CHAPTER FOUR

After the incident in the hanger bay, Sasami avoided Washu like the plague. She became religiously punctual, determined not to get punished that way again. Washu unsettled her, as did anything even remotely connected to Tsunami.

She began to have nightmares every night. Each night, she entered the dream-world that she'd found that day in the med lab. Most nights, she found herself locked in the palace, searching desperately for her family. She would run through endless palace corridors for hours, knowing that something lurked in the shadows of every doorway. Frequently, she had to run through puddles of blood. Sometimes she found bodies.

Every time her dream self passed a window, Sasami would see the labyrinth. The giant maze glinted ominously in the darkness, and Sasami knew that Tokima waited for her there. Sometimes, Sasami did end up in the labyrinth, and she would hear Tokima's insane laughter coming from every leaf and blade of grass surrounding her. At other times, she would hear the voice of Tsunami, trying to explain her destiny. Sasami often woke screaming.

One night, several weeks after the incident with Washu, Sasami found herself back in her dream maze.

This time, the hedges and flowers of the labyrinth were alive and in full bloom. The sun was shining brightly. Everything was far too perfect.

As usual, Sasami heard voices coming from the air around her. Deciding that fighting them would get her nowhere fast, Sasami followed them. As she'd expected, she soon found herself in the center of the labyrinth. Washu was seated on the edge of the fountain, gazing hard into the spray of water. She was dressed in a set of long, green robes, and her hair was pulled back with a string of what looked to be tiny stars. "Ah, you've finally come back, Sasami." Washu smiled invitingly, and then called over her shoulder, "She's here, Tsunami."

Sasami let her eyes follow Washu's, spotting the tall woman with the blue tresses. Tsunami was dressed in similar robes, though hers were as blue as her hair. She was facing away from them, seemingly engrossed by one of the roses climbing the hedges. Tsunami turned, a sad smile on her face as she faced the younger version of herself. "I think we should talk," she announced without preamble.

"I have nothing to say to you," growled Sasami.

Washu spoke up, her voice stern. "Nonetheless, you must listen. Tokima is on her way, and you are the only being standing between her and the total annihilation of this universe."

Sasami blinked, not certain that she'd heard correctly. "What?" she asked in a bewildered voice.

Washu rolled her eyes. "Tokima is bent on destroying all life within the universe, even if it means that she, too, will die. She feels that mankind has failed, and that they shouldn't be given another chance. She has been gathering her forces for millennia, and she is fully prepared to strike. You are the only thing standing in her way."

Sasami gaped at Washu, and then murmured in a quiet, calmer voice, "Maybe you'd better start from the beginning."

Washu smiled triumphantly at Tsunami, who made an ugly face in response. "Please, sit," Tsunami gestured to the fountain, taking a seat herself.

Sasami hesitated, and then perched gingerly between them. "What about Tokima?" she asked nervously. "She might attack me again."

Tsunami laughed lightly. "She can't hurt you while we're here. Besides, you injured her badly during your last encounter, and she is not eager to try again." She glanced up at the setting sun. "We don't have much time. As soon as the sun sets in the dream-world, you must return to your own. It is not good to spend so much time in a fantasy, lest the real world escape your grasp."

Washu snorted. "Stop being so ambiguous, sister. The girl's confused as it is."

Tsunami sighed. "It's a good thing that we're sisters, Washu, or I could really hate you." She smiled softly at Sasami, who returned a weaker version of the gesture. "In the beginning," Tsunami intoned, and Sasami was certain that this strange woman was being mildly sarcastic. She continued in a normal voice. "There were three goddesses in the universe. They were supposed to protect the mortal races from themselves, ensuring long and happy lives for everyone. For many thousands of years, these three goddesses maintained the balance between good and evil. They were powerful, and they were wise. As Washu would say, they were doing a darned fine job of running things."

A smile tugged briefly at Sasami's lips, and she noticed that Tsunami's mouth was also twitching.

"This balance could not be maintained. After many centuries, one of the goddesses became disgusted with the way the mortals were handling their portions of the universe. This goddess, Tokima, became infuriated, and she decided that the mortals had blown their chance at salvation. She decided that the only way to save the universe was to kill every sentient being." Tsunami sighed, grief heavy in her eyes. "The other two goddesses, naturally, opposed her. Tokima left us, choosing to follow her own path. Washu and I, the remaining goddesses, knew that eventually Tokima would return to enact her terrible plan."

Washu piped up, determined not to be left out. "Since we were all members of a balancing act, Tsunami and I knew that we couldn't fight Tokima as we were. Our abilities naturally cancelled each other's out. We had to add a wild element to ourselves if we were to defeat her. In short, we had to become more or less mortal."

Tsunami continued, earning a glare from her sister. "Washu let herself be reborn into a mortal body that she created. She still has all of her abilities, but she is no longer a full goddess. Her strength never lay in energy like Tokima and I, anyway. Instead, her power is in the strength of her mind."

Sasami glanced at Washu, and then turned her gaze back to Tsunami. "What about you?" she asked.

Tsunami smiled down at her. "Since my power was so similar to Tokima's, I realized that I could not just give myself another body. I had to become almost fully mortal. I'd always had a soft spot for the people on a planet called Jurai. These people were violent, and they cared only about their wars, but they had great potential. Their saving grace, however, was the fact that they revered, and practically worshipped, their trees. I sent bits of myself into their most sacred tree, giving the plant sentience. I used that tree to produce others. In time, I convinced the royal family of Jurai to bond with these trees. In return for care and protection, the trees shared their life forces with the people. In time, more and more people accepted these bonds as normal, and the power of Jurai was born."

Sasami nodded. She'd heard a tamer version of these legends before, of course, though hers had always centered on how the first emperor of Jurai had earned his bond with the tree. "What has this got to do with me?"

Tsunami sighed again. "It wasn't enough," she said. "It wasn't enough that my mind lay in a plant. My power still roamed free. Eventually, I was able to turn it into the ship your legends call Tsunami. It floats just past the atmosphere of your planet, standing as the first line of defense against Tokima's minions."

Sasami gasped. "I've heard of that ship!" she cried. "Mama said it's just a legend!"

Tsunami shook her head. "It is more than a legend. It is quite real. Back to the point, I was again faced with a dilemma. I knew that unless I became one with a mortal, I would not be able to retain the part of myself that constituted my soul. I searched for a likely candidate for a very long time. Just when I was about to give up, you were born. You had the raw power and strength of spirit necessary to survive a merge with me, and you had the heart to go with it. I waited until you were a little older, and then I caused an earthquake just as you were passing the room where my tree self was kept. I didn't mean for you to fall, and I certainly didn't mean for you to start to die. I just wanted to distract your people long enough for you to come to me. I'd forgotten that you were just a babe, and couldn't be expected to understand."

Tsunami smiled regretfully at Sasami. "I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused you, but you were needed. While you lay there, dying, I sent my soul into your body. We assimilated, and now we are one."

Sasami leapt to her feet. "Are you saying that everything I've gone through, everything I've endured, was because of you?"

Tsunami shook her lovely head. "No, it wasn't for me. It was for Tokima. Tokima is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. There isn't a mortal alive that can so much as slow her down, let alone destroy her. I was the only one who could combat with her, but I could never have stopped her. You can."

"If she's so strong, how can I stop her? I'm just a kid."

Tsunami smiled weakly. "You are no longer a child, Sasami. You've become a lovely young woman, and you carry the power of Jurai within you." As Sasami slowly sat down again, Tsunami continued. "The potential that I mentioned earlier is the ability of the Jurains to channel the very energy of their planet. I have never come across a people with that unique and powerful skill. What's more, some of the royal family can even summon what your legends call the Sacred Wings of the Light hawk."

Sasami blinked. "I've heard of those, too. It's said that once in a thousand generations, a royal prince or princess will be able to generate these wings, which can become anything that the wielder desires. Other than that, though, the legends are more than a little vague."

Washu nodded. "Legends usually are. These wings can become a sword, a laser, even a ship. Frankly, I think Tsunami modeled her own ship after these wings. To get to the point, a prince of Jurai has been born who will wield a single pair of the Light hawk Wings."

Sasami thought hard for a moment. "There's only one prince of Jurai right now, but he disappeared centuries ago. I barely even remember him, and most people think he's dead."

Washu smiled. "You speak of your half-brother, Yosho. He's very much alive, though he's in disguise. He didn't want to rule Jurai any more than you do, so he fled to a planet called Earth. He married a human woman, and they had a daughter. That daughter gave birth to a son just before she died. This son, Tenchi, has great power. He hasn't realized it yet, so I've arranged for him to come to Jurai. At the moment, he doesn't even know his true parentage, let alone the fact that he's royalty."

Tsunami picked up the conversation when her sister became silent. "He will wed your sister, Aeka, and their children will carry on the royal line. Jurai will become even more powerful than it is now, but only if Tokima can be stopped."

Sasami opened her mouth to speak, but Tsunami interrupted her. "The sun is almost completely gone. Return to your world, Sasami. We will continue this another night."

As the labyrinth around them began to fade, Tsunami called, "Do not fear the labyrinth, Sasami. Tokima cannot attack again until the appointed day. Until then, we will protect you."