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: I can't think of anything to write right now, so I might as well do a side story. It's pissing me off to the high heavens. Therefore, I'll do a little background thing that will lighten the confusion in future chapters.

Oh, and my apologies for not updating much. School is schoolish.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five: A Tale of Eyes

She had lived countless years, and yet she had not endured a moment as joyous as this. Perhaps she had in the distant past and had simply forgotten, but she wasn't going to muddle herself with the details. All she wanted to think about right now was the future she had with her son, a future devoid of loneliness and despair. She would protect him to the bitter end, fighting and maiming the poor soul who dared try to come between her and her baby, and if they did she would rip them to shreds and deposit them in a deserted planet in the middle of the galaxy and spit on their carcass.

The mere thought of losing Kagato was dizzying. Naja focused and inhaled deeply. For now, she would relish Washu's decision and dance in celebration. The threat of being separated could wait for now.

Her feet continued to carry her through the halls, a mindless flurry of movement. With a glazed smile she swept through the corridors, letting her nimble fingers run against the cold steel walls. Thankfully, everyone was either in their dorm making merriment over the sudden holiday, or in their classes throwing death glares at their professors for not canceling their seminar. She didn't want to be seen so happy again; the last time she had smiled in public she was stared at and interrogated by that nosy bastard Clay. She didn't know the cost of glee for her was so high.

Naja cringed at the thought of Clay. Just thinking of the corpulent man stabbed through her chest with cold lightning pains. They had known each for so long that their hatred towards each other was almost legendary. Even Washu, who was also on Clay's hit list, didn't know him as long as Naja had. The relationship between her and Clay was simply heated rivalry, which was the case with Washu and most of her collegues. But what Clay and Naja shared was more than jealousy and competition: it was centuries upon centuries of abhorrence and death threats.

Unbeknownst to most (although it was a subject of unsavory gossip), Clay and Naja were the only two professors who had actually grown up in the Academy. The origin of their birthplaces was unknown, so the Academy acted as a makeshift orphanage for a few years. Both were supposed to be discharged, as most orphans that stayed here eventually were, but their great talents in science and other fields caught the attention of the Headmaster and they were allowed to live here. They belonged to no planet or union, even though Jurai controlled the school. The walls of the Academy were as far as they could go.

Their spectacular minds permitted them to receive their own dorms like most students and take classes here, even though they were not of legal age. They grew older, and both naturally took positions as professors here. Where else could they go?

Neither Clay nor Naja could figure out where they came from, although there were a few leads. After a few centuries, it didn't matter much anymore.

Considering all this, one may wonder why Clay and Naja weren't childhood friends. It begins and ends with eyes, the setting a chilly winter's day...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Clay and Naja were seven years of age, and it was winter break. The children had found refuge in the snow-covered fields outside the school while the older students busied themselves inside the coffee shops and heated dorms. The spacious grounds allowed the building of forts and snowball wars, which Clay and Naja frequently took part in. Unfortunately, when you don't have any other children to play with, games tend to become boring.

"What do you want to do?" Clay's pudgy hand tugged at the faded green sleeve of Naja's coat, pulling her back into the snow. She frowned slightly and shrugged.

"There's not much to do out here, and we've done all the homework." She grabbed a twig and began to draw a crude sketch of the Periodic Table of Elements. "I'm bored."

"Me too." The two young ones snuggled together for warmth as the snowflakes continued to fall lightly on their shoulders, creating little white hills. Clay brushed off Naja's shoulder and nestled his cheek against her. She didn't move away, like she had done so many times before. His surprised gaze met her warm smile, chocolate brown eyes staring into slanted crimson orbs.

"What?" Naja feigned coquettish, batting her eyelashes. Clay coughed nervously and blushed, inching away and fingering his brown curls.

"Nothing."

Minutes passed without speaking, adding to the tranquility of the white heaven around them. However, Naja's hand had somehow found Clay's during the awkward silence, her pale fingers entwined around his tanned palm.

Clay stammered when he felt her hand snake over his. "W...what are you doing?"

"Holding your hand." She beamed at him voraciously. "Why, you don't like it?"

"No! I mean, yes...wait, no, not really." His face flushed an even deeper shade of scarlet, adding to Naja's secret amusement. Teasing him was a pastime of hers that never failed to please her. She laid her head on his shoulder and exhaled loudly, letting her breath condense in a soft cloud, waiting for his reaction. Unconsciously (or maybe not), Clay swept his arm around her, hugging her tightly.

Both children sighed in content. An innocent romance never hurt anyone.

"Clay?" Naja broke the silence, looking up into Clay's boyish grin. "Would you like to be my date for the winter ball? I would like to go this year. We could sneak in."

If this statement surprised Clay, he hid it well. "Sure, why not? Just because we're not real students doesn't mean we can't attend one of their events. Besides, you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

She nodded and blushed faintly as she curled her gray locks around his finger. The silence took over again, letting the young lovers find comfort in one another.

Suddenly, the crunching of snow alerted them of nearby visitors, and they quickly released themselves from their embrace. Two people heavily clad in winter coats trudged over the hill towards them. Clay and Naja didn't recognize them; according to their knowledge, it wasn't any of the professors at the Academy. Years of etiquette training compelled them to bow as the strangers stopped in front of them, overshadowing the tiny frames of the two. Their faces were hidden beneath the folds of their dark cloaks, making them even more intimidating.

"I imagine you are Jizen Clay?" The taller of the duo pointed at Clay, who held Naja's hand tightly in his own, trembling. His voice was low and gravely, one that held a sense of authority and power, eternally barking orders and reprimands.

"Yes, sir." Naja could feel the sweat dripping off his palm as he answered, his once blush-spotted cheeks a pallid, nervous hue. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, even though she knew it was a lie. The ominous figure before them frightened her as much as it did him; being the only children in the Academy, they had grown to fear and respect adults, even the ones they knew well.

The tall man nodded and removed his hood, revealing his face. His tanned features were finely chiseled, giving him a stern and noble look. Thick bunches of short dark blue hair lay plastered against his forehead, matted by the pressure of the hood. Narrowed eyes of the same shade stared intently at Clay, studying him emotionlessly. A muscular brown hand emerged from the folds of his attire and found its way to Clay's shuddering shoulder, resting there for a moment. He knelt down until his piercing blue eyes met the boy's widened brown ones.

"Y..yes, sir?" Clay repeated, letting go of Naja's hand in a half-hearted attempt to keep his dignity. "Is there anything you would like me to do?"

The blue haired man laughed, a rumbling in his barrel chest. "Do you know who I am, Jizen?"

Clay blinked curiously. No one ever called him by his first name; in fact, he was so accustomed at being called by his last name that he had almost forgotten the former. Clay wasn't even his real name, from what he knew; it was simply a substitute name given to him when he entered the Academy.

"No, sir. I'm afraid I don't," he replied softly, an apologetic smile flitting across his face. The man shrugged it off.

"Don't worry about it." His air of authority had dissipated, and a fatherly grin replaced his furrowed brows. "I am Ketsuraku Tatsuki, noble of the Tatsuki clan of Jurai." He chuckled at the shocked expressions of the two children and swept his hand to gesture at the cloaked figure behind him.

"This is my wife, Senpi Tatsuki." In response to his introduction, the person stepped forward, the covering hood falling off softly like the snow. A rather frail looking woman smiled shyly at them, her skin beige like freshly cut sandalwood. Round auburn globes blinked benignly as she tittered into her hand, her long brunette curls bouncing with her chest, dancing across her shoulders.

She waved at Naja, who waved weakly back. This lady reminded her of someone, and so did the man. She just couldn't figure out who it was. Her lips pursed together as she wracked her mind for an answer, but none came to her, fluttering away from her thoughts into the gentle snowstorm. The voice of the woman interrupted her empty ponderings.

"Jizen, we've been looking all over for you." Her voice was a high whistle, a sharp contrast to her husband's growl. "I'm so happy that I've finally found you!"

The two children were taken aback as Senpi let out a little sob and threw herself on the startled Clay, who promptly fell into the snow with shock. He could only pat her back as she embraced him tightly, crying into his coat. Ketsuraku beamed warmly at the sight, and soon joined her in hugging the poor boy. Clay glanced helplessly at the confused Naja, who shrugged in dismay. It wasn't like she knew what was going on.

A pang of jealously shot through Naja's chest as she sighed deeply. Secretly, she wished someone would try to hold her like that, to cry over her like that, to love her like that. If she had ever found someone who was capable of doing such a thing, she would make sure that they would never leave her.

Ever.

Clay was one who could fulfill those desires, if she wanted him to.

Her eyes found their way back to the touching --- but now utterly sickening --- sight. Her childish sympathy had waned, a bitter resentment sleeping within her. Everything tasted metallic and rusty. Everything seemed gray and cold. Her hand gripped the air reflexively, but there was no flesh to grab onto this time. No soothing hand to stroke her own and tell her that she would never be alone.

Gods, how she hated to be alone.

Senpi rose to her feet, beige hands resting on Clay's shoulders. "Would you like to come home with us?"

The boy's jaw dropped as Naja listened stony faced, oblivious to everything except the trees behind them. "What? What for?" He stammered nervously, flailing his limbs in a rather peculiar manner.

"You are our son," Ketsuraku stepped forward, looking down on Clay like only a father could. "And we've been looking everywhere for you. You are Jizen Tatsuki, heir to my seat in the Tatsuki clan." He swept back his blue spikes and smiled. "So, what do you say?"

Naja's vision blurred with suppressed tears. Father and mother. That was why they looked so familiar: they created Clay, they looked like him.

Father and mother. Two things she would never have. Science can only do so much.

But Clay has a mother and father, and he would go with them. Clay would leave her alone in the snow.

Alone.

Alone.

"No." Naja's voice rang clearly through the jovial tranquility, slicing the reunited family's happiness in two. "He is not leaving."

"And why not, little one?" The man raised an eyebrow at the young girl's outburst.

She remained silent. If they didn't know, they were fools. And fools needed to be punished severely. Ignorance is intolerable.

What was she thinking?

Senpi's whistling voice swooped through her frigid ears. "Please, we've been looking for him ever since we lost him at the hospital. I want to be with my son. Please let him come with us."

"I'm sorry," Ketsuraku's gruff voice intervened. "But we must take him back. He is my heir, and more importantly, my son." He grinned at Clay, who to Naja's horror, ginned back. "I want to make up seven years of lost time."

"No," Naja repeated. "No. You had your chance with him and you blew it. The goddesses have given him to me, and he is mine forever! Mine! MINE!"

"Calm down!" He grabbed her by the wrist in an attempt to pin her down, his muscular shoulders bearing down on her. His hand wrapped around her tiny limb, slightly bruising the pallid skin. He studied her face carefully. For an instant, he saw a frightened little girl who wanted nothing more in this universe than a friend to call her own, and he hesitated slightly in restraining her. His grip loosened for a second.

"No..." His eyes widened as he saw her hand pulse with green energy, feeling it crackle over his arms. Her eyes narrowed in sadistic pleasure at his late realization, the consequence of his pause. "Holy Tsunami!"

An unearthly scream pierced through the air as the charred body of Ketsuraku flew across the field, landing face first in a pile of snow, the odor of burnt flesh lingering in the breeze. Senpi seemed to gasp for oxygen as she clutched her chest and ran over to the still form of her husband. Clay's expression was unreadable, as his face was turned towards the ground.

Naja smiled evilly, feeling the corners of her thin lips pull up in a grotesque expression of glee. Now no one would take Clay away from her. Her mind was fogged with fear, but it felt so good; it was a high beyond what any drug could give her. She stared down at her fingers, tinged with an emerald aura. This power...she could feel it resting dormant inside her, but she had no idea of the potential it held...if she could just release a little more...

"Demon!" Her head turned sharply towards the pained shriek. Senpi had now rushed over to her son, holding him tightly in her thin arms. Two pairs of tearful chocolate eyes stared back at her accusingly.

She cocked her head slightly to the left in puzzlement. What had she done? All she did was eliminate a worthless being. Anger boiled through her veins. They were mocking her. They thought she wasn't worthy of companionship.

Well, she would show them what it was like to be alone.

Her body tingled with power as the snow beneath her feet sizzled with heat. Her pair of pince-nez slid off her nose and melted into the snow, which was now a puddle of water floating beneath her figure. Her entire being emanated pure energy, and she cackled maniacally as two large green swords formed beneath her palms.

"What are you doing, Naja?" Clay stepped forward, ignoring his mother's pleas. "Please, stop this!"

She cackled again and levitated above him, facing Senpi. "Never. Never!" She pointed at the corpse of his father and shook with suppressed laughter. "That was an accident. But it felt so good, and I'll do it again until I don't hurt anymore."

Clay gaped in horror as Naja's eyes glazed over with an eerie green sheen, her features contorting into that of a devil. He could only stare in morbid fascination as she rammed her swords into Senpi's eyes, tearing them out of her sockets. It happened so quickly that the anguished wail came a few seconds after Senpi had realized what Naja had done. She clawed at her ravaged face miserably as crimson blood spurted over the pure scenery.

Naja grinned as Senpi fell to her knees, calling out for Clay with bloody hands. "Don't think I'm done with you yet. I'm having so much fun."

A green flash flew in front of Clay's face, and a large streak of blood blurred his vision as it licked his face and cheeks, staining his coat. Through blinking eyes he saw his mother grasp her mouth, a pink object at the ground before her.

It wasn't until Naja had killed her that he realized it was her tongue.

He stood, shocked beyond belief. As suddenly as his parents had arrived, they had disappeared in the most horrific way imaginable. Small hands trembled as his best friend disintegrated his father's corpse into ash, as she turned his mother's body into hard stone and buried it in the snow, and as she laughed amidst the scarlet trails of blood, both bodies hidden.

Then the laughter stopped, and he walked over to him, the aura of power gone. She smiled at him.

"Don't leave me, or you'll die."

She smiled and collapsed at his feet. He soon followed suit, red snowflakes covering the two.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, two professors found the children. There was no blood and no bodies that would prove the revived Clay's disturbing tale. The Academy psychiatrists could only shrug at the lack of forensic evidence, and had given Clay some prescriptions that would help him to "forget" the story they thought he had created.

They ignored Clay's wishes of being transferred away from Naja, and they only laughed at him when he said he was related to the Tatsuki clan of Jurai. There were no records to prove this, and the blood tests returned inconclusive. The two missing nobles only got a small clip in the Galaxy News and an insignificant column on the back of the galactic newspaper. They were soon forgotten, their disappearance believed to be because of treason; Ketsuraku and Senpi Tatsuki's background records were not the cleanest.

Clay felt his soul wane with every day that passed. He had royal blood in his veins, but no one would believe him. His ambitions were crushed.

No one paid attention to the screams that emitted from Clay's dorm late at night, tales of bleeding snow and green devils bellowing through the walls.

In time, even he almost forgot about the entire thing.

Almost.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Huh?" Clay shot up, suddenly disturbed from his nap at the control console. He wiped the thin trail of drool that had found its way down his chin. Stretching his weary bones as he spun around in his office chair, he surveyed the blank screen with disinterested eyes. He was still extremely disappointed with Washu's decision. He always thought she fell victim to her favoritism.

And that child was anything but normal...

He walked over to a small mirror in the corner of his lab and stared at his reflection. A stout man stared back at him, lines creasing his tanned face, framed by graying brown curls. One prosthetic eye stood out amidst the wizened features. He sighed and with a snap, removed the offending device. He never liked wearing it, but it was effective when he taught students who needed to be intimidated.

Two chocolate brown spheres glared back at him, and he smiled. That was much better.

"Doctor?" A robotic voice grated through his ears. "Is there something wrong?"

He turned to face his robot, a gangly red figure with a holographic screen for a face. "Nothing is the matter, Zero. You are excused for the rest of the day."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He watched solemnly as Zero floated away. Only then did memories of charred faces and empty eye sockets flash through his skull.

Only then did tears fall from his two real eyes.

Crimson eyes burnt through his soul....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh! I'm so sorry I took so long to update. Anyway....

Their names mean something, you know. Ketsuraku means "missing". Senpi means "late mother". Jizen means "second-best". Thought it fit.

Please review!

Yours eternally,

HelloSir