Chapter Eight

"So this is Souja."

Sasami shot Washu an apprehensive look, then carefully gripped hold of the wooden fence, climbing up to the top and peering over at the desolate little space that had become the tree's home. "He seems so sad, somehow. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, I do." Washu nodded her head, nimbly following her companion's example. "Sasami, you mustn't go over the fence. I don't know what kind of danger it might put you in, and we can't count on Tsunami keeping you safe. You said yourself that sometimes she's more strongly there than others."

"I know." Sasami frowned, reaching out her hand to pull Washu to the top level. "I wasn't going to go in there, anyway. The plants are so thick around him, but then it's like he's burnt away all of the ones around his trunk. It's creepy."

Washu sighed, settling herself down next to the Princess.

"You never met Kagato properly." She said succinctly. "Creepy is a good word to describe him."

Sasami's brow creased into a frown.

"He's in a lot of pain, you know." She murmured. "Souja. You said he wanted to die and he does. So badly. But he can't. It's like he's a prisoner inside of himself. He's rooted to the ground in a way no spaceship tree should ever be - but Washu, it's not in the way Ryu Oh is rooted to the Earth. Ryu Oh was happy and healthy when we left there. Souja most definitely isn't."

"I picked up strong psychic signals from him, when I came here the other day." Washu nodded. "That's how I knew he was still alive in his own right. But I can't interpret those signals except as waves of energy. I'm not from Jurai and I don't have a sensitivity to trees. I thought maybe you could understand more than me."

"I don't think he can speak very much." Sasami kicked her legs against the fence. "He's trying to reach out to me, Washu, like the dreams I've had. Sometimes I hear screaming or crying, and once he tried to take me into him - I touched him and I couldn't pull my hands away. It's like he wants me to help him, but he can't tell me exactly how I can. Something is preventing it. Something big and dark and scary."

She shivered, and Washu gripped her hand gently. "I think...I think it is Kagato, Washu-chan. I just...think it is."

"But how is that possible?" Washu looked helpless. "Tenchi killed Kagato. He was buried. People saw his body. How can he possibly still be alive?"

"He isn't." Sasami's face was pale, and her eyes shadowed as she spoke, glancing back at the tree. "But the darkness in him is. When Tenchi killed Kagato, he killed the man, Washu. He didn't kill the soul. Kagato spent a lot of time learning dirty magic, didn't he? Somewhere dark and sinister...Souja's trying to show me it but he keeps getting blocked."

She closed her eyes.

"I don't like it." She whispered.

"Do you think that, if Souja were to be destroyed, the force that lives within him would be destroyed as well?" Washu asked quietly. Sasami's eyes snapped open, and she shook her head.

"Noone can kill Souja." She said flatly. "Not while he's like this. There's too much dark magic - strong magic. Tsunami thinks that for now it's better left alone. That until the tree and the spirit become seperated, there's no way to take down either of them."

She sighed.

"Right now they're not a threat to anyone, either." She added. "I just...I hate to see something suffer in the way Souja is. That's all."

"They're not a threat, but they will be?" Washu asked. Sasami shrugged.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Washu, I don't like this place. He's so unhappy, it's making me want to cry - or to go over and try and help him. But I can't do that...it's what the spirit inside of him wants. He thinks Tsunami is the only one strong enough to stop him doing...doing whatever it is he wants to do. I can't make it out. But he wants me to go to Souja now, and try and save him. Because if I do, he can take Tsunami from me...and send her back to sleep."

"He really is a confident one, isn't he." Washu eyed the princess keenly. "Well, we both know you aren't going in there, so he's had that idea. I'm sorry, Sasami. Coming here has upset you more than I'd like...so we'll go now. But I had to know what was going on in there. It's frustrating as a scientist not to be able to build an accurate hypothesis."

Carefully she began to clamber down from the top of the fence, and with a moment of hesitation, Sasami followed suit, dropping down onto the ground with a soft thud.

"I don't like it here." She admitted. "It's full of bad omens and dark thoughts. I don't like it."

"Sasami?"

A voice interrupted them and both swung around to see a woman watching them. Washu's heart sank into her boots as she recognised the flighty Misaki, Sasami's mother, who cast her an equally unenthusiastic look, hurrying to Sasami's side.

"Sasami, there you are! I've looked for you everywhere...and why are you here, of all places?" She demanded. "Didn't your father tell you that you were to rest today? Why would you come to this horrible place?"

"We just came for a walk, Mother." Sasami gazed up at her mother in surprise. "That's all. I feel a lot better than I did this morning. I thought it would be okay."

"Why did you bring her here?" Misaki shot Washu an accusing look. "Don't you know that this place is off limits to everyone? It's a dark place...and nowhere you should bring a child!"

Washu bowed her head slightly.

"Misaki-denka, my apologies." She said solemnly. "We were just walking, like Sasami-dono said...we must have come this way by accident."

She raised her gaze, meeting Misaki's suspicious fuschia eyes with sharp green ones.

"I'm not familiar with all the walkways of your beautiful planet yet." She added. "I must have made a wrong turning."

"Well, it's one you won't be making again." Misaki was clearly unconvinced, taking Sasami tightly by the hand. "Come, Sasami. Away from here."

Sasami did not fight against her mother's grip, turning back to send Washu a helpless look. Washu shrugged her shoulders, making no attempt to follow them. Instead she turned her gaze back to the tree.

"How do we prepare a Royal Family for something we don't even understand." She murmured. "It's becoming both crazy and frustrating, trying to figure out all the pieces in this. And now Misaki will be suspicious of me, just as Haru hates Ryoko."

She slipped a hand into her pocket, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the gems' protective case.

"If they discover I have these, I'll probably be arrested." She decided to herself. "So it's probably not a good idea for me to stay on Jurai any longer than I have to. From what Sasami said, this dark force inside the tree isn't imminently volatile, but we have no way to really ascertain what kind of timespan we're looking at. It could be weeks or months, or it could be years. Centuries. It's impossible to say. And yet, if Tsunami really is trying to communicate with her people through Sasami, it can't be so far in the future that things will begin. I just wonder what exactly is going to begin...and whether there's anything we can do about it."

Her grip tightened around the gem capsule, and she frowned.

"Either way, one thing is pretty clear." She acknowledged out loud. "If Tsunami made Sasami take these, and then give them to me, then they're not meant to be on Jurai or locked up in a royal vault. Which means that they're not going to be used by Sasami herself, or Ayeka, or Azusa or anyone else who is rooted to this planet. It might be a coincidence, but since Tsunami told Sasami about how Ryoko and I are connected, I suspect that's why she's brought me into this equation. She seems unnaturally interested in Ryoko, considering she's a space pirate who's magic is temperamental at the best of times."

She sighed.

"It's almost as if Tsunami's intentions for that girl run parallel with my own original hopes." She added. "And it is all tied up with Kagato and his plans for Jurai. But it's all very well saying that. If whatever is going to happen does involve Ryoko and these gems, well, it's going to take some work to convince her of that fact."

She sent the tree one last regretful glance, then turned away, making her way slowly back down the path towards the forest.

"If Ryoko is the only hope this universe has, Tsunami, then God help us all." she muttered, "I hope you have a better plan B up your sleeve than I had up mine!"

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

"Run this by me again, Misaki."

Azusa leant back against his throne, folding his arms as he cast his sister-in-law a troubled glance. Behind him, as ever at his side, his brother Haru was listening to the exchange, his expression growing darker with every moment.

"Washu had the child where?"

"At Souja's tree." Misaki said quietly. "They were both there, talking, as if it were the most normal place on the planet to be."

"Why would that woman take Sasami to a place like that?" Haru exclaimed. "Surely she knows how we all feel about Souja and the fact he still lives among our trees! She should know it's forbidden to go there - and to take a Princess of Jurai there is almost treason in itself! What does she think she is doing?"

"She claimed they wandered that way in error." Misaki sat down, a troubled look in her own eyes. "But I didn't believe her. I think she was lying to me..and I think she took Sasami to Souja on purpose."

"I see." Azusa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It is possible that an error was made, Misaki-san. After all, Washu isn't a native of our planet and has not spent much time here. Maybe she doesn't know how we view that place."

"She was on Jurai after Kagato was defeated. She was here when the tree was exiled, and she'd know about it as well as you or I." Haru shook his head, anger glittering in the depths of his eyes. "No, Azusa. That won't do. There was intent behind this - Misaki is right. Some big conspiracy, which may well explain all of Sasami's recent odd behaviour. She has spent a lot of time in the company of undesireable people in recent years. Must I remind you that this same woman, Washu, was ejected from the Science Academy for trying to perfect a weapon bent on destroying the entire universe? This is clearly not the work of a sane mind. There is more going on here than meets the eye."

"Then I will send for Washu, and have her explain herself to us directly." Azusa raised his hand, gesturing to a guard who bowed, then hurried from the chamber. "And we will see for ourselves what she has to say, Haru-chan. I agree, this is a worrying development...particularly if Sasami is currently so vulnerable to outside influence."

"There is something else, brother." Haru's lips twisted with displeasure. "When Misaki told me what had happened this morning, I sent men to find out all they could discover on Professor Washu Hakubi. Their findings surprised me."

"Findings?" Azusa raised an eyebrow. "What findings?"

"She was here on Jurai, once before." Haru said quietly. "At a time before Kagato had fought Yosho and disappeared. She was here under royal patronage, working on some undisclosed experiment while a member of the Science Academy. The details of the experiment are entirely unknown, Azusa-chan. But the man paying her department's expenses was Prince Kagato himself."

"I see." Azusa's expression became grave. "I did not know this. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps you have more reason for suspicion than I thought."

"What is going to happen to Sasami?" Misaki looked anxious. "Our little girl, Haru - with so much going on, what's going to be left of our daughter when it's all over?"

"Nothing is going to happen to Sasami, Misaki-chan." Haru put a gentle hand on his wife's arm. "We will make sure of that. She is back in her quarters now, and Azaka and Kamadake are both with her. I told Azaka to keep her busy with those games she brought back with her from the planet Earth. That should keep her distracted and well protected from any undesireable company. She's already been told by me that her association with the space pirate Ryoko is to end. Now I will make doubly sure that she has no further contact with Washu Hakubi, either."

"In a day or two, Ayeka will be married and people will leave Jurai." Azusa said wisely. "If we cannot determine anything conclusive, Haru, I will let them leave. In some ways, it might be better that they did. If you think they are having a negative influence on Sasami, then the further they are from Jurai, the better."

"Maybe you are right." Haru nodded. "But if Washu was involved with Kagato..."

Azusa held up his hand to stop his brother mid-flow, for at that moment the guard returned, saluting his Emperor sharply. The diminuitive scientist followed behind him, her expression schooled into one of nonchalant surprise, and try as he might, Azusa could not read beyond her smile. He dismissed the guard with a flick of his fingers, beckoning for Washu to come and join them. Washu obeyed, pausing mere feet from the throne and offering a formal bow.

"Azusa-heika." She said in soft tones. "You sent for me?"

"Yes, Washu-san. I did." Azusa nodded his head. "I've had a report that disturbs me somewhat, and I must get to the bottom of it."

"I see." Washu raised her head, and Azusa was aware of the burning intelligence inside the woman's green eyes. For a moment he just looked at her, the young woman in the form of a girl, yet adult beyond her physical years. She was an enigma all in herself, seemingly both timeless and ageless, and he was not entirely sure how to break through her calm exterior. At length he sighed.

"Washu-san, the Lady Misaki is concerned about a walk you took with the Princess Sasami this morning." He said quietly. "Do you not realise how much danger it could have put her in, taking her to Souja's tree?"

"I didn't know that was where we were going until we got there." Washu met his gaze coolly, no flicker of alarm or dismay in her eyes and despite himself, Azusa began to doubt his own convictions. "I am sorry, Azusa-heika. It wasn't my intention to scare the child. I'm very fond of Sasami-dono and I didn't realise I would be putting her in danger. Souja is an old dead tree, isn't that right? I thought he was nothing but a shell."

"She's lying." Haru said darkly. "Washu-san, don't toy with the Emperor! It's not possible that you are unaware of Souja's disgrace. You were here on this planet when he was exiled...don't deny that!"

"I'm not denying anything." Washu turned her gaze on the Prince. "I was here on Jurai when Souja was exiled, yes. But I'm not a member of the honoured Royal Family, and I did not know to where he had been sent. Plus, I know very little about Jurai trees - their magic quite honestly is beyond all the scientific analysis in the world and I really don't know how it works. But I thought that when the tree's master died, the tree itself would also begin to die. That one could not survive long in this world without the other."

"This is indeed true." Azusa nodded.

"Then surely Souja is dead?" Washu's eyes became big with surprise. "Since Kagato is dead. Right?"

"Yes. Kagato is dead." Azusa agreed. Washu spread her hands.

"Then I'm afraid I don't understand the problem." She admitted. "I'm sorry if it was an out of bounds place to walk, but how can a dead tree cause anyone any trouble?"

"And you expect us to believe that?" Haru raised an eyebrow. Washu shrugged her shoulders.

"It's the only story I have, so I guess I have to hope you do." She replied frankly. She turned to Misaki, offering the woman a slight bow.

"Misaki-denka, I am sorry if I caused your daughter any distress this morning. It was not meant."

"Then explain something else to us, while we have you here." Haru folded his arms across his chest, sending Washu a glare. "Many years ago, you came to Jurai, didn't you? You were just another scientist, looking for patronage and support. You found yourself here, on our planet. And you worked with some of the most brilliant minds in all of Jurai."

"I don't deny this." Washu nodded her head. "Yes, Haru-denka. I was here then."

"You worked on a top secret experiment." Haru spoke quietly. "So top secret even I don't know what it was about. But I do know that the household that supported the endeavour was that of Prince Kagato, son of the Lady Aiko. Do you deny this?"

"It may have been the case. Honestly, it was so long ago I barely remember." Washu's expression did not waver for one second, and she did not hesitate to meet the Prince's eyes. "I did a good many experiments in those days, and worked on many planets trying to build up my reputation as a serious scientist. It could have been one of any number of projects, in truth. I don't rightly remember who funded what."

She sighed, glancing at her hands.

"I spent a long time locked up in a cave on the planet Earth, thanks to a little disagreement with my superiors." She added. "My memories became somewhat addled during that time. I wish I could be of more help."

"Can you explain why it is that every other person who worked on that project is now dead?" There was a nasty edge to Haru's tone, and Azusa gazed at his brother in surprise. "Including Prince Kagato."

"That's an unfortunate situation indeed." Washu seemed to be thinking this over. "But I have no idea what you're trying to suggest, Haru-dono. If something afflicted them, and not me...well, like I told you, I spent a long time locked up in a cave. Probably whatever it was passed me by."

"Azusa-san, I think she's lying to us still." Haru turned his gaze on his brother. "And I think we should interrogate her further about this and about Souja's tree."

"Am I under suspicion of something, Haru-denka?" Washu's eyes opened wide with surprise at this. "What crime have I committed, then? I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand."

"Your influence on the Lady Sasami is leading her astray." Haru's eyes flashed with anger. "Obviously you have connections to Kagato, and obviously that means..."

"But you said yourself. Kagato is dead." Washu cut across him, and despite himself Azusa could not help but admire the woman's courage. "Yes, I may have worked in a department funded by him, a long time ago. And the experiment might have been top secret. But, Haru-denka, with all respect, if you were to dig more widely into my past, you'll find that there are any number of experiments of a similar nature on my portfolio. It's not uncommon when someone is making a breakthrough that everything is kept top secret. People do steal ideas, after all, and universal patenting can be tricky to acquire."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't see why my work on this planet stands out." She added. "It was a very long time ago, and nobody knew that Kagato was going to turn out to be such a monster then. He was an honoured prince and a friend of the honourable Lord Yosho, with whom I have a good understanding to this day. We were all fooled. I don't think I am any more to blame for being taken in by an evil man."

"What project did you work on, under Kagato's financial aid?" Azusa said softly. "Are you able to tell us that, Washu-san?"

"All I remember is that it had something to do with elements." Washu met Azusa's gaze head on, a slight smile touching her lips. "And I think we spent some time doing geological surveys and readings around an extinct Juraian volcano. Apart from that, I'm afraid I don't remember anything else. I did too many experiments in those days. It's hard to pinpoint one from the other when it was so long ago."

"Azusa!" Haru sent his brother a glance, and Azusa sighed. He held up his hands.

"I cannot authorise interrogation when there has been no crime committed." He said quietly. "Washu-san is quite correct, Haru, and I cannot fault her answers on any subject. Besides, she is a guest here. She helped to rescue your daughter from Haki as much as any of the others did, and for that we must respect her. She is indeed a trusted associate of my son Yosho, whose character is beyond doubt. If he trusts in her, then I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt."

Washu bowed her head.

"I am grateful, Lord Azusa." She said soberly. "I promise, I meant the Lady Sasami no harm."

"There is something I must ask of you also, though, Washu-san." The Emperor rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do not go back to that place again, and do not speak of it, or of this encounter, to the Lady Sasami. Is that understood? She is a troubled child, the stress of her recent adventures having taken a deep toll on her young brain. I don't want her further upset, and you can understand Haru-san's concerns for his child's well being."

"Yes, I do understand." Washu nodded, casting Haru a glance. "All parents worry for their children's well-being, after all. And I am truly sorry to you too, Haru-denka. I had no idea I would cause so much unrest."

"I think it would be better if you didn't stay too long on Jurai." Haru said stiffly. "Ayeka's wedding is not far off, and I know she expects you to be a guest there. I will not disappoint my daughter by debarring you from the ceremony...however, once it is over, I think it would be a good idea if you were to leave Jurai."

Washu was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then she nodded.

"I had intended to leave the planet anyway." She admitted. "You need have no fear of that, Haru-denka. I don't want to stay on Jurai."

"Then the matter is settled." Relief flickered in the Emperor's heart, and he offered a smile. "You may go, Professor Washu. And remember all that I have said to you."

Washu made a formal bow, nodding her head.

"I shan't forget a single word of it, Azusa-heika." She promised. "Not a single word."

With that, she made her exit, and once they were alone, Azusa let out a heavy sigh.

"You think I have done wrong, don't you, Haru-chan?" He asked at length. Haru nodded his head.

"I don't trust that woman." He admitted. "The more I find out about her, the less I like her being here."

"What do you think she was working on, with Kagato's backing?" Misaki asked. Haru shrugged his shoulders.

"That's why I wanted to use the truth serum on her." He said frankly. "Noone else from the project has survived, Misaki. The scientist in charge committed suicide. Three of the other lab staff were killed in a freak explosion and the final member of the team went mad and died in an asylum. Kagato himself, well, we know his fate. Washu was the only one who survived. She's the only one who knows what they were really working on, back then."

"Do you think she was responsible for their deaths somehow?" Misaki raised an eyebrow. Haru hesitated, then shook his head.

"Unfortunately, since she was indeed imprisoned on the Earth, I can't pin that on her." He admitted. "Aside from the death of the scientist in charge - but I haven't found anything to connect her to that incident, either. No, I don't think she killed her colleagues, Misaki-chan. But I do think that she knew more about Kagato than maybe we'd like."

"But Kagato is dead, Haru." Azusa reminded him. Haru nodded.

"Yes, I know." He agreed. "But there's still something I don't like about all of this. Especially since it seems to be involving Sasami."

Misaki sighed.

"She's too young for any of this." She remarked pensively. "Do you think that it will all die down, after Ayeka is married and all these strangers leave Jurai?"

"We'll have to hope that it will." Azusa said frankly. "Whatever is happening, it's beyond our understanding and at the moment we have nothing to suggest anyone else is involved. Sasami is changing, that's obvious. But whether she's truly been chosen by Tsunami or whether these are childish games and an act of rebellion, we've yet to find out. She is growing very fast right now, and she is at an awkward age. We'll see, Misaki. We'll watch and see where it goes. There's nothing more we can do but that."

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

Far from the throne room, in the security of her own chamber, Washu had shut the bedroom door, bolting it and then sinking down onto her bed. She muttered a curse in her own native language, then let out a rueful laugh, shaking her head.

"Well, it's been a long time since you thought to speak in that tongue." She said aloud. "I wonder what Haru and his brother will really do about things, now they know I was here working for Kagato all those years ago. If they found out that I have the gems, then they would drag me off to interrogate me for sure. I'm not sure if I could generate something to counteract Juraian truth serum - it's a complex liquid. And I don't know what I might tell them if they did drug me. I think I'd do best to take Haru's advice - to leave Jurai once Ayeka is married."

She sighed, flopping back onto her bed.

"And Sasami." She said softly. "What she felt inside of that tree confirms my own worst fears about Kagato and about the fate of this planet. Maybe even more than that. The legend of Tsunami talks about her rising up against the darkness...and I'm pretty sure you cant get much darker than Kagato's soul. If Sasami is right...that Tenchi killed the man but not the spirit - he must be waiting for something. Biding his time, building up his energy. But what time is it? Can we prevent it? Or will he be too strong before we can?"

She slid her hand into her pocket, removing the gems and setting the case down onto her pillow.

"Somehow I think these are a big part of it." She decided. "And somehow I think that means I have to go back to my original plan of action. If I'm going to leave Jurai, I guess I'm going to have to find a way to leave the planet aboard Ryo Ohki...so I can confront Ryoko once and for all about these gems. She won't like it, but she won't be able to escape from me if we're in the middle of Deep Space and there's no risk of anyone on this planet overhearing the conversation. I don't think it will be easy, but then I didn't create Ryoko because I thought it would be easy. Whether Kichi managed to carry out her part of the plan or not, the basic idea is still in place."

She sighed, returning the capsule to it's hiding place.

"Meantime, I have to work out the best possible strategy." She added. "Preferably without anyone becoming any more suspicious of me!"