Okay, here's bit number two of this crazy story! Chapter 3 is also already written at this point, but I won't upload that until I've finished Chapter 4—just in case I need to make any changes. So the next update won't be for a little while, maybe a week or two.

UPDATE: I made a few small changes to this chapter after re-watching OVA 3 with the subtitles, instead of the dub. I'm going on the assumption that the subtitles are more accurate, and if they are, then it means that the little astral Kagato girl wasn't just stuck into a baby Noike, as I'd thought—according to the subs, she actually IS Noike. She was illegally modified by Clay into a little blue-haired baby who grew up to be Noike, but the modification process split her astral form in two—Noike's astral form, which matches her modified body, and the Kagato astral form, which is the one we see at the end of OVA 3. I'm learning that the more you delve into this series, the weirder it gets. Anyway, as I said when I first posted this bit, Chapter 3 is already written and will be posted as soon as I finish Chapter 4.

~o~o~o~

Chapter Two – Inner Child

"Noike, are you going out to the field today?"

"Yes, I thought I'd give Tenchi a hand, he said yesterday that he was falling a bit behind." Noike poked her head into the kitchen and Sasami grinned, handing her a neatly-wrapped bento.

"Would you bring him his lunch, then? There's lunch in there for you, too."

"Sure. Thanks, Sasami!" Noike tucked the box into the crook of her arm, crossing the living room to get her shoes. She paused, looking up; Ryoko was sprawled on her rafter, a manga in hand, her eyes wide and face flushed. Noike cleared her throat politely. "Ryoko? Do you still want to learn to drive?"

"Huh?" Ryoko jumped, startled, and looked down at Noike. "Uh…sure. Where're we going?"

"Well, I'm headed out to the field…I thought you could watch how I operate the truck on the way there, and teleport back. Or you could help Tenchi and I out there, if you want."

Ryoko considered this, then set her manga aside and phased through the rafter to set down lightly next to her housemate. "Sounds good—how hard could driving be?"

~o~o~o~

"So that other foot pedal is the brake..... I think I get it…but geez, after flying Ryo-ohki, this old truck seems kind of primitive."

"Well, it's a useful skill to have, anyway," Noike admonished as they drove up the narrow path toward the carrot fields. "You never know when you might need it." A moment passed in silence as Ryoko watched Noike's feet and hands studiously; it as Noike who broke the silence.

"Ryoko, is Miss Washu all right?"

The pirate blinked, startled. "What?"

"She seemed…a little upset, yesterday. Do you know if something was wrong?"

Ryoko smiled a little to herself. "You caught that, huh? She was having a rough day, but I think she's all right now."

"I'm glad. I feel…strangely fond of her. She reminds me of my mother, I think, and she was so helpful, with the whole…female Kagato thing."

"Yeah, that was weird…right up her alley," Ryoko agreed. She studied Noike's face, creased into a slight frown, then smiled. "She sort of grows on you."

"Yes, she does."

Ryoko paused, chewing a question over in her mind, formulating it. "So…no problems, with the mini-Kagato? No…urges to make people your slaves, or anything?"

Noike chuckled softly. "I know the history between you and he, Ryoko…I assure you nothing like that is—"

The truck shuddered over a bump in the road; Noike's eyes widened, then closed, and she slumped forward. "Noike? Noike!" Ryoko grabbed the other woman's shoulder, shaking her, then spit a string of curses as the truck swerved off the path. She grabbed the wheel and yanked, barely missing a tree, and the truck bumped heavily down the ditch and into the field on the other side. The pirate stretched her leg over Noike's, jamming her foot down on the brake, and the car jerked to a halt. She fumbled with the keys, turning it roughly off, then lifted Noike's head with one hand; her eyes were closed, her breath slow, and all the blood had drained from her face.

"Noike, wake up!" Ryoko slapped her; nothing. Cursing again, she gathered the other woman into her arms and phased them through the top of the truck, teleporting home.

She reappeared halfway there, gasping and drained, and cursing with every breath. "Now is not the time for some weird gem problem!" she shouted at the air, drawing what power she had left and flying at top speed toward the house. She could see the lake, and then she was crossing it, and for half a moment she thought she wouldn't make it as far as the other side, but she called up a reserve of strength to push herself the rest of the way as Noike's limp weight threatened to bring them both down. "Washu!" she yelled, landing heavily and stumbling at the lake's edge. She let the link with her mother fly open, too drained to formulate a message, but knowing the urgency would get through. "Washu!!"

Aeka poked her head out the door. "Ryoko, what are you— Oh! Noike! What happened?"

"Get Washu," Ryoko grunted, hefting the unconscious woman more securely into her arms, her knees trembling. "I can't carry her much farther."

Aeka nodded and raced inside; by the time Ryoko struggled to the door with her burden, her mother's small frame was there blocking the way, holding out her arms. "Give her to me. Are you all right for the moment?"

Ryoko nodded, handing Noike gingerly over. "She was talking, and then she just passed out."

"No worries—I'll sort it out." With deceptive strength, Washu hurried Noike into the house and down to the lab, the storage unit door clicking shut behind her.

"How distressing," Aeka murmured, her hands flattened against her chest. "I hope she's all right."

The pirate, too drained to stand any longer, dropped to one knee in the doorway. "Something weird's going on," she answered breathlessly, and Aeka turned, startled.

"Ryoko! Are you all right? Come sit down on the couch, I'll get you some water…"

"I'm all right," Ryoko groused, but let the princess help her to the sofa, where she collapsed, boneless. "She just…all of a sudden, Aeka. In the middle of a sentence. And then I tried to teleport her back here and only made it halfway, it felt like…like the power was just sucked right out of me."

Aeka sat lightly beside Ryoko, frowning a little fearfully. "You think the two things are linked?"

"Seems logical." Ryoko closed her eyes for a moment, taking a steadying breath. "Listen, I don't think I can get all the way out to the field again right now…you should go out there and make sure Tenchi's okay. He'll want to know what's going on."

"Yes, of course…." Aeka stood. "Will you be all right? I think Mihoshi and Sasami are both in the onsen, do you want me to get them to stay with you?"

Ryoko waved her off, frowning. "I'm fine. Go, he could be in trouble. And keep your eyes open."

The princess nodded, somber, and took off out the door at a run.

~o~o~o~

Tenchi paused, leaning against the handle of the hoe and wiping an arm across his face. The sun was vicious today; he'd already discarded his shirt, and still had several fields to go. He glanced up, trying to judge the time, and sighed. It must be almost time for lunch…I wonder what's taking Noike so long? She said she'd come help out in the afternoon, and I bet Sasami's sending food along with her…. Man, I'm starving.

"Myaaaa…"

Tenchi grinned down at Ryo-ohki, who was sprawled out in cabbit form in his shadow, trying to escape the sun. "What do you think, Ryo-chan? It's about time for lunch, right?"

"Mya!" The cabbit's tail wagged happily, and Tenchi laughed.

"I guess I might as well keep working until Noike gets here, though…look out, Ryo-ohki." With a practiced motion, he sank the teeth of the hoe into the soft earth, quickly falling back into the rhythm of his work. The steadiness was meditative, and soon Tenchi found the world around him slipping away, everything focusing in on the hoe and the earth, ready for seeds. We'll have a good crop from this field, I think. It's amazing how many carrots Ryo-ohki can eat, this will probably last her…oh…a week.

"MRRRAAOW!!"

Tenchi jumped, startled out of his work by the cabbit's cry, and looked down; she was crouched, hackles raised, staring back in the direction of home.

"What is it, Ryo-ohki? Is something wrong?"

"Mraowww!"

Crouching down near her, Tenchi followed her gaze, but saw nothing. "Is something going on with Ryoko?" The cabbit made no reply, just continued to watch the horizon, arched and hissing, and Tenchi lay a hand lightly on her back. "Ryo-ohki?"

At his touch, the little creature calmed and turned to look at him, and Tenchi wished for the thousandth time that he could understand her when she spoke. Then, as though wishing the same thing, the cabbit leapt to his shoulder and nuzzled against his neck and the side of his face, her body trembling a little. He cradled her there, murmuring softly.

"What's got you so worked up, huh? Maybe we should head home and see what's going on." He grabbed the hoe and took his shirt from where it lay crumpled at the edge of the field, clambering up the ditch to the dirt road that led home.

He'd been walking barely a minute or two when he heard his name, and a figure appeared in the distance, racing toward him.

"Tenchi! Lord Tenchi, are you all right?"

He hurried forward as Aeka took shape, breathless and worried. "Aeka! I'm fine, is something wrong?"

"It's Noike," the princess gasped, bending over to catch her breath. "She collapsed on her way out here, Ryoko brought her home. Washu's with her now. Something drained power out of Ryoko's gems, too, and we were worried that you might be in danger…"

"Mya mraoww!"

Tenchi glanced over at the cabbit on his shoulder. "Oh…a little while ago, Ryo-ohki started hissing like crazy, she must've picked up on what was happening."

"We should hurry back, Lord Tenchi…" Aeka straightened and took his hand. "Ryoko wasn't in very good shape when I left her, and I'm nervous to leave the house unprotected when we don't know what's happening…."

"Of course."

~o~o~o~

"Here, Ryoko, maybe you need to eat something."

Sasami, her pigtails still tied up into little balls on top of her head from her earlier bath, set a plate of rice crackers in the pirate's lap and held out a steaming mug of tea with a concerned expression.

"I'm all right, Sasami, really…" Ryoko shot the girl a cavalier smile, but took the plate and the tea anyway, popping a cracker into her mouth. "I'm just a bit drained."

"Do you think Noike's all right?" Mihoshi asked with a watery-eyed look, still wrapped in her bathing towel. "Maybe I should go down there and check—"

"NO WAY," Ryoko shouted, glaring. "You'll break something and hurt her more."

"Why don't you go get dressed, Mihoshi? I'll stay here with Ryoko until you come back," Sasami offered, and flopped onto the couch beside the pirate.

"Oh…okay," Mihoshi replied uncertainly, and hurried back to the onsen to retrieve her clothes.

Ryoko sighed, glad to have the teary detective out of their hair for a few minutes; her mother's revelation the night before had made her reconsider some of her normal impatience toward Mihoshi, but just being related to her didn't make her any less irritating. Ryoko sighed and gulped the tea. "Thanks for the food, Sasami, I do feel a bit better."

The little girl smiled a little and took Ryoko's hand, turning it over to touch the gem in her wrist lightly. "Has something like this ever happened before? I didn't know you could be weakened like that."

"Yes…aboard the Souja, remember? Kagato stole the power from me and Tenchi-ken both."

"Oh…you're right, I remember that now. I was so scared for you, and for Tenchi. But…Kagato's dead. Isn't he?"

Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she glanced down at Sasami, thoughtful. "Well…Tenchi certainly killed him, back then. But he isn't entirely dead."

Sasami's eyes widened. "You mean…Noike?"

Blowing a nervous breath through her nose, Ryoko scowled. "It seems to fit, doesn't it? But let's hope I'm wrong." She glanced behind them at the lab door, hoping that Aeka would return with Tenchi soon. I wasn't able to kill Kagato myself last time…and Tenchi won't harm Noike. Unless Washu's got some brilliant plan, we may be in for a rough time.

~o~o~o~

"I wonder what's taking so long," Aeka murmured softly, glancing over at the lab door. Sasami nodded in agreement, pressed against Aeka's side. Perched on the arm of the couch, Mihoshi sniffled.

"We're always waiting around while Washu fixes someone, aren't we..." she said with a watery voice, her hands clenched tightly together in her lap. Tenchi got up from his chair and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Sasami glanced up at Aeka, and at Ryoko on her other side, but neither woman seemed inclined to protest Tenchi's attentions. Surprisingly, Ryoko hardly seemed to even notice; her eyes were fixed on the lab door, her body tight and tense. Sasami reached over and took her hand, and Ryoko squeezed it, her gaze unchanging.

"It does seem that way," Tenchi was answering Mihoshi, "but Washu always manages to make everything right. I'm sure Noike will be fine."

Tense silence fell over the group, broken only by Mihoshi's occasional sniffles; after what seemed like ages, the lab door clicked open and Washu appeared, looking pale and drained. She leaned against the doorframe as all eyes fixed on her, and took a slow breath. "Noike is stable, for the moment. There's nothing physically wrong with her--so I hope for her to come through this just fine."

The bubble of tension in the room popped with an audible sigh as they all let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding, but Washu held up her hand to still any questions. Ryoko frowned--the scientist hid it well, but her fingers were trembling.

"Unfortunately, we have a rather knotty problem on our hands."

"Kagato," Ryoko murmured, and Washu nodded.

"Yes. It seems my blind spot concerning him is continuing to cause trouble for us."

"So...what happened?" Tenchi asked, brows furrowed.

"The little girl you saved, Tenchi, the female Kagato who became Noike....well, she wasn't just his rejected half." Washu took another shaky breath, then strode over to the table and sat down heavily beside it, facing the group. "Kagato himself was actually a clone—and as such, he always had a fascination with his own mortality, and the process of copying and re-creating life. It seems that when he split himself in half, he made a complete copy of his male astral form, and embedded it in the discarded female side. From what I can tell, he programmed that embedded form to emerge and take over in the event of his physical death, with all his personality and power intact—and of course Noike's body is a prime host. It is, at the genetic level, the same basic body the Kagato we know used to inhabit." She paused a moment to let this sink in, watching as questions flickered across everyone's faces. Ryoko frowned into the silence, watching her mother carefully.

Are you all right?

Washu nodded slightly. I had to tap into my own power to contain him while I modified the proper shielding--it took a lot out of me. How about you?

Energy's coming back, Ryoko thought. Slowly, though.

"So," Tenchi began hesitantly, unaware of the silent conversation, "why didn't this happen a long time ago? It's been more than a year since our battle with Kagato...."

"A good question." Washu sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And another mistake on my part. The seal that Clay put on the female Kagato, to prevent her from assimilating fully with Noike, was also preventing the male copy from taking control. I doubt Clay did that on purpose—the male copy was entirely dormant at the time, almost undetectable. Clay was in Tokimi's service then, though, and it may have been her doing. Either way, when the seal was removed, the embedded programming could commence."

"It's not your fault, Washu," Sasami reassured gently, with a hint of Tsunami's resonance in her voice. "You had no reason to think removing the seal would cause trouble."

The scientist shook her head. "I know Kagato inside and out. I should have suspected...but what's done is done, and now I've just got to figure out how to make it right."

"That's going to mean a fight," Ryoko replied, clenching her fists, and Washu nodded.

"Yes. If the shield I patched together to contain Kagato continues to hold, then the next step is to try to separate him from Noike. Once Noike's out of danger, maybe we can…." Pain flashed across Washu's face for just an instant, and Ryoko wouldn't have even noticed it if she didn't sense it through their link, too. "Maybe we can finally destroy him."

"So the shield you made is stable for now?" Tenchi asked, standing.

"Yes, for the moment."

"Then I'm going to run up to the shrine and tell Grandpa what's going on."

Washu nodded. "We may need his help too. And bring Tenchi-ken back with you, all right?"

"Right."

"And we should send a message to Jurai," Sasami said, turning to Aeka.

"Yes," the elder princess agreed. "Grandmother should be informed." Aeka glanced at Washu to confirm this idea; the scientist looked startled, then pained, then her expression settled swiftly back into its usual considering state.

"All right…as soon as she hears she'll want to come see for herself, but I think it would be useful to have her here. She may be able to help me separate Kagato from Noike." Then Washu's eyes narrowed sternly. "But make sure only Seto knows what's going on. It would do more harm than good to have the whole Jurai royal family show up on our doorstep with swords raised."

Aeka nodded. "Mihoshi, can we make the call from Yukinojo?"

"Yes, sure thing," the detective replied, jumping to her feet.

"You'd better come along too, Sasami, Grandmother will want to see that you're all right."

"Ok, um…oh, here we go!" Mihoshi pulled her control cube out from her messy ponytail and turned it a few times; a moment later she and the princesses had vanished.

As soon as they were gone, Washu sagged, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees; Ryoko got up and sat next to her, laying a hand on her arm. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Washu nodded. "It takes a lot of effort to use goddess powers without actually transforming, and transforming wreaks all kinds of havoc on dimensional stability."

"Tsunami does it, though, and Tokimi pops up all the time…"

"Yes, that's true. But it's a matter of power." Washu sat up again, some of the color returning to her face, and leaned against Ryoko's side. "They have less power to control, and so they have more freedom to move in this dimension without causing harm."

Ryoko regarded her mother with slightly widened eyes. "So you're…"

"I'm the eldest, and the most completely sealed off from my power." Washu touched her fingertips to Ryoko's wrist, and the gem glowed at the contact. "I gave it up when I took this body, and it costs me to access it again. I'll be all right in a few minutes. And when Tenchi comes back with the sword, we'll fix you up, as well."

The pirate frowned. "I feel all right now."

Washu smiled wanly. "I have no doubt, I made you strong. But we need you to be at the top of your game, if any of this is going to work out. Which means we need Tenchi to give you back the other two gems."

Ryoko stiffened. "No."

"Ryoko…" Washu glanced up at her daughter's unreadable expression. "You and Tenchi are our best defenses."

"What if Kagato takes control of me again? With all three gems…." She broke off, looking frightened. "I could do a lot of damage. I could…." She stopped again, clenching her hands into fists. She felt Washu tapping lightly at their link, and let it open, sending a flood of images through, the destruction she once wrought across the universe, the flames and screaming and death.

I was with you, Washu thought back at her, taking Ryoko's fist in both of her hands. I was linked with you then, as I am now. He will never do that to you, or I, again.

You can't know that!

I can! I've had plenty of time to go over my mistakes. I know how he does it, he was the one who insisted we have a failsafe in your design. All I have to do is close it down, and he won't be able to access you anymore, not ever. And neither will I.

"You…you can control me, too?" Ryoko spluttered, surprised.

"Yes, it's physically possible. But it shouldn't be there, that loophole. I never should have agreed to it in the first place." The scientist looked down at her hands, folded around one of Ryoko's. "You were never meant to be controlled. You were meant to live, as everyone else does. You were meant to be our…to be my daughter."

Ryoko blinked. "What did you just—"

"Washu! I brought Grandpa. And the sword!" Tenchi came running in, out of breath, with Katsuhito a few steps behind him looking perfectly serene.

"Perfect timing, as usual. Let's make the exchange."

"Washu…"

"Exchange?"

Washu pointed to the sword's hilt, and the two glittering gems it still held. "I'm not taking no for an answer. This has to be done." She looked sharply at Ryoko, who scowled, but said nothing, then over at Katsuhito, who nodded imperceptibly in agreement. Finally she regarded Tenchi with somber eyes. "It's time to give my daughter back what's hers."

~o~o~o~

Mihoshi squealed, hitting a few buttons randomly. "Oh, why isn't it working? I just made a report yesterday, I know the comm system should be fine! Yukinojo!"

The ship's robotic face descended from the ceiling with what Aeka could have sworn was a long-suffering sigh, and turned itself upright. "Allow me, Mihoshi-dono. Who are you attempting to contact?"

"Lady Seto Kamiki Jurai, please," Mihoshi replied, an embarrassed blush rising in her cheeks. "Thank you, Yukinojo."

"And it must be as secure a connection as possible," Aeka added.

The ship nodded. "Just a moment."

Aeka took a moment to glance down at Sasami, who was wringing out one of her long pigtails with a resigned expression. Mihoshi's transfer, as usual, had taken them through the lake—they were all soaked and dripping as a result, though Aeka managed to maintain some of her dignity while wringing out her own robes. "Really, Mihoshi, you must learn how to use that cube properly."

"I'm sorry, Aeka," Mihoshi mumbled, handing the princesses two towels that were draped over the back of the pilot seat, and patting herself down with a third.

Sasami smiled at her. "It's okay, Mihoshi. It must be difficult, learning to use something so complicated like that!"

Mihoshi giggled. "Yeah, I guess it is difficult…"

Yukinojo interrupted with a polite cough. "Connection established," he intoned, and the comm screen popped up with a crackle of static. Quickly the static took shape into a face—the deceptively serene expression of the Devil Princess of Jurai.

"Aeka dear! And my little Sasami. Whatever brings you to me on such a secretive channel?"

"Grandmother," Aeka murmured, gathering her thoughts. "There's been…an incident."