The Inner Child
A Tenchi Muyo! Fanfiction by HelloSir
Summary: All of us begin as a child, even the most callous and brutal criminal the universe has ever known....
Disclaimer: The anime Tenchi Muyo is copyrighted by Pioneer LD and AIC. Therefore, I do not own any characters/references, and this is in no way sponsored or produced by the owners of the trademark anime from which this fanfiction is based on. That being said, get off my case.
Author's Note: THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THE STORY!! Now that Kagato has finally arrived, I will finally continue the fanfiction as I had intended to: through Kagato's point of view. However, that's too biased; therefore, I will alternate between the third person point of view and Kagato's point of view. Your common sense and knowledge of points of views will indicate when it has changed. The lines do not necessarily mean the POV has switched.
Got it? Yes yes? Good then, let's tally on.
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Chapter Three: Nature of the Child
I am Kagato, and Kagato is me. I know that, although I don't understand.
"You will be a god."
What is a god? From how the nice lady was saying it, it must be a good thing. The nice lady smelled like lavenders and roses and she was soft to touch.
What are lavenders and roses? There is so much I have to learn. What do I know so far?
I woke up in a big bottle of sticky things that were not nice to breathe and it hurt to open my eyes. I didn't know how to open my eyes but I guessed I did it because now I can see. I couldn't breathe so I hit the tank real hard. It broke and I fell to the floor. It was cold and hard and not so nice. Not like the nice lady.
Nice lady started laughing. What is laughing? I don't know so I mimicked and it felt all right so I did it some more.
"This is the best present anyone could receive."
She has a pleasant voice. It makes me feel happy and loved, even though I don't know what those are; yet somehow I do. My tiny hand shot up and grabbed a tendril of silver, causing her to wince as I yank tightly. Her ruby eyes narrow as she gently unfurls my fingers from her hair. I stare at her again. A word comes to my mind, but I don't know what it means. All I know is that is seemed perfect for this lady and I was going to say it.
"Mama." My mouth opened and out uttered a voice I didn't know was mine. The word was foreign and so were the lip movements, but it felt right. I didn't complain. Repeating it would probably help, I thought.
"Mama?" I question. "Mama?"
Something strange happens when I say that. Out of her eyes come liquid that isn't like the one in the tank, but thin and clear. They look like crystals to me as they travel lazily down her pale cheeks. A drop lands on my mouth and my tongue darts out to meet it. It tastes....salty. What is salty? What is the liquid? It keeps pouring down her face like a river and it won't stop. The moonlight bounces off the watery surface and gives a face a holy sheen. My insides teem with a feeling that I know isn't good. Shadows dart across the room like freakish imps, and I am afraid. The room is dark.
I look at Mama again. She is still wet from the eye liquid. I know what the eye liquid is; it came out of my eyes when I was afraid and alone. But now I am afraid and Mama has the eye liquid. Did I scare Mama?
"No, you didn't scare me..."
I yelp frightfully. Mama's lips didn't move to speak, but I hear her soft voice. It is inside of my head. I don't want it there, but it is not harmful.
"Mama?" I think. I don't want to open my mouth because Mama's voice might escape."Yes, my little Kagato?"
"Mama, I am afraid."
"I know."
"Are you afraid?"
"No, I'm happy. Very happy." I peer at her face and she smiles as her voice reverberates through my brain. I grin cheekily back and cling to her robe tightly with two short arms.
"Happy? Is that a good feeling?"
"Yes, it is."
"But eye liquid is from bad feeling. Are your eyes not feeling well?"
Mama opens her mouth and titters, a musical sound. It is beautiful, but not as beautiful as the sound I heard from the green fireworks. That sound was majestic, powerful, and it teemed through my blood with a tingling feeling that wouldn't go away. I would like to hear it again.
"No, Kagato, my eyes are fine. The eye liquid is called tears, and tears happen when you're really sad or really happy. I am the latter, of course." She strokes my hair out of my face and kisses me gently on the forehead. "And now it is time for you to sleep. I'm glad to see the telepathic link is working as planned. Do you feel fine?" I nod and she smiles. "We will communicate through this link until you learn how to talk. You have much to learn, my dear one."
Her robes sweep over me and wrap me in a protective cocoon of felt fabric that cuddles my skin. Mama's voice comes back again, but it is melodic and low. Singing, I think it is called. My eyes close unwillingly as the rocking motions of Mama's arms carry me away into a benign darkness. The song rumbles through my thoughts in a soothing refrain.
God of the skies...
Let not Death take you from me
You are mine
To love eternally
It gets softer, and I sink into blackness.
Forgive my weakness
You belong to me
My only weakness
Is loving you eternally...
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Students who knew Professor Akara well could tell something was amiss as she walked down the halls. For one, she was carrying a strangely shaped bundle in her arms, and two, she was grinning like a madman, not to mention she was also humming a ditty under her breath. The unnerved students looked at each other and shrugged. Perhaps the professor had had a successful archaeological dig and was carrying an artifact back to her dorm. One particularly cocky student whispered to his fellows that Naja was carrying the head of Professor Hakubi. This earned him many slaps from Professor Hakubi's fan club and secret admirers.
Curious eyes followed her to her dorm. As she got to her door, she noticed her silent observers and smiled.
"Hello, students," she beamed. "How are you this fine Startica night? Partying hard?"
Many jaws went slack at the mention of "partying hard". Was it a sarcastic scolding or an actual encouragement? They couldn't believe that the latter could have come out of Professor Akara's mouth, but then again, they couldn't imagine it coming out of any of the professors' mouths, with the exception of Yakage. Yakage was soft for a teacher; he didn't even want to be called Professor. He was more of a kid than the adult he was supposed to be, and perhaps that was why most of his students failed their finals.
Professor Akara, on the other hand, was stoic and set firmly in her beliefs. There was no tolerance for ignorance in her class. You were just supposed to know, whether you wanted to or not.
"I think it's past our curfew, is it not?" Dozens of heads turned sharply towards the direction of the voice, eyes widening as they spotted one of the most despised professors in the institute: Professor Clay of the Robotics and Mechanical Life Department. The smug expression stood for only one thing: abused authority. Many students held back their fists and trudged slowly back to their dorms, risking a last farewell glance at the Professor of Ancient Artifacts, Mythology, and Philosophy. She smiled faintly and turned around to face her colleague.
"What a party pooper you are, Clay," she droned. "Perhaps you should get out more. Get a girlfriend. Maybe even get a makeover. Tsunami knows you need one."
Clay's face flashed a violent shade of red, but Naja cut in before his temper resulted in an all-out tantrum. "Anyway, I need to get going. Past my curfew as well."
Naja swiveled her heels towards the direction of her dorm door and trotted away nonchalantly, still humming. She had just barely touched the doorknob when a rough hand pulled on her shoulder and pressed her against the wall. The smirking face of Clay stared calmly back at her as his hands pinned both of her shoulders against the unforgiving metal.
"What do we have here, my dear Naja?" He gestured to the lump hidden within her robes. "Not hiding anything contraband, are we? Stealing supplies? Plagiarizing notes?"
She laughed bitterly. "I bet you wish you had some real dirt on me. You're way too nosy for your own good, and one day it's going to come back and bite you in the ass." Calculating eyes scanned Clay's face, which was devoid of emotion for the moment. "Speaking of behinds, I'm going to kick yours if you don't let me into my room."
"Oooh, threats! I'm so afraid!" His harsh laugh reverberated through the halls, grating and low-pitched. Naja winced at the extremely unpleasant noise, and gasped audibly when the bundle in her arms twitched fiercely, a mournful cry bellowing from inside her robes. Clay yelped and took a few steps back, his face convulsing with horror, disbelief, and shock. The convulsions and moans continued for a few seconds until a pudgy pale hand emerged out from between the folds and latched on to Naja's neck in a desperate embrace. Motherly instinct prompted her to cuddle her child closely, uncovering her hidden luggage's arms, the face still hidden in shadows.
"What in the hell is that?" Clay choked and sputtered at the idiosyncratic sight that greeted his disbelieving eyes. "What the hell is that thing?"
"It's not a thing," Naja began sharply. "It's my son."
His mouth closed and he walked cautiously closer, trying to take a peek at the partially covered infant. "I didn't know you had a son. I didn't even know you had a significant other!"
"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know."
Clay ignored the insult and growled in annoyance. "Well Naja, it looks like I do have something against you. You didn't take maternity leave, and you didn't even appear to be with child! How do you explain that?" She opened her mouth to speak, but Clay quickly added, "And don't think I haven't studied your race. I know how you reproduce and give birth, so you can't fool me!"
A sardonic smile graced Naja's features, hiding her defeat. "Why would I want to fool a fool? There's no fun in that. Besides, you should be apologizing for waking my baby up. Now move, you sorry sack of protoplasm!"
A blur of brown met Naja's pale face and thrust her to the floor. The naked child rolled out of her grasp and struck the floor, crying out pitifully.
"I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR MANIPULATIVE ANTICS, NAJA AKARA!" Clay stood over the cowering Naja, a GP pistol somehow in his grasp. She growled at him and held her slapped cheek tightly. "This child is obviously a product of that MASU experiment you and Washu were doing. I want it eliminated. It's obviously a hindrance to myself and the rest of the staff. It's a freak of nature. It's not normal. It's a demon. Why can't you see that? Kill it now! Kill it right –"
His rant was interrupted when the pistol exploded in his hand, metal shards falling to the floor. Clay exhaled loudly in pain, grasping his injured right hand, smoke tendrils curling around his fingers. He didn't have time to nurture it though, for a furious Naja grasped tightly onto his neck with both hands, slowly strangling him.
"My child is NOT a demon!" she hissed. "How can you say that? You haven't even seen him!" Sparks flew around her figure as her eyes turned an unearthly shade of emerald green. "You are the only one here who needs to be eliminated."
Gasps emitted from Clay's mouth as he clawed helplessly at Naja's robes, which were glowing with energy. His eyes widened in realization. This was Naja, yet it was not. She didn't have this type of temper. No one should have this type of temper. That last thought was the only thing that urged him to hold on as his mind floated away into a sea of inky blackness...
A chill snaked its way up Clay's spine as oxygen rushed back into lungs like a wormhole gone terribly wrong. Knees struck linoleum as the hands left his neck, leaving large dark bruises that resembled the hood of a cobra neatly printed on his flesh. With petrified eyes he peered up at his assailant, who had walked behind him to pick up her child. She slung the baby over her shoulder and walked slowly to the dorm door. It opened with a hush, and the two disappeared into darkness.
It was cold. That was all Clay knew. It was a warm summer night, but his bones were frozen and his blood sluggish. He stared into the blackness of Naja's room, looking for an answer, an excuse for the odd spat, a reason behind the violence.
The only response he got were two evil eyes peeking through the obscurity, encased in moon-colored flesh. They were golden and crimson and evil, like snake's eyes. A small finger pointed accusingly at him.
You!
"You are the only one here who needs to be eliminated..."
The door closed with a soft click, and Clay sobbed pitifully, his body wracked with uncontrollable heaves of sorrow and his mind polluted by those two eyes.
Those eyes....
Pure, unspeakable, evil....
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What had come over her?
Naja paced her bedroom furiously. She had never gotten that angry. Her soul felt like it wasn't even hers at the time. This was supposed to be a happy night, a time to rejoice. She found she couldn't; her heart wasn't in it. Her hands found her face, offering soft strokes of comfort.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
Kagato was supposed to bring relief and joy, a new opportunity to prove to her and to others what she could really do. She should feel elated beyond measure. This was the final chance, but could it be all for naught?
Could it be she didn't really love this child?
What was this child? Did she really know what it was? The questions wracked her mind as she stared blankly at Kagato, who was now perched on her hanging bed, giving her an equally blank stare. She forced herself to smile as she flew up to the bed, wrapping her arms around her child's tiny frame. He shivered slightly and nuzzled closer. Thankfully, she had materialized a mini green trench coat for him; she didn't want naked babies running around her dorm, even if it was her son. His gray hair fell limply on his shoulders and he uttered a long, shuddering gasp.
"Mama..." His head buried itself into her chest, inhaling her aroma. She stroked his hair gently.
"Yes, Kagato?" she asked verbally, forgetting the link for now. "What is it?"
His somber eyes peered through her robes as he quickly sat up, facing her. It was rather unusual; here was an infant with the posture and attitude of a full-grown child. He sat with his back erect and his gaze intense, sending numerous shivers through Naja's tired body.
"Mama." He pointed at Naja questioningly, as if unsure.
"Yes." She nodded slowly and patted him on the head. "That's right. I'm Mama."
Kagato giggled and smiled, eyes twinkling in triumph. He then pointed at his chest, near his heart. "Kagato."
Naja grinned widely. "Yes, yes.... that's good! You are Kagato. That's what I named you." She began to forget her previous troubles as she applauded her son's newfound knowledge.
He smiled again, but now it was faint and timid, a mockery of the first smile. The solemn gaze returned as he pointed at himself for a second time, this time at his head. "De..." His mouth opened wide and contorted, struggling with the words. Naja rubbed his back and winked encouragingly.
"You've almost got it. What do you want to say?"
"De..." He tried again, his mouth opened almost ridiculously wide. "Dema..."
"Dema?" She furled her brow and pursed her lips. What in the world was "dema"? "What are you trying to say? Tell me through the link."
A furious shake of his head indicated that he wanted to continue to try and say it verbally. She shrugged. It seemed her stubborn nature was passed on genetically.
"Gah..." Kagato pounded his tiny fists on the bed in frustration. His lips pressed tightly together and his eyes closed, as though he was thinking very hard about something. It was a funny sight to behold; Naja had to hold her tongue to keep from bursting out into laughter. She mentally counted backwards from a billion to keep her focus when one word burst through her mental defenses and sent her reeling backwards.
"Demon!"
Naja fell off the bed with a resonating thump, too shocked to feel pain. Her face paled to such an extent that it resembled plaster. Her vocal cords constricted painfully as she struggled to speak, finding herself almost mute.
"What did you say?" she managed to choke out.
Kagato beamed and pointed at his head again. "Demon! Demon! Demon!"
The sight of her son gesturing to an unseen monster in his head forced her to take a few steps back, so that she was now firmly pressed up against the wall. The jovial infant continued to jump on the bed in a morbid glee as she pressed her temples anxiously.
Suddenly, a voice crept in through the link, low and powerful. A man's voice, cold calculating, and evil.
"Marvelous power, splendid! Come to me now, Tsunami!"
And her son kept giggling: "Demon! Demon! Demon!"
Then the low voice: "Power, power, POWER!!"
Naja began to laugh hysterically. It was all she could to do to keep from screaming.
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"Damn you, Washu! Damn you to hell!"
"Awww, don't be such a sore loser, Yume. I still can't figure out why you insist on entering the Fireworks Display Competition when you already know who the winner is: me!"
The Professor of Energy Use and Storage fumed silently as she glared at her comrade and superior, Washu Hakubi. It was true that Yume would quite possibly never defeat Washu, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to. In fact, every contest was an opportunity for her to get just one step ahead of Washu, or at least break the Headmaster's perfect record.
"No one likes a pouter, my dear," Washu chuckled, skipping down the halls merrily. "Cheer up, will ya?" When Yume just shot her a glare that could kill gods, she sighed in resignation. "Fine, why don't you come over to my place for a cup of tea?"
"Tea?" Yume's elfish ears perked up at the rather odd statement. Her auburn eyes narrowed in suspicion as she mentally listed down all of Washu's possibly ulterior motives.
Washu grinned cheekily, emerald eyes aglow. "Why not? It's not like the greatest scientific genius in the universe doesn't like company now and again."
Yume fiddled with her short orange-red hair, which bobbed right under her ears and framed her face, which was covered with chestnut colored fur. Fangs protruded from her lips, which were twisted into a bemused smirk. "Whatever. As long as you don't call yourself the 'greatest scientific genius in the universe' anymore."
"Oooh...darling, you prove to be a hard bargain." Washu laughed heartily as she reached her laboratory door. "But it's Startica, so I guess I can do you a favor by letting you bask in my presence."
"Arrogant witch." Yume strode haughtily past her into the lab, ears twitching irritably. Washu was about to close the door when a large figure clad in tattered red robes came dashing in, collapsing in the middle of the large metal floor. Both scientists rushed over to meet the fallen body, but it leapt up before either one of them could touch it.
The women took a few seconds to register the thoughts that were pouring through their heads, until they finally recognized the person standing in front of them.
"Clay?" they asked in unison.
He nodded, shaking fiercely and grasping his neck as though he were afraid it would fall off if he let go. His lips were clamped shut, white with fear. Both Yume and Washu looked at each other in confusion and concern as Clay continued to breathe heavily, sweat dripping off his brown curls and streaming down his face.
"Demon..." Clay gasped out, clutching his neck tightly and bowing his head. "It's a demon..."
"Clay, let's be reasonable here," Washu started sternly, going into Professor mode as she switched into her adult form. "What's a demon?"
The only response she got was a pitiful moan and a long sigh by Yume. "Washu, this is obviously a trick Clay's playing on you so he can get your secret files and what not. Just leave the useless bugger here."
In the past, Washu would have immediately obliged, dismissing Clay's antics with a conceited chuckle. However, she couldn't help but feel that something was terribly amiss; this time, it wasn't a joke.
"No." She shook her head matter-of-factly. "There's something wrong here."
"Whatever you want to think, Washu." Yume crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with a bored expression on her face. "It's not my problem."
"You're damn right it isn't." Washu turned to face Clay, who sat on the floor trembling. She knelt down by his side, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Clay, let go of your neck."
He looked at her fearfully and took his hands off slowly, revealing the monstrous purple bruises. Washu's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the damage, gently prodding at the tender area with a slender finger. "Who did this to you?"
"Demon," Clay repeated. "It's a demon."
"I think we've already established that," she said, slightly annoyed. "Can you tell me anything about the demon?"
"Those eyes! They're evil! It's not normal, Washu! That thing's not human! Why did you agree?" A chain of frightened outbursts, emphasized by his wracking sobs, broke the previous silence of Clay. This was too much for Washu to handle; she had never seen Clay this vulnerable since the time Naja told him off for bothering her when she first arrived at the Academy.
Washu inhaled sharply. Something in her mind clicked as she realized what Clay was talking about. It was Naja. It had to be her. Only she could invoke such fear in Clay, who was always frightened by her eyes. Truth be told, they unnerved Washu herself occasionally. But then again, there wasn't one person in the Academy who didn't have anything they disliked about the secretive philosophy professor.
But was Naja capable of such a thing? She took another look at Clay's contusions. They resembled a cobra's hood, large and menacing, glaring violet beneath the tanned skin. It would take large, nimble hands to create marks such as those. Hands like Naja's.
She ignored the blubbering Clay for now and walked over to Yume, who was observing her fingernails with mild disinterest. The furry scientist looked up to see the disturbed face of her colleague. "Yeah?"
"Yume, I have something I want you to do.""Shoot, Your Highness."
"I want you to go to Professor Akara's dorm and tell her to report to my lab immediately. No excuses."
"Sure. What are you going to do?"
Washu smiled faintly and shrugged. "I'll take care of Clay. Go now."
Yume stretched lazily and retired, leaving Washu alone in the darkness. She turned around again to face Clay, who had stopped weeping and lay unconscious on the floor. Sighing, she materialized her holographic laptop and pressed a few buttons, teleporting Clay and herself to the diagnosis room. She laid Clay in a chair and placed a large hat adorned with light bulbs and wires to his head.
"If I can't get any clear answers from you, I'll just check your memory with this device." With a few simple keystrokes, she accessed the main OS, displaying a large screen. Her finger found the last button, and a single image flashed on the monitor.
Two catlike eyes, golden and crimson in hue, stared coldly back at her. She shivered and tried to change the image, but to no avail. She just couldn't access the rest of his memory, no matter how hard she tried.
Washu grimaced and logged off, leaving Clay sitting motionless in the chair. Her weary body flopped tiredly on a floating maroon cushion that had appeared out of thin air. Her victorious happiness had waned since Clay's unexpected arrival and the disturbing mystery it had brought. What did the eyes mean? They didn't look like Naja's, and she didn't recognize them from anywhere. She sighed for a second time and began to doze off peacefully, curled comfortably on her elongated pillow.
However, peace would not come to her easily, as a strident siren sounded throughout her laboratory. She shot up alertly, ears perked. It was the intruder alarm, which only went off when someone who did not have their DNA registered in the Academy's computer entered her lab. Washu sprung off the cushion and sprinted towards her laboratory door to meet the trespasser, keeping a pistol by her side just in case.
This was just too weird for one day, even for Startica....
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There's a demon in my head. I can feel it sometimes. It tells me to do things I don't want to do.
Like what I did to the furry lady.
I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to hurt her. She just scared me when she barged into Mama's room. I didn't hurt Mama; she just lay there on the floor with a sickly grin plastered on her face.
She's not dead.
The furry lady started screaming and pointed at me with fire in her eyes. I didn't like the sound of her screaming so I pointed back at her and screamed too. I don't remember what I screamed, but it wasn't my voice.
I'm so afraid, Mama.
It was a low voice. It was a hateful voice. It was the voice of the demon that lives inside my head. And then green things came out of my hand and the furry lady went flying across the room. Red stuff came out of the furry lady's head.
She's not dead either. I think.
Mama kept laughing when I showed her the demon in my head. I think Mama laughs because she likes the demon, so I introduced them to each other. Mama must have liked it, since she smiled and went to sleep real fast.
She wouldn't wake up, but she's breathing. So is the furry lady.
I don't know what's happening. I don't know who that man is, with the funny curly hair, but I know he doesn't like me.
Why doesn't he like me, Mama? Did I do something wrong? If I did I'm really sorry.
They wouldn't wake up, so I dragged them somewhere. Somewhere where I think they can get help. They shouldn't sleep too much. I didn't knock on the door, but I did push it open quietly so I wouldn't bother anyone.
But a loud noise came anyway, so I blasted the door and ran in with Mama and the furry lady. The demon was laughing now and I didn't know why. It wanted to be in this place, the only other place I knew besides Mama's room: where I was born. I don't really like it because it's dark and big and scary, but I didn't know where else to go.
Now there's another lady staring at me. She has long red hair and really pretty green eyes. She's holding something metal in her hand. Her eyes fixate on my sleeping Mama and the furry lady, and she shakes a lot.
Maybe she's cold.
I look behind me. More red stuff is coming out of the furry lady's head and my Mama is still smiling with her eyes closed. I look back at the pretty lady. She's dropped the metal thing and she's on her knees now.
"Your eyes...." She points at me strangely. She has a nice voice, but it sounds tinny and out of focus. I nod. I don't know what's going on with my eyes.
"You...you!"
I nod again and point to my head. "Demon!"
She screams loudly, and I hold my ears shut to keep out the noise and to keep the demon in. It's laughing a lot now.
She doesn't stop screaming, and it doesn't stop laughing.
What did I do?
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Yippee! Another long chapter done! I'm so happy, yes I am.
Here are some notes to my reviewers:
HappyCabbit24: OOOOHHHH!!! I love Pocky! Thank you for being the first one to review! You've made me so happy and now I will continue writing especially for you. If you have any ideas, please feel free to E-mail me. I am honored to be on your Favorites list, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing.
Kishi: Sorry I haven't E-mailed you; it's just that I don't like E-mailing people if I can avoid it. My research is based off Naoko Hasegawa's Shin Tenchi Novels. There are three: Jurai, Yosho, and Washu. There are many characters who are only explained in those novels: Mikamo, Mikumo, Naja, Airi, Seto, Amane, Utsutsumi, etc. Sadly, they're only in Japanese for the moment. Another good source is John Takis's "Washu's Lullaby". That dude has definitely done his research and it was his fanfiction that inspired me to write this one. Kudos to Johnny! I didn't do much research...it's your imagination and common sense that do the work for you.
Thank you all who have read and especially those who have reviewed. Please review, or I may just stop. Ha! If you hate this, flame me through E-mail. I won't answer it though.
Eagerly anticipating your comments,
HelloSir