DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tenchi characters, concepts, ideas, or whatever. Tenchi is a product
of Pioneer and AIC. I am not intending to profit from this story in any way; it is written for the
enjoyment of others and my own personal enjoyment.
CONTACT: dude_from_jupiter@yahoo.com
NOTES: Oh man... It's finally here... Man. This one hit me strong. Or at least the idea did. I have
not yet written it as I write this note, but my head is going to explode. I've got the idea, the plot,
everything, and I can't wait to get it written for you... Whoever you are... Well, enough of this, I'd
better let you read the story (if you want to :p). Talk to you more about this after I write this story.
SISTERS, TWO
by Dude Jupiter
CHAPTER 1
The smell of wonderfully cooked fish only added to the exquisit flavor. It was the quality of
any food found in a fine resteraunt.
"Superb, Sasami," Katsuhito complimented, speaking for the first time since the meal had
begun. "Simply superb. Someday I'm sure you'll make a fortune."
Sasami's eyes brightened, she blushed slightly, and nodded her head in thanks for the
compliment. She returned to eating her food, her mouth caught in a smile. The others looked at
her, happy for her; she was obviously in a white bliss in her pride.
The last rays of daylight poured in through a window onto the table. The windows
themselves were frosted with a late January cold, which acted as a sort of magnifying lens on the
last light of the day.
Tenchi helped himself to some more of the food. Sometimes it seemed as though he just
couldn't get enough of Sasami's cooking; it was amazing what the little girl could do at the small
age of twelve. Her abilities far surpassed some of five times her age with five times her experience.
How her talents came to her so naturally Tenchi had no idea, but he certainly enjoyed the fruits of
her labor.
Life at the Masaki residence had not yet fallen into a monotony, and no boredom was
promised. There was always something to be done or worried about, or even excited about. There
was usually gardening, but that was not on Tenchi's mind at this part of the year. His concerns
were household chores, and the other aspects of life...
Waking up in the morning and hearing Ryoko and Ayeka fighting like mortal enemies was
nothing too unusual. Sometimes he would be jolted awake as their fights got more "explosive", if
you will. There was Washu's inventions to worry about; somehow Mihoshi always managed to
produce flaws in the genius's otherwise flawless wonders of mankind (or, more accurately,
womankind). There were, occasionally, visitors from space which had to be dealt with.
There were so many things to keep Tenchi busy. Sometimes he thought he'd go insane with
all this noise, fighting, chaos, and uproar...
Then his more logical side would point out the flaw in this train of thought: What would life
be like without his five best friends? What would life be like without Ryoko, without Washu,
without Sasami or Ayeka or Mihoshi? Would the peace and quiet be so wonderful? Would the rest
and relaxation be so desireable?
No. *Then* life would be monotonous. Then life would begin to lose its flavor.
These thoughts passed his mind. Yes, he was actually thankful for all this. He was thankful
for every bit of it...
Ryoko. Ryoko. He remembered that time, seemingly so long ago, when his curiosity had
caused him to open her cave. He remembered their first meeting, and shivered.
He remembered the meeting with her on the top of the school, when she had nearly killed
him. He remembered being captured by Ayeka... Meeting Sasami while attempting a valiant
escape... Then Mihoshi, as she had crashed to earth... And finally Washu, rescued from the Soja.
What would life be like?
Katsuhito, his old grandfather. The old man who trained him daily. Full of wisdom and
love.
His father, with his tiny black mustache and messy black hair. His woman-oriented life, but
his unending love for his son.
Mihoshi... (Tenchi laughed silently as she attacked a piece of fish on her plate as it refused
to be caught by her chop sticks)... Ever the blonde, but somehow striking. Her huge blue eyes
shone fiercely as she continued to try to win the battle against her food.
Ayeka, her long and purple hair shining just above her (*what do you call that color?*
Tenchi wondered) purplish-reddish eyes, her small form sitting in a seemingly perfect posture at
the table, ever remaining the princess, even on this tiny little planet.
Washu, her red hair like fire, her eyes shining green like grass on a sunny day. Tiny little
Washu sat eating, seemingly absent-minded... *Probably thinking about some invention,* Tenchi
thought.
Ryoko, her cyan hair in huge spikes. Her amber eyes shining like the sun, her mouth almost
etched into a permenant smile. Oh, sure, it could twist into a frown that could kill, sometimes, but
her smile was even seemingly hidden behind her worst of frowns.
Little Sasami, her blue hair and pink eyes. Her tiny form, her head bobbing, her fingers
clutching at her head like it were about to split open...
Tenchi snapped out of his reverie when the realization dawned on him that she was in pain.
"Sasami?" he said, a little timidly.
Sasami did not answer. Her fingers remained in her hair, strained, as if she were trying to
claw her scalp away. Her fingers, tensed, shook madly, and her head swayed from side to side.
She uttered a small moan, and her head kept swaying.
"Sasami?" Tenchi asked a little louder.
The others had apparently not noticed that anything had been wrong, for they glanced at
her with what looked like surprise. A feeling, almost tangible in the air, as if it were gathering the
energy from each soul in the room and using it in a cumulative attack, seemed to touch each mind,
spreading its message of growing alarm.
Ayeka reached out and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Sasami?" she said. "Are you
okay, Sasami?"
Sasami did not answer.
"Sasami?!" Ayeka asked, her voice having taken on a more panicky note.
"Ay-ay..." Sasami managed.
Ayeka's eyes widened, as if in realization, or possibly as if in horror. Her mouth dropped
open, and she retained her position. In the moments that followed, everyone could have sworn that
Ayeka had suddenly turned into a wax statue; she did not move even the slightest, and her skin
paled to a sickening shade.
Tenchi wouldn't ever really admit it to anyone but himself, but he *felt* something... He
felt it pass through him... Travel up and down his spine, enter his bones, make him feel hollow
inside...
And...
CHAPTER 2
It was a very pretty flower, she had to agree. Although it was not one of the most precious
she had ever seen, it carried some value. Maybe it didn't carry physical value, but it carried some
sentimental value: this was a gift from her little sister.
"Isn't it pretty?" Sasami asked in her tiny, happy voice. "I picked it for you, Ayeka."
"Thank you, Sasami," Ayeka resonded, her voice quite small itself.
Ayeka looked at her little sister lovingly. Sasami was so tiny... Barely on her feet. Sasami
was only six, and she was actually quite clumsy, Ayeka thought, but did that mean anything?
Every kid six years old had so much energy and was growing so rapidly that it was no wonder
they tripped over their feet sometimes.
Ayeka, ten now, felt quite mature. She didn't trip over her own feet anymore (years later,
when she met Tenchi, she would never admit it to him, but she had been quite clumsy as a young
one). She didn't act as childish as Sasami, and that was quite good. Of course, she didn't look
down on Sasami for her immaturity; she couldn't help it.
Ayeka somewhat used Sasami as her comparison for maturity, actually. Not getting out of
the palace too much, she didn't meet to many people her age. So, naturally wanting to feel like a
mature young lady, she had needed someone to compare herself with, so Sasami had been the
natural choice.
But Ayeka could not help loving little Sasami to death. She was so sweet, adorable,
loveable... Ayeka was sure that if anything ever happened to Sasami, she herself would die.
"Where did you find this, Sasami?" Ayeka asked after a short moment of silence.
"I..." Sasami pasued.
Ayeka would have found this pause strange, but she *felt* it herself. She couldn't quite
define it, but it felt as if something were happening wrong. Not like the feeling that something
wrong was happening, but the feeling that something was happening wrong... As if something had
already happened, and was now happening again, but something about the way it was happening
again was wrong.
"Sasami, do..."
"Sh-h-h," Sasami said, lifting a finger up to her lips. "Something's not right."
Bewildered that they had both been struck by the same feeling, Ayeka made a nervous
noise and stopped talking. She let Sasami listen to whatever she had silenced her older sister for.
Sasami, even though she was young, wore a look that spoke of some secret knowledge.
What this knowledge could be, Ayeka had no idea, but the expression screamed of it. Sasami
squinted, then closed her eyes.
"This... has... already happened," Sasami said softly. "And... it's happening again... But
something's going terribly wrong..."
"Sasami, what are you talking about?!" Ayeka asked in a scared, shaking whisper.
"It's like..." Sasami lifted her eyes to meet her sister's. In them Ayeka saw the fear of a small
child faced with the monster from the closet. "It's like everything we're doing right now has
already happened... But it's being... changed..."
Both were thrown to the ground as what sounded like the end of the world exploded. The
light blinded them, the heat made it momentarily impossible to breath, and the noise, the deafening
noise, rendered their ears useless for the next few minutes.
They both landed on the ground and lost all sight as smoke and heat enveloped them. The
heat was searing hot, and both screamed in pain, though they could not begin to hear each other,
let alone themselves.
Even before the smoke cleared there was another explosion, farther away this time, but
definitely close enough to hurt their already ringing ears. Shortly after that explosion, Ayeka heard
the dreaded sound of the Juraian War Sirens blaring their long, hollow tones.
The sky was gray now from the smoke, but through it Ayeka could see tiny little dots
streaking through the atmosphere far above her head. One shot two small dots from itself. These
dots slammed into the ground a few miles away and made two new explosions.
Recovering from shock, Ayeka knew she should take Sasami to the palace's bomb-proof
shed. She remembered her father instructing her as a child, in a stern voice, that if she ever heard
the Juraian War Sirens, she should run to the shed as fast as her legs could carry her, and she
should take Sasami with her.
"You are not to stop for toys, valuables, anything," her father had instructed her. "I don't
care if it's the most precious thing in the world to you; if you hear those sirens, you run as if you
were running for your life, because that's what you'll be running for."
"Sasami! Come with me now!" Ayeka cried. "Come NOW! We have to go to the bomb
shed!"
"NO!" Sasami cried.
"WHAT?!" Ayeka shouted back. "Why ever not?!"
"It's not safe there!" Sasami said, her eyes filling with tears. "We can't go there, Ayeka! It's
safe *here*!"
"Sasami, you're speaking foolishness!" Ayeka chided in desperation. "Come with me now!
You know what father..."
"Father doesn't know who's in there!" Sasami said, backing away from Ayeka as Ayeka
made an approach to catch her sister.
"Who's in there?" Ayeka asked. Another explosion rung out from far above, the noise
sending chills down Ayeka's spine. "SASAMI, WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
"Ayeka," Sasami said calmly. "If we stay here we'll live... If we go to the shed we'll die... I
can't explain it... I just know...!"
"NONSENSE!" Ayeka shouted, and made a dash at Sasami. Sasami, unsuspecting, was
caught by the arm. Ayeka began to pull Sasami after her, and Sasami resisted, but she could not
fight against Ayeka's superior strength.
"Ay--Ayeka, I don't want to die...!" Sasami bawled. "It's not safe there!"
"Sasami, you stop fighting me!" Ayeka cried, tears running down her own cheek now. They
would not be safe until they reached the shed! How could Sasami not see that?! She was going to
be the death of her...!
"Ayeka...!" Sasami pleaded.
Ayeka ignored her sister's pleas and dragged her along, using all the strength she could
muster. Finally, Sasami let out a defeated whimper and followed Ayeka. They had almost reached
the shed, and Sasami had broken down into desperate sobs, when Ayeka heard her father's voice.
"STAY OUT OF THERE!"
"What?!" Ayeka called, looking around for her father.
The two doors to the shed, built into the ground, flew open in an explosion. Ayeka
watched, horrified, as her father, the Emperor of Jurai, came flying out, blasted out by the
explosions.
Apparently the Emperor had looked out the explosion-proof window and seen his two
daughters and shouted to warn them. That Ayeka and Sasami had been able to hear him meant that
the doors had been unlocked and unsealed. That it had been unsealed was no big thing to worry
about; obviously, they would wait to seal the place until their the two princesses of Jurai came. But
unlocked?! Ayeka and Sasami had seen no one enter or exit through the two doors as they had
approached them, and the only time the doors were *ever* unlocked was the brief periods of time
it took for one to enter or exit the shed. After one entered or exited, the lock would immediately
activate.
Ayeka knew this.
She and her little sister started to run over to their father, who lay crumpled and bleeding on
the ground. When he saw them making for him, however, he simply lifted a hand in a gesture that
said "No. Come not farther."
Ayeka and Sasami stood watching their father die, horrified.
CHAPTER 3
Tenchi could have almost cried himself, watching Ayeka and Sasami sobbing the way they
were sobbing. They both cried in racking sobs, as if their most precious possession had just been
taken from them. And, in a strange way, it seemed as though they *had* had one of their most
precious possessions taken from them, judging by the way they talked.
"I... Remember it as though it were yesterday," Ayeka sobbed. "He... My God... He lay
there broken, bleeding... I could... see... I... Oh... Oh..."
"I said, hold that thought," Washu said, tapping furiously at the holotop computer that she
had just materialized. "Something about this just doesn't add up..."
Sasami finished the thought Aeyak had begun but been unable to finish. "We could see...
inside... his head..." she sobbed. "His eye... was... out...!"
Mihoshi threw a hand up to her mouth, possibly in surprise, or possibly trying to hold in her
supper.
Washu's eyebrows came together above her emerald eyes as they struck on something.
"Here it is..." she said in a low voice.
"And... And..." Ayeka continued, but was interrupted by Washu.
"Ayeka, this memory is false," she said softly. "Actually, right now, technically, it is true.
But history has been changed in a rather strange way..."
"What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked.
Washu put her hands up to her temples and rubbed them, obviously feeling a headache
coming on. "Oh my... Looks like history hasn't exactly been *changed*... I guess *redone* would
be a better word for it..."
"Washu... tell us what you mean...!" Ayeka said through her tears, somewhat returning to
reality.
"Something about the way you just were suddenly sobbing about your father's death didn't
quite make sense," Washu said. "I can't even remember how the conversation started, just that you
were suddenly crying. Right?"
Ayeka's eyes took on a strange look as this reality set in.
"Yeah," Washu continued. "You were just suddenly sobbing about it. I suspected
something was wrong with that... But I guess I should have known... Oh, how can I explain this?
I'll start with this, I guess... This little device-" She pulled out a small, blue, metallic disc and held it
up for them to see "-The Washu-Time, was a small device I finished a few months ago. I suspected
something wrong with the time-continuum, so I used this, and it detected something wrong with
normal time passage.
"At first, I suspected that perhaps someone had altered history from the past. But then I
realized that if they had altered history in the past, the future would have changed and I wouldn't
have suspected time alterations in the first place. That's when I checked actual time passage versus
time passage in this universe. We've lost one second in this universe."
"I don't get it," Tenchi said, rubbing his hair.
"Apparently, according to the data I've gathered, someone has actually undone time from a
point in the past to the present and *restarted* time from that past point. They have *redone*
history in 'fast motion', if you will... In other words, history has been reformed... The past two
thousand years or so have been redone in the second we've lost."
Everyone started at Washu, dumbstruck.
"Strange, I know... Not exactly the best way to do things... So whoever is influencing time
passage has simply incredible control over the passage of time, but obviously doesn't know
enough about it to put themselves back into the past. A six-year-old god, if you'd like to think of it
that way."
"So... In my real past..." Ayeka said, wiping away her tears, her eyes becoming hopeful.
"My father didn't die? And... All that... stuff... didn't happen?"
"In theory, no," Washu responded. "However, I'm not sure if there's any way of telling what
our real past was... In its redoing, it has been changed, so my memory has been changed
somewhat. Not as much as if the whoever-it-is just changed something in the past, but enough.
So... Pretty much...we're going to have to try to right this wrong and... just... see what we come up
with."
"But..." Tenchi began. His thoughts moved one level deeper, and he said, "So, in theory,
even if we undo all this damage that's been done and get our normal histories back... We could
have it worse off, couldn't we?"
"In theory," Washu said gravely. "For all I know, we could have all been in a torture
chamber one inch from death and all that happy stuff... And here we are. Who knows? But we've
got to undo this damage, because for *anyone* to use so much power as to influence time in the
way it was influence, there has to be a really huge reason for it. And that reason might be working
against us."
"Question," Ryoko spoke up. "Could we still be rushing forward from that past point to
some distant future point?"
"Everything's still 'in theory'," Washu replied. "So, yes, we could still be in that 'one second
of lost time'. I can't know."
"How do we fight against this... whatever it is?" Tenchi asked. "We've got to undo the
damage, but how? How, Washu?"
"It might be nice to know the whole story," Washu said, sending Ayeka a soft, pleading
glance. "Ayeka, do you think you could... Continue?"
Ayeka sniffed and rubbed her nose, new tears spilling out of her eyes. Unable to hold back
the tears, she threw her face into her hands and sobbed. Sasami reached over and hugged her.
After a moment she lifted her head and opened her mouth. The words began pouring out.
"He... he died there... and Sasami and I fled..."
CHAPTER 4
Ayeka held her hurting sides, sure she would die of this before she died of explosions or
mean men. Sasami laid on the ground beside her, panting, holding her sides as well.
They were relatively safe here, she reasoned. This grass was extremely huge; taller than
most men. Taller than two little girls, certainly, unless they just happened to grow an extra five
feet or so.
"Sah... Sasami," Ayeka managed between her hard breathing. "How deh... did you knuh...
knowhhh?"
"I duh... don't know, Ayeh... Ayeka!" Sasami said between breaths.
The two had run as fast as their small feet could carry them. Away from the palace, away
from their bloody father, away from their home, the explosions, the war, the little dots in the sky.
Just away. They hadn't cared where; they just needed to get away.
They had run for what seemed hours before they had found this small clearing and had
plopped down to rest their burning legs and soothe their aching sides. They had collapsed and let
the ground hug them and comfort them. Now the sweet air, running in and out of their lungs,
brought relief to their aches and burns.
"You must hah... Have some idea...?"
Sasami shook her head, her eyelids halfway down. Her fatigue was heavy on her, Ayeka
realized. Ayeka had wanted to run as long as she could, but Sasami was growing tired, and... and..
And the realization that they would be spending the night alone... in the dark... occured to
her. This thought chilled her to the bone... Staying out *here*, all alone, with no one to protect
them... With all the night animals and sounds around... all the...
She pushed these thoughts away, realizing that they must be putting a fearful look on her
face. She had to be strong for Sasami. Sasami was just six. Ayeka could admit to herself that she
was terribly scared, so she could only imagine what this nightmare must be like to poor little
Sasami, who had only faced six years of life... Who had lived all of this six years of life in palace
comfort... Who... Who was afraid of the dark, as well...
*I'm not afraid of the dark,* Ayeka thought to herself, pulling her strength together as best
she could. She knew it wasn't true; "I'm not afraid of the dark" is a very easy thing to say in the
daylight, but it is often hard to convince yourself of when you are in the darkness, alone, and
young...
Stupid... stupid...
Ayeka's shoulders slumped, her back arched over, and her breath escaped her. The reality
of all this suddenly sunk in on her in one powerful wave. All along the day had seemed just like
some dream from which you might awaken at any given moment, but suddenly, sitting here in this
quiet, catching her breath, the realization that this was real sunk in. Her shoulders began to shake
as a small tear escaped her eye.
"Don't cry, sis," a tiny voice said to her.
"Sasami..." Ayeka said in a shaking voice.
"It's okay, sis, I'm scared too," Sasami said, standing up and hugging her sister. Ayeka fell
into her sister's arms and began to cry very hard.
*So much for being the big brave sister,* she thought. *Here I am balling my eyes out,
while Sasami does the comforting...* But she didn't much mind having a shoulder to cry on.
They didn't move from the clearing. They were drained of energy and simply didn't want to
move on. Where they would go they had no idea; they didn't know where the palace was
anymore, and they didn't know where anywhere else was. Running out in this huge grass had
completely disoriented them.
They were cut on every exposed inch of skin. They hadn't noticed this before, but now, as
night drew near, they noticed the firey little lines all over their bodies. The grass, sharp and
wicked, had cut them as they had plowed through it. The cuts weren't very deep, but like paper
cuts, they held a stinging pain with them.
They sat in silence as the light dwindled away. They talked quietly and nervously. Finally,
the last bit of day washed out and they were alone, in the dark.
Things were so much louder in the dark, it seemed. The crickets sung their song, which
rung out from the land loudly. The wind rushing over them made the grass-tops sway, making a
hissing sort of sound, but they were protected from the wind itself. It was cold enough without a
cool breeze.
The two sisters moved together and put their arms around each other, not only to draw
more heat, but to draw strength, courage, and comfort. It had been a hard enough day, and now
they were going to spend it out HERE, when they were accustomed to comfortable palace rooms
every night.
It got colder and colder as the night progressed, and Ayeka could not sleep. Sometime late
into the night she felt Sasami leaning heavier and heavier onto her, until the little girl did not
move. Ayeka looked at Sasami's small face, which glowed with a milky tone from the moon,
whose light was broken only by the swaying grass overhead. It was marred with grass cuts all over
it, but there was a peaceful, almost happy look on her face. Here eyes were closed; she was asleep.
Ayeka suddenly forgot the fearful things around her; Sasami needed her, she thought to
herself. She had to take care of her little sister. Ayeka smile.
"Little Sasami," she whispered. "I love you."
CHAPTER 5
"So you have no idea what could be causing all of this?"
Washu typed a little more on her holotop before looking up and responding, "No. No idea.
The supernatural boogeyman."
"Why would anyone want to.." Ayeka began, but was interrupted by a knock at the door to
the house. Everyone paused and looked away from Washu towards the door. They had been in a
state of shock, learning that their pasts had been changed, but now, upon receiving stimuli that
seemed to confirm the existence of an outside world, the shock lessened. Nobayuki got up and
answered the door.
"Somethin' weird seem hap'nin over here?" the man, a complete stranger, asked.
"Somewhat," Nobayuki responded. "...Why?"
"I jes had one heck of a strange dream," the man responded. "An' I woke up, looked at my
ceiling, and... You'll think I'm crazy... But I had a vision that told me to come talk to you people.
Weird, huh?"
Nobayuki stared at the man uneasily, unsure as to what to do. Was the man crazy? Or was
something wrong? Had he been... sent? To help them? What was the purpose of all this? Or was
Nobayuki just hallucinating?
"Did your vision or dream tell you that anything was wrong?"
"Yeah... something about time..."
Nobayuki ushered the man inside. "Come in," he said. "Come in." He led the man over to
the couch and had him sit down. Ryoko went into the kitchen and fetched some tea for the man.
The man took it and thanked her, then looked uneasily at the group, unsure as to what to do.
"Did I hear something about a dream?" Katsuhito asked.
"Yes, sir," the man responded. "Jes up and dreamed the darndest thing."
"Perhaps you could relate this dream to us?" Katsuhito asked, pushing his glasses up on his
nose.
"Oh, sir, I remember it plain as day," the man responded. "Yeah, heck yeah I could tell ya."
"Perhaps, first, though, you could tell us your name?"
"Oh! Sure. My name's George. I was born in America, but my parents moved to Japan.
Heh... I've only lived in Japan about eight or nine years, so my Japanese is still scratchy."
"We noticed," Nobayuki said, and Katsuhito cleared his throat, a clear indication to 'shut
up'.
"Sorry," George responded.
"No problem at all," Katsuhito said with a smile. "Now, about your dream."
"Yeah," the man said. "Darndest dream. I was jes closin' my eyes while I was readin' a
book... Really great book, but I got sleepy... Ya know... And quick as anything here comes this
strange dream... I was asleep for, what, ten minutes? But the dream seemed like it had lasted for
hours. Strangest thing... Then came the vision..."
"It does sound very strange," Katsuhito said, then asked Ryoko if she could bring him some
tea as well. "Care to tell us the dream?"
"Yeah," George responded. He held the cup up to his lips, took a sip, then held the cup
there, as if preparing to drink some more. His eyes took on a distant look, an almost unfocused
look, and, in a low, strange voice, George began.
"Well... See... It was something like this. I guess it all started with those two little girls
waking up and going into that forest..."
CHAPTER 6
Ayeka frowned. She was soaking wet.
So much for the 'beautiful, twinkling dew' in the morning. In grass as tall as this, it was
more like a morning walk-through shower. All of the grass was soaking wet, and walking through
it soaked the walker. Ayeka and Sasami were dripping with dew.
The trees came unexpectantly. The little girls, walking through grass that might as well have
been a small forest, could not see the trees until they were practically upon them.
The grass broke off rather suddenly. They emerged into a darkened forest with almost no
grass anywhere. The ground was covered with dead and decaying leaves.
Coming out of the grass was a wonderful relief in some aspects, and terrible in others. In
the grass they had soaked themselves, sure, but the grass had saved them from the wind. The
morning cool was bad enough, being soaked, but the wind against their wet bodies practically
froze them.
The two came out into the forest and stood there shivering, not sure exactly what to do. The
trees blocked out most of the sun, which made it even colder, and Ayeka was sure this would
hinder their clothes' attempt to dry, but she was sure they wouldn't get dry in the grass, so
movement into the forest was, she decided, the best thing to do.
They moved along into the forest. The wind bit at them and made them cold, but,
thankfully, it dried them quickly. The wind began to receed later in the morning, and the sun
became stronger and broke through the trees. Both girls, nearly dry but still chilled, were thankful
as the sun hit their cold skin and warmed it.
The forest was quiet, save for birds that sat unseen in the trees and sung their songs.
Nothing seemed to move. There was not a living thing in sight...
Ayeka and Sasami were terribly hungry. After their run the day before, the long night last
night, and their walking this morning without food, their energy began to draw slack and their
stomachs rumbled like earthquakes. The thought of food had crossed Ayeka's mind a few times
before, but now it was the only thing on her mind.
There was vegetation everywhere, but Ayeka had no idea what was edible and what wasn't.
She had learned, in her thus far short life, that some plants were poisonous, but she didn't know
which one was and which one wasn't. They all looked like normal plants to her; none of them had
black spots or spines or something which made the plant *seem* poisonous. She had always
though that there would be a certain look about the plant that would at least *hint* that it
contained poisons, but none of these plants looked poisonous...
*Maybe,* Ayeka thought. *None of these plants are poisonous. Maybe this is a good
forest... Maybe it only makes good fruit.*
The thought of just trying out some fruit had begun to tickle Ayeka's mind when they
stumbled upon a log cabin. It was quite unexpected; it had been hidden well. Ayeka had seen no
signs of life in the surrounding area (perhaps if she had been a hunter she would have seen some
igns, but she was not a hunter). Then, upon coming to one side of a thick hedge, she had seen the
house.
The house was set into the hedge, an almost-complete circle which ran about 9/10ths of the
way around it. The huge hedge seemed like a sort of fence around the cabin, Ayeka thought. It
was quite romantic in a child's-fantasy sort of way.
The two girls, hungry like never before (they had never seen poverty; they had never seen a
mealtime without food on the table in endless abundance), decided that they should investigate,
even if it was dangerous. There might be some evil person in there, but they almost didn't care at
that point.
They stepped into the circle-of-a-hedge and onto the cabin's grounds. The space enclosed
by the hedge looked much larger as viewed from inside, Ayeka noticed. She and Sasami walked
up to the door.
"Knock," Ayeka said to Sasami. She was afraid to knock herself, but would not admit it.
"You knock," Sasami said, fear tinging her voice.
Ayeka reached up a shaking hand and knocked timidly. When the knock was met with no
answer, she began pounding on the door much harder. This time the door seemed to fling itself
open as she was in mid-swing for another knock. Her hand hit the air, and she looked up to see an
old man with a huge beard and old, tattered clothes.
"Hullo," he said in a rough, hoarse voice, after inspecting the two girls a moment. "Whut do
yer want?"
"Sir," Ayeka said in an almost pleading voice. "We're very hungry..."
"Uren't yer two fr'm the paluce?" he asked, still standing in the doorway, preventing Ayeka
from seeing in. "Th' Emperur's dughters?"
"Yes, yes," Ayeka said. Then, ponting to herself, she said, "I'm Ayeka." She pointed to
Sasami. "She's Sasami."
"Yus," the man responded. "Yuh said yer hunry, uh? Gut s'm food, if'n yuh cin eat it, after
hav'n paluce food."
"We could eat anything, sir," Ayeka said, ready to jump right past him and dig in. "We've
been running since yesterday and haven't had anything to eat and.."
"A war goin' on, isn't there?" the man asked, unmoving.
"Yes," Ayeka responded, the eagerness for food building in her to a level that made her
almost jump with impatience.
"Why uren't yuh two somewh're safe?" he asked. "What're yuh doin' hure in this furest?"
"I..." The picture of her father, broken and bleeding on the ground, returned to her. She
broke out in gooseflesh and felt a tear move down her cheek. "Our father... The... They..."
"Uh, it's uhkay," the man responded. "Dun't need tuh cry, young miss. C'mon in, gut s'm
food for yuh."
Ayeka wiped away her tears and followed the man into the one-room cabin. It was very
neat, she thought, for a dirty little cabin. To the right was a huge bed set into the far corner. The
table was set in the middle of the room, with one far end against the far wall. To the right was a
stove, which was close to a pair of huge shelves, which held food, cooking utinsels, eating
utinsels, and nearly everything else on them. Right in front of them was a huge rug from the skin
of some animal, and hung up on the walls were the heads of various large animals.
The cabin was filled with the smell of cooking food. The huge man ushered Ayeka and
Sasami to the table. Only then did he realize that he only had one chair set there. He dragged a
rocking chair out of one corner and set it by the table. Ayeka and Sasami sat down and stared at
him expectantly.
"Muh name's Humyah," the man said. "Named aftur my daddy, was I. Thuh food won't be
good, like yer paluce food, but I reckon if'n yer hungry, yu'll eat it anyway. Eh?"
"Yes, sir," Ayeka said, shifting in her seat. It was very comfortable, but her stomach hurt
from want of food.
The man brought two bowls of stew over to the two girls, and two spoons. "Lut me go out
'n get suhm goat milk for yuh," he said, and left the cabin.
The food was nearly gone as soon as it had been set on the table. Humyah had made the
food sound bad, which Ayeka wouldn't have minded; after all, it would be food in her stomach.
She could have handled nearly anything, but this food was actually really good. It had some sort
of tender but amazingly good meat in it, it had vegetables (somewhat like earth potatoes and
carrots) in it, and other things. It was really strong, but Ayeka really liked it. It had a sort of 'home-
made' taste to it, if you will, that could not be found in the palace food.
Also, it was food, so it was good. If Ayeka had eaten raw squirrel that day she would have
sworn it tasted like something from heaven (had she known what a squirrel was).
When Humyah came back into the cabin he had a small container in his hands. He poured
white milk from the container into two cups, which he gave to the two girls, who drank it happily.
All the while old Humyah kept a straight face. Ayeka did not see him smile, which she
found somewhat disturbing, but she disregarded. He was a lonely old man, she reasoned, and had
probably almost forgotten how to smile.
After another helping or two (Ayeka felt guilty eating so much, but she was truly hungry),
both girls leaned back in their seats.
"That was the best thing I ever ate," Sasami chirped happily.
A small smile spread across the man's face. "Thank yuh, S'sami. Glad yuh like it."
of Pioneer and AIC. I am not intending to profit from this story in any way; it is written for the
enjoyment of others and my own personal enjoyment.
CONTACT: dude_from_jupiter@yahoo.com
NOTES: Oh man... It's finally here... Man. This one hit me strong. Or at least the idea did. I have
not yet written it as I write this note, but my head is going to explode. I've got the idea, the plot,
everything, and I can't wait to get it written for you... Whoever you are... Well, enough of this, I'd
better let you read the story (if you want to :p). Talk to you more about this after I write this story.
SISTERS, TWO
by Dude Jupiter
CHAPTER 1
The smell of wonderfully cooked fish only added to the exquisit flavor. It was the quality of
any food found in a fine resteraunt.
"Superb, Sasami," Katsuhito complimented, speaking for the first time since the meal had
begun. "Simply superb. Someday I'm sure you'll make a fortune."
Sasami's eyes brightened, she blushed slightly, and nodded her head in thanks for the
compliment. She returned to eating her food, her mouth caught in a smile. The others looked at
her, happy for her; she was obviously in a white bliss in her pride.
The last rays of daylight poured in through a window onto the table. The windows
themselves were frosted with a late January cold, which acted as a sort of magnifying lens on the
last light of the day.
Tenchi helped himself to some more of the food. Sometimes it seemed as though he just
couldn't get enough of Sasami's cooking; it was amazing what the little girl could do at the small
age of twelve. Her abilities far surpassed some of five times her age with five times her experience.
How her talents came to her so naturally Tenchi had no idea, but he certainly enjoyed the fruits of
her labor.
Life at the Masaki residence had not yet fallen into a monotony, and no boredom was
promised. There was always something to be done or worried about, or even excited about. There
was usually gardening, but that was not on Tenchi's mind at this part of the year. His concerns
were household chores, and the other aspects of life...
Waking up in the morning and hearing Ryoko and Ayeka fighting like mortal enemies was
nothing too unusual. Sometimes he would be jolted awake as their fights got more "explosive", if
you will. There was Washu's inventions to worry about; somehow Mihoshi always managed to
produce flaws in the genius's otherwise flawless wonders of mankind (or, more accurately,
womankind). There were, occasionally, visitors from space which had to be dealt with.
There were so many things to keep Tenchi busy. Sometimes he thought he'd go insane with
all this noise, fighting, chaos, and uproar...
Then his more logical side would point out the flaw in this train of thought: What would life
be like without his five best friends? What would life be like without Ryoko, without Washu,
without Sasami or Ayeka or Mihoshi? Would the peace and quiet be so wonderful? Would the rest
and relaxation be so desireable?
No. *Then* life would be monotonous. Then life would begin to lose its flavor.
These thoughts passed his mind. Yes, he was actually thankful for all this. He was thankful
for every bit of it...
Ryoko. Ryoko. He remembered that time, seemingly so long ago, when his curiosity had
caused him to open her cave. He remembered their first meeting, and shivered.
He remembered the meeting with her on the top of the school, when she had nearly killed
him. He remembered being captured by Ayeka... Meeting Sasami while attempting a valiant
escape... Then Mihoshi, as she had crashed to earth... And finally Washu, rescued from the Soja.
What would life be like?
Katsuhito, his old grandfather. The old man who trained him daily. Full of wisdom and
love.
His father, with his tiny black mustache and messy black hair. His woman-oriented life, but
his unending love for his son.
Mihoshi... (Tenchi laughed silently as she attacked a piece of fish on her plate as it refused
to be caught by her chop sticks)... Ever the blonde, but somehow striking. Her huge blue eyes
shone fiercely as she continued to try to win the battle against her food.
Ayeka, her long and purple hair shining just above her (*what do you call that color?*
Tenchi wondered) purplish-reddish eyes, her small form sitting in a seemingly perfect posture at
the table, ever remaining the princess, even on this tiny little planet.
Washu, her red hair like fire, her eyes shining green like grass on a sunny day. Tiny little
Washu sat eating, seemingly absent-minded... *Probably thinking about some invention,* Tenchi
thought.
Ryoko, her cyan hair in huge spikes. Her amber eyes shining like the sun, her mouth almost
etched into a permenant smile. Oh, sure, it could twist into a frown that could kill, sometimes, but
her smile was even seemingly hidden behind her worst of frowns.
Little Sasami, her blue hair and pink eyes. Her tiny form, her head bobbing, her fingers
clutching at her head like it were about to split open...
Tenchi snapped out of his reverie when the realization dawned on him that she was in pain.
"Sasami?" he said, a little timidly.
Sasami did not answer. Her fingers remained in her hair, strained, as if she were trying to
claw her scalp away. Her fingers, tensed, shook madly, and her head swayed from side to side.
She uttered a small moan, and her head kept swaying.
"Sasami?" Tenchi asked a little louder.
The others had apparently not noticed that anything had been wrong, for they glanced at
her with what looked like surprise. A feeling, almost tangible in the air, as if it were gathering the
energy from each soul in the room and using it in a cumulative attack, seemed to touch each mind,
spreading its message of growing alarm.
Ayeka reached out and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Sasami?" she said. "Are you
okay, Sasami?"
Sasami did not answer.
"Sasami?!" Ayeka asked, her voice having taken on a more panicky note.
"Ay-ay..." Sasami managed.
Ayeka's eyes widened, as if in realization, or possibly as if in horror. Her mouth dropped
open, and she retained her position. In the moments that followed, everyone could have sworn that
Ayeka had suddenly turned into a wax statue; she did not move even the slightest, and her skin
paled to a sickening shade.
Tenchi wouldn't ever really admit it to anyone but himself, but he *felt* something... He
felt it pass through him... Travel up and down his spine, enter his bones, make him feel hollow
inside...
And...
CHAPTER 2
It was a very pretty flower, she had to agree. Although it was not one of the most precious
she had ever seen, it carried some value. Maybe it didn't carry physical value, but it carried some
sentimental value: this was a gift from her little sister.
"Isn't it pretty?" Sasami asked in her tiny, happy voice. "I picked it for you, Ayeka."
"Thank you, Sasami," Ayeka resonded, her voice quite small itself.
Ayeka looked at her little sister lovingly. Sasami was so tiny... Barely on her feet. Sasami
was only six, and she was actually quite clumsy, Ayeka thought, but did that mean anything?
Every kid six years old had so much energy and was growing so rapidly that it was no wonder
they tripped over their feet sometimes.
Ayeka, ten now, felt quite mature. She didn't trip over her own feet anymore (years later,
when she met Tenchi, she would never admit it to him, but she had been quite clumsy as a young
one). She didn't act as childish as Sasami, and that was quite good. Of course, she didn't look
down on Sasami for her immaturity; she couldn't help it.
Ayeka somewhat used Sasami as her comparison for maturity, actually. Not getting out of
the palace too much, she didn't meet to many people her age. So, naturally wanting to feel like a
mature young lady, she had needed someone to compare herself with, so Sasami had been the
natural choice.
But Ayeka could not help loving little Sasami to death. She was so sweet, adorable,
loveable... Ayeka was sure that if anything ever happened to Sasami, she herself would die.
"Where did you find this, Sasami?" Ayeka asked after a short moment of silence.
"I..." Sasami pasued.
Ayeka would have found this pause strange, but she *felt* it herself. She couldn't quite
define it, but it felt as if something were happening wrong. Not like the feeling that something
wrong was happening, but the feeling that something was happening wrong... As if something had
already happened, and was now happening again, but something about the way it was happening
again was wrong.
"Sasami, do..."
"Sh-h-h," Sasami said, lifting a finger up to her lips. "Something's not right."
Bewildered that they had both been struck by the same feeling, Ayeka made a nervous
noise and stopped talking. She let Sasami listen to whatever she had silenced her older sister for.
Sasami, even though she was young, wore a look that spoke of some secret knowledge.
What this knowledge could be, Ayeka had no idea, but the expression screamed of it. Sasami
squinted, then closed her eyes.
"This... has... already happened," Sasami said softly. "And... it's happening again... But
something's going terribly wrong..."
"Sasami, what are you talking about?!" Ayeka asked in a scared, shaking whisper.
"It's like..." Sasami lifted her eyes to meet her sister's. In them Ayeka saw the fear of a small
child faced with the monster from the closet. "It's like everything we're doing right now has
already happened... But it's being... changed..."
Both were thrown to the ground as what sounded like the end of the world exploded. The
light blinded them, the heat made it momentarily impossible to breath, and the noise, the deafening
noise, rendered their ears useless for the next few minutes.
They both landed on the ground and lost all sight as smoke and heat enveloped them. The
heat was searing hot, and both screamed in pain, though they could not begin to hear each other,
let alone themselves.
Even before the smoke cleared there was another explosion, farther away this time, but
definitely close enough to hurt their already ringing ears. Shortly after that explosion, Ayeka heard
the dreaded sound of the Juraian War Sirens blaring their long, hollow tones.
The sky was gray now from the smoke, but through it Ayeka could see tiny little dots
streaking through the atmosphere far above her head. One shot two small dots from itself. These
dots slammed into the ground a few miles away and made two new explosions.
Recovering from shock, Ayeka knew she should take Sasami to the palace's bomb-proof
shed. She remembered her father instructing her as a child, in a stern voice, that if she ever heard
the Juraian War Sirens, she should run to the shed as fast as her legs could carry her, and she
should take Sasami with her.
"You are not to stop for toys, valuables, anything," her father had instructed her. "I don't
care if it's the most precious thing in the world to you; if you hear those sirens, you run as if you
were running for your life, because that's what you'll be running for."
"Sasami! Come with me now!" Ayeka cried. "Come NOW! We have to go to the bomb
shed!"
"NO!" Sasami cried.
"WHAT?!" Ayeka shouted back. "Why ever not?!"
"It's not safe there!" Sasami said, her eyes filling with tears. "We can't go there, Ayeka! It's
safe *here*!"
"Sasami, you're speaking foolishness!" Ayeka chided in desperation. "Come with me now!
You know what father..."
"Father doesn't know who's in there!" Sasami said, backing away from Ayeka as Ayeka
made an approach to catch her sister.
"Who's in there?" Ayeka asked. Another explosion rung out from far above, the noise
sending chills down Ayeka's spine. "SASAMI, WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
"Ayeka," Sasami said calmly. "If we stay here we'll live... If we go to the shed we'll die... I
can't explain it... I just know...!"
"NONSENSE!" Ayeka shouted, and made a dash at Sasami. Sasami, unsuspecting, was
caught by the arm. Ayeka began to pull Sasami after her, and Sasami resisted, but she could not
fight against Ayeka's superior strength.
"Ay--Ayeka, I don't want to die...!" Sasami bawled. "It's not safe there!"
"Sasami, you stop fighting me!" Ayeka cried, tears running down her own cheek now. They
would not be safe until they reached the shed! How could Sasami not see that?! She was going to
be the death of her...!
"Ayeka...!" Sasami pleaded.
Ayeka ignored her sister's pleas and dragged her along, using all the strength she could
muster. Finally, Sasami let out a defeated whimper and followed Ayeka. They had almost reached
the shed, and Sasami had broken down into desperate sobs, when Ayeka heard her father's voice.
"STAY OUT OF THERE!"
"What?!" Ayeka called, looking around for her father.
The two doors to the shed, built into the ground, flew open in an explosion. Ayeka
watched, horrified, as her father, the Emperor of Jurai, came flying out, blasted out by the
explosions.
Apparently the Emperor had looked out the explosion-proof window and seen his two
daughters and shouted to warn them. That Ayeka and Sasami had been able to hear him meant that
the doors had been unlocked and unsealed. That it had been unsealed was no big thing to worry
about; obviously, they would wait to seal the place until their the two princesses of Jurai came. But
unlocked?! Ayeka and Sasami had seen no one enter or exit through the two doors as they had
approached them, and the only time the doors were *ever* unlocked was the brief periods of time
it took for one to enter or exit the shed. After one entered or exited, the lock would immediately
activate.
Ayeka knew this.
She and her little sister started to run over to their father, who lay crumpled and bleeding on
the ground. When he saw them making for him, however, he simply lifted a hand in a gesture that
said "No. Come not farther."
Ayeka and Sasami stood watching their father die, horrified.
CHAPTER 3
Tenchi could have almost cried himself, watching Ayeka and Sasami sobbing the way they
were sobbing. They both cried in racking sobs, as if their most precious possession had just been
taken from them. And, in a strange way, it seemed as though they *had* had one of their most
precious possessions taken from them, judging by the way they talked.
"I... Remember it as though it were yesterday," Ayeka sobbed. "He... My God... He lay
there broken, bleeding... I could... see... I... Oh... Oh..."
"I said, hold that thought," Washu said, tapping furiously at the holotop computer that she
had just materialized. "Something about this just doesn't add up..."
Sasami finished the thought Aeyak had begun but been unable to finish. "We could see...
inside... his head..." she sobbed. "His eye... was... out...!"
Mihoshi threw a hand up to her mouth, possibly in surprise, or possibly trying to hold in her
supper.
Washu's eyebrows came together above her emerald eyes as they struck on something.
"Here it is..." she said in a low voice.
"And... And..." Ayeka continued, but was interrupted by Washu.
"Ayeka, this memory is false," she said softly. "Actually, right now, technically, it is true.
But history has been changed in a rather strange way..."
"What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked.
Washu put her hands up to her temples and rubbed them, obviously feeling a headache
coming on. "Oh my... Looks like history hasn't exactly been *changed*... I guess *redone* would
be a better word for it..."
"Washu... tell us what you mean...!" Ayeka said through her tears, somewhat returning to
reality.
"Something about the way you just were suddenly sobbing about your father's death didn't
quite make sense," Washu said. "I can't even remember how the conversation started, just that you
were suddenly crying. Right?"
Ayeka's eyes took on a strange look as this reality set in.
"Yeah," Washu continued. "You were just suddenly sobbing about it. I suspected
something was wrong with that... But I guess I should have known... Oh, how can I explain this?
I'll start with this, I guess... This little device-" She pulled out a small, blue, metallic disc and held it
up for them to see "-The Washu-Time, was a small device I finished a few months ago. I suspected
something wrong with the time-continuum, so I used this, and it detected something wrong with
normal time passage.
"At first, I suspected that perhaps someone had altered history from the past. But then I
realized that if they had altered history in the past, the future would have changed and I wouldn't
have suspected time alterations in the first place. That's when I checked actual time passage versus
time passage in this universe. We've lost one second in this universe."
"I don't get it," Tenchi said, rubbing his hair.
"Apparently, according to the data I've gathered, someone has actually undone time from a
point in the past to the present and *restarted* time from that past point. They have *redone*
history in 'fast motion', if you will... In other words, history has been reformed... The past two
thousand years or so have been redone in the second we've lost."
Everyone started at Washu, dumbstruck.
"Strange, I know... Not exactly the best way to do things... So whoever is influencing time
passage has simply incredible control over the passage of time, but obviously doesn't know
enough about it to put themselves back into the past. A six-year-old god, if you'd like to think of it
that way."
"So... In my real past..." Ayeka said, wiping away her tears, her eyes becoming hopeful.
"My father didn't die? And... All that... stuff... didn't happen?"
"In theory, no," Washu responded. "However, I'm not sure if there's any way of telling what
our real past was... In its redoing, it has been changed, so my memory has been changed
somewhat. Not as much as if the whoever-it-is just changed something in the past, but enough.
So... Pretty much...we're going to have to try to right this wrong and... just... see what we come up
with."
"But..." Tenchi began. His thoughts moved one level deeper, and he said, "So, in theory,
even if we undo all this damage that's been done and get our normal histories back... We could
have it worse off, couldn't we?"
"In theory," Washu said gravely. "For all I know, we could have all been in a torture
chamber one inch from death and all that happy stuff... And here we are. Who knows? But we've
got to undo this damage, because for *anyone* to use so much power as to influence time in the
way it was influence, there has to be a really huge reason for it. And that reason might be working
against us."
"Question," Ryoko spoke up. "Could we still be rushing forward from that past point to
some distant future point?"
"Everything's still 'in theory'," Washu replied. "So, yes, we could still be in that 'one second
of lost time'. I can't know."
"How do we fight against this... whatever it is?" Tenchi asked. "We've got to undo the
damage, but how? How, Washu?"
"It might be nice to know the whole story," Washu said, sending Ayeka a soft, pleading
glance. "Ayeka, do you think you could... Continue?"
Ayeka sniffed and rubbed her nose, new tears spilling out of her eyes. Unable to hold back
the tears, she threw her face into her hands and sobbed. Sasami reached over and hugged her.
After a moment she lifted her head and opened her mouth. The words began pouring out.
"He... he died there... and Sasami and I fled..."
CHAPTER 4
Ayeka held her hurting sides, sure she would die of this before she died of explosions or
mean men. Sasami laid on the ground beside her, panting, holding her sides as well.
They were relatively safe here, she reasoned. This grass was extremely huge; taller than
most men. Taller than two little girls, certainly, unless they just happened to grow an extra five
feet or so.
"Sah... Sasami," Ayeka managed between her hard breathing. "How deh... did you knuh...
knowhhh?"
"I duh... don't know, Ayeh... Ayeka!" Sasami said between breaths.
The two had run as fast as their small feet could carry them. Away from the palace, away
from their bloody father, away from their home, the explosions, the war, the little dots in the sky.
Just away. They hadn't cared where; they just needed to get away.
They had run for what seemed hours before they had found this small clearing and had
plopped down to rest their burning legs and soothe their aching sides. They had collapsed and let
the ground hug them and comfort them. Now the sweet air, running in and out of their lungs,
brought relief to their aches and burns.
"You must hah... Have some idea...?"
Sasami shook her head, her eyelids halfway down. Her fatigue was heavy on her, Ayeka
realized. Ayeka had wanted to run as long as she could, but Sasami was growing tired, and... and..
And the realization that they would be spending the night alone... in the dark... occured to
her. This thought chilled her to the bone... Staying out *here*, all alone, with no one to protect
them... With all the night animals and sounds around... all the...
She pushed these thoughts away, realizing that they must be putting a fearful look on her
face. She had to be strong for Sasami. Sasami was just six. Ayeka could admit to herself that she
was terribly scared, so she could only imagine what this nightmare must be like to poor little
Sasami, who had only faced six years of life... Who had lived all of this six years of life in palace
comfort... Who... Who was afraid of the dark, as well...
*I'm not afraid of the dark,* Ayeka thought to herself, pulling her strength together as best
she could. She knew it wasn't true; "I'm not afraid of the dark" is a very easy thing to say in the
daylight, but it is often hard to convince yourself of when you are in the darkness, alone, and
young...
Stupid... stupid...
Ayeka's shoulders slumped, her back arched over, and her breath escaped her. The reality
of all this suddenly sunk in on her in one powerful wave. All along the day had seemed just like
some dream from which you might awaken at any given moment, but suddenly, sitting here in this
quiet, catching her breath, the realization that this was real sunk in. Her shoulders began to shake
as a small tear escaped her eye.
"Don't cry, sis," a tiny voice said to her.
"Sasami..." Ayeka said in a shaking voice.
"It's okay, sis, I'm scared too," Sasami said, standing up and hugging her sister. Ayeka fell
into her sister's arms and began to cry very hard.
*So much for being the big brave sister,* she thought. *Here I am balling my eyes out,
while Sasami does the comforting...* But she didn't much mind having a shoulder to cry on.
They didn't move from the clearing. They were drained of energy and simply didn't want to
move on. Where they would go they had no idea; they didn't know where the palace was
anymore, and they didn't know where anywhere else was. Running out in this huge grass had
completely disoriented them.
They were cut on every exposed inch of skin. They hadn't noticed this before, but now, as
night drew near, they noticed the firey little lines all over their bodies. The grass, sharp and
wicked, had cut them as they had plowed through it. The cuts weren't very deep, but like paper
cuts, they held a stinging pain with them.
They sat in silence as the light dwindled away. They talked quietly and nervously. Finally,
the last bit of day washed out and they were alone, in the dark.
Things were so much louder in the dark, it seemed. The crickets sung their song, which
rung out from the land loudly. The wind rushing over them made the grass-tops sway, making a
hissing sort of sound, but they were protected from the wind itself. It was cold enough without a
cool breeze.
The two sisters moved together and put their arms around each other, not only to draw
more heat, but to draw strength, courage, and comfort. It had been a hard enough day, and now
they were going to spend it out HERE, when they were accustomed to comfortable palace rooms
every night.
It got colder and colder as the night progressed, and Ayeka could not sleep. Sometime late
into the night she felt Sasami leaning heavier and heavier onto her, until the little girl did not
move. Ayeka looked at Sasami's small face, which glowed with a milky tone from the moon,
whose light was broken only by the swaying grass overhead. It was marred with grass cuts all over
it, but there was a peaceful, almost happy look on her face. Here eyes were closed; she was asleep.
Ayeka suddenly forgot the fearful things around her; Sasami needed her, she thought to
herself. She had to take care of her little sister. Ayeka smile.
"Little Sasami," she whispered. "I love you."
CHAPTER 5
"So you have no idea what could be causing all of this?"
Washu typed a little more on her holotop before looking up and responding, "No. No idea.
The supernatural boogeyman."
"Why would anyone want to.." Ayeka began, but was interrupted by a knock at the door to
the house. Everyone paused and looked away from Washu towards the door. They had been in a
state of shock, learning that their pasts had been changed, but now, upon receiving stimuli that
seemed to confirm the existence of an outside world, the shock lessened. Nobayuki got up and
answered the door.
"Somethin' weird seem hap'nin over here?" the man, a complete stranger, asked.
"Somewhat," Nobayuki responded. "...Why?"
"I jes had one heck of a strange dream," the man responded. "An' I woke up, looked at my
ceiling, and... You'll think I'm crazy... But I had a vision that told me to come talk to you people.
Weird, huh?"
Nobayuki stared at the man uneasily, unsure as to what to do. Was the man crazy? Or was
something wrong? Had he been... sent? To help them? What was the purpose of all this? Or was
Nobayuki just hallucinating?
"Did your vision or dream tell you that anything was wrong?"
"Yeah... something about time..."
Nobayuki ushered the man inside. "Come in," he said. "Come in." He led the man over to
the couch and had him sit down. Ryoko went into the kitchen and fetched some tea for the man.
The man took it and thanked her, then looked uneasily at the group, unsure as to what to do.
"Did I hear something about a dream?" Katsuhito asked.
"Yes, sir," the man responded. "Jes up and dreamed the darndest thing."
"Perhaps you could relate this dream to us?" Katsuhito asked, pushing his glasses up on his
nose.
"Oh, sir, I remember it plain as day," the man responded. "Yeah, heck yeah I could tell ya."
"Perhaps, first, though, you could tell us your name?"
"Oh! Sure. My name's George. I was born in America, but my parents moved to Japan.
Heh... I've only lived in Japan about eight or nine years, so my Japanese is still scratchy."
"We noticed," Nobayuki said, and Katsuhito cleared his throat, a clear indication to 'shut
up'.
"Sorry," George responded.
"No problem at all," Katsuhito said with a smile. "Now, about your dream."
"Yeah," the man said. "Darndest dream. I was jes closin' my eyes while I was readin' a
book... Really great book, but I got sleepy... Ya know... And quick as anything here comes this
strange dream... I was asleep for, what, ten minutes? But the dream seemed like it had lasted for
hours. Strangest thing... Then came the vision..."
"It does sound very strange," Katsuhito said, then asked Ryoko if she could bring him some
tea as well. "Care to tell us the dream?"
"Yeah," George responded. He held the cup up to his lips, took a sip, then held the cup
there, as if preparing to drink some more. His eyes took on a distant look, an almost unfocused
look, and, in a low, strange voice, George began.
"Well... See... It was something like this. I guess it all started with those two little girls
waking up and going into that forest..."
CHAPTER 6
Ayeka frowned. She was soaking wet.
So much for the 'beautiful, twinkling dew' in the morning. In grass as tall as this, it was
more like a morning walk-through shower. All of the grass was soaking wet, and walking through
it soaked the walker. Ayeka and Sasami were dripping with dew.
The trees came unexpectantly. The little girls, walking through grass that might as well have
been a small forest, could not see the trees until they were practically upon them.
The grass broke off rather suddenly. They emerged into a darkened forest with almost no
grass anywhere. The ground was covered with dead and decaying leaves.
Coming out of the grass was a wonderful relief in some aspects, and terrible in others. In
the grass they had soaked themselves, sure, but the grass had saved them from the wind. The
morning cool was bad enough, being soaked, but the wind against their wet bodies practically
froze them.
The two came out into the forest and stood there shivering, not sure exactly what to do. The
trees blocked out most of the sun, which made it even colder, and Ayeka was sure this would
hinder their clothes' attempt to dry, but she was sure they wouldn't get dry in the grass, so
movement into the forest was, she decided, the best thing to do.
They moved along into the forest. The wind bit at them and made them cold, but,
thankfully, it dried them quickly. The wind began to receed later in the morning, and the sun
became stronger and broke through the trees. Both girls, nearly dry but still chilled, were thankful
as the sun hit their cold skin and warmed it.
The forest was quiet, save for birds that sat unseen in the trees and sung their songs.
Nothing seemed to move. There was not a living thing in sight...
Ayeka and Sasami were terribly hungry. After their run the day before, the long night last
night, and their walking this morning without food, their energy began to draw slack and their
stomachs rumbled like earthquakes. The thought of food had crossed Ayeka's mind a few times
before, but now it was the only thing on her mind.
There was vegetation everywhere, but Ayeka had no idea what was edible and what wasn't.
She had learned, in her thus far short life, that some plants were poisonous, but she didn't know
which one was and which one wasn't. They all looked like normal plants to her; none of them had
black spots or spines or something which made the plant *seem* poisonous. She had always
though that there would be a certain look about the plant that would at least *hint* that it
contained poisons, but none of these plants looked poisonous...
*Maybe,* Ayeka thought. *None of these plants are poisonous. Maybe this is a good
forest... Maybe it only makes good fruit.*
The thought of just trying out some fruit had begun to tickle Ayeka's mind when they
stumbled upon a log cabin. It was quite unexpected; it had been hidden well. Ayeka had seen no
signs of life in the surrounding area (perhaps if she had been a hunter she would have seen some
igns, but she was not a hunter). Then, upon coming to one side of a thick hedge, she had seen the
house.
The house was set into the hedge, an almost-complete circle which ran about 9/10ths of the
way around it. The huge hedge seemed like a sort of fence around the cabin, Ayeka thought. It
was quite romantic in a child's-fantasy sort of way.
The two girls, hungry like never before (they had never seen poverty; they had never seen a
mealtime without food on the table in endless abundance), decided that they should investigate,
even if it was dangerous. There might be some evil person in there, but they almost didn't care at
that point.
They stepped into the circle-of-a-hedge and onto the cabin's grounds. The space enclosed
by the hedge looked much larger as viewed from inside, Ayeka noticed. She and Sasami walked
up to the door.
"Knock," Ayeka said to Sasami. She was afraid to knock herself, but would not admit it.
"You knock," Sasami said, fear tinging her voice.
Ayeka reached up a shaking hand and knocked timidly. When the knock was met with no
answer, she began pounding on the door much harder. This time the door seemed to fling itself
open as she was in mid-swing for another knock. Her hand hit the air, and she looked up to see an
old man with a huge beard and old, tattered clothes.
"Hullo," he said in a rough, hoarse voice, after inspecting the two girls a moment. "Whut do
yer want?"
"Sir," Ayeka said in an almost pleading voice. "We're very hungry..."
"Uren't yer two fr'm the paluce?" he asked, still standing in the doorway, preventing Ayeka
from seeing in. "Th' Emperur's dughters?"
"Yes, yes," Ayeka said. Then, ponting to herself, she said, "I'm Ayeka." She pointed to
Sasami. "She's Sasami."
"Yus," the man responded. "Yuh said yer hunry, uh? Gut s'm food, if'n yuh cin eat it, after
hav'n paluce food."
"We could eat anything, sir," Ayeka said, ready to jump right past him and dig in. "We've
been running since yesterday and haven't had anything to eat and.."
"A war goin' on, isn't there?" the man asked, unmoving.
"Yes," Ayeka responded, the eagerness for food building in her to a level that made her
almost jump with impatience.
"Why uren't yuh two somewh're safe?" he asked. "What're yuh doin' hure in this furest?"
"I..." The picture of her father, broken and bleeding on the ground, returned to her. She
broke out in gooseflesh and felt a tear move down her cheek. "Our father... The... They..."
"Uh, it's uhkay," the man responded. "Dun't need tuh cry, young miss. C'mon in, gut s'm
food for yuh."
Ayeka wiped away her tears and followed the man into the one-room cabin. It was very
neat, she thought, for a dirty little cabin. To the right was a huge bed set into the far corner. The
table was set in the middle of the room, with one far end against the far wall. To the right was a
stove, which was close to a pair of huge shelves, which held food, cooking utinsels, eating
utinsels, and nearly everything else on them. Right in front of them was a huge rug from the skin
of some animal, and hung up on the walls were the heads of various large animals.
The cabin was filled with the smell of cooking food. The huge man ushered Ayeka and
Sasami to the table. Only then did he realize that he only had one chair set there. He dragged a
rocking chair out of one corner and set it by the table. Ayeka and Sasami sat down and stared at
him expectantly.
"Muh name's Humyah," the man said. "Named aftur my daddy, was I. Thuh food won't be
good, like yer paluce food, but I reckon if'n yer hungry, yu'll eat it anyway. Eh?"
"Yes, sir," Ayeka said, shifting in her seat. It was very comfortable, but her stomach hurt
from want of food.
The man brought two bowls of stew over to the two girls, and two spoons. "Lut me go out
'n get suhm goat milk for yuh," he said, and left the cabin.
The food was nearly gone as soon as it had been set on the table. Humyah had made the
food sound bad, which Ayeka wouldn't have minded; after all, it would be food in her stomach.
She could have handled nearly anything, but this food was actually really good. It had some sort
of tender but amazingly good meat in it, it had vegetables (somewhat like earth potatoes and
carrots) in it, and other things. It was really strong, but Ayeka really liked it. It had a sort of 'home-
made' taste to it, if you will, that could not be found in the palace food.
Also, it was food, so it was good. If Ayeka had eaten raw squirrel that day she would have
sworn it tasted like something from heaven (had she known what a squirrel was).
When Humyah came back into the cabin he had a small container in his hands. He poured
white milk from the container into two cups, which he gave to the two girls, who drank it happily.
All the while old Humyah kept a straight face. Ayeka did not see him smile, which she
found somewhat disturbing, but she disregarded. He was a lonely old man, she reasoned, and had
probably almost forgotten how to smile.
After another helping or two (Ayeka felt guilty eating so much, but she was truly hungry),
both girls leaned back in their seats.
"That was the best thing I ever ate," Sasami chirped happily.
A small smile spread across the man's face. "Thank yuh, S'sami. Glad yuh like it."
