Tenchi Muyo! Witch World
Episode 9: Whatever It Takes
Little Misao couldn't help staring at her friend Sasami in class.
Sasami had caught her doing this a couple of times, and was now giving Misao a few what's your problem? looks.
Misao tried to smile back and shake her head, as if it was nothing. But something was indeed bothering her.
Misao hadn't known Sasami for very long. Sasami was, after all, the new kid in the school. And being the new kid meant that all the other kids were strangers to her. Misao understood the feeling well, not because she was new here, herself, but because her bashful nature made it very difficult for her to make friends with anyone. Nor they with her.
So when Misao and Sasami first met, it was on the basis of that common ground. Two friendless kids who decided it would be a good idea to team up and show the world that they at least had each other.
And that made Misao very happy.
But today, for some unknown reason, it almost seemed -- from the moment that Sasami had joined her for the morning walk to school -- that the real Sasami had somehow been replaced by some weird alien clone.
Misao shook that nonsense out of her head. It probably came from watching too many of those kinds of movies on TV.
But it was still a fact that Sasami had been doing little things all day that made her look like a different person -- one who had never attended this school before today, but was doing her best to pretend otherwise.
Misao really didn't know what to think. Maybe Sasami just wasn't herself, today, for some very good logical reason. If Misao stopped calling attention to it, maybe Sasami would be back to normal by tomorrow.
vvv
Ryoko's vision was blurry. And her head hurt. It was the morning after. Or, more probably, the afternoon after.
Hangovers, she thought, trying to prop herself up in bed. One of the minuses of having a body.
She realized, with a start, that there was someone else in the room with her. Someone who was just quietly staring at her for who knows how long.
"Finally decided to get out of your drunken stupor, have you?" said the blur with Ayeka's voice.
Ryoko blinked a few times, then found her own voice as she sat up, placing her feet on the floor and her hands on her pounding head. "What are you doing in here? Get out, before I turn you into a toad, or something."
"Oh, yes," said Ayeka. "That would take care of the messenger, all right. But what would that do about the message?"
"Not now. I am really not in the mood."
"You have no idea what you've wrought upon your mother, OR the Masakis, have you? For all you know, all you've done is just gone and had yourself a good time, isn't it?"
"What are you babbling about?"
"I'm babbling about how you are the reason that poor little Sasami has been torn away from her family. And, as if that wasn't enough, you've also placed your own mother on trial for her life. Quite a nice thank you, after all she's done for you."
Ryoko gingerly stood up, allowing Ayeka's words to sink in. "W-what? Something's happened to Sasami? And what's this about my mother?"
"Well, the story, as I understand it, is that some leprechaun friend of yours decided to report you to your witchy high command. You are supposed to be dead, you see. So they sent someone here to arrest your mother for treason, who then decided to take Sasami, instead. I wonder if any of this even bothers you in the least?"
Ryoko's first inclination was to call her a liar and change her into something really silly looking. But, she had to admit, it was not Ayeka's style to play games of this sort. It wouldn't make any sense for her to risk Ryoko's wrath over such a lame reason.
Which meant that either Ryoko was hallucinating this entire conversation, or Ayeka was being absolutely truthful.
"Get out!" snapped Ryoko, instantly regretting the sharp spike of pain it caused her head.
Ayeka didn't need to be told twice. Her retreat was so quick, it could almost have been called magic.
vvv
Ryoko eased her way downstairs. She saw that Washu was speaking to somebody on the sofa (when did that become a sofa?), but all she could see of that person was the back of her head. Ayeka stood warily behind Washu, not taking her eyes off of Ryoko.
"Where is everybody?" asked Ryoko.
"Well, look who's up," said Washu. "Don't be shy, come on down and join us. Tenchi decided to go off to work, even though the poor guy didn't get any sleep all night. Kiyone had a rough night, too, but since she didn't need to go anywhere, I slipped her a little sleeping potion and Mihoshi put her to bed. I imagine Mihoshi is probably still sleeping in her own room, too. Katsuhito went next door, and is probably filling his son in on everything that's happened. And little Ryo-Ohki is subbing for Sasami in school. If she can pull that off, Sasami won't be missed by her teacher or the other kids...and we can still get her lessons and homework to her, so her education won't be interrupted. Ayeka, here, generously volunteered to watch over you and break the news to you."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Ryoko spared a moment to glare at Ayeka. "So, who's the stranger?"
Tsunami turned to face Ryoko with a happy smile and a friendly little wave. "Hi, Ryoko!"
For a moment Ryoko froze like a statue, feeling all the blood draining from her face. One could almost hear a cow's moo coming from out of nowhere.
When Ryoko was able to speak, again, it was in a very agitated way to Washu.
"I don't believe this! You're gonna use this woman again!? After the way she represented me at my trial!? Are you out of your crabby-headed mind!? She'll get us both hanged this time!"
"Now, now," said Washu. "Let's be fair. In the first place, that was a human-run trial, and you know what kangaroo courts those can be to begin with. Throw in a witch, and you're automatically guilty until proven innocent. And to top it all off, you didn't exactly help Tsunami's case by actually being guilty on all counts, now, did you?"
Ryoko, for a moment, was at a loss for words.
Ayeka said, "You should be helping your mother instead of looking for ways of being contrary with her."
Ryoko pointed a finger at her. "You need to stop quacking with that annoying duck's bill of yours."
A beam of sparkling magic shot from her fingertip. Ayeka ducked behind the sofa with a yelp, but she really hadn't needed to do that. Washu easily and harmlessly intercepted it by blocking it with her right palm.
"She's right, you know," said Washu, clapping the sparkling dust from her hands. "Now, more than ever, you're going to need to master that temper of yours. Ayeka's on our side, and frankly, we could use every friend we've got by the end of this week, because it could mean the difference between you and I enjoying the eternity to which we witches are entitled, or..."
Washu gave Ryoko the very scary Serious Eye, "...not enjoying it at all. Do. You. Catch. My. Drift?"
Ryoko quickly backed down. "Okay! Okay! Just stop looking at me that way! You're creepin' me out!"
"Oh, I'm so glad that's settled," smiled Tsunami, lightly applauding. "But if you think there won't be any humans at this trial, Washu, you are mistaken. Humans will comprise half of the jury, and some representatives of the champions of humanity will be there as overseers."
"Wonderful," sighed Ryoko, with a hand on her neck, imagining a noose around it for the second time. "Here we go, again."
"That's a defeatist attitude," said Washu. "Think positive! We are going to do whatever it takes to win this thing, right?"
"Washu, I just had a thought," came Ayeka's voice from behind the sofa.
"Okay, let's hear it," encouraged Washu.
Ayeka's head slowly rose back up to visibility. "Didn't you say that this Ramia person was not only after you, but after Ryoko, too? Won't they come back here to try to arrest her, as well?"
"Well, technically, she said Ryoko had been giving them the slip," said Washu. "Having been already tried, convicted, and executed for her crimes in front of a lot of witnesses, it's not likely that they are really after her in the same way that they are after me."
"That's true," agreed Tsunami. "Ryoko's death is a certified fact, so her case is officially closed. But if a credible witness says that he saw her alive, then that opens up the possibility that her death was somehow faked, then that would demand a thorough investigation. Obviously, the true story is that Washu used some new forms of witchcraft to restore her to life, and, in fact, premeditated that outcome before sentence was passed. This is the legal gray area. Did Washu's actions actually break any specific point of human law or any specific points of the treaty? No. But the judge and jury may decide that the spirit of the law was violated, if not the letter of it, because the intent was for Ryoko to die and stay dead, even though that is not expressly stated anywhere, because, up to now, the permanency of death has always been taken for granted. In this case, Ryoko would be wanted more as 'Exhibit A,' rather than as a suspect."
"That's all very well and good," said Ayeka. "But the operative word in both cases is 'wanted,' isn't it? So what's stopping Ramia from coming back here to take Ryoko?"
"Nothing," said Tsunami and Washu, simultaneously.
"Huh," said Ryoko, folding her arms. "She's welcome to try."
"Don't invite it, Ryoko," warned Washu. "She's been specially empowered by the Council. I doubt I could stand up to her, if she really wanted to go to the trouble of hauling me in. But this thing she's doing with Sasami must somehow feed her ego in a more satisfying way than just overpowering me and putting me in a cell. I think it's part of her overall strategy."
"You're probably right," said Tsunami. "She's been my opponent in court, before. It's amazed me, the depths to which she will go in order to win. In a cell, you'd be focusing all of your efforts on your case. As it stands, your attention is now divided between your case, and Sasami."
"That traitor!" exclaimed Ryoko. "She always did care more about getting brownie points than she ever did about her own people!"
"There goes your temper, again," chided Washu. "I intend to beat her, no matter how many different ways my attention is divided. Because I'm going to rise to the occasion. And I expect no less from you."
"Yeah, yeah," growled Ryoko. "So, should I be prepared to fight, if someone from the Council comes to get me, or should I just go peacefully?"
"The way I see it," said Tsunami, "if Ramia can play dirty pool, then so can we..."
Tsunami suddenly cast a spell on Ryoko, making her fade away into nothingness.
"What? An invisibility spell?" came Ryoko's voice from out of nowhere. "A baby can do that. And any witch knows how to circumvent one."
"It's not an invisibility spell," smiled Tsunami. "I've placed you inside my own brand of pocket universe. You are just enough outside of our dimension to not exist in it, yet close enough to it to be able to see and hear everything in it. This way we can still have your input. But if anyone comes to get you, they won't be able to, because you'll be completely out of their reach, in a place from which only I can bring you back."
"That's brilliant!" cried Washu. "No 'Exhibit A' for Ramia to use against me in court!"
"Well, I wouldn't go quite that far," said Tsunami. "Dirty pool outside of court is one thing. But I won't sacrifice my ethics in court. I intend to win legally, ethically, and morally, or not at all."
"Is it too late to get Ramia to represent you?" asked Ryoko's voice.
Washu grinned in an embarrassed way to Tsunami. "She's just kidding! Really!"
The front door opened. "Sasami" came in, closed the door and slipped off her backpack.
"Ryo-Ohki!" said Washu. "How did your first day at school go?"
"Sasami" shrank back down into her small furry demon form, and heaved a sigh.
"Rougher than I thought," said Ryo-Ohki. "Even with Sasami telling me what to expect over that visual watch that you gave her, I still made plenty of little blunders all day. Her friend Misao's been giving me the strangest looks, like she suspects I'm not Sasami. I don't know how I'm going to keep this up for four more days."
"You can do it," said Washu. "The first day is always the toughest. Trust me, it'll get progressively easier with each day. And after Friday, you won't have to worry about it, anymore. Unless, of course, you like the idea of going to school and getting an education..."
Ryo-Ohki perked up a little at this. "What do you mean?"
"Well, this gives you a little taste of it, doesn't it? If you decide that it's something you might like to do on a more permanent basis, we can enroll you there as a new student. You can pick a form that you're more comfortable with, and be yourself, more or less, with the kids and the teachers there. It'll give you something meaningful to do in the daytime hours. Plus, you'll be able to watch over Sasami, too, when she comes back, which isn't a bad thing, either. I'm not trying to push you into it. It's just something for you to consider, if you want."
"Hmm, I don't know," said Ryo-Ohki. "But it is something to think about. I'm hungry. Anybody got any tuna?"
Washu went into the kitchen and looked inside the shelves and cupboards until she found a can of tuna and opened it up for Ryo-Ohki.
While Ryo-Ohki ate with a good appetite, Washu thought it might be a good idea to fix some chow for everyone.
"Tenchi ought to be coming home soon. Mihoshi and Kiyone'll be getting up soon, too. Say, how about we show these folks a real witch's feast?"
"I tried to, once," said Ryoko's voice. "They were too afraid to even taste it."
"In that case, we'll just have to show them that there's nothing to be afraid of," said Washu, rolling up her sleeves and cracking her knuckles. "Ayeka? Wanna help?"
But Ayeka had found a comfortable armchair, and had fallen asleep in it. There was a sizable snot bubble expanding and contracting from her nose.
"Guess not," said Washu. "Okay, Tsunami, it looks like it's you and me."
"Can I help, too?" asked Ryo-Ohki, who had just finished all the tuna.
"Of course you can," said Washu. "Rumiya should be back from his errand any minute now. When he does return, he'll take you to where Sasami is, so you can bring her her lessons and her homework for today."
vvv
Rumiya and Ryo-Ohki, along with Sasami's backpack, sat patiently on a green hilltop, watching Sasami help Sailor Moon and her friends defeat the plans of the evil Queen Beryl. As they enjoyed the show, they had time to have a little conversation, as well.
"So what's it like being a witch's familiar?" asked Ryo-Ohki.
"I enjoy it," said the bird. "But it's not for everyone. I make it look easy, because I've been at it for a long time. Some witches are a joy to work with, like Tsunami. She's just such a nice person, it's unreal. Then there are others, like...well, I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say that some relationships can get abusive, and let it go at that. Why? Are you looking to hook up with a witch, yourself?"
"Maybe," said Ryo-Ohki.
"Washu seems nice," said the bird. "And it doesn't look like she already has a familiar."
"Is that important?" asked Ryo-Ohki. "Aren't witches allowed as many familiars as they want?"
"The relationship between a witch and her familiar needs to be special and close. When a third or fourth party buts in, it upsets that balance. That's why it rarely works. Witches with a lot of familiars, or familiars who serve more than one witch -- that's only a recipe for trouble, if you ask me."
When Sasami had noticed the two of them up there, her face brightened in recognition. She waved goodbye to the other girls, and her costume reverted back to her normal outfit, as she ran up the hill to greet them.
"Rumiya! Ryo-Ohki! How long have you been here?"
Rumiya said, "Long enough to see you triumph over evil, kid. Being a magical superheroine somehow suits you. Wasn't it fun?"
"I'll say," said Sasami. "You were right, this place can be a lot of fun, once you get used to it. I wish that Misao could be here with me, though. She'd love it."
"Misao?" asked the bird.
"That's Sasami's friend at school," explained Ryo-Ohki.
"Oh," said the bird. "A human girl, then. Actually, Sasami, humans aren't really supposed to be in places like this. You are a special case. Once you leave, it's not likely that another human will visit here for a long, long time."
"Why's that?" asked Sasami.
The bird looked uncomfortable. "It's...it's kinda complicated. Anyway, Ryo-Ohki brought you your schoolbooks and your homework, so that you can start class, now."
"That's not all," added Ryo-Ohki, while rooting through Sasami's backpack. "Your mom asked me to bring you this, too."
Ryo-Ohki pulled out a small book that had a lock on it, and gave it to her.
"My diary!" exclaimed Sasami, accepting it.
"Yeah," said Ryo-Ohki. "She knew you'd want to write down your experiences here while they were still fresh in your mind. Speaking of which..."
Ryo-Ohki transformed into Sasami's teacher, Miss Chihiro.
"...Let's get started while your lessons are still fresh in mine," she said in Miss Chihiro's voice.
"I think I'll leave the two of you to it, then," said Rumiya. "Ryo-Ohki, when you are ready to leave, just give me a call on Sasami's watch, and I'll come to get you."
The bird took to the sky, as Sasami and Ryo-Ohki waved goodbye.
vvv
Rumiya was approaching the exit of the pocket universe, when something intercepted him and blocked his way.
It was Ramia, on her broom. And she was giving him one really nasty look.
TO BE CONTINUED
