Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  Slayers is copyrighted to a lot of different companies and I won't list them all.  I don't own any rights to either of them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

The Game

Chapter 4

Who's the Bimbo in the Black Leather?  Oh, Sorry Princess…

*****

It was quiet in the camp as Xellos flickered out.  Gourry, who was supposed to be keeping watch while the others slept, was still trying to keep a marshmallow on a stick over the fire.  Xellos heard him curse mildly as yet another fluffy confection burnt to a crisp.  The Mazoku smiled with anticipation as he disappeared.

Another camp in another part of the forest.  The demon materialized soundlessly and looked down at the woman gently snoring under a coarse blanket.  Heh.  Yes, she'll do.  She'll do nicely.  Have fun, Princess.   He smiled gently as he made a few passes over the sleeping form with his hands.  The girl faded out leaving nothing but the blanket behind.  Xellos chuckled to himself as he extinguished the fire, then with a flicker darker than the surrounding night he returned to his own camp.

*****

Katsuhito sat in the shrine office sipping his tea and thinking profound thoughts.  Well, he was sipping his tea at least; lately his thoughts had been turning in the direction of a very human goddess.  The more he thought about her, the more he saw past the façade she showed the rest of the world.  There were times though when the image crumbled, such as whenever little Taro visited or that one night here in the office when she came seeking information about the Norns.  Underneath the shell had been revealed a very lonely person.  But that was all long before she had stood before them that day in all her splendor, revealed as the third Juraian goddess.  Since then she had retreated back into that shell.  He sat, lonely himself, and considered options.

A noise from the courtyard roused him from his reverie.  He looked up as the door to the office slid open.  Standing there was a tall young woman, dressed in a skimpy black leather outfit.  A long sword was attached to her belt and she wore a necklace with the image of a grinning skull.  On her head was a tiara similar in design to his sister's, proclaiming that she might be some sort of royalty.  She stood there with her hands on her shapely hips and started to laugh.

"Oh ho ho ho ho…"

*****

Down in the valley below the shrine Sasami was showing Amelia how to play a video game.  A whisper of unidentifiable sound reached them, causing the hair on the back of Amelia's neck to stand up.  "What was that?" she asked the Juraian.

Sasami listened closely for a moment but didn't hear anything.  She shrugged, turning back to the game, "Oh probably just an animal of some sort.  Tenchi told us there were still wolves back in the mountains and there's wild dogs and cats too.  There are even a few monkeys around."

Amelia wasn't so sure, but since she wasn't familiar with the area she decided Sasami was probably right.  She too turned her attention back to the game, dismissing whatever it had been from her thoughts.

The phone rang, interrupting their game again.  Ayeka, who had been sitting on the couch knitting, went to answer it.  "Masaki residence.  Oh, hello brother Yosho.  Washu?  I suppose she's in her lab.  Yes, I'll go look and send her up to you at once.  You're welcome.  Goodbye."

Sasami turned her head as her sister crossed the room to the closet door.  "What did brother want Ayeka?" she asked.

Ayeka paused before knocking on the portal, "Nothing important Sasami.  He just said that something had come up that he needed to talk to Miss Washu about."  She politely tapped on the door with her knuckles.  Washu's image appeared in one of the small circles.

"Yes Ayeka, what is it?" the scientist asked.

"Brother Yosho would like to see you up at the shrine office 'mom'," Ayeka grimaced as she said the last word.  "He said there was no hurry, to come up at your leisure."

Washu broke out in laughter at the look on the princess's face when she said 'mom'.  She'd been after Ayeka and Tenchi to call her that almost since the wedding day.  "Finally.  But I still can't get Tenchi to say it.  I suppose I'd better get up there, if your brother says it isn't important it probably is.  If it really wasn't he'd wait until he got home to talk to me.  I wonder what it is…" Her image faded leaving Ayeka standing there with a slightly red face.

"One of these days Miss Washu, I'll…"  She composed herself and resumed her seat on the couch.  A roll of duct-tape suddenly appeared on the table in front of her.  She gritted her teeth, "Ooooh…"

*****

Washu glanced in the direction of the girl seated at the small table.  The priest had offered the girl some tea, but had been politely refused.  Sake on the other hand…

"She's drunk how many bottles?  I don't believe it; I came as soon as Ayeka called.  Geez, she'd put Ryoko to shame, wouldn't she?"  Washu shook her head in disbelief as yet another empty bottle joined the small pile already on the floor.

The girl looked up at the pair watching her, "You know, this Sake stuff is pretty good.  I'll have to find out if there's any place back home that makes it.  It's almost as good as a well aged Zephillian wine.  Got any more?"  She opened another bottle.

"What do you think Tenchi will say when we take her home?" asked Washu, ignoring the girl's question for the moment.

Katsuhito looked at the scientist with humor, "Before or after the nosebleed?  But I'd be more concerned about Ayeka and Ryoko.  I know how they're going to react."

Washu dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand, not taking her eyes off the woman as she killed another bottle of the wine.  "Ryoko's not a problem, she's away on a mission for me.  I think I can handle Ayeka too, so don't worry, the house should still be standing in the morning."

"Well, lets get her home then, before she drinks me out of business."  Katsuhito walked over to the woman and helped her to her feet gently as he could see she was in no condition to manage on her own.  Washu took her other arm and the two guided the now very unsteady stranger out the door.

"This is probably another one of Xellos' tricks," Washu said quietly.  "Did she mention her name?"

The woman hiccupped loudly, "My nam' ish Nahhg...  Nagi?  Nagu?  Ah, ferget it.  Wher' we goin'?"

Katsuhito shook his head in amusement, by every right the girl should be passed out considering the amount of alcohol she'd consumed in such a short time.  "Home," he replied.  "See the lights down in the valley?  That's our house.  But there's a lot of steps between here and there."

"I'll get ush ther' fast'r than walkin'" the girl bragged.  "Whatch!"  She grabbed the priest and scientist firmly by the arms.  "Hol' on.  Here we go!  RAY WING!"  The trio flew into the air, much to the astonishment of Washu and Katsuhito.  They had flown unsteadily almost the entire way to the house when suddenly the girl hiccupped again.

SPLASH!  The three hit the lake about twenty feet from the deck.

Ayeka, Sasami, Amelia and Tenchi ran outside to see what had happened.  Washu and Tenchi's grandfather were swimming toward the house, dragging an unconscious form behind them.  Tenchi and his wife helped the two get the girl out of the water.  The girl lay facedown on the deck, dripping water from every part of her body. 

Ayeka watched her husband to see what his reaction to the woman would be.  Huh, I expected a trickle at least, she thought when he showed no reaction except concern.

"Let's roll her over and let Amelia get a look at her.  Maybe she can tell us who she is," Washu said.  The two men got their arms under her and heaved.  Tenchi's face got slightly red as he realized just what portion of the girl's anatomy he was grabbing.

Ah, there it is, chuckled Ayeka to herself.

The woman now lay face up and Amelia got her first good look at her.  Her eyes got big and she felt weak in the knees.  "Gracia," she moaned before collapsing in Sasami's arms.

Sasami looked at Amelia then at Washu.  "Who's Gracia?" she asked.

*****

Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, Crown Princess of the country of Saillune, Defender of Justice, opened her eyes to find Sasami looking at her with a concerned expression.  She sat up and put a hand to her head.  "Sasami, I had the strangest dream.  I saw my sister Gracia, but she was older than I remember."

Sasami shook her head.  "Her name isn't Gracia, it's Naga.  And she's…" she stopped talking as Amelia grabbed her shoulders in fright.

"What did you say?  Who?" the princess asked in a low voice.

Sasami was starting to get frightened herself.  "The woman you saw, she woke up a little while ago.  She said her name was Naga, Naga the Serpent.  Sounds kinda strange to me."

Amelia moaned and grabbed her head, covering her eyes.  "It's her.  The rumors were right.  Her full name is Gracia Ul Naga Saillune and she's my older sister.  She's been missing for years."

Sasami brightened, "Well, then you should be happy you finally found her, right?"

"No, you don't understand.  She witnessed my mother's murder.  It was very gruesome, lots of blood and stuff.  She went crazy and ran away.  Daddy looked for her for a long time, but she was always one step ahead of him.  Finally he gave up.  She's crazy," Amelia repeated.

Sasami still didn't quite understand, she tried to calm the other girl down. "She didn't sound crazy to me when I talked to her, just a little weird."

"Does she know I'm here?" Amelia asked.

Sasami shook her head no.

The black haired girl grabbed the little princess by the shoulders again, "Look, don't tell her yet, I'm not ready to see her.  Give me a little while to get used to the idea first, ok?"

The small princess could see that the other was still very upset.  "All right Amelia.  Whenever you're ready."  She turned and headed for the door.  Amelia's arms fell limply to her sides.

"Sasami," Amelia said, suddenly reaching out and grabbing the smaller girl's arm.  "Can you be there when I'm ready?  I don't want to face her alone.  I don't know how she'll react, or how I will."

"We'll all be there Amelia.  And don't worry; she seems nice.  A little odd, but nice."

*****

The entire family was gathered in the living room watching Naga flip through the channels on the television.  The sorceress was amazed that pictures and sound could come from a box without magic.  She paused at an infomercial for some exercise equipment, giggling at the demonstration.  Her entire attention was focused on the screen, ignoring everything else going on around her.

Amelia peeked over the rail and saw the group below her.  Gathering her nerve, she started down the stairs.  Sasami noticed her and nudged Ayeka who in turn tapped Washu on the shoulder.  Sasami beckoned Amelia over to stand next to her. 

Naga flipped to another station that was showing "Star Wars".  The lightsaber battle between Ben and Darth Vader grabbed her attention and she started to laugh. "Oh ho ho ho ho…"

Everyone covered their ears.  Amelia screamed, startling Naga away from the TV.  The tall woman turned and her eyes bored into Amelia's matching set.  Amelia cowered behind Sasami.

"Is… is that… is that who I think it is?" stuttered Naga.  "Amelia?  It is!  Little sis!"  She stood up, the TV forgotten for the moment.  Opening her arms she took a step toward the princess.  Amelia ducked down farther.

"Amelia, why are you afraid of me?  I haven't seen you in years, come to big sister." Naga stretched her arms out further.

Amelia took a tentative step away from Sasami and toward Naga.  Then another and another.  She threw herself into her sister's arms, crying.  Suddenly she started beating on the larger girl's shoulders, "Why did you run away?  Why didn't you come back?  Father looked for you and you never came back, why?"

Naga hugged her sister tightly, "I couldn't.  It was my fault you know, if I'd been stronger mama would still be here."

"It wasn't your fault, it was you they were trying to kill, then they would have come after me.  Mama was protecting us."  Amelia collapsed, sobbing.

Naga looked up at the others, tears in her eyes.  "Why didn't you tell me she was here?"

Amelia sniffed, "Because I told them not to.  I wasn't sure I could face you again.  Will you come home with me when this is over?"

Naga hugged her sister closer, "No, I've made a new life for myself.  I'm not a princess any more.  I can't ever go back to that life."

Ayeka felt sympathy for the other woman.  She wondered how she would have reacted if Ryoko had managed to kill Sasami that day.  She took a step forward only to feel her brother's hand on her shoulder.  She looked back at him and saw him shake his head.  She nodded and stepped back.

"Don't tell daddy about this, all right?" Naga asked.  "If you do he'll just go off on one of his quests again.  You know how he is."

Amelia giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.  "What about Lina, does she know who you are?"

Naga was surprised.  She held her sister out in front of her.  "Lina?  You know Lina Inverse?  How?  Where?  I've been looking for her for years.  Where is she?"

Amelia grinned, "Silly, I've been traveling with her and the others for two years now.  She's never mentioned you at all."

"Yeah, well we didn't exactly part under the best of circumstances.  I've been looking for her to apologize," Naga explained.

"Apologize?" wondered Amelia. "For what?  What did you do?"

Naga's face turned bright red.  "Um, I, er, I tried to seduce her.  It was a mistake."

Amelia was shocked.  "WHAT?  YOU WHAT?  No, not my sister.  Never."

Naga looked at the floor and played with her fingers.  "Actually yes.  But I don't have to explain myself to anyone except Lina.  And don't be mad at me, please?"

Amelia threw her arms around Naga's neck.  "I'm not.  Whatever you are, whoever you are, I'm glad I got to see you again."

Katsuhito looked at Washu, "I think it's time to end this game of yours before someone accidentally gets hurt."

Washu stared at the floor between her feet for a moment before replying.  "You're right of course, this has to stop.  But there's someone I have to call first, she needs to be there at the end."  The red head got to her feet and moved toward the portal to her lab.

"Washu, who are you going to call?  Who needs to be there?" Tenchi asked.

Washu's mouth twisted into a crooked grin.  She put a finger to her mouth and winked at the group.  "That," she said in a conspiratorial tone, "is a secret."  Washu disappeared into her lab singing "Sixteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" quietly.

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes

If you're wondering about the duct-tape, just wait, all will be revealed in a later chapter.  To everyone who responded to my request for Naga's real name, thanks.  After hearing from you I did a search for "Gracia Saillune" and came up with several sites that confirmed it.

If you're wondering where I got the idea of Naga trying to seduce Lina, at the end of "Slayers the Motion Picture" Naga gives Lina a slow, appraising look as Lina stands there in her bathing suit by the Spring of Growth.  Lina says something along the lines of "What do you think you're doing Naga?" then gets an odd look on her face and starts running.  Naga gives chase, laughing the whole time.

Review Responses

Blif00 – A Slayers fic huh?  I don't know, that group doesn't seem to be as forgiving of details as the Tenchi group.  But I'll think about it.

Dennisud – I'm not paying for the support services so I don't think it's an option for me.  I'm seriously thinking about putting up the cash though.  You're on my e-mail list as of now though.

Vsdefender – I understand, I feel the way about some fics I've read.  Doesn't keep me from enjoying them though and sometimes it motivates me to seek out information on the series.  As far as Washu/Yosho, it's mainly a fanfic thing I guess, but there are grounds for it, in Tenchi in Tokyo they seemed very close at the end.  But I'm not going to check it out.  Once was enough for that series.

Blackbird – A partial interview I read with the creator of Slayers seemed to confirm the sisters part, but there are/were no plans to explore it.  That's up to us fic writers.

Alighthawk – Might I suggest starting with "Slayers, the Motion Picture"?  The animation is good, the story's not bad and it'll give you a fairly good feeling for the series.  It only has Lina and Naga in it though, and maybe one of Gourry's ancestors.  There are plenty of websites that have episode synopsis' on them too.  I downloaded the whole TV series (all three series in fact) from Usenet (alt.binaries.anime) earlier this year.