CHAPTER SIX

Sasami tried to stifle another yawn as she waited beside Taki in the cargo bay. Though the last few nights had been especially productive, Tsunami's training sessions were exhausting. At least I had time to check on Aeka, she mused. She and Tenchi seem to be getting along very well.

A nudge from Taki brought her back to the real world. Since they were still waiting for Lieutenant Wyldon's arrival with the newest cadet, Taki felt free to gossip. Though Sasami normally found his gossip harmless and interesting, she simply couldn't concentrate today. Perhaps her lack of sleep was responsible for the lightheaded feeling, and the nausea in her stomach. She hoped that Wyldon wouldn't make them train today. She wasn't in any condition for it.

Wyldon finally entered the room, followed by another figure in a dark coat and hood. Sasami's eyes were crossing, and she couldn't make out the features of the man behind the lieutenant. Suddenly, her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed onto the hard ground. Dimly, she heard voices calling her name, but they were too far away for her to understand what else they were saying. The vision was too strong for her to fight.

She was in the assembly room of the palace, waiting patiently for her father to pronounce judgment on her sister's husband. Though his wrists and ankles were shackled painfully, Tenchi stood tall and proud. Sasami glanced towards Aeka. Her sister stood to the side, closely guarded by a pair of men in the royal colors. Even from this distance, Sasami could see the pride and love on her sister's face. Tenchi may have been a prisoner, but his nobility remained obvious even to their hardened father.

Sasami's father was speaking, but Sasami couldn't hear his voice. She blinked, straining for some inkling of what he was saying. Sasami concentrated, sensing magic in the air around her. A bright green light flared from her forehead, though nobody in the throne room reacted, obviously blinded by whatever was blocking the sounds. Her energy bounced fruitlessly off the shields--not of her making--surrounding her. Sasami stopped trying to break them, realizing that she was here for a purpose. She was supposed to learn something, but she wouldn't be able to if she interfered.

As Sasami turned her attention back to her father, he brought his arm up and down again in a swift, definitive motion. One of the guards next to Tenchi lifted his weapon, firing through Tenchi's heart. Tenchi collapsed, and Aeka screamed soundlessly. She tried to run to her husband, but her own guards held her back.

Sasami swallowed hard, willing herself not to get emotional. Though Tenchi's execution was tragic, his death was not the sole reason for Sasami's vision. Sasami wrenched her eyes away from her brother-in-law's corpse, scanning the room for any significant detail. Her gaze fell on a man standing in the back of the crowd. Sasami vaguely recognized him from her childhood, though she could not place his face in any single memory. He was tall and handsome, but his features were marred by the insane satisfaction in his eyes as he gazed at Tenchi's body. The man's eyes left Tenchi reluctantly, moving automatically towards Aeka.

Finally, Sasami remembered the man's name. Kagato was a minor nobleman, the son of one of her father's advisors. When she and Aeka had been younger, they'd often been left at Kagato's family estates for safekeeping while their father dealt with the business of the empire. Sasami hazily remembered that Kagato had been around Aeka a little more often than was strictly decorous. Aeka, of course, had not thought anything of his continuous presence, and Sasami had been too young to care. Looking back now, Sasami had to wonder at the man's motives. From the way he stared at Aeka, Sasami was able to put two and two together to come up with five.

Kagato felt for Aeka what Aeka felt for Tenchi. Still, Kagato's love had become twisted and sinister. From the look in his eyes, Sasami surmised that Kagato was directly involved in Tenchi's trial and execution. He'd obviously done something to get Tenchi arrested, hoping that Aeka would turn to Kagato for comfort. From the emotions rolling from the man, Sasami knew that he would have Aeka, whether she was willing or not.

Sasami glanced around the room, making sure that she hadn't missed anything vital. Finally, she closed her eyes, waiting to be returned to her own plane. When nothing happened, she opened them once more.

Instead of being back on Misox, Sasami was floating in the airless void of space. The shields that had become her silent prison still encased her, this time protecting her from the ravages of nothingness. Sasami knelt in her magical bubble, pressing her hands against the wall of the shields. She stared in astonishment at the dead globe that had once been Jurai as it floated in front of her. Her home had lost the healthy, purple glow that it had always possessed, and none of the customary vessels darted in and out of the spaceports. Instead, bits of twisted metal were scattered where the satellites had once existed. Her world was dead.

Sasami finally gave into the emotions that consumed her spirit. She curled into a fetal position on the bottom of her bubble, sobbing brokenly as a torrent of grief became as lead in her heart. She cried until her head ached and her eyes swelled almost completely shut, but still the tears came.

After an eternity of weeping, Sasami finally slept. When she awakened, hours later, she could see yet another dead planet suspended in the space before her. Unlike Jurai, however, this planet still had a single, tiny spot of life. Sasami's bubble floated to the surface of the planet, descending with painful slowness. As it touched the ground, the shields around her disappeared.

Sasami stood, taking the opportunity to look around. She was on a planet that, while clearly not as advanced as Jurai, had once been thriving. Now, though, buildings had turned to rubble, roads were as cracked as desert sands, and bodies were scattered like so much garbage in the streets. Sasami covered her mouth with one hand, desperately fighting the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes, opening them seconds later to the sound of a girl-child humming a broken tune.

Sasami followed the music, hoping against hope that somehow something had survived the devastation. She found a child, dressed immaculately in a white sundress with a yellow sash tied around her waist. The child's long blue hair was covered by a white, also beribboned, hat. She was bouncing a tiny, yellow, rubber ball against the ground. As Sasami came closer, she could hear the words the girl was singing.

"Mommy went and left me, because Mommy didn't care. She let my auntie kill me, because Mommy didn't care. Mommy wasn't strong enough, because Mommy didn't care. Everyone is dead, now, because Mommy didn't care."

The words sent a chill through Sasami's heart. The child didn't even need to glance up for Sasami to see the resemblance between the two of them. The child did look up, however, and Sasami stared into purple, lifeless eyes. The girl stared at her mother without recognition. Sasami gasped, horrified, and ran in spite of herself.

Sasami ran for as long as she could, not stopping even when her breath ran out and her lungs and legs felt as though they were on fire. She halted only when she tripped over something hard and cold lying on the broken road. She lay still for several seconds, not having the energy to move. When she finally rolled onto her back, Sasami's eyes met another pair whose pink color was drained by death. Sasami screamed and jerked away from Tsunami's body. She didn't wait to look closely at it, wanting only to be away from this terrible place. She started to run again, but she couldn't get away from this awful city. Each time she rounded a corner, she came face to face with the body of a loved one. Washu and Aeka lay in pools of their own blood, while Taki, Mahonori, and even Kamadake lay white and immobile. Their eyes all stared accusingly at her, while the girl's terrible song echoed in her mind. Sasami continued to scream, knowing that this awful place would quickly drive her insane. "Help me, Tsunami!" she sobbed. "Please, let me leave!" But Tsunami was dead, unable to aid anyone.

Sasami collapsed, unable to take any more strain. As she lay on the ground, the earth around her began to crack and tilt. Pools of molten rock bubbled up from beneath the surface, creeping ever closer to the immobilized girl. Sasami didn't move even when the heat grew intense enough to burn her skin. The lava crept closer, and still she just lay where she was, screaming until her voice grew hoarse.

The lava was just about to touch her, when Sasami dimly heard a voice calling her name. Though the voice seemed to be coming from miles away, she was able to latch onto it with the last shred of her sanity. The voice continued to call her, and she followed it like a drowning man would follow the rope that led to safety. She felt the voice pulling her away from the vision, but she still wasn't coherent enough to fully return to her own world. Instead, she let the speaker bring her back using his own power, yanking her upward through the clouds.

As Sasami started to fade away, the lava congealed into a tall form. Her tear-fogged eyes wouldn't let her see clearly, but she could just make out the blonde woman standing on the ground where Sasami's body had lain. Tokima stared up at Sasami, eyes thick with hatred. Tokima, too, faded away as Sasami reentered her own sphere of existence.

Sasami came to herself with a gasp. She felt as weak as a newborn kitten, and she could barely open her eyes. When she finally did pry them open, she found herself staring into Mahonori's worried face. "Maho?" she whispered, using her pet name for him out of reflex alone.

He smiled in relief, and answered in a soft voice, "It's okay brat. I'm here." She continued to stare at him, and he explained facetiously, "I told you that I was coming. It just took me a little longer than I'd expected to get here, that's all. For some reason, these people didn't want to accept a thief--former thief, anyway--into their school." He grinned. "I don't understand why, either."

The grin faded. "Sleep now, little one. Everything will make more sense after you've rested."

Sasami tried to protest, but found that she simply didn't have the strength. She licked her lips, and then gasped out, "She's coming, Maho. You have to warn them."

He stared at her, though she could barely focus on him in return. The blackness was tingeing the edges of her site once again. "Who's coming, Sammy? Warn who?"

Sasami stared at her thieving friend, wondering how he could be ignorant of Tokima's presence. Sasami herself felt Tokima's evil every second of every day. "The goddess of death," she answered, and promptly passed out.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Voices filled the room when Sasami finally came to. She still felt somewhat drained, but she was well enough to want to be out of the bed in which she found herself. As she struggled to sit up, a strong hand pushed her back onto the pillows. Sasami glanced up, startled to see Kamadake. "What happened?" she whispered. She had to know what her fellow cadets had seen. Perhaps there was some hope of damage control, after all.

Taki pushed Kamadake away, and the redhead moved without question. "You passed out," he explained. "And then you started screaming. We couldn't wake you up, but you kept shouting for your ship to save you."

Sasami blinked, confused. Then, she remembered that the name of her new ship was also the name of her other self. Very clever, Washu, she thought. Very clever, indeed. I think that I owe you one. "What happened after that?" She hesitated. "Someone was calling me. I heard them, even there."

Taki jerked his thumb over to where Mahonori leaned against the wall. "He wouldn't let us take you to the med lab. He said that he had to pull you out first, or you wouldn't ever wake up. He did something that made you both light up like fluorescent bulbs. He seemed pretty sure of himself, for a thief." Taki's grin was friendly, and Sasami was glad to see that Taki's characteristically indiscriminate nature had allowed him to make yet another friend.

Mahonori sauntered over to Sasami's bed. He sat gingerly next to her, trying hard not to shake the bed. He stroked Sasami's cheek lightly, whispering in the language of Jurai, "I'm glad you're alright, little one. You had me worried for a few minutes. Where'd you go?"

Sasami sighed, and her eyes became haunted. "You don't want to know, Maho. This is one vision that I'll take to the grave." She smiled wearily. "Besides, if I have my way, it will never come to be." For a moment, the wave of grief washed over her, and she paled.

Mahonori, astute as ever, immediately shooed everyone out of the room, and Sasami was even more grateful for his presence than she'd been before. "So," she asked lightly, "did you really steal that fighter?"

Mahonori's laugh echoed all the way down the corridor outside Sasami's rooms.

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A few days later, the cadets assembled outside the hanger bay once more. Today, they were taking their final survival test. The cadets were going to be individually dumped in the middle of nowhere, with only the few supplies they could carry. Their ships were also going to be dropped at random locations, though each of them would be broken in some way. Their job was to find their ships, repair them, and then return to base. They were allowed to work together, assuming that they could even find one another. If they weren't back at the base within five days, they would fail the test.

As Sasami waited patiently for her turn to choose her supplies, she felt that irritating tingle in the back of her mind. She sighed, and then turned to her friends. "There's going to be a really awful storm tonight, guys. Take some rain gear, okay?"

Mahonori didn't hesitate, picking out a few pieces from the limited selection of rain gear. Taki glanced at the perfectly cloudless sky, and then shrugged and picked out a few pieces of his own. Sasami glanced at the cadets around her, knowing that she shouldn't even bother talking to them. Instead, she looked at Kamadake, who was close enough to hear their conversation.

The redheaded cadet looked at Sasami for a long moment. Then, he wordless held up the rain gear that he'd already picked up. Sasami stared at him, wondering how he'd known about the upcoming storm.

He correctly read her expression, saying in his deep voice, "I am always prepared."

She nodded, showing that she understood, and then began to pick her own equipment. Experiencing another flash of the future, she sighed and picked up the rain tent designed to hold more than five people at a time. She wouldn't be able to carry any other supplies, but at least she could keep her fellow cadets from becoming sick from overexposure when they joined her later. She also grabbed a few extra sleeping mats and blankets.

Sasami smiled ruefully at her friends before she boarded the hover vehicle that was to take her to her drop off site. The hover car carried her at least a hundred miles from the academy. The area around her was nothing more than a meadow with a few sparse trees. The large lake a few meters away was the only landmark that she could see. The pilot waved and took off, leaving her to her own devices. Instead of hunting for her ship, however, Sasami waited patiently for the first cadet to arrive.

She didn't have to wait for very long. About three hours after she'd been dumped, a single, weary cadet plodded into camp. She didn't know him very well, since he was one of the many people who avoided her in fear. He stared at her for a moment, apparently debating whether to trudge on or stop for a rest beside someone he feared. Sasami kept her face welcoming, hiding the inevitable hurt. "You might as well take a break," she said sweetly. "I saw your ship when I was brought over, and you're very close."

As the boy sat a few meters from her, Sasami felt that her lie was justified. She hadn't seen the boy's ship, of course, but she could sense it, still in the academy hanger, if she extended her powers just a little. She pointed to the west of them, and the boy nodded slightly.

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Sasami watched the clouds darkening as more cadets rolled into their camp for the night. The princess built a fire using twigs scavenged from the ground beneath the trees. She also put up her giant tent, waiting patiently for her true friends to arrive. As drops began to fall from the sky, she ushered the cadets already present into her tent. She chose to stay out in the rain, herself, since she wanted to keep an eye out for Taki and Mahonori. She even waited for Kamadake, though she knew that he would probably chose to stay on his own, anyway.

Eventually, most of the cadets in their group, including Taki and Mahonri, joined her. The tent was crowded, but she managed to fit everyone inside. She used Taki's smaller tent for their gear. Since nobody but her two friends were even willing to sleep in the same tent with her, the three of them had a six-man tent for themselves. "For once, their fear of you is a good thing," joked Taki as he took up enough room for three people.

Sasami propped one elbow against her sleeping mat, resting her head on her hand. "Taki," she began seriously, and he turned to look at her. "I know it's got to be hard for you, not having any friends because of me. I'll understand," she swallowed, "I'll understand if you want to stop being friends."

Taki stared at her, and then burst into incredulous laughter. "Why in the world would I do that?" he asked between chuckles. "You're the only interesting person in this entire academy!" He started laughing again. "Hey!" he protested as Mahonori threw a boot at Taki's head. "You're interesting, too, Maho!" he cried as tears formed in his eyes from laughing too hard. The two of them began to exchange mock punches, though both made sure that they didn't actually hurt each other. Sasami smiled fondly at her friends, and then slid, unnoticed, from the tent.

She stood in the rain, reveling in the feeling of the cool drops hitting her skin. She flung her arms out, spinning in simple joy. When she started to get dizzy, she dropped to the ground, laying silent and exhausted. She lay still for several moments, but finally leapt to her feet when she heard a soft purring coming from the bushes. "Who's there?" she called, though she already suspected. True to form, Ryo-oki erupted from the bushes and jumped into Sasami's arms. "Ryo-oki!" Sasami scolded. "You'll get sick! I thought I told you to stay in our rooms until I came back!"

Ryo-oki purred again, and Sasami cocked her head as though listening to the little animal. "Well," she agreed reluctantly, "I suppose if Washu told you to come, then it's alright." She smiled sweetly. "Come on then, let's get you inside and dried off."

She turned to enter the tent, but halted abruptly when she sensed a second presence in the bushes around her. "I know you're here," she yelled. "Show yourself, whoever you are!" She watched as one of the shadows disentangled itself from the bushes around it.

Sasami stared at Kamadake, waiting suspiciously for him to explain his lurking presence. He stared back, his purple eyes unreadable in the darkness. Finally, Sasami sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get any answers that he didn't want to give.

She turned back to her tent, calling over her shoulder, "Fine, you win. Come inside and warm up. You're more than welcome to sleep in our tent, if you don't mind sleeping under the same roof as myself, anyway."

He nodded slightly and followed her inside. Sasami pointed to the extra bedroll, and Kamadake stretched out on it, keeping his eyes on her as she walked over to her own mat. She grabbed one of the extra blankets, drying Ryo-oki off as she lay down. Ryo-oki nuzzled Sasami's cheek, and the girl smiled brightly. She lay down, pulling Ryo-oki into the animal's customary place under her chin. Sasami ignored Kamadake's intense gaze, closing her own eyes and allowing herself to drift off into sleep.

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For once, Sasami didn't enter the dream-world that night. She slept peacefully, uninterrupted by Tsunami's rather taxing lessons. If she'd thought at all about the matter, she would have realized that Tsunami's lessons had been becoming less and less frequent. Sasami's grasp of her powers had increased over the past few months, and she was now almost ready to face Tokima. The only thing keeping her from the battle was the fact that she hadn't yet joined fully with Tsunami. For reasons of her own, Tsunami had kept many of the more crucial memories from the girl.

Perhaps the lack of her regular instruction was responsible for waking Sasami up in the middle of the night, and perhaps her power itself was to blame. Regardless of the reason, Sasami suddenly jerked upright, spilling Ryo-oki onto the ground. Sasami was panting heavily, and her body was covered in sweat. The sheets were twisted impossibly around her, and her brain felt foggy. She knew suddenly that something was wrong.

She stood, being careful not to make too much noise. She didn't want to wake up her friends. She knew instinctively that something big was about to happen, and she couldn't risk endangering them. As Sasami padded gingerly to the door of the tent, she heard Ryo-oki's groggy purrs. Sasami knelt by the little cabbit, facing her with a serious expression. "Something's out there, Ryo-oki. I…I think that I'm supposed to fight it." She looked down at her little friend. "Stay here, my friend, and look after them. If I fail, and whatever it is gets past me, you'll be their only defense."

The animal moaned a protest, but Sasami wouldn't hear any of it. "Stay here, Ryo-oki. For me, please?" The animal nodded, and Sasami slipped from the tent with sad eyes and a tense body. Whatever happened next, it was going to be bad.

She trudged quietly towards the lake, instinctively knowing that her foe lay in wait in that direction. She slipped through the bushes, using the skills taught to her by Mahonori to keep the sounds of her passage muffled. She crept closer to the shore of the lake, but she didn't see anything at first. She paced silently along the shore, senses alert for any other life. As she trudged along, she noticed a dark shape lying on the sand a little further along the lake. Heart cold at the thought of what she might find, Sasami sped towards it on nimble feet.

Lieutenant Wyldon lay sprawled on the sand, a dark gash along his forehead. The ride side of his face was covered in blood and bruises, but he still seemed to be alive. Sasami pressed two firm fingers along the side of the man's neck, relieved to feel the weak but steady pulse. "Lieutenant, wake up."

She shook him gently, and the man groaned and opened his eyes. "Cadet?" he muttered. "I feel like I was hit by a ton of bricks."

She helped him to sit up. "Were you?"

He stared at her. "I don't know. One minute, I was helping that mechanic with the pink hair load the ships for transport, and the next--." He paused, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. "I don't remember. Something hit me, but I didn't see what it was. Next thing I know, I'm here."

Sasami was about to ask another question, when she suddenly sensed a third presence nearby. She whirled, placing herself between the lieutenant and the threat. "What is it, cadet? What's the matter?"

She held up a hand for silence, and Wyldon reluctantly complied. Sasami's eyes darted from bush to bush, searching desperately for the malignant presence that she sensed so prevalently. Still, the blow that came a second later caught her off guard. Only the fact that Tsunami had trained her so well saved herself and the lieutenant. Her shields came up in a blinding flash of blue-green light. The ball of energy dissipated as soon as it impacted with them.

"What in the name of the seven hells was that?" Wyldon demanded angrily.

"Hush, lieutenant. You're distracting me," Sasami answered kindly.

Wyldon's eyes widened in anger, but he obediently shut up as a second ball struck them from the side. Sasami's shields, properly assembled, continued to protect them from the blast.

She sent out a small probe of magic, trying to get a feel for her attacker. What she sensed made her own eyes widen in shock. They were completely surrounded by beings that were definitely not normal. The energy that they used could only have come from one being in the universe.

Tokima's minions had come for her. From out of the void, they'd come. Great horned beasts and tiny, scaled men crept stealthily from the bushes. Sasami didn't have to spin around to see just how many of them there were. She intensified her shields, hoping to protect the lieutenant if she could. Even with her tremendous abilities, she doubted that she could take out so many at once.

Wyldon, meanwhile, was becoming ever more nervous. He didn't know what was happening, though he had the suspicion that the slender cadet standing protectively in front of him was deeply involved. The attention of the creatures around them focused on her, and her face was grimly determined. Around them, a blue-green bubble flared under the continued assault of the creatures.

"What do you want, Tokima?" Cadet Sammy suddenly shouted.

One of closest creatures, a scaled man-thing with beady eyes, came forward. He opened his mouth, but it was not a male voice that issued from it. "I've come for you, Tsunami," a woman's cruel voice hissed.

Sammy stood tall. "I am not Tsunami," she answered quietly.

A second, smaller creature came forward, and it, too, spoke in the woman's voice. This time, though, the voice was smaller, weaker, since it came from a smaller chest. "Not completely, perhaps, but soon you will be, if I don't kill you now." The thing's eyes narrowed. "I didn't understand before. Tsunami's plan was ingenious, I admit. I never expected her to merge with a mortal as inferior as yourself. It took me this long just to come up with a counter plan."

Sasami turned her back on the creature, though she kept her shields up and at full strength. "You have forgotten something, I think," she said, still using her soft voice.

A third beast stepped up, eyes narrowed. "I forget nothing, sister."

Wyldon felt chilled by the cadet's frozen smile. "You haven't changed, Tokima, not in all the centuries since time began. You still see reality through your own eyes, never through those of others. You miss too much, Tokima." Her smile turned regretful. "It will be your undoing, big sister."

Sasami offered a hand to the lieutenant, who stood shakily. The two of them turned to leave, ignoring the beast pacing around them. Sasami trusted in her shields, knowing that even Tokima's creatures could not break through. Suddenly, one of them stepped directly into their path. "I have something you want, Tsunami," it sneered in Tokima's voice.

Sasami lifted an eyebrow. "And what is that?" she asked coldly.

The creature gestured, and several more beings stepped up to the shore. Each of them held one of the cadets from the camp, wrists bound painfully. Their mouths were stuffed with gags, but their eyes screamed questions. Their faces were white with fear. The creature gestured again, and Sasami's friends were dragged forward. Their faces were cut and bruised, but so was the skin of the creatures holding them. Taki and Mahonari had obviously fought, though now they were unconscious. Kamadake and Ryo-oki were nowhere to be seen.

Sasami's face fell, but she didn't give in. "You think that by hurting them, you'll beat me. You're wrong, Tokima. You're so very wrong. Your actions only make me stronger." Sasami turned to Wyldon. "Please move away from me, lieutenant. I'm going to be doing something that will hurt anybody standing nearby. Don't worry for your safety. All will be well."

Wyldon nodded hastily and moved away. The look in Sasami's eyes wouldn't brook disobedience. Somehow, he knew that what she was about to do would be far beyond his ken.

As soon as Wyldon left the protection of her shield, one of the creatures grabbed him roughly. Sasami didn't react, knowing that the man would be fine once she finished her task. She walked slowly to the lake, looking down at her reflection in the water. As always, the calm face of Tsunami peered back at her. Sasami started to chant, letting her energy flow into the symbols on her forehead. Her body disappeared in a flash of her characteristically blue-green light. The light broke up into millions of tiny specks, which then flowed into the image in the water.