami's vision faded into darkness as Tsunami merged with her tree once more. "Tsunami!" cried out Sasami as she woke up, the green light emanating from her Rune in her forehead pulsing franticly "Please stay!" Still in her dream she leapt out of bed and ran for the door "Tsunami!" she cried out again, waking Ayeka. Gary was walking back upstairs when he heard a sudden commotion, running to the top of the stairs, he ran right into Sasami. "Hey Sasami!" Gary said grabbing a hold of her "calm down" "Let me go!" she screamed "I mustn't let Tsunami leave me" Gary saw she was still half asleep, to remedy this he shook her gently. "Sasami wake up please Sasami" said Gary urgently as he looked behind Sasami "Lady Ayeka come quickly!" Sasami's rune was flashing manically now, acting as a strobe light, then as Sasami slowly woke up, the light faded. "Tsunami" Sasami sobbed uncontrollably into Gary's shoulder as he knelt down. "There, there Princess, calm down it was only a dream" Gary whispered as Ayeka rushed out of her room. "Gary what happened?" "Sasami ran into me when I was coming back from the kitchen, I have no idea why she is crying like this" "Oh poor dear" Ayeka said, her eyes watering as she saw her sister's distress, she walked over and knelt with Gary to hug her sister "don't worry your big sister is here now" "Ayeka it was such a bad dream" Sasami sniffed. "Her Rune was flashing like mad Lady Ayeka" Gary said as he rubbed Sasami's shoulder "should that mean anything?" "I don't know" Ayeka said, puzzled "I'll get her back to bed" "Do you think you can manage Princess?" Ayeka nodded with a smile "Thank you Gary for comforting my sister" Gary winked "your obedient servant as always Lady Ayeka" he looked down at Sasami "now Princess don't be troubled by your dream, remember that your sister will always be with you no matter what happens so you'll always be safe" he said with a smile as he wiped a tear away from Sasami's cheek. Sasami nodded, looking down at the floor as Ayeka took her hand and led her back to their bedroom. Gary sighed and walked back into his bedroom, having to walk through Mihoshi's partition to get to his part. He looked at Mihoshi and smiled as she snoozed away happily. **** It had been two weeks since Washu had crashed to the earth, last night though saw an event which was much more important to the 'family'. Sasami was distant, answering mostly to a second call or question. And what was worse, despite her obvious sadness, her cooking was as good as ever. The table was strangely silent, Ayeka and Ryoko calling an unspoken truce, Ryoko was actually too focused on Washu who insisted on sitting next to her (even if it meant sitting in between her and Tenchi) Gary eat his rice with an increased vigor, Mihoshi and Tenchi however were far more concerned as they watched Sasami play with her food slowly. "Sasami are you okay?" Mihoshi asked, looking concerned. Sasami looked up and nodded. "Please may I have more rice?" Gary asked with a smile, holding his bowl up. Sasami again nodded and opened the rice container, scooping a large amount of rice into the bowl. "Hey you're not sad are you?" Tenchi asked. Sasami showed no emotion as she offered Gary his bowl back. Gary took his bowl gently and set it down on the table. He looked at Sasami and thought for a while. Then clicked his fingers. He first whispered in Tenchi's ear. Tenchi smiled and looked over at Ayeka for approval. Ayeka seeing what Gary and Tenchi was planning, giggled quietly and nodded. Sasami looked over at Ayeka then back at Gary and Tenchi. "Well you know what Sasami?" Gary said with a smug smile, looking straight at Sasami, making sure he had her full attention as Tenchi got up. Sasami looked at Gary. "Don't you dare laugh!" Gary said with mock seriousness, hand ticking off Sasami. Sasami just looked down at the floor. Meanwhile Tenchi snuck around the table. "Because Little Sasami" Gary continued. Tenchi crouched stealthily behind Sasami and nodded to Gary. "You're gonna get the tickling of a lifetime!" said Gary as he got up, Sasami gasped as she was suddenly felt several feathers run up and down her back, looking behind her, she saw Tenchi with two flowers. "Now don't you laugh!" said Gary goofily. Sasami, tried to hide a smirk as she was tickled. "Don't you dare laugh" continued Gary. Ryoko smiled with Washu as she took some of Ryoko's pickles with her looking. Sasami giggled, clutching her mouth. Ayeka giggled. "That's a good girl" Gary grinned, tickling Sasami's chin. Sasami laughed softly, falling on her side as Tenchi and Gary tickled her. "You feel better now?" Tenchi asked. Sasami nodded, still giggling as she got back up "Much better" she said. Gary got up and sat back down, he looked over at Mihoshi who smiled warmly. "Well what's the point of having the sun out if the youngest isn't enjoying it?" Gary said as he started on his new bowl of rice. And Gary was right, the sun was out, blazing down on the earth below. Temperatures at levels that would soothe and relax the body rather than punish it with cold or excessive heat. But Ayeka had no time for that, she went into the depths of Washu's lab complex in search of knowledge. Washu was in her greenhouse lab, brightly lit as the two suns of the system which the lab was set in revolved outside the massive, glass and plasteel structure. "Hey Ayeka what can I do ya for?" Washu said, not turning around to greet the newcomer. "I wish to ask you about my little sister Sasami" Ayeka said sitting down on a floating cushion that had made a stop next to her. "What about Sasami?" Washu asked, turning around. "She has been getting quite a few 'bad' dreams lately, some so bad she wakes up outside of our bedroom" "Hmmm any distinctive symptoms that are visible?" "Yes her rune glows, flashes and when the dream reaches its peak, strobes" Ayeka described to Washu "any ideas?" Washu thought for a second "someone's communicating with her in her sleep" she said as she moved her holo-computer in front of her. "What?" Ayeka said "are you sure?" "Not one hundred percent" Washu shrugged as she tapped on the keyboard "but its close enough" "Oh" Ayeka blinked. "Does she do anything else really out of her character?" Washu asked "You know, try and kill someone she knows, destroy stuff, set up beacons to attract far away evil craft that kind of thing?" "No!" Ayeka said sternly "and I wouldn't think she'd agree to do that anyway!" "Okay, okay jeeze!" Washu said. "Washu there must be something you can do?" Ayeka pleaded "I can't bear for her to be unhappy" "I'll think of something" Washu winked as she turned around to get to work "give me a couple of hours, by then I'll probably have found the reason why this has been happening" "Thank you Ms.Washu" Ayeka smiled as she stood up. "Wait!" shouted Washu. "What?" asked Ayeka. "Call me...little Washu!" said Washu dreamily. Ayeka just frowned and walked out, brushing past Gary who knocked on the door. "You busy Wa..little Washu?" Gary laughed nervously. "Well I'm working on something but heck, how can I help you?" Washu asked. "Well I was wondering if you could fix these up for me?" Gary said as he held up his melted gloves. Washu looked down at them. "What?" GAry asked as Washu too a look. "My hasn't the Danzihia Union's technology advanced over the years" Washu smiled as she threw the gloves through a dimensional portal. "Didn't stop Ryoko from frying them though" Gary said as he saw his old gloves leave forever "So what can you do?" "Oh I got another pair after experimenting with the dimensions, some girl who looked just like me gave em' to me so I thought what the hell lets take em" Washu laughed as she pulled out a new pair "DS Thach meet your new Dim-e" "They look much different than my old pair" Gary said as he took them and slipped them on. "The basic concept and design is still there, though for a start they are electro magnetically and radiation resistant, it will earth 75% of any foreign energy that hits you" Washu lectured as Gary slipped the other one on carefully, his eyes went wide. "What's wrong?" Washu asked. "Bloody hell!" Gary exclaimed "the power, where's it all coming from?" "Oh its directly connected to dimension space rather than the energy inefficient and inferior Alpha-space that your old gloves were half connected to" "That it?" Gary asked sarcastically. "No there's more" Washu said as she pulled out a space age tagging device of nowhere and walked towards Gary "now hold still" "Washu what are you up to?" Gary asked nervously as he took a step back, tripping over something and falling into a chair that locked him in. "I'm giving you control of course Gary darling" Washu sniggered manically as her eyes went wide with excitement. Gary struggled but in vain as Washu grabbed his head with surprising strength and held him still as she injected something into the back of his neck. "Ouch!" Gary cried out as he stood "what was that you tagged me with?" "An ultra-miniature control unit" Washu winked "it detects your brainwaves, you think of a command for the gloves and the gloves will respond to your call" "Really?" Washu nodded "yep, try it, open a portal to say, the kitchen and look through" "Sasami!" Ayeka said as she brushed her hair in the bathroom, clothed in only a towel "if you want to brush you teeth you better do it no-" Ayeka froze as she looked up. Gary's face was poking out the mirror in front of her. "Erm.....err....hi?" Gary smiled nervously. "Pervert!" Ayeka screamed as she slapped him as hard as she possibly could. "Ouch!" Gary said, staggering away as a variety of shampoo bottles and shower gel containers flew through the portal "Bugger that!" "Hehehe!" Washu laughed "Guess you need to get used to it" "Oh sod off Washu!" Gary sulked as he took the gloves off and walked off to the exit. "Oh by the way!" Washu shouted after Gary "to call the gloves if you don't have them to hand, think of them on your hands and the CU will respond" Washu frowned "and call me Little Washuuuuu!" **** "Why do I have to wash the clothes?" Ryoko frowned as she scrubbed "Gary was meant to do this" "I haven't seen him anywhere at all" Mihoshi said as she put the washing up on the many washing lines. "There he is!" Ryoko fumed as she phased in front of Gary as he walked out. "Where were you?" Mihoshi asked, looking over. "Getting my new gloves" Gary waved his hands. "Oh you have now" Ryoko said quietly "lets see some heat" she grinned as she looked at the gloves. Gary gasped as he looked down at his gloves. Nothing happened. "What?" Ryoko blinked "they should be melting right now" "No heat" Gary said. "not one kilo joule?" Ryoko asked. "No" "Not one bit?" "Nope" "Not one inseewincy bit?" "No!" Gary snapped. "Well" Ryoko said, stepping back "I guess we'll have a talk later" "We should" Gary nodded, his gloves disappearing from his hands. Ryoko phased into the air and away from the house. Gary sighed and walked over to the water bucket to wash some clothes. "Grandpa?" Tenchi called as he walked into the main courtyard of the Shrine. Nobody. "Where could he have gone to?" he thought to himself as he surveyed the courtyard. The door of the Shrine building slammed shut, startling Tenchi. "Oh Grandpa there you aryearraaaaggg!!" cried Tenchi as he saw Katoshito lunge into the air at him, blade in hand, about to strike. Tenchi dodged back. Katoshito didn't stop there however, he thrust his blade forward again and again, blade getting closer and closer to Tenchi in a variety of places. Finally Katoshito swept his blade up, slashing Tenchi's shirt from his stomach to his upper chest. Tenchi whined feebly as he saw how close to the skin the blade was. "Tenchi" said Katoshito disappointingly "look at what your laziness has done to your shirt" "Are you sure any outside factors had nothing to do with it?" Tenchi asked sarcastically. "Tenchi my grandson remember, the time you start to seep into a defensive stance is the time when you start to lose the fight" Katoshito said as he walked back to the shrine "and I want these stairs cleaned by dinner" Tenchi groaned as he tried to make sense of his ripped shirt. "Damn" he cursed as he took it off "what am I gonna do with this I can't sew!" "Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka called as she came up the steps "Oh?" she blushed as she saw Tenchi unclothed top half of his body. "Ms Ayeka" Tenchi smiled "I would have a shirt on but Grandfather kinda did some work on it" he smiled feebly as he held the shirt up. "Well I could sew it back together for you Lord Tenchi" Ayeka said as she walked up to Tenchi. "You would?" "It would be a pleasure Lord Tenchi" she said as her hands clasped around his. Ayeka gasped as she realized what she was doing and blushed again. "Okay well here you go" Tenchi smiled as he rubbed his head, handing the shirt to Ayeka. "Thank you Lord Tenchi" smiled Ayeka sweetly as she scuttled off back to the house. As soon as Ayeka had run off down the steps, Ryoko phased into view. "Tenchi-boy!" she called out "Tenchi?" Ryoko cried as she saw the long red mark where Katoshito's sword had friction burned its way up Tenchi's chest. "Hi Ryoko- ugmph!" Tenchi gasp as he was grabbed by Ryoko. "Are you okay?" Ryoko said, really concerned. "Its nothing really" Tenchi smiled into the hug. "That mark though?" Ryoko asked "do you want me to massage it better?" she said with a seductive smile. "What?" Tenchi gasped as Ryoko pinned him down on the floor. "Ryoko nooooooooooooo!" Tenchi shouted as loud as he could. "Wow did you hear that?" Mihoshi said as she put the last bit of washing up on the line. "Yeah" Gary nodded as he got up, walking a couple a steps away from the wash bucket "Tenchi must be having some fun" "Oh Gary" Mihoshi called sweetly. "Yeah Mihos-blub!" Gary said as he was hit by a foamy sponge, his face now sporting a fancy, snow white suds beard. Mihoshi giggled as Gary wiped the foam off his face. "Right that's it" Gary said shaking his head "retaliation" he grinned as he squeezed the sponge hard, releasing extra foam. Mihoshi giggled excitedly as Gary chased her in between the poles of the washing line. "Gotcha!" Gary laughed as he lightly put his hand on Mihoshi's shoulder, Mihoshi turned round and got load of foam on her nose. The two fell into each other's arms as they were consumed by the laughter of the moment. Sasami watched inside through the kitchen window, she giggled as she prepared lunch. "Hello Sasami" said Ayeka as she entered the house. "Oh hi Ayeka" Sasami winked "lunch will be ready soon" "Good" Ayeka smiled warmly "I'm glad you've perked up since last night" "I am too" said Sasami as she wiped her hands "and I've been making an extra special lunch as well" "I look forward to tasting your masterful cooking" giggled Ayeka as she walking out into the living room. Sasami nodded as she turned to look out of the window, humming to herself as she sliced and diced. Her rune began to glow. Washu was tapping away at her keyboard. "Psychic sensors activated at Co-ords 12,16,23. Room: kitchen, subject: Sasami" the computer said as the three dimensional diagram focused on the target. "Activate brain and nervous system activity (BNSA for short) monitor in 5..4..3..2..1..now" Washu said as she looked at some previous printouts. Nothing had really gone to back Ayeka and Gary's eyewitness reports of Sasami's rune flashing and glowing. "BNSA activated" the computer buzzed. Washu switched to the BNSA readings table to see all but one of the reading go off the roof. "What the!" Washu exclaimed "Alpha and Beta perception levels at 210% and rising, Truth Centrex levels at 310%! only her dynamic visual levels are the same as before" she tapped at the keyboard to extend the psychological search further in the house. Her eyes went wide. "Ayeka" Washu murmured before dashing off to the transport. Ayeka watched Gary and Mihoshi play outside as she practiced her art of needlework, humming to herself as she pressed the needle in and out of Tenchi's fabric. Dreaming perhaps of what might be with her and other people. She was awoken from such daydreams as she heard a knife crash to the floor in the kitchen. Looking to the doorway she saw Sasami standing there, remote, devoid of all emotion. Her pupils were dilated, her expression blank, empty. "Sasami?" Ayeka got up "are you okay?" Sasami said nothing as she walked slowly towards her elder sister. Her motions her kind of robotic, all grace and attraction that normally adorned this young Princess of Jurai was gone. Ayeka knew something was seriously wrong yet she felt she had to embrace her sister (if it was her sister). "Sasami" Ayeka murmured as she knelt down, her arms outstretched, ready to accept Sasami. Sasami's rune now started to flash softly and slowly. As she got closer to Ayeka it started to flash faster and brighter, covering Ayeka in bright green light. "Sasami!" Ayeka cried as the light climaxed into a strobe, light pouring out of the rune, flooding the room in bright green light. "Oh bugger that!" Gary cursed as he covered his and Mihoshi's eyes as bright light green light flooded out of the living room windows. "What's happened to Ayeka and Sasami!" Mihoshi said, running to Gary. "I don't know" Gary answered, eyes unable to get used to the bright light. "I'm scared" Mihoshi said nervously. "Sod this, I'm gonna go see what's happening!" Gary said as he ran into the kitchen area, as he did the light died down. Mihoshi followed quickly behind him. The scene shocked Gary as he barged into the living room. Sasami was kneeled, looking blankly into space. Ayeka also was blank, face drained, mouth closed and shrunken pupils staring into nothingness. Gary then saw the stream of green light flowing from Sasami's rune into the center of Ayeka's crown. Gary took a step back and saw Mihoshi. "Are they okay" she asked. "We better get Washu" "I'm here, I'm here!" Washu said as she ran in "Rats I'm too late!" she cursed "whoever is controlling Sasami had already started a psy-connection with Ayeka!" "Sasami?" Ayeka called out. The place was dark, not cold or damp. Nor did it hold any other fear educing characteristic. It was just dark, pitch black darkness. A light appeared in the distance, Ayeka saw it and instinctively ran for it. As she walked through, her senses were assaulted by sounds and smells that told her only one thing. Jurai. "Ayeka" a voice said. Ayeka whipped her head around to see Sasami standing on a rock, surrounded by ultra pure, clear water. "Sasami, why are we here?" Ayeka asked "is this real?" Sasami shook her head and spoke in a voice and shocked Ayeka "This is your mind, the part which is engrained in every Jurain's mind. This Ayeka is the perception of heaven, this my sister is Jurai-ten" Ayeka blinked, she looked around, the place was a vast plain, covered with tall broad Royal trees of Jurai. Everywhere she looked there were trees, even on platforms suspended in the sky. And there in the center of all the trees was her own: Ryu-oh. "My tree" Ayeka said with emotion "Ryu-oh is connected with you via a psychic link as am I with you" Sasami continued with her elder voice "But your voice" Ayeka said "it has changed" "The reason why is because...because" the voice strained as Sasami's eyes welled up with tears "I don't know who I am anymore!" Sasami burst out, her younger voice straining though. Ayeka was speechless. "When I was sick as a baby, you were away. Mother and Auntie Funaho never told you of what happened" Sasami sniffed, her tears falling into the water. "What happened?" Ayeka asked, her own tears forming. "I merged with Tsunami" Sasami said, tears flowing down freely now "and now I don't know whether I am a regular girl, a goddess I don't know at all!". "Sasami" Ayeka said, hand reaching out for her younger sister. Sasami, crying hard now, turned away. But she slipped, screaming, she fell backwards into the water. "Sasami!" screamed Ayeka as she sprinted to the water, pulling out her fragile little sister. Sasami, coughed up some water as Ayeka held her in her arms. They looked up into each other eyes, sister to sister. "Sasami no matter who you are, you are the Sasami I have known since you were a baby" Sasami sniffed. "And I love you regardless" Ayeka smiled through her tears "remember what Mr. Gary said?" Sasami nodded. "That I will always be with you, no matter what happens. If I die, I will be with you in all but physical form Sasami" "Oh Ayeka!" sobbed Sasami "I'm scared" "It'll be okay Sasami" They both cried into each other's arms, Ayeka looked up to see Tsunami standing over them. "Tsunami?" Ayeka sniffed looking down at Sasami as she suddenly drifted off to sleep. "Yes it is true" the elder voice came back again as Tsunami spoke. Ayeka nodded, stroking Sasami's hair softly. "When Sasami was dying, I was dying as well" We were merged as it was the only way that both of us could survive" "So what happens now?" asked Ayeka. "The process is a temporary one only. Since that day, my spirit, fully restored has been returning to where it belongs, the Royal tree of Tsunami" Tsunami explained. "But what about Sassami?" Ayeka said looking down at her sister. "As you are tied psychologically with your Tree Ryu-oh, Sasami is tied psychologically with me, the oldest of the Trees of Jurai. In her mind she has a vision of Jurai-ten, just like any other blooded Jurain has. That is where her link with me lies." "She has the power to call you and the ship Tsunami" "Yes, she has known this for a time now, yet she did not know how to handle it, but she is not a goddess" Ayeka nodded and stroked her Sister's light blue hair. "But why tell me now?" Ayeka asked. "I must reveal your sister's past because of an important event that will happen soon" "What?" Ayeka asked "what will happen? Will Sasami be hurt?" "No" Tsunami shook her head "a battle will take place in this area, an enemy must be stopped" Tsunami's eyes narrowed "you must be prepared" "I understand" Ayeka nodded. "I must now leave you and Sasami" said Tsunami as she looked at Sasami "I must return to the tree" "Thank you" Ayeka smiled. Tsunami smiled and nodded as she walked down into the water. "Ayeka!" Tenchi said, shaking her gently. "The psy-link broke five minutes ago and still nothing has happened" Gary said. "Oh I hope they're okay?" Mihoshi said, biting a finger. "What's happening Washu dammit?" Ryoko said frantically. "They're alive" Washu said as she tapped away on her keyboard "they're minds are in the recovery stages after the cut off of the link" Suddenly Ayeka and Sasami, simultaneously gasped as they awoke, Sasami fell back into Ryoko's lap and Ayeka rubbed her eyes as Tenchi held her up. "Lady Ayeka?" Tenchi said worried. "I'm okay, I'm okay" Ayeka said groggily, she looked at Sasami, sleeping away soundly in Ryoko's arms. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "We must prepare" Ayeka said as she slowly walked over to Sasami and hugged her sister softly. "Huh what for?" Gary asked. Ayeka picked Sasami up "Tsunami warned me of a vast enemy that we will encounter soon" she said. "Soja!" Washu and Gary said at the same time. "We haven't much time left" Washu said "I must return to my lab and work!" she said as she stalked off. "I'll get this young lady off to bed" said Ayeka as she walked up the stairs. "Ayeka?" Sasami said quietly as Ayeka laid her on the futon "Ayeka I'm scared". "Don't worry Sasami" smiled Ayeka as she stroked her sister's light blue hair "You are safe here just sleep for now" Sasami smiled softly "I love you Sis" "I love you too Sasami" Ayeka smile warmly as she got up and walked out of the room. Sasami closed her eyes. "Help me Tsunami" she thought as she drifted back to sleep. Fin.