Chapter Three
There was a stiff breeze blowing through the chamber that morning.
Sasami drew her cloak more tightly around her shoulders as she squared herself for what she had decided to do. Whether the eerie breeze and the whispering of the trees were all in her head or were real she did not know - but the images from her most recent night's dreaming haunted her still. It was beyond doubt now, in her mind. She knew with startling clarity that Tsunami had fed her visions of her future - a future in which people had died and in which Jurai would cease even to exist.
A fresh chill ran through her at this thought, and she swallowed hard, determination flickering in her eyes. Whether they wanted to hear her or not, she was going to make them listen.
"I'm not a little girl any more." She muttered to herself as she cast a brief glance at her reflection in the mirror pool, half expecting to see the grown woman's face stare back. She knew now who the woman was - Tsunami-sama, Empress of Jurai - but today her own pale, peaked face stared back, shadows smudging her pretty eyes and a troubled frown across her lips.
"I'm not a child." She told herself again, as if trying to make herself believe her own words. "And I'm going to make Uncle Azusa listen to me if it's the last thing that I do!"
With this final pep talk, she pushed back the door of her chamber, almost tripping over Kamadake as she did so. She let out a cry of surprise as the knight started, then offered her his apologies, a mixture of dismay and sheepishness on his young face. Sasami eyed him for a moment, then made up her mind.
"Kamadake-san, I want to see the Emperor." She said quietly. "Do you know if he is engaged this morning?"
Kamadake stared at her, obviously confused by the adult words that fell from the child's lips. He spread his hands.
"I don't know, Sasami-hime. I've been here all the time - on your Lord Father's orders, to make sure you have no further upset nights."
"I see." Sasami's expression became grave. "You mean, in case I start walking through the palace and stealing things again?"
"Sasami-hime..."
"No, Kamadake, I know what they think of me, even if it's not what they say to my face." Sasami sighed. "They think I'm losing my mind, and perhaps I am. But I can't help it. Will you come with me to Uncle Azusa's throne room? I have to speak to him and it is urgent. But I...I don't think I want to go alone."
The solemn note in her voice faltered into doubt as she stared up at the knight, and he offered her a formal bow.
"I will come with you, if it's what you want." He said quietly. "I think your Lord Father would rather I was with you anyway, Sasami-hime. He is worried about you."
"Yes, I know." Sasami glanced down at the floor. "Thank you, Kamadake. The palace seems so lonely now Ayeka isn't here and I miss her so much. I hope she and Takeru-san are back on Jurai soon. Everyone has gone away, except for you and Azaka. And I don't like it at all. I don't want to be all on my own like this."
Kamadake eyed her keenly, as they fell into step together along the passageway towards the Throne Room.
"Well, Azaka and I will not be leaving Jurai any time soon." He said quietly. "You know we are sworn to protect both you and Ayeka, Sasami-dono. And we will do so as long as we are needed."
"I know." Sasami admitted. "I guess I'm just feeling a little unsettled today, that's all. I haven't been sleeping very well recently."
"Perhaps you should see a physician."
"I already did. They can't help. It's not a medical problem." Sasami pulled a face. "I don't think there's any remedy for hearing ghosts."
At this moment they arrived at the Throne Room, and Kamadake offered the young princess another bow.
"You will want to speak to your Uncle alone." He said softly. "Whatever it is you have to say to him, Sasami-denka, you must not have fear. Azusa-heika is always a fair man. You know that. He will hear you out."
Sasami stared at the knight in surprise, then a smile touched her lips.
"Thank you, Kamadake." She said solemnly. "Will you wait for me?"
"With pleasure, my lady." Kamadake bowed his head once more, and Sasami took a deep breath, placing both hands on the Throne Room door and then giving it one hard push. It swung open beneath her touch, revealing a chamber devoid of people, and for a moment she hesitated, afraid that her uncle had chosen to spend the morning elsewhere instead. Then, from the top level, three tiers of steps up from the entranceway, she heard a voice call her name. She glanced up, seeing the Emperor standing watching her, a smile on his face.
"Well, Sasami-chan. This is an unexpected surprise." He said playfully, as she made her way up the steps towards him. "I didn't know you wanted to see me. I'm supposed to hold session in here in just a little while - is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Yes, Uncle." Sasami nodded her head, hurrying up the remainder of the steps and then pausing some feet away from him, hesitating and then bowing her head in the way she had seen the men of his court give deference to him as Emperor. "Azusa-heika, I must speak to you about something important."
When she raised her gaze to him, it was to see confusion on the Emperor's face, and she bit her lip as an awkward silence fell between them. Then Azusa seemed to gather himself, holding out a hand to her and she took it carefully, allowing him to lead her to the throne and taking the seat which he indicated at his side.
"You seem so solemn." He said, after a moment of consideration. "Am I speaking to my niece this morning, Sasami-chan? Or am I speaking to the lady Tsunami? Because you have never bowed to me that way before."
Sasami's eyes opened wide with surprise.
"Does that mean you believe me, Uncle Azusa?" She asked, all pretence of formality gone as she stared at him. "You don't think I'm crazy like Father does?"
"Sasami-chan, I have never thought you crazy, and nor has your father." Azusa's face broke into a smile. "We're far too fond of you for that. And you come from too good a line to succumb to mental debility. No, I promise we neither of us think that way."
He squeezed the hand which he still held, looking down at her kindly.
"And I am coming to believe you." He admitted. "I wasn't sure, Sasami-chan. Not at first. It seemed so impossible...and well, I think it's true to say neither your father or myself wanted such a burden to fall on your head. Had it been Ayeka...well, she's a young woman now. An adult and Crown Princess in her own right. Such a thing should fall to her. But you? You're still a child, and it's so important to be a child while you still can."
Sasami sat back against her seat, relief flickering in her expression.
"But you do believe me."
"Yes, Sasami-chan. And so does your father, even if he hasn't brought himself to say so to you." Azusa nodded his head gravely. "Is that why you came here this morning, with so much formality? It's unlike you to stand on ceremony...something must be on your mind."
"Something is." Sasami admitted, leaning up against the throne as she remembered her dream. "Uncle, Tsunami's been giving me strange dreams - you know that, don't you?"
"Yes. What of them?"
"Most of them have been vague." Sasami toyed with the edges of her cloak, biting her lip. "But the last one was so vivid, Uncle. Vivid and unmistakeable. I had to come at once and tell you, even if you didn't believe me. Tsunami showed me a future where Jurai ceased to even exist. It was overwhelmed by dark magic - a power which Tsunami couldn't even control. I...I was with her, part of her, but not somehow. It was confusing...I could feel and think her thoughts and still have my own feelings somewhere deep inside of her, though I couldn't let them run free. And...and many people were dead, Uncle."
She took a deep breath.
"You, Ayeka...everyone." She added, her voice trembling slightly. "I was Empress, but I couldn't stop the wave of darkness. Uncle, I'm scared. Really scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want Jurai to die!"
Now the tears threatened to fall and it took tremendous effort to bite them back down. She glanced up at her Uncle, seeing little of comfort in his expression.
"I see." He said at length. "And in this dream, did Tsunami happen to tell you where the darkness came from?"
"Yes." Sasami's voice was little more than a whisper as she battled her emotions, determined not to cry. "Kagato's tree, Uncle Azusa. Souja. It was Kagato-dono who destroyed Jurai. Washu-san was right - he is alive and he will come back to kill all of us if we don't do something to stop him!"
"Washu-san..." Azusa's expression became thoughtful and he rubbed his beard, falling silent for several minutes as he ruminated on her words. Sasami eyed him anxiously.
"Uncle?"
"Sasami-chan, you have done the right thing in coming to me." Azusa seemed to raise himself from his reverie, squeezing her hand and offering her a gentle smile. "And so has Tsunami. If what you've seen is the true future, then we must indeed discover more about Souja and the possibility that Kagato is not dead after all. Perhaps it would be well to have words with Washu-san, also."
"Washu is no longer on Jurai, Uncle." Sasami shook her head. "She left with Ryoko and Tenchi. She hoped to convince Ryoko to help, but they've none of them come back so I guess..."
She faltered, then shook her head.
"I guess they're not coming." She murmured.
Azusa pursed his lips.
"All right, Sasami-chan. You must leave this with me now." He said gently. "I promise, I shall give it every consideration. Meantime, you must try not to worry. Tsunami exists to protect all of us - and simply because she shows you a future, it doesn't mean that that future must be. What she's given you is a warning - so that you, and I, and all of us can try and change it before it's too late. So have no fear. All will be well. I promise."
He leant over to kiss her on the forehead. "Run along, my dear. It's my problem to handle now. You have done your share."
Sasami scrambled to her feet, nodding her head.
"Thank you, Azusa-heika." She said, very properly bowing her head to him once more. Then, the harum-scarum child once again, she ran helter-skelter down the steps, skirts flying out behind her as she yanked open the door. Kamadake was awaiting her in the hallway, and he offered her a smile as she made her exit.
"So the Honoured Emperor has put your mind at rest?" He asked softly. Sasami nodded.
"He believed me." She said, a smile touching her lips. "And he says he'll do something...so we'll see, Kamadake. After all, he is the Emperor. I just know he'll think of something!"
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"So let me get this straight."
Tenchi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, leaning up against the doorway to the front room as he attempted to absorb the situation in front of him. "Your name is Nozomi, you come from the future and you were sent here by Tsunami-sama to...to do what?"
"To change the past." Nozomi cast an apprehensive glance across the room at the space pirate that stood guard over her, electricity still flickering occasionally from her fingers and an unreadable expression on her face. "To prevent Jurai and Earth being destroyed."
"I never heard such a pile of rubbish." Ryoko said darkly. "Tenchi, don't tell me you actually believe her? This is some ruse, that's all. Probably some game of Washu's - I wouldn't put it past her!"
"I don't know who Washu is!" Nozomi exclaimed. "I don't know why Tsunami sent me to the Earth, except that you're here and that must be part of it. I know she wanted me to find you, Okaa-san. She said to me very specifically before I left that I was to hunt you down and..."
She faltered, meeting the dark glint in the other woman's eye.
"Stop calling me that." Ryoko's words were like ice. "I mean it, else I'll barbeque you right here and now. I'm no such thing and the sooner you stop playing games and tell us the truth, the better it will be for everyone."
"But I am telling you the truth!" A note of helplessness welled up in Nozomi's voice, and Tenchi shook his head slowly.
"Well, someone is going to have to explain to Grandpa why there's a brand new hole under the window, and why there's no glass left in the frame." He said at length, casting Ryoko a pointed look. The pirate grimaced.
"So I got a little annoyed when she called me...that word. I'm sorry, Tenchi. I didn't mean to blow half the wall off...it was aimed at her but she teleported out of my way, the little sneak."
"And I'm amazed you didn't manage to wake anyone else up." Tenchi continued, his gaze flickering over Nozomi as he did so. "Ryoko, you've got to learn to keep grips on your temper. We don't know anything about this girl yet, and she might be telling us the truth. Did you think of that?"
"How can she be telling us the truth?" Ryoko said sullenly, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't you think I'd know if I was mother to a mouthy brat like this one?"
She jerked a foot in Nozomi's direction, and the girl flinched.
"I'm not a liar!" She protested. "I'm here because Tsunami-sama sent me here and that's the truth! I can't tell you any other story because there isn't anything else to say! Okaa..."
"I warned you!"
"Ryoko-san." Nozomi corrected herself. "That's why I'm here. I swear it."
Tenchi sighed.
"All right. This isn't getting us anywhere." He said at length. "Ryoko, I'm willing to hear her side of the story. You know as well as I do that stranger things have happened since the two of us met. I don't see why this is any less possible than any of those things. It's possible that Nozomi is telling us the truth...but we won't know for sure until we at least hear what she has to say. She obviously came looking for you for a reason...maybe we should listen to it."
"I told you. It's Washu." Ryoko muttered. "Who else would pull a prank like this?"
"But I already said that I don't know who Washu is!" Nozomi's eyes glinted with tears of frustration. "Oh, why won't you believe me? I'm not lying to you, that's the real truth!"
Tenchi eyed the girl for a moment, taking in her features one by one. Her thick, wavy hair, the colour of malachite, was pulled back from her face in a style not dissimilar to how he had seen Ayeka and Sasami wear their hair, he thought, at least to his eyes. Her complexion was pale, with an upturned nose that spoke of a mischievous character beneath her sombre dignity, and her eyes...
With a jolt, he realised where he had seen those eyes before. His gaze flitted between Ryoko and Nozomi, taking in the different expressions on their faces. And yet, the same amber-gold eyes stared back at him, although one pair was dark with irritation, and the other sparking with frustration. He sighed.
"She has your eyes, Ryoko." He said softly.
Surprise flooded Ryoko's features at this, and she hauled the unsuspecting girl to her feet, holding her by the shoulders as she examined Nozomi's eyes for herself. Nozomi struggled against her grip.
"Put me down!" She demanded. "Stop man-handling me!"
"I don't see it." Ryoko let the girl go, and Nozomi dropped back down onto the couch, shooting her companion a wary look as she did so. "They're gold - so what? Lots of people probably have gold eyes. You're just being taken in, Tenchi - that's all. Don't fall for her lies...this is all just some plot of Washu's and we're both going to look pretty silly if we start buying into it."
"Well, better to look silly than to look dead!" Nozomi's temper flared up at this and she was on her feet, glaring at the other woman, her hands on her hips. "If you don't listen to me, that's what you'll be, Ryoko-san! And it won't be a nice quiet ending, either! You can take it from me because I know! I was there and I saw exactly what happened! And then I saw Jurai explode into nothing more than space debris..."
She faltered, too choked to continue, and Tenchi crossed the room, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down." He said softly. "You'll wake Father and Grandpa, and this arguing isn't going to do any of us any good. Nozomi, I want to hear what you have to say. Whether I believe it or not, I don't know yet. But I'm willing to listen - if you'll speak to me."
"Gladly." Nozomi nodded her head. "But it was her Tsunami-sama sent me to find, and if she won't listen to me, what's the point in me coming here at all?"
"Tenchi, are you actually going to take notice of this idiot?" Ryoko demanded. Tenchi shrugged his shoulders.
"We should hear her out." He said simply. "That's all. I'm making no snap decisions, Ryoko. I just want to know what her story is. That's all."
"You're choosing her side against me?" Ryoko's eyes opened wide with hurt and dismay. Tenchi sighed, shaking his head.
"No, Ryoko-chan. I'm not." He said quietly. "But if Nozomi is lying, no harm is done. If she isn't..."
He paused, meeting her gaze with a tender one of his own.
"Then the future could mean death for all of us." He added. "I don't think we can risk not listening to her."
"Well, fine. You play tell a story with the brat." Ryoko's expression became obstinate. "It's late and I've not been to bed yet. You can wake me in the morning - after you've kicked the charlatan out on her ear. All right?"
"Ryoko!"
"Goodnight, Tenchi." Ryoko flickered and blurred out of sight, and Tenchi sighed, shaking his head slowly. He glanced at Nozomi, whose expression had become unreadable at their exchange.
"I'm sorry." He said at length. "I think you've given her quite a shock."
"I didn't imagine it would be like this, when I finally got to speak to my mother face to face." Nozomi was not far from tears, and with a jolt Tenchi realised that she was little more than a girl herself, dressed though she was in the garb of a Juraian woman. He sat down, indicating for her to sit beside him, and, hesitantly, she did so, casting him a doubtful look.
"How old are you, Nozomi?" He asked gently.
"Sixteen summers." Nozomi got a hold on her emotions, meeting his gaze with a steady one of her own. "But that doesn't make me a child, Tenchi-san. I've been Lady In Waiting and Companion to Tsunami-sama for the last four years, more or less. And in the last one, since she became Empress of Jurai, I've become more than that. I've become the only one she trusts in. I'm not a child so don't treat me like I am."
"I wasn't going to." Tenchi assured her. "I just want to get to the bottom of this. Why you're here and whether what you say is the truth. That's all."
Nozomi sighed, burying her head in her hands.
"It's the truth. I swear it on the Goddess's name." She said after a moment. "I was sent here by Tsunami-sama as Jurai's last hope. Earth's, too. But I didn't expect to be sent to this planet. The trouble is all on Jurai, that's where the source of it is. I can only think that Tsunami-sama sent me to where Mot...where Ryoko-san would be, because that's who she sent me back here to find. I...I didn't know you had sentient trees on Earth, too - but she transported me using the life energy of the tree not far from here."
"As a rule we don't. Ryu Oh belongs to Princess Ayeka." Tenchi said with a smile. "He liked Earth so much, he decided to stay here permanently - or something along those lines."
"I see." Nozomi bit her lip. "Yes, I remember that Ayeka-heika's tree was called Ryu Oh."
"So in your world, Ayeka was the Empress? And then Sasami?" Tenchi asked gently. Nozomi nodded.
"As the Darkness spread, so people died." She agreed soberly. "It was like a poison, Tenchi-san. I can't explain it any other way. A sickness that afflicted the Juraian Royal House, one by one. Sasami-denka was the only one who survived...but she did it at a cost. She was forced to assimilate with the Goddess in order to resist the poison and it was too soon. Neither of them were ready, and it cost her dear. Now she hasn't the strength or cohesion to win this battle. It's a lost fight...or it will be, unless I can find a way to stop it all from happening."
"It's a lot that rests on your shoulders."
"There is only me left." Nozomi shrugged. "Everyone else is dead. Everyone. And if your planet is dead too, Tenchi-san, I expect you and your family are also lost. I don't know."
"You said that you didn't know your mother." Tenchi remembered, sitting back in the seat. "So how can you be so sure that Ryoko is it?"
"Because Tsunami-sama told me so." Nozomi admitted.
"Could she have been mistaken?"
"No...I don't think so." Nozomi shook her head. "Tell me, Tenchi-san - have you heard the name Kagato before?"
"Yes." A shadow touched Tenchi's face. "So that's it, then? Kagato is behind this darkness you're telling me about?"
"Kagato is the darkness." Nozomi looked haunted. "Almost as if he were a God himself. There were so many cults of Kagato springing up around the planet. Sasami-denka said it was because Souja's roots poisoned the ground, tainted the water and drove people to madness. I don't know if she was right, but I know that they worshipped him like a God, sure enough. Then, when he was strong and ready, they awoke him. And he wrought destruction on the whole planet over the course of four years."
"And I thought I'd killed the man once." Tenchi glanced at his hands. "If you're telling me the truth, Nozomi - Washu was right. Kagato did survive our battle, and did seek refuge in Souja's tree. Maybe we should have listened to what she said more clearly. Maybe she could have told us more."
"I really don't know who that is." Nozomi admitted. "But Tsunami-sama did tell me that she tried to prevent Kagato's rising in this time, but that she failed. She said it had something to do with Mother - I don't know what - and that Mother blamed herself. When she died, Tenchi-san, she died because...because of me."
Her words shook.
"Tsunami only had enough power left to heal one of us." She whispered. "Mother asked her to save me. And she died. I was with her...but I couldn't help her."
"I see." Tenchi pursed his lips. "I have to admit, that does sound like something Ryoko would do - believing that somehow she could come out of it her own way, and take the risk. But what makes you so certain she's your mother? Maybe, if you'd come at her from a different angle, she'd have been more prepared to hear your story. As it is, now you've upset and unsettled her...I don't know. She can be stubborn - you really don't realise how stubborn."
"Ryoko-san is a descendant of Kagato." Nozomi said quietly. "Isn't that right? Tsunami-sama told me it was so."
"Yes...he was - is - her father." Tenchi nodded his confirmation. "Though estranged. They've never been on terms. Why?"
"When the Priests of Kagato raised his spirit, they used my blood to do it." Nozomi's voice wavered. "Because I was a descendant of Kagato. That's how I know, Tenchi-san. Tsunami-sama told me the truth. My blood is her blood and they used me to raise his spirit from the Tree. It's not a memory I'll easily forget - I thought they were going to kill me."
She glanced at her hands, and for the first time Tenchi could see the faint hints of red around her nails, harsh reminders of what the girl had been through. "Sasami-denka gave me the name Nozomi, but my true name is Moriko. At least, that was the name I was given growing up. Child of the Forest. Their chosen one."
Tenchi eyed the girl keenly.
"I think I believe you." He admitted. "But convincing Ryoko that you're on the level, that's another matter. Once she has an idea, it can be hard to shift it."
Nozomi sent him a curious glance.
"Do you love her, Tenchi-san?" She asked. "I know nothing about my mother's life at all. Not really. Only the little bits Tsunami-sama told me. That's all."
An embarrassed look touched Tenchi's expression, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes." He admitted. "Very much, if you want the truth."
"Even though she blows holes in the wall of your house?" Nozomi looked non-plussed. Tenchi laughed.
"Oh, that's nothing. You get used to it." He assured her. "You should see what she did to the oven the last time she tried to cook."
Nozomi sighed.
"It must be nice." She reflected. "Just being here, not worrying about anything else. Just living your life in this beautiful place, with it's peace and quiet. I can see why she came here...I admit I was tempted at first to just run into the night and forget all about my world. But I couldn't do it, Tenchi-san. I couldn't let Tsunami-sama down. Not after all she's done for me. In some ways she became like a sister, in others like a mother. I wouldn't forsake her, even if I don't really know what I'm supposed to do here."
"She didn't give you any real clues?"
"Only that it had to do with my mother and a choice she made in this time." Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. "Which could be anything at all. It would help if I knew her better, but so far she just wants to kill me, and I haven't made a great first impression."
She bit her lip.
"I did hope it would be different, if I ever had the chance to meet her." She added. "But I guess not."
"I'll talk to her." Tenchi promised. "But for now, it is late. She was right about that. You have nowhere else to go, so you can stay here tonight. I'm afraid it will mean the sofa, but you must be tired after the day you've had, and everything will be fresher when the sun is up."
"Thank you." Surprise mingled with gratitude flickered into Nozomi's gold eyes, and Tenchi was struck once again by their similarity to the headstrong space pirate's. "I can see why Mother likes you. You're a kind man, Tenchi-san."
"Well, I'm glad you think so." Tenchi laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I'm not so sure it's true. Try to get some sleep, Nozomi. Tomorrow, we'll see what we can straighten out. And I won't let Ryoko blast you out through the roof, I promise. I'll talk to her. Tomorrow."
"If she tried, she might get a surprise." Nozomi assured him. "I'm not completely defenceless. I'm just...just tired."
She stifled a yawn, and Tenchi got to his feet, casting her a grin.
"Then rest." He told her. "And tomorrow we'll work out exactly what we're going to do about all of this - if we even can!"