Credits: Tenchi Muyo!/No Need For Tenchi is a product of  
Pioneer/AIC. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this 
fiction other than my own enjoyment, because the thought of getting 
sued is rather unpleasant.

Mr. Long T. Tran for his "Tenchi Muyo: Ryoko's Love Prologue" 
story line, parts one, two, and three, and the characters created 
therein.  His fiction can be found at GenSao's excellent Tenchi Muyo 
Fan Fiction Page: http://www.tmffa.com


Disclaimer:  All characters *I* have created are purely a work of 
fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is pure coincidence.  
Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably just itching for a fight.  
Also, please do not try and distribute this story in some lame attempt 
to make a buck;  it would be bad karma to say the least.





                              Tenchi Muyo!
                          "No Need For Sasami"

                    A Fan-Fiction by Michael McAvoy



		In the velvet of the darkness
  		By the silhouette of silent Trees
		They are watching, They are waiting
		They are witnessing Life's mysteries.

		Find the answers, ask the questions
		Find the roots of an ancient Tree
		Take me dancing, take me singing
		I'll ride on till the moon meets the sea.
 
             	                -- Loreena McKennitt

        

                         -* Chapter Eight *-


[IN THE OUTER REACHES OF THE SOL SYSTEM]

	Small, cold, and blue, the planet Pluto sat at the outer reaches 
of the Sol system like a sentry at the edge of a great unknown 
wilderness.  Spinning slowly on a strange axis of rotation that served 
to generate fierce winds in it gaseous form, the planet made its 
painfully slow circuit around the sun as it had for billions of years.
It was a planet viewed with much speculation and scientific curiosity for 
the inhabitants of the third planet from the center of the system, 
enough so that a rather small space voyager had been sent years ago to 
make its acquaintance.  The meeting had been brief, but exciting.

	Well, the humans found it exciting at any rate.  Pluto moved 
on through its path as it had done for countless millions of years 
without much comment, only the massive fields of asteroids that 
extended beyond its orbit for company.  Human scientists had only 
recently had the telescopic power necessary to discover the immense 
asteroid belts that surrounded their entire solar system beyond Pluto, 
and many found the notion of being in the center of a random pinball 
game rather disconcerting.  After all, one of those pinball's had taken 
out most of life on Earth some seventy-odd million years earlier.

	The few non-terrestrial ships that had entered the Sol system 
over the past few million years or so had also been wary of the 
asteroids.  Cruising through the relative emptiness of space at 
incredible rates of speed always became tricky when entering any 
system as asteroids tended to enjoy hanging in that transition zone 
where a sun's gravity was not enough to pull them in, but also just 
enough to keep them from escaping.  All ships were required, at some 
point or another, to slow down dramatically and work their way 
through the ever changing labyrinth of debris.  In fact, the asteroids 
that were common to most every system were utilized by many 
advanced space fairing races as a first line of defense against invasion, 
taking advantage of an enemy's forced deceleration to counter attack.

	The sleek and trim ship of Juraian origin was no different in 
this respect.  After having raced through most of the restricted zone of 
Jurai space, it had used its engines to decelerate enough to safely pass 
through the asteroid obstacle course.  Now, as it had successfully 
navigated the dangerous passage and was drawing near Pluto, the pilot 
of the ship prepared to increase speed again.  The pilot, however, 
would not be able to drop the hammer, so to speak, and reach the 
speeds the ship had achieved earlier.  After all, the inner avenues of 
most systems in the Milky Way were just cluttered enough with 
wandering bits of rock and ice to make navigation a cautious 
endeavor.

	The pilot considered his options, though.  He was keenly 
aware of being tailed by another ship, and one that was probably very 
advanced to keep up with and track his stealthy craft.  Considering the 
options quickly, the pilot realized it would probably be a race under 
the circumstances... and he was only some twenty-four Earth hours 
from his destination. Muttering a curse under his breath, the pilot 
slung past Pluto and accelerated beyond prudent speeds towards the 
inhabited planet.

	In the far distance, out among the asteroid fields, a silvery 
flash reflected in the low light revealing a pursuing Galaxy Police 
patrol ship.

				*	*	*


[SUNDAY 4:31 AM, EASTERN STANDARD TIME]

	Deep in the bowels of a large and heavily protected building, 
a young man in slacks and a tie sat up on his stool and wearily rubbed 
his eyes.  Having been up since early the previous day, he considered if 
all the hassle and rigors of training were really worth it.  At the 
moment, he was in one of the most highly secure areas of Langley, 
Virginia examining real time imagery from one of the CIA's most 
advanced spy satellites.  Ordinary, someone might image such work to 
be terribly exciting.

	For the CIA analyst in training, it was not.  Having to work 
late hours aside, his superiors were far from letting a rookie get his 
hands on any really sensitive or important work.  Instead, the powers-
that-be had assigned him, and other rookies, to analyze information 
from "low-threat" countries of little military concern.

	Finishing rubbing his eyes, the fellow returned to his 
monitors where he had been tracking movements of the Japanese air 
force from a base in the mountains.  He had spent all night 
practicing monitoring their forces, flight patterns, and other 
operational items in preparation for the day, hopefully soon, when he 
would graduate to a more important assignment.  After all, no one in 
America really cared where Japanese F-16's spent their time.

	The analyst looked up at the clock and realized that his duty 
shift was finally over.  In fact, it had ended a minute ago.  Sighing 
again, the young man suddenly did not feel like going home yet.  
Turning back to his equipment, he picked a spot at random in the 
mountains where the fighters had been practicing maneuvers and 
increased the resolution.  Fiddling for a few moments, he settled on an 
isolated residence outside a small mountain town.

	Okay, so he was a voyeur at heart, but then again, he was 
paid to be one for a reason.

	Focusing in even closer on a house by a lake, the power of the 
real-time satellite became apparent.  Not only was the detail 
incredible, but it was also flexible, allowing panning and directional 
adjustment from the space platform.  Examining the surroundings of 
the house. The analyst quickly came to the disappointing conclusion 
that no one was out and about doing anything of interest.  It *was* 
dinnertime in Japan, after all.  Everyone was probably inside.

	'Wait a sec,' the man thought, 'here's someone.'

	From the edge of his monitor, a young looking female was 
moving towards the house.  Increasing the resolution even more, the 
fellow was pleased to note he could scan down a ways at the 
respectable bosom the girl had.  Unfortunately, she seemed to be 
cradling a small cat, which prevented any further peeking.  The girl 
finally entered the house.

	'Where did she come from,' he wondered.

	Adjusting the angle of his high powered satellite cameras 
again, he looked in the direction the female had come from and found 
a long, stone staircase that headed up the side of the mountain.  
Following its path, the analyst finally encountered a large, grassy yard 
and a temple.  Laying smack in the middle of the grass was another 
woman.

	'My lucky day,' he grinned, 'is she sunbathing?  No... too 
much clothing for that. Man, she looks pretty damn dirty... and in a 
martial arts gi to boot.'

	The analyst's eyebrow quirked up in curiosity.  'Maybe it's a 
training area?' he pondered.  'Oh, wait, there's someone getting up 
from the porch... he must be her instructor.'

	His interest snapped by an electronic beeping, the CIA trainee 
looked down at his watch, which was reminding him it was time to go 
home.  Sighing loudly, he took one last look at the pair of Japanese 
people before getting up from his station.  Running through a series of 
routine checks and procedures, the young man executed the security 
protocols on his workstation and prepared to leave his office.

	Having already forgotten the people in Japan, he wondered if 
he would be able to get through security in time to beat the morning 
rush hour traffic.

			*	*	*


[SUNDAY 6:36 PM, JAPAN STANDARD TIME]

	High overhead in a mostly cloudless sky, the vapor trail of 
an F-16 passed smoothly over the Masaki residence.  Making a slow 
arc in the sky, the fighter jet banked away from the mountains and 
disappeared into the hot and hazy afternoon.  Far below, in a large 
yard of slightly sun-browned grass, a young woman with long hair, a 
peculiar shade of blue, lay on her back facing the heavens.  Dirty and 
disheveled, the woman did not seem to be moving much at all and her 
eyes were closed, indicating she might be asleep.

	From somewhere, there was a buzzing noise.  It was not very 
distinct, and it seemed far away.  Princess Sasami tried a bit to catch 
meaning in the noise, but the effort to do so seemed so beyond her.  
Letting her eyes open, she stared at the sky above.

	'It's so very blue,' came an unbidden analysis from a corner 
of her mind, 'and there are some clouds, too... they almost look like 
deer.'

	In the corner of her vision, Sasami seemed to notice a change 
in the sky.  It seemed as if the color there was deepening, but she could 
not be certain.  Sasami made to tilt her head where it rested in the 
grass towards the horizon, but found herself unable to even flinch.

	'My,' she marveled, 'this is so peculiar.  Why can't I move 
my head... or my arm?  Something must be wrong, but everything 
feels so... light... so very light.'

	Laying sprawled in the grass in front of the Masaki shrine, 
Sasami rested with her face towards the sky.  Her hair was a tangled 
mess from top to bottom, the usual sheen to it lost in the mud and 
sweat accumulated during the day.  Her body, pushed beyond 
endurance to the point of collapse, was thankfully disconnected from 
her ability to process much sensation other than sight.  In this state, 
her comprehension was thick and slow.

	And there was still that buzzing noise.

	It seemed a little louder to Sasami, now, so she decided she 
had best make a more concerted effort to listen.  Puckering up her face 
in what would have been a comical mask of concentration in other 
circumstances, Sasami struggled to identify what she was hearing.  
Then it came to her.

	'Oh, it's Tenchi-niichan,' she smiled to herself, 'that's nice.  
I wonder what he's doing here.  He should look at the clouds, too.  
They're so pretty.'

	The noise in her ear became much louder.  Like being pulled 
from a wonderful dream, Sasami's mind restarted and suddenly began 
to process all the information she was absorbing all in and around her 
body.

	"- ake up.  Sasami.  Sasami, wake up," Tenchi's insistent 
voice penetrated the haze.  "Wake up!"

	"Huh?" she mumbled thickly.

	Something more came out of her mouth as a noise, but it was 
totally unintelligible to Tenchi.  The princess's mouth was caked with 
grime and gunk, and her lips were so dry that they had cracked a little.

	"Sasami," Tenchi's voice insisted, "if you don't get up right 
now, I'll assume you've quit, that you've given up, and that you're 
ready to go back to Jurai."

	Sasami's eyes lolled to one side as she blinked slowly.  
'Jurai.' her thoughts struggled, 'given up...huh?'

	"Is that what you're trying to tell me by staying on the 
ground, Sasami?" demanded Tenchi.

	Tenchi's voice was becoming a faint buzz to the princess 
again.  Squinting her eyes, Sasami tried to concentrate.  A myriad of 
confused images flashed through her noggin until at last she was 
struck by clarity.

	"N-No," her voice croaked again as she struggled to roll over 
on her side.

	Only, there was not any strength left.  Sasami tried to force 
her body upwards again, but failed after barely managing to pull her 
head up off the ground.  She lay on the grass, her mouth upon and her 
breath coming in exhausted gasps.

	Tenchi came into Sasami's view as he leaned over her.  There 
were a smudges of dirt here and there on his white gi top, and the heat 
of the day had left him sweaty, though not as bad as the princess.

	He shook his head.  "I hear your voice say one thing, 
Sasami," observed Tenchi, "but your body says another.  What's the 
matter?  Your strength left you completely?"

	Sasami took a deep breath and looked up at Tenchi.  "I don't 
know," she mumbled, "it's my body... won't do... anything."

	Tenchi nodded.  "That's understandable, princess," he 
nodded quietly, "I've been running you around all afternoon waiting 
for this moment to arrive."

	He then straightened up and began to walk around Sasami in 
a slow circle.  "You've expended every last bit of your strength, 
haven't you?" asked Tenchi.  "This can happen to you in a serious 
struggle, Sasami.  Every last drop of your body's energy used up until 
the well is dry, but your opponent is still standing."

	Sasami weakly tried to summon up her body to lift itself up, 
but her weak arms quickly buckled under her own weight.  Again, she 
flopped back into the grass.

	"The body can be very strong," continued Tenchi, still 
circling, "but the mind is even stronger.  In fact, the mind is the 
strongest part of your body, Sasami.  When the body fails, the mind 
has the power to force yourself to reach beyond, to keep going even 
thought you have no strength left.  Your mind can do this too, 
princess."

	Tenchi stopped and looked down at Sasami again.  Staring at 
her intently, he then said, "I'm going to start walking towards the 
steps for home, Sasami.  If I reach the top of the staircase and you 
have not gotten up to stop me, I'll assume you've given up, that you 
really don't want to stay as part of this family."

	Sasami blinked several times, trying to fight the sweat that 
made her eyes all tacky and sticky.

	"Whether you stop me or not," Tenchi finished, "won't be 
from a lack of desire... it'll be from a lack of will.  It's all up to 
you."

	With that, Tenchi drew himself up straight and began to walk 
away from the collapsed princess slowly.  Not looking back, the prince 
of Jurai made his way across the grassy courtyard for the top of the 
staircase.

	Sasami grunted.  'He's leaving!  He's really leaving!' her 
mind processed, 'Get up, I have to get up!'

	Sasami struggled some more, a little cry of frustration 
squeaking past her lips.  Tenchi had almost crossed half of the 
distance.

	'He can't do this to me!  He can't make me leave!  I-I... I 
don't *want* to have my family taken from me!  I *must* get up!'

	Closing her eyes, Sasami stopped struggling on the ground 
and lay still.  Taking several deep, gasping breaths, she calmed herself 
quickly.

	'Tenchi said my mind was stronger than my body,' she 
rapidly thought, 'that it'd make my body work.'

	'It'd make my body move.'

	'So why isn't my body moving?!'

	Sasami rolled her head over to where Tenchi was walking 
away.  She had maybe ten seconds before he reached the stone 
staircase.

	'He said my body would move!  He said my mind was 
stronger!  He-he said it wasn't a lack of desire... it's a lack... a lack 
of-'

	Sasami's eyes cranked open as there was an audible click 
from deep within her mind.

	'It's a lack of-`

	"WILL!" she yelled out hoarsely.

	Tenchi paused just two strides from the top of the staircase.  
Looking back over his shoulder at the princess, a raised eyebrow was 
the only betrayal of expression on his face.

	Reaching past her body, Sasami, royal princess of Jurai, dug 
deep within her mind and commanded her body to rise.  Clawing her 
fingers into the grass and dirt, with a frightening growl emanating 
from her throat, Sasami wrenched herself up into a sitting position.  
Not pausing for a second, she leaned forward and gathered her weak 
legs underneath her body.

	"You..." growled the princess out loud,  "you will *not* 
make me give up-"

	Sasami propelled herself to her feet with a might thrust of her 
mind until she was standing.

	"- MY FAMILY!" she screamed with hot anger.

	Tenchi turned around and fully faced the princess.  Crossing 
his arms across his crest, he looked at Sasami with an expression of 
disinterest.

	"And what will you do to prevent me?" he asked, "What are 
you going to do to keep me from taking these last steps to the 
staircase?"

	There was a snarling hum of energy as a blue beam of light 
sprung up from between Sasami's outstretched hands.  Unlike before, 
the energy was strong and true, not wavering at all.  Panting heavily, 
the princess took a step forward and began to close on Tenchi.

	"What-whatever I have to," she gasped at him.

	"As you wish," Tenchi replied calmly.

	Without any hesitation, reached into his gi and removed his 
grandfather's fabled sword, Tenchi-ken.  With barely a thought, the 
sword sprang to life, also a bright blue beam of energy.  In the space of 
a blink, Sasami saw Tenchi leap towards her at a dead run, his weapon 
held low.  Raising up her own sword of energy in defense, Sasami did 
her best to tense her body as the arc of Tenchi's blade swung at her.

	There was a tremendous clang of energy as Tenchi struck.  
Driven backwards by the force of the blow, Sasami's arms flung away 
wildly causing her energy blade to evaporate instantly.  Her feet 
slipping on the grass, Sasami landed roughly on her bottom with a 
painful impact.  Looking up above her, she saw Tenchi's blade reverse 
its strike and come arcing for her head.  Sasami's face went calm and 
blank in recognition that she had failed.

	'I won't shy away,' was her last thought.

				*	*	*


	Yui Masaki paced with nervous energy back and forth in 
front of the Masaki residence.  It had been a little while since she had 
returned to the house and deposited a still upset Ryo-ohki into Ryoko's 
hands.  Yui's mother had instantly interrupted the dinner she was 
preparing to sit for a while and comfort her dazed pirate ship.  Under 
her attentions, Ryo-ohki had finally perked up and begun to meow in 
recovery.

	Yui left the cabbit and her mother in the kitchen and 
wandered back outdoors.  Still damp and sweaty in her exercise 
uniform, the seventeen year old began to ponder disobeying her father 
and heading back to the shrine.

	'I could just find someplace nearby,' Yui mused, 'and make 
myself small and quiet.  Dad might not know I was there.'

	Then again, the wiser part of her brain mentioned, when was 
the last time Tenchi ever failed to notice anything?

	'Good point,' conceded Yui, 'but I can't just sit here.'

	Making up her mind, Yui stopped pacing and dashed down 
the trail towards the bottom of the stone staircase.  She was fully 
determined not to abandon her aunt if she really needed her help.

				*	*	*


	Up at the shrine, things were very quiet and still.  Though 
Yosho had been, and still was, in the shrine all day long since handing 
over Sasami to Tenchi, he had not made any noise or ventured to look 
outside any of the windows.  Had he chosen to do so now, he still 
would not have been surprised at the sight he would see.

	Standing midway through a devastating sword-fighting 
posture, Tenchi Masaki was rooted to the Earth with Tenchi-ken 
activated and extended outwards.  The blue of the blade, out before 
him, hummed quietly only inches from Sasami's nose.  In fact, the 
princess, despite her awful and utter exhaustion, was keenly aware of 
the heat coming from the weapon.  Still, perhaps in part to her 
exhaustion, Sasami did not waver from anything more than her 
weariness.  

	After almost a minute of silence, Tenchi deactivated his 
weapon and stepped backwards.  The intensity washing clean from his 
face left Tenchi looking relaxed and peaceful for a man who had just 
been engaged in combat.  It all went back to Tenchi's teachings about 
the mental state from engaging in violence:  before and after the fight, 
the world had no use for such destructive emotions.  Further collecting 
himself, after several slow and deep breaths, Tenchi straightened his 
clothing and eased himself to the ground on his knees and sat back.

	"It's still another hour or so until sundown," Tenchi said 
quietly, breaking the long silence, "but I think we're done for the day."

	Sasami looked around blankly, her momentary command of 
will having exhausted her even more than a whole day's worth of 
exertion.  Stray strands of hair sticky with dirt and grime to her face, 
Sasami's mouth opened and closed a couple of times in confusion.

	Tenchi shifted his weight to a more comfortable position.  
"Don't try to talk yet, Sasami," he smiled compassionately, "just 
listen.  We took a girl this morning and ran her to exhaustion.  We 
angered, humiliated, and shamed her in the process.  We took every 
wall that made up that girl's existence and smashed them."

	There was a soft noise as the door to the Masaki shrine 
opened quietly.  From inside the building stepped Yosho, who closed 
the door behind him before walking down the shine steps.  Moving 
smoothing and slowly, the aging prince of Jurai closed about half the 
distance towards Tenchi and Sasami before pausing to listen.

	Tenchi continued.  "We made you see the person you had 
become these past few weeks," he said, "which was a horrible boding 
of someone you might further become had you returned to Jurai in that 
state.  But you saw your actions and felt genuine sorrow and regret for 
what you did.  More than that, you accepted your trial without 
complaint, and in the end you were willing to sacrifice everything to 
remain part of this family."

	Sasami's head bobbed up from where it had been dangling.  If 
she had not been so tired, she might have started crying again.  As it 
was, she simply stared in a daze with her hands lying limp in her lap.  
Tenchi leaned forward slightly and placed one of his hands over hers 
comfortingly.

	"That girl," said Tenchi with strength, "is gone forever.  In 
its place is a young woman whose body has endured beyond 
exhaustion and who has realized that the power of the mind and spirit 
can overcome the most serious of trials.  That young woman is you, 
Sasami, and she will always be welcome and loved in this family."

	All the built up fear and anxiety that had been driven back by 
Sasami's weariness finally pushed to the forefront.  With a strangled 
sob, Sasami's head fell forward and she began to weep loudly.  Tenchi 
continued to hold her hand for several minutes until the princess 
degenerated into a fit of hiccups.  The hiccups managed to interrupt 
Sasami's weeping fit enough for Yosho to speak up.

	"The slate is clean, Sasami-chan," Yosho spoke in his serious 
voice, scratching at the side of his head, "we've taken your spirit and it 
is now reborn.  How you let your spirit grow, however, will be entirely 
up to you.  Now that you can hopefully recognize the fears and 
emotions that poison the mind, your will let your spirit flourish in a 
healthy manner."

	Tenchi nodded and then reached up to pull a leaf or two out 
of Sasami's long and tangled hair.

	"Grandfather and I are going down to the house to wash up 
and have dinner," said Tenchi soothingly, "and we hope you'll be 
down soon to join us.  Take some time to rest awhile here, Sasami, 
before you tackle those steps with your wobbly legs."

	"T-tenchi," Sasami finally managed to blurb out.

	"Yes, Sasami?"

	"I'm sorry," she whispered sadly, with another hiccup, "for 
everything."

	Tenchi shook his head, "Don't worry, Sasami, it's all in the 
forgotten past."

	Rocking back on his feet, Tenchi gathered his legs and stood 
up straight.  Turning to his grandfather, he straightened his uniform 
and took a deep breath.

	"Shall we, grandfather?" he asked, starting to walk across the 
courtyard.

	"Certainly, Tenchi," responded Yosho, following him, "my 
poor stomach has been rumbling even after lunch.  Really, you'd think 
the family of someone so esteemed in age as myself might take better 
care of me."

	"I'll mention that to Ryoko," Tenchi replied offhandedly, 
"I'm sure she'll being willing to take pity on an old man.  She can 
start serving you softer foods through a straw."

	Sasami sat in a heap, listening with dazed detachment as the 
voices of the two princes slowly faded away done the stone staircase.  
For several minutes, she sat hunched over her own lap, slowly rocking 
back and forth.  Her head beginning to swim from any number of 
internal overloads brought on by her exhaustion, Sasami slowly 
teetered over into the grass and fell asleep.

	Overhead, the summer sky continued to darken bit by bit as 
the evening approached.

			*	*	*


	For well over an hour, Yui Masaki waited patiently near the 
top of the temple stairs.  Concealed from her father and great 
grandfather as they passed her on the way to the house, she hid 
quietly, waiting for Sasami to wake up.  Peeking up over the slope now 
and again, Yui could see Sasami lying in the grass, either passed out 
or asleep.  This did not concern the teenager, though, because after all 
that physical and mental stress, it was only natural that Sasami's body 
would want to conk out for a while.

	So, Yui decided to stretch out a bit herself, lying on the soft 
grasses of the mountain slope.  Daydreaming about this and that for a 
while, she nonetheless kept her ears and other senses wide open, 
waiting to hear any noise that the worn out princess above might 
make.  And at the end of that hour and a bit, she was finally rewarded.

	Looking up the few stairs to the top of the staircase, Yui saw 
Sasami slowly walking towards the edge.  Teetering wildly with a 
totally dazed look on her dirty face, Sasami was concentrating 
desperately just to keep herself upright.  Unless Sasami got off her feet 
and crawled down the staircase, Yui was certain there was no was she 
was going to make it.  Yui held her breath as Sasami paused numbly 
for a moment before taking that first step.

	Everything seemed light and strangely peaceful to Sasami as 
she immediately lost her balance and began to fall out into 
nothingness.  Rolling over to one side as she fell, the princess began to 
faint as the stone stairs rapidly approached her.  Without warning, 
though, she was suddenly enveloped by a pair of thin, but very strong 
and gentle arms.  Instead of hitting the stone, Sasami felt herself being 
lifted.

	Having leapt from her hiding spot and taken flight, Yui 
cradled her aunt protectively.  

	"It's all finished, aunt Sasami," she smiled soothingly, "it's 
all finished.  Let's get you home and get you cleaned up, because you 
smell awful!"

	Sasami mumbled something unintelligible before fading back 
into unconsciousness.

				*	*	*


[MONDAY 4:59 AM, JAPAN STANDARD TIME]

	There is a moment of stillness just before dawn.  In this 
moment, birds and animals are still quiet in the woods, and people 
have for the most part yet to wake up and go about their daily lives.  It 
is during this time that most people at some point have woken up and 
wandered outside and listened to the awesome silence before sunrise 
and marveled at the state of the world.  Predawn is a place were great 
inspiration can be born.

	It is a place in time where clarity and understanding of one's 
self can be reached.

	Something in that magical time called to Sasami, bringing 
her from the depths of her deep sleep.  For the first time in weeks, the 
princess had slept uninterrupted the entire night, with no dreams at all 
plaguing her with fear.  Whatever it was that was calling her, 
however, was not a dream, but it tugged gently and persistently until 
Sasami's eyes opened to the darkness before first light.

	Laid out neatly in her futon, Sasami was clothed in an overly 
large tee shirt with a pair of long, flannel pajama pants.  In a sleepy 
daze, she stretched a little and slid her arms and legs around in the 
linens that covered her.  As a few more minutes passed, Sasami was 
aware of still feeling rather tired.  In fact, her muscles seemed to have 
the consistency of Jell-O, but they were not sore.  Everything felt 
incredibly light to the princess to the point where she actually smiled 
in the darkness.

	'Why do I feel so good?' Sasami asked herself.  `I'm so tired, 
but everything is... wonderful... clean.'

	Cleanliness was in itself an improvement.  Lying in the dark 
of her room, Sasami wrinkled her nose at the thought of how bad she 
had smelled the day before.  A small yawn made its way past her lips 
as she drew one of her hands up along the side of her face slowly.  
Suddenly, her hands met a fine piece of cloth around her head.

	'Someone wrapped up my hair,' Sasami realized, 'It must 
have been Yui, I guess.'

	Letting her hand rest softly against her forehead, Sasami 
yawned again and thought about returning to sleep.  For some reason, 
though she was tired, Sasami did not feel sleepy any more.  
Her tiredness was of a physical sort, now.  The mental weariness that 
had consumed her the day before had almost all but been taken care of 
by a night's worth of peaceful sleep.  Moving slowly, the princess sat 
up on her futon and wobbled slightly.

	Sasami smiled a little bit at how unsteady her body seemed.  
Noticing a bright area on her floor, she turned her head a little and 
leaned as to get a look out her window.  Under normal circumstances, 
she would have expected her stomach and leg muscles to keep her 
body upright as she strayed beyond her center of mass.  Her muscles 
being as they currently were, however, Sasami's forward momentum 
caused her to tumble over uncontrollably.  With a small yelp of 
surprise, the princess landed in a twisted heap across her futon.  
Opening her eyes one at a time, Sasami decided that maybe she better 
take things a little more slowly for a while.  Looking up from where 
she was sprawled, though, the princess now had that better view she 
was looking for.

	'Goodness, that's so bright,' she marveled.

	The night sky above was a brilliant color of dark blue, and the 
few clouds dotting the heavens were shining spectacularly from the 
light they were reflecting.  Even though she could not see it from her 
vantage, Sasami instinctively knew that it must be the moon causing 
the heavens to be so aglow.  Sasami, after a few moments of watching 
the clouds move by, made a decision.

	'I want to see the moon,' she thought.

	In a comical effort, Sasami weakly untangled herself from her 
futon linens and tried to wobble up to a sitting position.  Failing 
several times, and almost once strangling herself, the princess finally 
managed to get up on her hands and knees.  A silly, but frustrated 
smile graced Sasami's features sincerely for the first time in several 
weeks.  With a lot of determination, she made it to her feet and 
teetered for her door.

	It took well over ten minutes for Sasami to make it down the 
steps in the darkness.  The incredible strain put on her muscles made 
her movements awkward and hard to control, and if she did not move 
very slowly, there was a good chance she would run into something 
hard.  Though Sasami did not feel any pain in her body, her leg 
muscles trembled and jumped with every step.  After nearly falling at 
the top of the staircase, the princess was caught by inspiration and 
navigated the rest of the steps one at a time on her rear.  

	Reaching the bottom of the wooden staircase, Sasami slowly 
managed to drag herself back to her feet, using the staircase banister.  
Waddling with very short steps over to the front door, she opened it 
quietly and stepped out of the house.

	Wandering in the moonlight for a while, Sasami found 
herself moving down a path that spilt off from the bottom of the stone 
temple staircase deeper into the surrounding woods.  Looking up 
through the leaves of the dark trees overhead, she could see the light of 
the moon filtering though.  As big and circular as a pizza pie, the 
glowing orb left plenty of light for Sasami to see her way by.  Though 
she was barefoot and incredibly weak, her spirits seemed to soar with 
every step she took.

	Eventually, the path began to take an upward turn across the 
mountainside.  Taking small steps all the while, Sasami glided slowly 
along, her hair shining with a ghostly pallor from the moon's light as 
she moved along in the darkness.  After a while, the terrain became 
rockier and the sounds of a quick and splashing stream could be heard.

	Exiting the overhanging trees, Sasami came upon the stream 
that was making so much noise.  A series of splendid pools that spilled 
over white rocks, the stream moved quickly, dazzling Sasami's eyes 
with the refracting moonlight.  Smiling to herself again, the princess 
tried her best to pick up her pace, moving along the rocks and boulders 
that now dotted the trail.

	And then she arrived.  At the top of the hill, leading into a 
small canyon gorge, was a small, grassy area that overlooked a deep 
and magnificent pool.  Shimmering in the bright light from above, the 
surface of the pool was rippled continuously by a small waterfall that 
toppled over the edge of the gorge.  The water was warm and inviting, 
as evident by the continual amount of steam that lifted off the surface 
of the pool.  Unusually warm for a mountain stream, it was heated 
somewhere deep within the mountain before being released to the 
surface up above where Sasami was.

	A hot pool was exactly what Sasami's tired body needed.  Not 
even pausing to think about the royal impropriety of what she was 
doing, Sasami fiddled with the drawstring of her flannel pajama pants 
for a moment.  Succeeding in getting the knot undone, she let the 
pants fall to her ankles, where she stumbled slightly trying to kick 
them away.  Next, Sasami unworked the series or wraps Yui had spent the
previous evening painstakingly crafted around her hair.  Then, moving 
towards a shallow end of the pool, Sasami took hold of the hem of her 
tee shirt and lifted her arms up above her head, removing the thin 
garment.  Dropping the shirt, she took a hesitant step into the pool.

	Though her naked body was surprisingly chilled by the 
coolness of the summer night, the warmth from the pool soon 
enveloped her, wrapping Sasami in steam.  Easing down into the 
warm waters slowly, the princess was all at once delighted and relaxed 
by the caressing strokes of the pool around her.  Pushing off, bit by bit, 
into the deeper areas of the pool, Sasami lazily paddled about for a 
half and hour, occasionally letting her body sink the few feet to the 
bottom of the pool and resting there until her breath gave out.  Rising 
to the top of the water, she would take a slow and deep breath and 
repeat the action, enjoying the muffled quiet of the subsurface world.

	Eventually, Sasami became amazed by the realization of how 
light hearted and carefree she felt.  In sharp contrast to the maudlin 
state of mind she had been in for the past two weeks, she drew herself 
up short and wondered how she could be feeling this way.  It was not 
natural, was it?  Sasami was not sure.  Certainly, she felt a large 
amount of guilt for the way she had treated her family and Nathaniel, 
and those things could not be so easily washed away... could they?  
Sasami felt very, very confused at that moment, and she felt she really 
needed someone she could confide in about all these emotions that 
were just beginning to surface unbidden.

	The problem was Sasami did not think she could confront 
anyone back in the house with all the thoughts spinning about her 
head.  There were just so many things that were so personal that she 
had never even considered trying to express before, and the princess 
was not sure she would make sense to anyone.  Sasami needed 
someone who knew her, someone so close to her that they would be 
able to help her understand herself, to put meaning to the emotions she 
felt.

	'I could talk all day long,' Sasami sighed, swirling her hands 
in the crystal water, 'but they wouldn't *really* understand me. I 
need...'

	Sasami suddenly sat up straight, vaulting the upper half of 
her body out of the water, with her eyes wide in the moonlit darkness.  
She *knew* that there was someone who knew her that closely, 
someone who could bridge the gap between her emotions and the 
inability she had to express them.  The solution roared in her mind 
louder than the sound of the waterfall nearby.

	Rising slowly, but steadily to her feet, Sasami rose up out of 
the water.  As her dripping skin was exposed to the night air, steam 
lifted from her body, enveloping her in a warm mist.  Her hair fell wet 
down her naked back, its ends reaching past her calves and floating in 
the shimmering water.  Closing her eyes, Sasami let her arms fall by 
her sides with her palms open.

	"By the royal seal and my true name," Sasami spoke over the 
crash of the waterfall, "please open the path to our ancestors, the 
Space Tree!"

	Ripples in the water began to rage as the power gathering 
around Sasami agitated the pool's surface.  Energy starting to burn 
brighter than the moon's shine, Sasami's back arched slightly and her 
chest lifted as she began to rise up out of the water.  Her long hair 
fanning out around her body, Sasami's toes finally were finally free of 
the pool as her power gathered.  Sasami opened her eyes.

	"Heaven to Ocean!  Ocean to Earth!  Earth back to Heaven!" 
she called out again, "Show me the path that is bathed in the Light!"

	There was a mighty gust of wind that roared through the 
small canyon.  A huge surge of energy tossed the water's surface 
wildly as the light around Sasami's body became too brilliant to look 
at.  Then, with a shimmer and a release of energy, the light faded 
away, taking Sasami with it.  Eventually, the surface of the pool 
calmed noticeably until only the splashing of the waterfall stirred its 
depths.

	Overhead, the moon saw a faint glow of red and pink begin to 
lighten the eastern horizon.  And as it had done since the beginning of 
time, it once again surrendered itself to the coming day.

				*	*	*


	A quiet and respectful knock came at Nathaniel's door early 
after sunrise.  Nathaniel was already awake, and had been for 
sometime, pondering a very odd dream that he could not quite 
remember, but one that he was trying to grab a hold of before losing it 
forever.  Hearing the knock, he looked up.

	"Yes?" he asked quietly.

	Sliding the door open, Tenchi Masaki stuck his head in.  
"Good morning, Nathaniel," he said just as softly in Japanese, "I'm 
sorry to wake you up so early, but I thought you might want to get an 
early start into town to pick up your glasses.  I'll give you a ride, if 
you like."

	Nathaniel sat up stiffly in bed, wincing a bit at the soreness in 
his knees and cheek.

	"No apology necessary, Tenchi-san," he replied, "I was 
already awake.  Thank you for the offer of a ride.  I had been planning 
to just catch the bus in."

	Tenchi nodded.  "Breakfast will be ready in about a half hour, 
if you'd like to wash up first."

	Nathaniel nodded sleepily in assent.  Tenchi smiled and 
slowly slid the door shut again.  Hunching over and blinking owlishly, 
Nathaniel considered flopping back over into bed, but the lure of 
getting his glasses back helped him resist the temptation.

				*	*	*


	It was a world of liquid light, cast in a faintly blue pallor.  
Here and there, small trees grew out of pools of brilliance, their 
reflections seeming to stretch into infinity beneath their outstretched 
limbs.  Interspersed between the small trees here and there, geometric 
obelisks made of stone also lay in the pools of light, a warm shade of 
blue and gray.  In the center the surrounding horizons, which seemed 
to stretch on into the light forever, a mighty tree, thick with foliage 
and resting on a sturdy trunk, stood solemnly.

	Opening her eyes, princess Sasami gasped in amazement.  
There was something definitely wrong with this place.  Staring down 
at her own body, she saw she was clothed in a soft, blue-white robe 
that fell loosely along her long and slender form.  Sasami brought up 
her arms in confusion and gaped at the robe with her mouth hung 
open.

	"It's been such a long time," a musical voice similar to the 
princess's spoke from beneath the Tree of Light, "dearest Sasami, why 
have you not come sooner?"

	Sasami lifted her eyes up wide towards the tree.  Standing 
before it was a being dressed in the long flowing robes of full Juraian 
court regalia.  With long blue tresses of hair that reached almost to the 
pools of light at its feet, the being had the same warm eyes and soft 
features dotted with freckles that Sasami had.  Except for the dress, the 
two were opposite sides of a mirror.

	"Tsunami!" said Sasami breathlessly.

	"Sasami," smiled Tsunami, smiling gently and nodding her 
head, "I have missed you."

	"B-but what is this?" the princess demanded in confusion.  
"What is this place? How is it you are not a reflection to me 
anymore?"

	Her soft smile not fading, Tsunami cocked her head to one 
side smoothly and began to walk towards Sasami.

	"Because, dear one," Tsunami said, "years ago when you 
were still a child, that was all I was.  A reflection of what you would 
grow into... a future, a dream promised from the moment I rescued 
you so many years ago.  Now, that promise is fulfilled and you have 
grown into that image of that woman, and we can meet."

	"You're beautiful!" gaped Sasami.

	Clamping her mouth shut quickly, Sasami blushed brightly, 
contrasting the whiteness of her robes.  Tsunami bowed her head with 
another smile and looked up.

	"This beauty is yours alone, Sasami," Tsunami's voice 
soothed, "I merely borrowed your image all those years ago."

	Sasami stared.  "B-borrowed my image?"

	Tsunami nodded.  "Of course," she said, "I am the 
embodiment of the Tree of Light, Sasami, and I am spirit by nature.  I 
gave away my original form eons ago to become this luminous being, 
and I can assume any image which I feel will most make others at 
ease."

	Tsunami's face then grew regretful.  "But, that was not the 
case with you, was it, Sasami?" she asked quietly.

	Sasami watched until Tsunami stopped only a few feet away.  
She could almost see her own reflection in the spirit's eyes.

	"I... I think I know what you mean," Sasami said at last, her 
shoulders sinking a little.

	"I eventually frightened you," Tsunami nodded, "you were 
afraid that I was going to force you into my image and you would lose 
yourself in the process.  By the time I realized how you felt and could 
have explained, Sasami, you had already visited me for the last time... 
and that was almost fifteen years ago."

	"Explained?" asked the princess in a whisper.

	Tsunami nodded, "Explained that it was not my image you 
saw in those reflections, but only your own future self... alive, 
beautiful, and strong.  I never meant for you to fear that image or 
believe that my existence would in some way push yours aside."

	"I was afraid I would become you," admitted Sasami quietly, 
"I was afraid so many years ago that my personality would be lost. I 
thought... I thought that if I stopped coming here, maybe that 
wouldn't happen."

	Tsunami shook her head and stepped forward, taking 
Sasami's hands into her own.  Sasami looked up into her image.

	"That was never meant to happen, dearest Sasami," the spirit 
soothed, "When I infused my energy into yours to save your life, I gave 
you so much of the potential of my powers, but they were yours to use 
freely and without fear."

	"They were?" Sasami mumbled shyly.

	"Of course, Sasami," nodded Tsunami, "but you also closed 
yourself off to the powers I gave you, only indirectly tapping the power 
of the Tree of Light through your hereditary link to the Jurai royal 
family, as all its members can do to greater or lesser extent.  That 
changed several days ago, though."

	Sasami looked confused again.  "It did?  How did it change?"

	Tsunami's features smoothed into another smile.  "You do 
not remember?" she asked, "It was when you aided Ryoko on the 
staircase to move the wounded human, Nathaniel.  You used the 
energy of the Tree of Light directly then, albeit only a small drop of it.  
Perhaps in that moment you were not even aware of what you were 
doing, and it simply came natural to you."

	"Nathaniel," echoed Sasami, her features falling, "Tsunami, I 
have done something awful to him, and I don't know how to explain 
myself."

	"And you came here looking for guidance," Tsunami stated, 
releasing Sasami's hands.  It was not a question.

	The princess bobbed her head unhappily.  "I've never done 
something so wrong to anyone before," she admitted, a tear of shame 
starting to crest one of her freckled cheeks, "I am not worthy of being 
a princess or of the love of my family after being so cruel."

	Tsunami shook her head.  "That is not true, dear one," she 
said, "You made a mistake born of despair and sadness, but you have 
overcome that darkness with the guidance of Yosho and Tenchi, my 
beloved princes.  What you feel is regret and shame, but the goodness 
in your heart, Sasami, can still make amends with your human 
friend."

	"Then what should I do?" cried Sasami eagerly, "How can I 
make this up to him?"

	Tsunami smiled and shook her head.  "It is not my place to 
make your decisions like this.  You must live your life yourself.  All 
that you require is there in your heart."

	Sasami's face grew thoughtful.  "All in my heart," she 
repeated.

	"You should go now," Tsunami said, stepping back and away 
from the princess, "there are many things you need to accomplish 
today, I believe."

	Sasami wiped the sleeve of her robe at her eyes and nodded at 
Tsunami.

	"Sasami," said the spirit, as princess began to glow with blue 
energy again, "please do not be afraid of your own powers.  Explore 
them and grow with them.  They are yours to use as you will."

	Sasami smiled happily at Tsunami with relief in her eyes.  
"Thank you Tsunami," she whispered with a smile, "and I'll return 
again soon."

	"I look forward to that, dear one," Tsunami said.

	The energy around Sasami reached its peak until, once again, 
the princess was lost in its brilliance.  With a resonating hum, the 
light fell away as Sasami was transported beyond Tsunami's realm.  
For moments, the embodiment of the Tree of Light stood patiently, 
considering princess Sasami.

	For the time being, Tsunami was assured that the darkness 
shadowing her chosen one's spirit was gone.  All Sasami had needed 
really was a significant push to get her in motion and clear her mind.  
Yosho and Tenchi had done a good job, and it had taken just a mere 
unseen nudge of a suggestion from Tsunami to get them to put Sasami 
through her trial.  In fact, the more Tsunami thought about it, the 
spirit was certain Tenchi would have done the same thing without any 
outside influences.  Then again, Tsunami was not in the habit of 
leaving things to random chance when it could be helped.

	The spirit turned and began walking towards the Tree of 
Light, still deep in thought.  There was something bothering Tsunami 
about Sasami's recent behavior and dreams.  Though Tsunami had not 
been able to detect a source, she was certain something or someone 
had been manipulating Sasami *very* subtly.

	Tsunami actually frowned a little in thought.  The agents of 
the Tree of Darkness had been silent for many years since the defeat of 
Yuzuha, and there was no telling when they might resurface.  Still, 
Tsunami was unprepared to believe that any agent of Darkness would 
possess the skills to be subtle enough to evade *her* notice.  Pausing 
for a moment, another thought struck the spirit.

	"Nathaniel Swann," murmured Tsunami.

	Sasami had used the power of the Tree of Light directly for 
the first time in years when aiding that human.  And yet, Tsunami 
could find no reason why that should be.  There was nothing special 
about that human, no extraordinary powers that Tsunami could divine.  
In fact, the only thing that made him unusual was his internal energies 
flowed more freely through his body than most humans.  But then 
again, those energies were present in all humans, and it was simply a 
matter of Nathaniel having exercise practices that allowed such 
energies to be cultivated.

	Still and yet, Tsunami could not deny that, despite his starkly 
human lack of ability, something about him had stirred Sasami to 
reach into her powers, even if just for a moment.  Perhaps it would be 
prudent to ensure he was a factor in Sasami's life for the time being.  
Tsunami nodded to herself in decision.  It would just take a simple 
whisper in Sasami's dreams to bind their immediate futures together.

	After all, considered Tsunami as she began to disappear, any 
tool that could sharpen one of her chosen warriors was one that should 
not be left idle.

	Even if it *was* just a human.

				*	*	*


	Sporting gossamer wings in a bright shade of green on black, 
a lone butterfly lazily bobbed about on the air currents in the small 
canyon near the waterfall.  Moving erratically with each beat of its 
wings, as butterflies tended to do, the scent of water had drawn the 
insect to the pools beneath the falls before the heat of the day really got 
going.  It was already midmorning in that part of Japan, and the day 
promised to be quite warm.

	After taking several minutes to sip an amazing volume of 
water for its tiny body size, the butterfly took flight again for a short 
distance.  Looking for a place to rest, it decided upon a smallish mass 
rising up out of one of the pools of water.  Picking out a bump that 
seemed a little higher than the rest of the object, the butterfly landed 
and began to go about doing whatever it is butterflies do.  The little 
insect beat its wings back and forth slowly.

	It was this motion that slowly brought Sasami back to 
consciousness.  Wakened by the gentle tickling on her nose, the 
princess stretched around a little from where she was lying back in the 
shallows of one of the pools.  The butterfly held on valiantly as it was 
bucked around while Sasami moved.  Finally, the princess opened up 
her eyes.

	Disorientated by her morning's activities, Sasami was ill 
prepared to meet an insect of any sort only an inch from the rest of her 
face.  With a startled cry, Sasami shook her hands in front of her, 
brushing her nose frantically as she climbed halfway to her feet.  The 
butterfly, having enough of this nonsense, alighted and took its 
business elsewhere.  The princess, still startled, took a step on the 
slippery rocks of the pool shallows and slipped.  Falling backwards 
with her arms flailing wildly, Sasami landed in a deeper section of the 
pool with a mighty splash.  Sputtering and coughing, she regained her 
feet after a moment of kicking her legs in the water.  Standing up 
chest high in the water, Sasami took a deep breath and tried to wipe 
her eyes clear.

	"Oh, geez," she grumbled, "how long have I been out here?"

	Walking up and out of the pool, dripping from head to toe, 
Sasami paused to look at the palms of her hands.  They were all 
wrinkled from being in the water for so long.

	'I look like a raisin,' she thought.

	For so weird reason, that observation made the princess smile 
from ear to ear in a silly fashion.  Shaking her head vigorously, 
Sasami tried to stay focused.

	"No, no!" she said with conviction, "No more silly day 
dreaming for me today.  I've got too much to do!  I've got to show 
everyone, especially Nathaniel, that this is the new me."

	Striking a gallant pose with her fists on her dripping hips, it 
occurred to Sasami rather belatedly that she was sopping wet and 
naked.  Needless to say, the thought of slogging on her pajamas and 
making her way back home was not going to make much of an 
impression on anybody if she looked like a drowned rat.  Of course, 
the alternative was not much of a good idea either.

	"Sure, I could walk back to the house totally nude," Sasami 
pondered, beginning to strut around the pool with a swagger.  
"Morning everyone!  This is the *new* me!  Nope, no-sir-ree, no more 
of the old Sasami, because I've shed my skin, among other things!"

	Pausing dramatically, a guilty look of embarrassment washed 
over Sasami's face.  "Oh, Nathaniel!  *There* you are!" she gushed, 
bringing her damp hands together underneath her chin, "I just want to 
tell you how terribly awful I feel about the way I've treated you!"

	Sasami then threw her arms wide open, slinging water over 
the surrounding grass and rocks.  "Please accept *me* as an apology," 
she giggled.

	From across the pool, a pair of squirrels looked at the princess 
quizzically before going back to looking for nuts to eat.  Feeling 
suddenly self-conscious for her dramatic silliness, Sasami crossed her 
arms in front of her chest and looked around sheepishly to make sure 
no one had been watching.  Sighing just a bit, she then picked a large, 
moss covered rock in the sun and took a seat, daintily crossing her 
legs.

	"I was starting to sound like Ryoko when she was after 
Tenchi," admitted Sasami, "Sister Ayeka would *never* have done 
anything like *that*."

	A pensive look gave way to a small and delighted smile as 
Sasami considered the idea that maybe she was more like Ryoko than 
she was her sister.  The more Sasami thought about it, the more the 
idea appealed to her.  Stretching out a little on the mossy rock, Sasami 
leaned back and began humming a bit, letting the sun and air dry her 
body and hair.

	'I really need a way to apologize to him,' she thought after a 
while.

	Then, a slightly less appealing thought came.  'Maybe he'll 
go away hating me no matter what I say,' fretted Sasami.

	Sasami closed her eyes and sighed again.  All over, she could 
feel her skin starting to dry out, though her long tresses promised to 
need a little more time, as thick as they were.

	'And I don't really know why,' she conceded, 'but it really is 
important to me that he doesn't.  Isn't that odd?  He *is* more or 
less a stranger, isn't he?  And he'll be gone from my life forever in a 
day or so... but I can't let him leave feeling as bad as I've treated 
him!'

	Uncrossing her legs, Sasami drew her knees up to her chest 
and settled her chin on them, wrapping her arms around as well.  
Closing her eyes, she tried to think about what Tsunami had told her.

	"So many questions I wanted to ask of her after all these 
years," she mumbled, "so many questions about who I am and where I 
should be... and all I could think to do is ask how to make Nathaniel 
feel better... isn't that so very strange?"

	Shaking her head again slowly, the princess took a deep 
breath and lay back on the moss, stretching out fully beneath the rising 
sun.  Sasami was not sure what she was going to do once she got back 
to the house, but one thing was certain to the young woman:

	She was going to find the answer in her heart.

				*	*	*


	There is *nothing* like having your vision in the hands of 
other people to really rattle you.  I think I've been over this ground 
before, but when you need glasses for almost everything five inches 
past your nose, you tend to get a little nervous.  Getting a new pair of 
glasses is especially an awkward time, because the slightest error on 
the part of the lens grinders can send the glasses back for another 
week, leaving you still blind in the meantime.

	Sitting in the little shop in town, though, I was comforted by 
the surroundings that are familiar with every place that makes glasses 
in the world.  Frames lining every bit of empty space on the walls, 
posters of beautiful people sporting far away looks in stylish glasses, 
and pleasantly bland store workers who make your vision possible.  In 
an ever-changing world, at least you can count on these stores and 7-
11's not to cause any surprises.

	Drumming my fingers on the little desk I was sitting at, I 
began to get impatient, waiting for the storekeeper to see if my frames 
had come in or not.  Tenchi, who had driven me into to down very 
graciously that morning, picked up on my mood.

	"Don't worry, Nathaniel," he said in Japanese, "I'm sure 
you'll get your vision back this morning."

	"I hope so," I replied fervently, "it's just a pain having your 
sight at the whim of others."

	Tenchi nodded in agreement and turned to one of the many 
wall posters, observing the fashionable girl that must have been 
printed on it.  I would have checked them out myself, but I decided the 
effort of squinting and peering really was not worth it.  Then, the 
storekeeper came out.

	"Ah, Swann-san," the man beamed happily, "your glasses did 
arrive by delivery early this morning.  I had communicated your 
dilemma to the grinding shop, and they put a priority rush on your 
order."

	I bowed my head in thanks.  "I am sorry to have troubled you 
in this way," I said, not so much sorry as I was appreciative.

	Pulling a slender object out of a cloth pouch, the storekeeper 
sat down on the other side of the small desk from me and smiled.

	"Let's see how these do," he said.

	Adjusting the frames, he motioned for me to lean forward a 
bit.  Gathering my hands in my lap, I leaned towards the man and held 
my breath as he slid the spectacles on my face.  And then the world 
went from fuzzy to perfect.  The fellow sat back in his chair and 
observed me.

	"Well?" he asked, "How do they feel?"

	My eyes started to water from the strain of getting used to the 
glasses.  After all, my eyes had gotten used to focusing uncorrected for 
the better part of a week, so it was only natural for them to be a little 
unresponsive, or so I hoped.  Blinking a few times, the muscles around 
my eyes gradually relaxed and my vision cleared.  Everything seemed 
perfect.

	"I think they're fine," I said, "They feel fine, anyhow."

	"Hrm," the storekeeper grunted, "They're a little lopsided.  
Let me adjust them."

	Frames can get bent a lot.  As I tend to sleep in my glasses, 
this happens to me more often than not.  Anyhow, I have always been 
amazed at people who work in these shops who all seem to have this 
magical ability to bend frames perfectly to fit my face with no effort 
whatsoever.  The shopkeeper adjusted my frames, set them back on my 
face, and smiled in satisfaction.  I looked at myself in a small mirror.

	The frames really looked good.  They were a lot smaller than 
my previous pair, which had just been normal and functional.  These 
were about half as wide as they were long, small and a rounded-
rectangular shape.  I was struck by the oddity of seeing my glasses 
covering so little of my face, but at the same time, I enjoyed the feeling 
of having almost nothing on my nose.

	"Now, then," the storekeeper said, getting up from his chair, 
"they're small and light, but they are very durable.  These companies 
keep making things stronger and stronger.  Your credit card you 
brought last week cleared, so the glasses are yours to take.  Allow me 
to get you a protective case."

	With that, the storekeeper once again entered the back room.  
I sat there marveling at my new look, delighted to be able to see again.  
Pivoting around in my seat, I turned back to ask Tenchi how they 
looked.  And then the first shock of the day hit me.

	Tenchi Masaki looked so young!  With my mouth agape, 
Tenchi turned from one of the posters and gave me a once over.  This 
guy was married, had two daughters, and looked like he was only in 
his mid-twenties.  The mental image I had built in my mind was of 
someone more around forty, so my brain blitzed a little while I made 
the correction in my head.

	"They look good, Nathaniel," he approved, nodding his head 
with a smile, "do they work all right?"

	I quickly recovered and snapped my jaw shut.  "Uh, yeah," I 
stammered, "they're fine... a little smaller than I'm used to, but they 
feel okay."

	The storekeeper returned with my case and handed to me.  
We exchanged pleasantries and thanks for his good work and services, 
and then I left the store with Tenchi.  Stepping out into the sunshine of 
midmorning, I was struck by all the detail and sights that I had missed 
the past several days.  Pausing on the steps, I shook my head slowly, 
recalling how everything that had happened to me occurred so blurred 
and fuzzy.  It was like it a whole lifetime away from what I was able to 
focus on now.  Clearing my mind, I started to walk down the steps of 
the store slowly, as not to make my knees any more uncomfortable 
than they already were.

	"It's going to be a beautiful day," Tenchi said, smiling, for no 
reason in particular.

	I finally seemed to be getting over the shock of having my 
sight back seeing Tenchi for the first time. 

	"You know," I replied, beginning to feel better already, "I 
think it is, too."

	With that, we headed back to where Tenchi's mini-van was 
parked for the ride back to his house.

				*	*	*


	Sitting at the kitchen table, Yui Masaki absently twirled one 
of her blonde locks with a bored expression on her face.  After 
spending the better part of an hour wandering around the house and 
the shrine looking for her aunt, Yui had given up and tried to find 
something else to do.  The problem was, there were not many options.  
All of her morning chores were finished, her father was with 
Nathaniel in town, and Washu and Yosho were nowhere to be found 
either.  Also, Nobuyuki had gone into work at his design firm early to 
make sure his young and enthusiastic employees were not bringing the 
place crashing down.  An unusual thought came to the teenager's 
mind.

	"I hate school holidays," Yui complained.

	"Now I've heard everything!" called Ryoko as she entered the 
kitchen.  "What's the matter, dear?"

	Stopping by the table, she took a seat beside Yui and 
concentrated.  Appearing from nowhere were two tea cups and a 
small, steaming kettle of water.  With a quick pour, Ryoko filled the 
two cups and slid one over to her daughter with a nod.  Though her 
face was passive, inside Ryoko quaked with a bittersweet delight.  She 
absolutely loved to talk with her daughter and listen to her problems, 
trying to make up for all the years she had missed.  Ryoko allowed 
herself a smile as she lovingly picked out which features in her 
daughter's face were hers and which were Tenchi's.

	"I dunno, mom," Yui admitted, "I guess I just wanted to make 
sure aunt Sasami was all right, but she's wandered off, and so has 
everybody else.  I'm done with chores already, and I don't feel like 
training, either."

	Ryoko quirked an eyebrow.  "You're bored?" she asked.

	"Uh-huh" responded Yui despondently.

	"Well, it's still early," said Ryoko, drawing her hands 
together around her tea cup innocently, "perhaps you could call 
what's-his-name from your school and go out for ice-cream?"

	Yui blushed.  "He is *not* my boyfriend," she stated 
sheepishly.

	"I never said he was, dear," replied Ryoko, smiling 
understandingly at her daughter, "so why don't you call him?"

	Yui looked down at her cup and frowned a bit unhappily.  
"Because," she mumbled.

	A patented raised eyebrow from her mother was more than 
enough to convince Yui she had best elaborate.

	"Because," she continued after a moment, "he ignores me 
most of the time."

	Yui looked up and caught her mother's surprised look.

	"I don't understand," said Ryoko, "what do you mean, he 
ignores you?  I thought you met him with some of your friends at the 
carnival."

	"I *did*, and that's the problem," Yui complained, "I almost 
always meet him when there are other people around.  He's fine then, 
he's polite and stuff."

	"So what's wrong?" asked Ryoko.

	"It's whenever I see him alone in town or at school, mom," 
explained Yui, "he gets all nervous and won't talk to me.  Plus, my 
friend, Natsumi, heard him and a bunch of guys saying that I was too 
rough and I'd probably beat up anyone who looked at me wrong!"

	Ryoko sighed and set her cup down.  "So what you're saying 
is that he's afraid of you, as are the other guys at school."

	"Yeah, I guess so," mumbled Yui unhappily.  "He doesn't 
like me because he's afraid of me, thinking I'll beat him up if I don't 
like something he says... and all the guys think I'm just a brute."

	Ryoko felt an up-welling of sympathy for Yui.  Listening to 
her daughter deal with the same problems she faced years ago with 
Tenchi, and the pain it caused, made Ryoko's heart ache.  Putting her 
arm around Yui's shoulders, Ryoko gathered her in for a gentle hug.

	"Don't worry," she said softly, "one day they'll wake up from 
their silliness and see who you really are, I'm sure of it."

	Yui let herself be hugged by her mother and sniffed.  "How 
can you be so sure, mom?" she asked, "What if it's *always* like 
this?"

	Ryoko released her daughter and looked at her with a 
comforting smile.  "It won't be," she disagreed, "after all, I had the 
same problem with your father before you were born, and even *he* 
managed to stop being afraid of me."

	"Really?" Yui asked with wide eyes, "Dad was really afraid of 
you before I was born?"

	"Before we were married, actually," Ryoko said, picking her 
tea up and taking a sip, "of course, I gave him a lot of reasons to be 
afraid of me, but he came around eventually."

	"I dunno, mom," Yui grinned, "dad looks still looks pretty 
nervous around you sometimes to me."

	Ryoko nodded.  "That's different, dear," she commented, 
"women *should* make men nervous.  They're easier to train that 
way."

	Yui put her chin in her hands and leaned on the table with 
her elbows.  "What's the difference?" she asked, "I don't get it."

	"You will one day," Ryoko grinned wolfishly.

	A noise from the kitchen doorway caused mother and 
daughter to look up.  Standing before them in her pajamas with wet, 
stringy hair and grass stains on her bare feet was none other than the 
missing princess.  Looking a bit shy, Sasami took a seat at the table 
with the two women and took a deep breath.

	"I've got a problem," Sasami exhaled, "while we're on the 
subject of men.  I need to apologize to Nathaniel, but everything I 
think of comes up... well."

	"Lame?" interjected Yui, "And where have you been, aunt 
Sasami?  You look like you've been wandering around and dipped 
your head in the lake."

	Sasami winced.  "I don't know if I'd say lame," she blushed, 
"and yes, I was out swimming this morning.  I thought getting up 
before dawn would help me get my thoughts straight."

	Ryoko looked at Sasami with interest.  "Well, princess," she 
said, "has it?"

	Nodding her head, Sasami said, "Yes, it has, Ryoko.  It's like 
I'm hearing everything so clearly now, and I can't even recognize the 
person I was at the festival."

	Yui grinned and nodded enthusiastically.  "Yep, aunt 
Sasami," she beamed, "that's just how I felt last year after dad and 
grandfather made me take *my* test!"

	"But apologizing to Nathaniel is giving you a problem?" 
Ryoko asked.

	Sasami nodded vigorously.  "Yep," she affirmed, "and I 
thought you might be able to give me some advice as much as you and 
sister Ayeka used to apologize to-"

	The princess cut herself off suddenly, looking very 
embarrassed at what she was insinuating.  She looked up at Ryoko and 
quickly apologized.

	"I'm sorry, Ryoko," Sasami said, "I didn't mean to make 
light of the time before you and Tenchi were married.  Please forgive 
me."

	Ryoko waved a hand in faint annoyance.  "No, don't sweat it 
kiddo," she sighed, "it's common knowledge I was apologizing to 
Tenchi several times a day for something or another.  It's no big deal."

	Behind locks of wild blonde hair, Yui's eyes glossed over in 
envy.  This happened every time people started talking about things 
that happened before she was born.  So much seemed to have been 
going on before her parents got married, and Yui always felt cheated 
not having the chance to know her own mother like every one else did.  
Scrunching her eyebrows a bit, Yui cleared her thoughts just like she 
did every time that emotion surfaced.  What was important was she 
had her mother back in the here and now. She looked up to see 
Sasami now sitting with her chin in her hands and a slightly lost look 
on her face.

	"So, what's the big deal, aunt Sasami?" Yui piped up, 
"Nathaniel seems to be a pretty understanding guy.  I'm sure he won't 
hold a grudge since he didn't get bent when I hit him.  Just apologize 
to before he leaves tomorrow."

	Sasami's eyes went wide.  "He's leaving tomorrow?"

	Ryoko nodded.  "That's right, princess," she sighed, "I talked 
with him yesterday while you were up at the shrine, and I got the 
impression he's going to go back to Tokyo tomorrow, cut his vacation 
short, and head home early."

	"Ya," agreed Yui, "so just tell him you're sorry about 
everything before he leaves, and it'll be okay-"

	"No, it *won't* be okay!" Sasami cried out suddenly, "Don't 
you see?  He's leaving because of *me*!  I've made his time here 
miserable to the point he doesn't even want to continue his vacation in 
Japan!"

	Eyeing the princess coolly, Ryoko folded her arms and leaned 
back in her chair.  "There may not be much you can do about that 
now, you know," she said.

	Sasami's face fell a little more, waiting for the space pirate to 
get to the point.  Yui's ears also perked up as she set about refilling 
everyone's tea cup.

	"What do you mean, Ryoko?" Sasami asked unhappily.

	"Think about it, princess," said Ryoko gently, "you're alone 
in a foreign land where you know absolutely no one.  You've been 
injured, been in fights, and had your vacation go totally wrong.  If that 
were you, Sasami, what's the first thing you'd want to do?"

	"I'd want to go-" Sasami started to say before interrupting 
herself, "... home, I guess.  Oh, Ryoko, I need to do something more 
than just say 'sorry'.  Nathaniel deserves a lot more than just that."

	"What do you think, dear," Ryoko asked her daughter, "is this 
starting to sound more and more like the princess we used to know?"

	Yui smiled up at her mother.  "You betcha, mom," she 
grinned.

	"Still," continued Ryoko, thinking deeply, "there has to be 
something you can think of.  I mean, I remember your sister could 
spout off the most sincere and teary apology on cue when she wanted 
to.  Was that just natural talent, or do they teach all princesses on 
Jurai how to do that?"

	"Teach all princesses?" Sasami echoed with a surprised look 
on her face.

	Brining her hands to her face, Sasami hid her eyes and rested 
on her elbows.  Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and began to 
massage her temples.  Yui and Ryoko looked on in curiosity to see 
what she would do next.

	"I am such a goof," Sasami finally admitted, "The answer 
was right there, but since he's an Earthling, so I didn't even think 
about using a royal ceremony."

	"Ooo, do tell," Yui demanded, leaning forward with interest.  

	Despite her rather tomboy nature, Yui was not at all immune 
to hearing about all the royal finery her aunt had been exposed to as a 
princess.  Ryoko inwardly grinned at her daughter's interest, 
wondering if Yui ever considered the fact that she was technically a 
princess of Jurai herself.  Ryoko suddenly wondered what that made 
herself in the Jurai scheme of things, being married to a prince.

	'Still a malicious, palace wrecking pirate,' she thought 
realistically, 'even *with* an official royal pardon from Ayeka.'

	Sasami smiled and nodded her head.  "Well," she began, 
"amongst the nobility of Jurai, we have a way of apologizing if we've 
done something wrong.  It involves gathering Stars of Jurai and 
presenting them to offended person.  If the Stars of Jurai are accepted, 
then you are forgiven."

	Yui looked blank.  "Stars of Jurai?" she asked, "Aren't those 
just white flowers like you planted near the shrine years ago?"

	"You bet," Sasami agreed, "and there should still be a few in 
bloom in the shady areas!"

	"I dunno, aunt Sasami," Yui frowned, "you just give someone 
a few flowers and that's it?  Doesn't sound much different than saying 
sorry."

	"Oh," said Sasami, "the flowers are just the first step of an 
apology.  They have to be accepted, first, and then you can do 
something more personal to atone for your error.  If your flowers don't 
get accepted, though, you're in big trouble.  That's why it's such a big 
royal ceremony, to make sure you get it right."

	"Well, princess," Ryoko thought, "maybe a big ceremony 
isn't really what you're looking for here.  After all, Nathaniel isn't 
Juraian or noble.  If you plop down and do some big royal routine, it 
might make him think you're really weird.  Got something a little 
more simple?"

	"I guess," replied Sasami uncertainly, "the commoners of 
Jurai have the same way of apologizing, just without the big rituals. 
do you think Nathaniel might like that better?"

	"You want to make him more at ease, right?" the pirate 
asked, "Besides, you're more charming when you act like a normal 
person, and not like a royal."

	Sasami dropped her chin a hair and turned her eyes, blushing.

	Yui grinned.  "So how are you going to atone, aunt Sasami?"

	The princess looked up.  "I-I don't know," she confessed, 
"there are numerous gifts I could give that have meaning in Jurai royal 
society, but... but I'm sure the meaning would be lost on him.  I don't 
know exactly how to apologize best to an Earthling."

	Ryoko rubbed her temple.  "Geez, Sasami," she sighed, "you 
really *haven't* gotten out much while you've been on this planet, 
have you?  Look, Tenchi and Nathaniel will be home soon from 
getting his glasses.  You run out and get your flowers and then go to 
the waterfall.  It should be the coolest and shadiest place around here 
in this heat."

	Twirling a strand of blue hair nervously, Sasami asked, 
"What'll I do then?"

	"Just wait," grinned Ryoko, "When Nathaniel gets home, Yui 
will take him to the waterfall and leave him with you.  You get him to 
accept those flowers, princess, and then you talk to him."

	Sasami looked baffled.  "Talk?" she echoed, "What about 
getting him something?"

	"No gifts," Ryoko said, shaking her head, "You're not going 
to buy his apology with a gift, Sasami, you're going to talk to him like 
you're an Earthling and start to earn his forgiveness."

	Yui gathered a sly and playful look on her face.  "How's she 
going to do *that*, mom?" she asked, "Sasami's wouldn't know how 
to talk to a guy if you showed her!"

	"I'm not *totally* clueless, thankyouverymuch!" Sasami 
grumbled at her niece.

	Ryoko nonchalantly leaned over and bopped her daughter on 
the top of her head in admonishment.  "Just figure it out as you go 
along, princess," she advised, "I'm sure Nathaniel isn't going to be too 
hard on you, and you *really* need this kind of experience in life, 
kiddo."

	"You think so?" Sasami asked, worriedly.

	"Definitely," nodded Ryoko, "Now, run along, princess, and 
get your flowers ready.  Yui and I will send your prince charming 
along after you."

	Yui laughed.  "Aunt Sasami's blushing!" she teased 
delightfully, clapping her hands together.

	"I am *not*!" Sasami argued, getting up very slowly from the 
table, "Ow!  I'm really sore all of the sudden. I didn't feel this way 
this morning."

	Sasami's niece nodded sagely.  "Yep, that's normal," said 
Yui, "and it happened to me, too.  You'll be really sore today and 
probably tomorrow.  You won't be able to get anywhere very fast 
today, unless you can fly."

	"I knew I should have learned how to do that already," 
complained Sasami, getting up and walking out of the kitchen very 
stiffly.

	A few moments later, there was a noise as the front door 
opened and shut.  Ryoko put her hand to her chin and grew thoughtful, 
observing her daughter.

	"Maybe you shouldn't tease Sasami quite so much," she 
finally said, "she's been sheltered a lot, you know, and this can't be 
easy on her."

	"I know, mom," Yui agreed, "but it's so much fun to see her 
blush like that!  I'll tone it down, though."

	Ryoko tussled her daughter's hair a little.  "Well, then," she 
said, standing up, "shall we get to work on a little lunch?"

	"Sure," nodded Yui, also getting up.

			*	*	*


	It was a slowly moving Sasami that exited the kitchen.  Her 
long hair a bit wild from drying out in the sun without a good 
brushing, she had a disheveled look still dressed in a tee shirt and 
tartan patterned flannel pajama pants.  Standing between the front 
door and the hallway that led to the stairs, Sasami could hear the soft 
voices of Ryoko and Yui as mother and daughter continued their 
conversation.  The princess afforded herself a moment's pause, simply 
enjoying the sounds of the pair after so many years of Yui having no 
mother to talk to.  Sasami, more so than Washu, had dealt with Yui's 
loss of not having a mother for so long, absorbing the hardships and 
helping the girl grow into a young woman.  And though Yui was more 
than ten years her junior, Sasami found herself trying to understand 
why in many ways she felt not as worldly and mature as the youngest 
Masaki.

	The quietness and peace within her own mind suddenly 
startled Sasami.  For the first time, she realized that the brooding and 
dark images were gone from her consciousness.  It was as if a 
whispering voice that had been with her recently was now absent, and 
the doubts or questions were now of her *own* fashion.  Would the 
Sasami before yesterday have been bitter or jealously depressed at the 
realization that Yui was probably better at handling a whole host of 
personal interactions than the sheltered princess?  Sasami closed her 
eyes and supposed she probably would have.  

	"But how can I be feeling so different, now?" she asked to the 
empty hallway, quietly, "Why is it I can face myself without feeling so 
bad... so unhappy... Tenchi-niichan, what have you and Yosho done 
to me that could make me feel so distant from who I was just 
yesterday?"

	Sasami slowly drew her arms about her body and hugged 
herself.  It was not out of despair this time, but out of a need to keep 
her from bursting.

	'Why is everything so clear?' Sasami asked herself again, 'I 
feel. I feel almost... wonderful.  But should I?  I've been so horrible, 
but I see that me so far away.  Is this what they have done for me?  
Made me see what I was and what I really am?'

	One eye popped open almost comically.

	'Wait a minute.' paused Sasami in thought, 'just what am I, 
anyway?'

	'I'm still a princess.'

	'Why do I feel good about *that*?'

	'You've *been* a terrible person.'

	'Then why is this sense of happiness rising in my breast so 
fast?'

	'Don't *tell* me you think you're forgiven just like that.'

	'No... but... I think I can do what's right... so that the people 
who love me, the people who know me, the people who've been hurt 
by my selfishness will not walk away carrying the pain of my actions.'

	'Why would you do that now, when you wouldn't do that 
yesterday?'

	'Because, I'm an adult... because I care... because it matters 
to me.'

	'What?  Just making people feel good again?'

	'No!  Making *me* feel good again.  By caring for others, by 
being concerned for how my actions affect *their* feelings.  *That's* 
who I am.'

	'But wasn't that who I always... was?'

	Sasami was stunned as the realization hit her.  She was still 
who she always was, but for some reason that Sasami was sharper, 
more defined.  It was a puzzle to the princess, trying to figure out what 
exactly was different, what exactly had changed that was so elusive.  
Then, in a flash of inspiration, Sasami wondered if maybe she was not 
supposed to know the answer to that puzzle just yet.  Maybe, just 
maybe, it was something she would grow to discover.  Thinking more 
about it, that idea of leaving the question unanswered for the time 
being satisfied Sasami unexpectedly.  For now, her time needed to be 
spent repairing the damage done.

	"Nathaniel," breathed Sasami, as she began to slowly walk 
down the hall for the stairs.

	Without even consciously coming to a decision, Sasami knew 
that she needed to know more about him.  After all, he was a total 
stranger as far as she was concerned.  Just an accepting human whom 
she had abused.

	'I also liked him,' she blushed inwardly, 'What was *that* 
about?  Why did I feel that way towards someone I hardly know?  Oh, 
everything I was doing seems so weird and hard to understand.  I don't 
know *why* I felt that way, and I certainly can't trust my thoughts 
and feelings in the past week, can I?'

	What seemed like an eternity later, the princess finally 
reached the top of the stair case and began to head down the hallway.  
Sasami noticed she was a little faster on a straight and level floor, even 
with her muscles so very sore.  Coming to the guest bedroom where 
Nathaniel had spent most of his time as an invalid, Sasami stopped 
before the door and hesitated slightly.  Taking a deep breath, she 
bowed her head a little in apology for her intrusion and entered the 
room.

	Sliding the door open, the princess blinked from the 
brightness.  It was just the right time of day where sunlight was 
streaming in through the window.  Not exactly sure where to begin, 
Sasami noticed that most of Nathaniel's belongings had been removed 
from his suitcase and backpack in favor of a series of small and neat 
piles of clothing and items.  Sasami breathed a sigh of relief; she did 
not enjoy the idea of poking through someone else's things, but now 
she would not have to do so.  Stepping through the doorway, the 
princess moved towards Nathaniel's things.

	'Mostly clothes and stuff,' she observed, 'that makes sense, I 
guess.  When you're traveling alone, you don't have much room for 
personal items.'

	Sasami's train of thought dribbled off for a bit as she 
considered what it must be like to travel by yourself.  For a moment, 
she considered what Nathaniel's motivation was to be alone and so far 
away from home.  All at once, Sasami both admired and felt saddened 
by his apparent courage.  Then, the princess noticed a soft-covered 
binder stuffed with papers.  Picking it up gently from its place on a 
table, Sasami opened the cover.  Leafing through the binder, she 
noticed it was full of maps and travel plans in both English and 
Japanese.  From the rather detailed notes in the front of the book, 
Sasami realized that Nathaniel was already going to miss a lot of his 
destinations from staying at the Masaki residence.

	'How do I make up for that?' she asked herself with a 
frustrated sigh.

	Closing the book and setting back in its place on the wooden 
table, the princess raked a bit of her hair back from her face and 
looked about the room.  There was little more to really help her here, 
so she exited quietly and slowly into the hall.  Shuffling along stiffly, 
still barefoot, Sasami detoured into her room and retrieved a brush.  
Stir rather wild looking from drying in the sun, the princess spared 
five minutes to get the worst of the tangles and stray locks back in 
order.  What Sasami's hair really needed was a good hour of brushing, 
but life had its little priorities, of which hair care was low on the 
totem pole that morning.

	Finishing her work, and tying her long hair back simply with 
a single blue ribbon, Sasami winced at the pronounced ache in her 
arms and got to her feet.  After several slow and teetering minutes of 
walking, Sasami somehow navigated herself down the steps without 
resorting to the bottom-scoot she had used before daybreak.  Exiting 
the house through the front door, Sasami went in search of her 
flowers.

				*	*	*


	Clarity is a wonderful thing.  If you do not believe me, just 
ask an alcoholic; they can speak about moments of clarity with 
something akin to religious conviction.  Needless to say, my delight to 
having my vision back rapidly swung upwards to near euphoria as 
Tenchi drove me back up into the mountains to his family's residence.  
It was a beautiful drive, and I was mindful not to fall asleep as I had 
done on and off the morning I first took a bus up these roads.

	My shock at seeing Tenchi for the first time was wearing 
away, but it was still all I could do during the drive to find some way 
of making a comment about it.  That a fellow could appear to be about 
my age and have a seventeen year old daughter... well, let us just say 
that the activities involved in making a daughter at such a young age, 
as he must have been at the time, would have been illegal in most of 
the United States that I could think of.  At any rate, I held my tongue, 
remembering cautions from one of my old Japanese teachers about 
being 'too direct'.

	Let me explain what I have been able to understand about 
speaking with people from Japan.  Like Americans, there are all 
different kinds of Japanese people, and to lump them all into one 
behavioral pattern or another is not very accurate, obviously.  
However, there are certain cultural traits that are more or less shared 
by the entire population which differ from American ones.  Most 
Japanese people, as a whole, try to avoid being too direct in their 
conversations whenever possible.  For example, in many situations it 
can be considered impolite to refer to yourself using the Japanese for 
'I' (watashi).  Doing so is 'too direct'.  This also extends into asking 
people questions about themselves or others beyond anything 
considered non-specific, as to do so might also be a bit uncouth.

	In America, we more or less have little problem telling 
anyone whatever we think at whatever time.  You start speaking 
Japanese with someone, and that attitude can more or less go out the 
window if you want to be polite.  Perhaps this has something to do 
with the fact that the Japanese language is incredibly vague, or maybe 
it is the other way around. If this explanation makes little sense, that 
is no surprise; it is more or less one of those little Zen concepts, I 
suppose, that you can not describe well.

	Anyhow, as I was saying, I decided not to make any inquiries 
with Tenchi even though directness did not seem to be much of an 
issue with a good number of his family members.  As an unwelcome 
reminder, my knees and head began to throb a bit.  Even so, I was 
more than surprised when we pulled up before the Masaki residence 
and Yui Masaki confronted me with her feet set and her fists on her 
hips.  She had a look of business on her face and, even though a 
teenager, looked like she should not be messed with.  I slid out of the 
front seat of the minivan and landed gingerly on the ground with my 
feet.

	"You in a hurry?" Yui asked in Japanese.

	Tenchi meandered around the back of the van as I shut my 
door.  "Uh," I hesitated, "no, not really, I suppose.  Not with these 
knees, anyway."

	Yui nodded seriously.  "Good.  You'll be coming with me."

	Turning and motioning to a path that led away from the 
house, she held an arm out.  Tenchi stepped up beside me and gave me 
a 'who knows' shrug while scratching his chin.  For whatever reason, 
I did not bother to question Yui, so I shuffled slowly up to her and 
accepted her outstretched arm.  Linked together like a couple entering 
a dinner party, we headed away from the house and under a series of 
overhanging trees.  I took the time to satisfy my curiosity about Yui's 
features.  She felt the attention.

	"Problem?" she asked suspiciously, shaking her blonde hair 
out a bit.

	I shook my head.  "No, no problem, I've just been curious, 
you know, what my hosts look like now that I can see again."

	"Oh," Yui replied, satisfied, "that makes sense, I suppose.  
Feel better being able to see?"

	I looked around as we walked, taking in the scenery.  "It's 
much, much better," I admitted, "things don't seem nearly as bad off 
right now."

	"You look good in glasses," Yui observed, still leading me by 
the arm, "they look delicate and comfortable, not all big and hanging 
off your nose."

	I smiled a bit ruefully and rubbed the back of my head.  "Uh, 
thanks.  That's the first time I've ever gotten a compliment about my 
glasses."

	Right then, Yui came to a halt.  Looking up from her, I saw 
we were at the base of a *huge* stone staircase.  I don't mean huge as 
in wide, but huge as in it climbed up half the mountain.  Sort of a 
gray-white in color, maybe limestone, they appeared very old yet well 
crafted.  It was obvious someone had been regularly sweeping and 
weeding the staircase, else the grass on either side would have easily 
overtaken it.  The branches of trees that lined the staircase overhung 
the steps and offered shade now and again.  

	A thought occurred to me.

	"The shrine up there?" I asked.

	"Yup," Yui confirmed, bobbing her head, "but we're not 
going that way."

	With that, the teenager steered me towards a path that 
branched off the main walkway and led deeper into the forest.  Moving 
slowly with me in tow, Yui seemed to have a purpose that she would 
not be swayed from.  I decided I had better figure out what that was.

	"Uh," I began, "so where-"

	"Nathaniel," interrupted Yui, "have you ever done something 
or said something really bad before?"

	I blinked.  "Uh, sure, I guess.  I mean, who hasn't?"

	Yui smiled brightly.  "My father, the way *he* acts 
sometimes," she said rolling her eyes, "but have you ever wished you 
could take back what you did or said?"

	I thought about it as we walked along the path.  It was very 
shady and cool in this part of the forest, and we seemed to be taking a 
slight turn uphill.  In the near distance, I could hear a stream rushing.

	"Of course," I answered, "but, you really can't do that once 
it's out there.  All you can do is apologize by that point... oh, wait a 
sec.  I see where this is going."

	Yui looked a little apprehensively at me.  "You do?"

	"Yep," I nodded, smiling, "and I *know* you didn't mean to 
run into me on the staircase, Yui.  It was an accident, really.  Could 
have happened to anyone."

	Yui's expression went from disappointment to confusion and 
then to relief, all in the span of a second.  Looking serious for her age 
again, she shook her head.

	"No, that's not exactly what I'm getting at," she said, "This is 
about Sasami."

	"Oh."

	I think Yui noticed my voice drop flat.  To be honest, it 
surprised me as well.  I had done a lot to avoid thinking about Sasami 
since the festival two days before, even though I had the aches and 
pains to remind me with each step.

	Yui sighed and shook her head.  "I don't blame you," she 
admitted, "my aunt has been a pain for the past couple of weeks, you 
know."

	"Really," I said in a non-committed tone.

	"Uh, huh," Yui replied, nodding knowingly, "things are a 
little... complicated in her life right now, and she hasn't been too 
nice."

	"What?  She acts differently most of the time?" I asked 
doubtfully.

	"Aunt Sasami is the kindest person I've ever known," the 
teenager said simply, "besides my dad."

	The path met the stream I had heard earlier.  Not very wide, 
but certainly brisk, it twinkled merrily in the sunlight that filtered 
through the trees, tumbling out of small pools and over large rocks.  
There was a bend in the path that followed the stream uphill into what 
looked like a small gorge.  Yui turned to follow the path.

	My knees were starting to hurt a bit more.  All the moving 
around had really started to stretch the cuts and scrapes there, and the 
climb up the path did not promise to make things any better.  My 
patience began to get a little thin.

	"Yui," I complained a bit, "where are we going?"

	Yui stopped for a moment before releasing her hold on my 
arm.  She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, considering me 
while she appeared to think.

	"There's this tradition," she began, "and people in my, uh, 
family use it to express their biggest apologies.  I'm taking you to the 
waterfall so Sasami can apologize to you."

	I looked a little suspicious.  "Tradition, huh?  No chance of 
me being *drowned* this time, is there?"

	Yui's face fell a bit, and I instantly regretted having opened 
my mouth.

	"I'm sorry, Yui," I apologized, "that was wholly uncalled for.  
I didn't mean to sound ingratiating after how nice your family has 
been to me."

	Yui shook her head vigorously.  "No, if anyone has the right 
to be bent, it's you.  But, Sasami has fixed things with my family since 
yesterday, and she wanted to have the chance to make it up to you 
before you leave for home."

	Despite really not wanting to go through anything dealing 
with Sasami, I sighed and sank my shoulders in defeat.  I was already 
out here this far, and if Yui was going to all this trouble, it would be 
rude of me to just walk off.

	"So what's this tradition?" I finally asked.

	Yui uncrossed her arms and rocked back on her heels, 
looking out over the stream as it tumbled down over some rocks.  It 
was pleasantly cool here next to the water, unlike the heat of the direct 
sun back near the house.

	"Well," she said, "in my family, if someone needs to 
apologize for something really bad, they go out and gather white 
flowers.  Then, they bring the flowers back to the person they've 
offended or hurt and sit in absolute silence."

	"That sounds odd," I commented, "What happens then?"

	"That's your part," continued Yui, "if you are willing to listen 
to what Sasami has to say, you can accept the flowers from her.  If you 
don't want anything to do with my aunt, you can just leave her sitting 
there and you won't see her the rest of the time you are here."

	I chewed on that.  "Sounds harmless enough, though I can't 
lie, I feel the odds are stacked against her," I admitted.

	"That's up to you, Nathaniel," nodded Yui, "but my family 
forgave her yesterday, and that didn't happen easily."

	"No kidding?"

	"Yup."

	I scratched my head and sighed.  "Well, we're already here, I 
suppose.  Let's get to this waterfall of yours, shall we?"

	Yui gave me a little smile and started walking up the path 
again slow enough not to leave me behind.  I followed along dutifully, 
starting to get lost in thought.  Suddenly, I was not sure what I was 
more worried about, having to listen to Sasami make an excuse or that 
I would actually end up forgiving her.  As my past was a testament to, 
I had the habit of easily forgiving and forgetting most things that some 
people would consider unforgivable affronts.  Normally, that would 
not be a bad thing, but sometimes, when I was younger and in college, 
some people had used my good nature against me in a bad way.  That 
kind of betrayal had left me more suspicious of people's sincerity since 
then.

	Over the next several minutes, my mind emptied of thoughts 
as Yui and I concentrated on navigating the rocks and slopes that 
made up the path.  As we climbed further into the gorge, the trail more 
than once crossed over the stream.  Yui had no problem hopping from 
rock to rock, but I was forced to splash through the water, because of 
my knees.  It did not bother me too much as I was barefoot in my 
Tevas.  Heading up another rise, we reached a plateau that came 
within site of the waterfall.  Not really big by any standard, it was 
about twelve or thirteen feet high and crashed noisily into a splendid 
pool large enough to swim in.  On the far side of the pool, the gorge 
wall, which had been cut by water over many hundreds of years, raised 
up from the pool vertically until it reached the top where numerous 
trees overhung the edge.  Yui moved off the path into a nice area of 
soft, blue-green grass that was dotted with a couple of large, flat stones 
big enough to sit on.  Sunny, yet cool, the trees hung with mosses and 
lichens in the shady areas, giving the little waterfall an ecosystem 
quite unlike the surrounding mountainsides.

	"Wow," was all I could manage to whistle, "this is almost a 
little world all by itself."

	Yui nodded with a smile.  "Mmm-hmm," she agreed, "it's a 
great place to forget about chores and other stuff."

	For about a minute or so, we stood side by side admiring the 
scene, each lost in our own thoughts.  I have no idea what was going 
on in Yui's mind, but my head was suddenly spinning with thoughts 
of weariness and going home.  A little strain cropped up in my eyes at 
the same time, reminding me of the nuisance of having to readjust to 
wearing glasses after being blind for several days.  Removing the 
almost delicate spectacles off my nose and rubbing my eyes, I went 
ahead and broached the tranquility.

	"So," I drawled a bit, "no Sasami."

	Bringing her hands together with a clap, Yui snapped out of 
her revere.  "Right!" she exclaimed with a quick, businesslike tone, 
"she should be along any time now, so you just have a seat and wait a 
bit."

	I guess she noticed my look of uncertainty.

	"Look," Yui began quietly, "I know this isn't much fun for 
you.  After all, I'm kind of putting you on the spot, here.  Just 
remember what I told you about the flowers, try to do what you think 
is best, and this will work itself out, no problem."

	I shuffled my feet, looking at the pool.  "I can't make any 
promises," I admitted to the lanky teenager, "I have no clue what I'm 
going to do."

	Yui only smiled softly at me and patted me on the arm.  
Turning away slowly, she left the grassy area and began picking her 
way down the rocky trail.  Due to the slope of the path, she was 
quickly out of sight.  Shoving my hands into the pockets of my khaki 
shorts, I slumped my shoulders a little bit and craned my neck 
upwards, looking at the sky.  Wrinkling my nose in consternation, I 
slid my glasses back on my face and considered the sky.  Clouds, I 
decided, looked pretty much the same wherever you went.  Dropping 
my head back down, I also decided that was probably the least deep 
comment ever made about clouds.

	Picking a moss-covered stone that look pretty comfortable, I 
eased myself down slowly, trying my best not to aggravate the 
situation with my knees.  The stone was so low to the ground, 
however, I finally had to fall the last couple of inches to avoid 
stretching the skin out too much.  Like many parts of the body, the 
knees, as it turned out, were something completely necessary and 
easily taken for granted.  Leaning back on my hands, I soaked in a bit 
of the sunshine that was warming the grassy area and tried to figure 
out what to do next.

	'Damn,' I thought, 'it wouldn't take anything for me to be 
really cold about this.  After all, she's the one who's messed up, here.  
Certainly, she deserves some anger from me.'

	'Yes, I'm sure I'll say something witty, clever, and biting that 
would utterly put this lady in her place.'

	'Oooh, yeah.  I can think of a few!'

	'And I'd instantly regret it, and spend the rest of my time 
traveling home feeling like an ass.'

	'Well, there *is* that.  But, I can't just sit back and wave a 
conciliatory hand and forget it all happened!'

	'That has proven, historically, to be a bad course of action.'

	'Damn straight.'

	'She'll *have* to apologize, that is if I want to listen to her at 
all.'

	'It'd be easy just to ignore her and walk away.'

	'Then, of course, I'd always wonder what she had to say for 
herself.'

	'This is true.'

	'Geez, I can't believe I even *let* myself have a romantic 
notion about this girl.'

	'At least it wasn't much of a notion.  I've been unconscious 
most of the time.'

	'My inner radar for sensing nutty females must have gone 
down when I clocked my head.'

	'Brain damage can do that to you, I guess.'

	Sitting back up on the mossy rock, I ever-so-slowly drew my 
legs up and sat cross-legged.  Putting my elbows on my legs, I plopped 
my chin down in my hands and grimaced.  It occurred to me that 
maybe I should just stop thinking about this whole mess and try to 
make the best of my remaining vacation time.  As a matter of fact, 
ever since getting my glasses back on my face, I had toyed around with 
the idea of not cutting my vacation short.  I certainly felt better having 
them back, but at the same time all the fun of hiking across Japan by 
myself seemed to have evaporated.

	There was a small noise away towards my left.  Looking up 
with a blank expression, I spied a lithe, young woman with incredibly 
long hair standing near the head of the trail with her head down.  In 
her hands, she carried a small bouquet of snow-white flowers.  For 
whatever reason, the noise of the waterfall or my own thoughts, I had 
not heard her approach.  Then, the previously fuzzy image I had come 
to know as Sasami looked up slightly at me with a sad and 
apprehensive face.

	Without warning, my breath became quick, and then all my 
thoughts evaporated as well.
	
				*	*	*


	Having passed Yui on the trail, Princess Sasami walked more or 
less in a terrified daze.  Cradling the Stars of Jurai she had so 
carefully and thoughtfully selected in a nearby meadow, Sasami did 
not even bother to aim for the stepping stones as she made her way 
across the stream.  Instead, she splashed clumsily in the cool water, 
soaking her bare feet and the bottoms of her pajama pants.  Emitting 
an unhappy squeak, the princess half-stumbled back onto the trail and 
stopped, breathing heavily.

	'I feel sick,' she moaned to herself, 'Why do I feel like I'm 
going to throw up?'

	Taking a moment to catch her breath, Sasami waited, hoping 
the nauseous feeling would go away magically.

	It did not.

	'Why am I getting nervous all the sudden?' she thought 
desperately, 'I felt fine before!  Oh, god, I'm going to puke right in 
front of him!'

	Sliding a clammy and trembling hand to her face, Sasami 
shivered despite the warmth of the day.  Taking several more deep 
breaths, she dropped her hand and began to walk the last few bits up 
the hill to the grassy clearing.  Making her way up with leaden feet, 
the princess closed her eyes and wished that none of this had ever 
happened.  Opening her eyes again with a sickly expression, she 
admitted to herself it was probably a little late for that kind of 
thinking now.

	<Believe,> a gentle voice whispered in her mind.

	Sasami froze instantly.  "W-what?" she stammered.

	<Believe, in yourself, Sasami,> came the voice, <open your 
heart again and all will be well.>

	It was like having someone beside her offering much needed 
encouragement.  Letting her shoulders relax noticeably, Sasami looked 
down at her flowers and gave a winsome smile.  

	'Thank you, Tsunami,' she called back, 'I won't shy away.'

	Straightening up her spine and squaring her shoulders, the 
princess raked back some of her hair that had tumbled across her face.  
Sasami idly began to wonder if cutting her hair might not be a bad 
idea.  Shaking her head, she instantly chastised herself for worrying 
about something so trivial as hair length.  Taking a big, first stride, 
Sasami walked the last bit of the path steadily uphill.  Reaching the 
top, she stepped out into the sun-warmed grass and instantly spied 
Nathaniel.

	Sasami's heart sank almost immediately.  It took no effort 
whatsoever to see the nasty cuts and scrapes on his knees, and the 
bruise on his cheek was just as pronounced.  The princess grew very 
somber as the realization of her actions at the festival hit home.  Her 
family had certainly described in detail what she had done to him, but 
it had not been real to Sasami until she saw for herself.  Dropping her 
head a bit in sadness and shame, Sasami made a rustling sound with 
her feet in the grass.

	The sound brought Nathaniel out of his pensive daze, and he 
swung his head around slowly in her direction.  Sensing his gaze upon 
her, Sasami raised her head a little as well and met his eyes for a 
moment.  Nathaniel responded with a blank and frozen expression, 
almost like that of a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.  Sasami 
interpreted this unfavorably, but began to walk slowly and quietly 
towards the American.  Drawing near to him, Sasami paused before 
the rock Nathaniel was sitting on and then gracefully sat down on the 
grass with her legs tucked under her body.  Her head bowed and eyes 
downcast, Sasami's hair tumbled across her shoulder and splashed 
against her thigh, forming a soft pile on the grass.

	It took a moment for Nathaniel to remember breathe.  From 
the moment Sasami had entered his field of vision, he had frozen very 
still with an empty look on his face.  The fact that the young woman 
had arrived so quietly should have startled Nathaniel under normal 
circumstances, but so affected was Nathaniel by what he saw, he was 
quite unable to make any motion at all.  In the same position, he had 
watched as Sasami slowly walked towards him and sat down smoothly, 
her head bowed.

	As much hardness as Nathaniel had been building up in his 
heart, sitting alone on that rock, the moment Sasami came to a rest, it 
all washed away to some forgotten part of his being.  With her gaze 
averted, he was free to look closely at the woman who had been his 
companion for the first time.  Nathaniel could not remember ever 
seeing anyone before that could have hair such a peculiar shade and 
yet look so natural with it.  The long tresses that washed down her 
shoulder in slightly wild strands absolutely gleamed in the sunshine 
that filtered past the trees overhead.  Bangs casting small shadows 
over her face, Nathaniel let his eyes wander past the two, curious 
markings on her forehead and over the soft cheeks that was sprinkled 
with freckles.  Sitting up and back, Nathaniel let his somewhat 
stunned gaze fall over the rest of her as he gaped in amazement.

	'T-this is the girl I've been with all this time?' he stammered 
to himself, managing to keep his mouth from hanging open.

	Nathaniel continued to drink in the sight of Sasami until he 
spied the bunch of white flowers in her lap.  With a rush, the warm 
feelings that had been rising in his chest were replaced by the hardness 
of why he was even there in the first place.  Having Sasami right there 
in front of him, Nathaniel had no more time to deliberate a decision 
now.  Even so, the pressure he had felt earlier about worrying what to 
do had been replaced by a stillness.  There was really only one of two 
simple choices to make.

	Take the flowers, or leave.

	Sensing Nathaniel sitting motionless for a while, Sasami 
began to get anxious.  She could tell Nathaniel was tempted to get up 
and walk away, else he would have taken her flowers by now.  It 
occurred to her bleakly that Nathaniel might be trying to make her 
suffer, but for whatever reason it did not seem like him to do so.

	'I barely know him,' she argued with herself, 'how do I know 
what kind of person he really is, anyhow?'

	A sudden movement from Nathaniel startled the princess, 
causing her to flinch.  Chastising her jumpiness, Sasami's throat 
caught as Nathaniel continued to move on the rock, uncrossing his 
legs slowly.  It looked like he was trying to get up.

	Sasami's heart sank.  'He's going to leave,' she quailed 
silently, all the while keeping her face unmoving.

	Her spirits falling by the moment, Sasami waited for 
Nathaniel to finish getting up and walk away from her.  Walk out of 
her life because of something she had done.  Leave because she had 
callously caused him to suffer something terrible that she had never once 
done to anyone else before in her life.  The threat of tears of shame 
began to sting in the corners of her eyes, but Sasami swore to herself 
she would not cry.  She would be dignified and royal in her dishonor.

	"I guess this is the point where I have to do something," he 
said in English.

	The rich sound of Nathaniel's voice almost made Sasami 
jump out of her skin.  Brining her face upwards, she was totally 
amazed to see Nathaniel still sitting there beside her, looking down 
with a serious expression.  Serious, but not cold.  Sasami held her 
breath, hanging onto his every word.

	Nathaniel scratched the side of his head.  "Yui told me about 
your family's tradition," he continued, "and what it means.  She also 
told me your family had forgiven you."

	Sasami almost opened her mouth to speak, but quickly kept it 
closed, remembering the role Juraian tradition demanded of her.  She 
simply nodded and said nothing.

	"I should leave right now," Nathaniel said softly, a 
considering expression on his face, "grab my bags and find a bus and 
never give you another look.  I don't think there is anyone in the 
world, including your family, that would blame me."

	The shame of Nathaniel's words came very close to crushing 
Sasami.  Never before in Sasami's life had someone told her so matter-
of-factly how much he wanted to reject her so utterly as to never see 
her again.  The splashing of the waterfall became a roaring in her ears.

	Through a blurry haze of hot tears, Sasami blinked in surprise 
as a hand gently touched hers.  Frozen in confusion, she let Nathaniel 
slowly peel her hands away from the bouquet of flowers she was 
holding in her lap.  Moving her hands aside, Nathaniel picked the 
Stars of Jurai out of her lap and looked at them intently.

	"Japan has beautiful flowers," he said simply.  "I should 
leave, but I guess I'd like to know what happened before I do.  And 
even then, that doesn't mean I want to forgive you.  It's just, for 
whatever reason, I don't want to leave Japan hating the only person I 
thought might have been my friend here."

	Drawing back from the princess, Nathaniel returned to his 
original position on the rock.  Sitting Indian-fashion again, he settled 
down and waited for Sasami to begin. Sasami had adopted a sad look 
on her face, full of apology, but lacking the hopelessness that had 
marked her so often in the past two weeks.

	"Of course," she said in almost a whisper, "you have every 
reason to hate me and none to forgive me.  I don't expect anything 
more from you... from anyone in this situation.  It's just that there 
were... some things going on in my life, and-"

	Sasami cut herself off in mid-sentence and sighed deeply.  If 
that did not sound like the beginning of the lamest excuse ever made, 
then she was not a princess of Jurai.  The problem was telling 
Nathaniel the truth.  How could she explain to him the pressures 
brought on by a royal marriage, the daunting prospect of being 
married off to some stranger?  The only alternative was to make 
something up entirely, like a spontaneous chemical imbalance that 
drove her to temporary nuttiness, perhaps?  No, that would not do.  No 
more lies.

	Chewing on her bottom lip unconsciously, the princess 
wracked her brain, trying to think of a way to say what she wanted 
without letting the Jurai cat out of the bag.

	'Besides,' she thought sarcastically, 'I tell him I'm a princess 
of this galaxy and he'll assume either I'm an idiot or that I'm making 
one out of him.  Oh, bother.'

	She looked up to see Nathaniel looking at her peculiarly, one 
eyebrow cocked up in suspicion.  Sasami ground her teeth, put her 
hands to her temples, and began to blurb things out at a rapid pace.

	"Okay, it's like this," Sasami rattled off quickly, "I've been 
living here on and off for most of my life away from my family back 
home.  And I really don't do much here, see?  No, of course you don't 
see.  Well, I mean, I help take care of Tenchi and his family, uh 
especially because Ryoko was really, uh, sick for a long, long time, 
and someone had to help raise Tenchi's daughters."

	The sudden onslaught of chatter from Sasami made Nathaniel's 
eyes widen a bit, and he had to pay close attention to keep up with 
what she was saying.  Sasami, on the other hand, having opened the 
flood gate of confession, was incapable of stopping now.

	"But, back home I come from a really power family," she 
plowed on rapidly, "and all the time they're sitting there wondering, 
'hey, were is Sasami?  She's always off in some backwater part of Ear- 
uh- *Japan*, Japan! uh, ignoring her responsibilities and *not* having 
an interest in her duties, *what* so ever!'  Okay, so then a couple of 
weeks ago my sister, who, like runs everything in the family now, calls 
me up and says, you're getting married in a few months, because the 
family demands it and I'm having a baby and going to be bigger than 
a whale in a matter of months-"

	Nathaniel let his jaw drop ever so slightly as his head tilted to 
one side.  It was like listening to a radio drama or soap opera, only 
better acted.

	"-and I have no say in the matter, because it's my *duty* to 
the family, blah blah blah!  And, oh, by the way!  You only have a 
couple of weeks to get used to the idea before you have to leave your 
family in Japan and travel a zillion miles home, under armed guard no 
less, get hauled up in front of a bunch of spoiled and boring brats, and 
sold off like a brood mare!  And, by the way, happy birthday, 
Sasami-"

	"It's your birthday?" asked Nathaniel, not *even* catching 
Sasami's attention.

	Sasami actually paused for a quick breath, but she was far 
from finished.

	"Hey, but no big deal, right?" she asked sarcastically, "Sure, I 
can handle having my life taken from me, no problem.  But, then the 
nightmares start.  Every night, same old thing, maybe catching a 
couple hours sleep if I'm lucky, bad dreams all the time, waking up in 
cold sweats, actually *puking* a couple of times--fun stuff, really.  
And this goes on for two weeks, and my family here can't stand me, 
I'm being a complete..."

	Sasami paused looking for the right word in English.

	"Bitch?" offered Nathaniel neutrally.

	"Exactly!" she beamed gratefully, "And everyone here really 
doesn't know what to do with me, because usually I'm really a very 
nice person, and no one has *ever* seen me acting like this, and the 
more they tiptoe around me the crankier I get!  And then, of course, 
you come along, minding your own business, and my niece clocks you 
into next week--"

	"I wouldn't say *clocked*," Nathaniel tried to interject, 
"more like-"

	"--and Ryoko starts teasing me about you while your 
unconscious, but all it does is remind me about having to get my life 
taken from me back home!  And you're *really* nice about the whole 
thing, and I feel better talking to you, but every time, it's like a black 
blanket always trying to smother me all the time and it *never* goes 
away!"

	Not even bothering to get a word in edgewise this time, 
Nathaniel simply nodded in a bemused fashion and let Sasami 
continue on.

	"And then I had to take you into town last week," Sasami 
chattered on, rolling her eyes unhappily, "and I was feeling depressed 
most of the time, thinking to myself, 'Hey, Sasami, you've been on this 
planet most of your twenty-eight-odd years and you haven't gone 
anywhere or done anything or met anyone hardly at all!'  I mean, 
what's up with that?"

	'I wonder what planet she's been on while not on Earth and if 
she's there right now?' wondered Nathaniel in amazement.

	"But, you were *so* very nice to me," Sasami said appreciatively, 
"even when you lost your room and your glasses were going to take 
days and I was being a moody grump!  And you got me away from 
those mean guys in town, and afterwards... afterwards I couldn't 
understand how all these bad things were happening to you and it 
didn't really seem to bother you at all."

	Sasami paused and look down at her lap in guilt.  "I started to 
resent you, I guess," she admitted quietly, "and it got worse the more 
upbeat you got being around my family.  I don't even know how it 
happened, but by the time the festival began, I didn't even want to see 
you anywhere near me, and I guess Washu picked up on that and tried 
to keep you here for my benefit."

	"Yeah," nodded Nathaniel with a frown, "Ryoko had more or 
less told me about that."

	"Please don't think harshly of Washu, Nathaniel," Sasami 
pleaded, "she was trying to make me happy, and sometimes when it 
comes to our family, she can be rather single minded in her approach 
to things."

	"Apparently so," he replied flatly.

	"Anyway," Sasami said hurriedly, trying to skip over 
Washu's lie, "I then abandoned everyone at the festival.  Usually, I 
love to help out there, but seeing everyone so carefree and happy... I 
got so bitter inside.  And then you showed up doing my work... it was 
like Tenchi and Ryoko didn't even need me there."

	"I never had a chance at that point," mused Nathaniel, "did 
I?"

	"I'm so sorry, Nathaniel!" apologized Sasami emphatically, 
"I can't say I didn't mean to leave you in that crowd, b-because I did.  
I wanted to get back at Ryoko for ordering me around, and you were 
just-just-"

	"Convenient?" inquired Nathaniel archly.

	Sasami looked miserable.  "More or less," she answered, "I 
guess you know the rest after that."

	"So, that's your story, huh," Nathaniel mumbled.

	Looking completely deflated, the princess nodded unhappily 
and down at her hands, wringing them slowly.  Moving slowly again, 
Nathaniel picked himself up off the rock and rose up to his feet.  
Sasami looked up and watched despondently as he moved towards the 
trail.  The, with his back still towards her, he stopped.

	"I just have one thing to ask before I leave," he said.

	Realizing that nothing she had said had really made any 
difference, the princess nonetheless held her chin up bravely and 
looked towards Nathaniel's back.

	"Please ask," she offered in a dull tone.

	"Do you do that often?"

	Sasami blinked.  "Do?  Do what?"

	Nathaniel turned around a bit.  "You know," he motioned 
with a hand, "go on a bender like that.  Boozing.  Getting yourself 
stuck in dangerous situations, drunk."

	Sasami shook her head sadly.  "I-I've had a drink now and 
again," she confessed, "at family holidays and such, but that was the 
first time I've ever been drunk.  I u-used to hear of Ryoko and my 
sister drinking a lot when I was little... I don't remember them ever 
getting into trouble like I did."

	"Huh," he responded, "that's fortunate, because if I had found 
out that I injured three goons to save someone who routinely put 
herself in a position where she was being assaulted and maybe raped, I 
don't think I'd ever be able to forgive that person."

	Sasami froze as a chill raced down her spine.  Nathaniel's 
casual use of the word 'rape' sent a fear into her heart as she had 
never even considered that as a danger she might have been in.  
Sasami raised a hand to the side of her face sickly, wondering just how 
much had really happened that she could not remember.

	"I really don't know you that well," he admitted, "so I could 
pretty easily forgive and forget your attitude problem.  I mean, hell, it 
sounds like your life isn't something to jump around about, so I can 
understand that.  I can even understand why you ditched me at the 
festival, and I can forgive all the things that happened to me while 
carrying you back into town."

	A small hope sparked inside of Sasami, putting her almost to 
the point of tears again, but she squashed it down before she was 
overwhelmed.  Sitting very still, yet teetering slowly, she waited for 
Nathaniel to finish.

	"But before I could forgive you for putting yourself in such 
danger," he added, "I really need to know and believe that it was an 
accident and something you didn't intend to happen, because I *hurt* 
those punks, Sasami.  And regardless of the fact they deserved it, it 
hurts *me* to think I may have saved your neck just so you can go off 
and do something that stupid again."

	Sasami climbed rapidly to her feet, ignoring the pins and 
needles that had begun to stab at her feet from sitting on them.  
Reaching Nathaniel, she adopted the most humble and sincere royal 
pose she could muster and bowed low and gracefully.  Any number of 
muscles in her back, stomach, and legs took that moment to scream in 
protest.  Sasami never wavered.

	"I can not apologize enough for my immature and reckless 
behavior," she said with remorse, "nor can I forgive myself for putting 
a guest of my family's house in immediate danger due to that 
behavior.  All I *can* do is humbly thank you for rescuing someone as 
unworthy as myself and promise you that I will never again allow 
myself to be placed in such a situation that would break faith with you 
generous forgiveness."

	At first, Nathaniel's western upbringing left him speechless at 
Sasami's presentation.  Then, understanding clicked in as he realized 
the significance of what she was doing before him.  Nodding 
slowly, he bowed a little bow back at her, somewhat clumsily, and 
stood up straight again.  Sensing his completed motion, Sasami also 
straightened herself out and stood with her chin tucked slightly and 
her hands clasped in front of her.

	"So," Nathaniel began after several moments of silence, 
"what happens now?  In your tradition, I mean?"

	Sasami blinked.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Well, uh, the person 
I've offended, that's you, never mentions this event again, so long as I 
never do anything to break your trust."

	Nathaniel smiled wearily.  "I think I can handle that," he 
said, "I'd just assume never think about it again, anyhow.  Shall we go 
back to the house, now?"

	"If you'd rather be without my company," she began meekly, 
"I'll wait here a while.  I can't walk very fast today, anyhow."

	Nathaniel waved a hand in faint annoyance.  "I've forgiven 
you," he stated, "so your company is welcome... that is, as long as 
you're not going to turn morose on me again."

	Shaking her head, the princess smiled.  "Not likely," she 
answered, smiling.

	Together, with Nathaniel in the lead, the pair began to pick 
their way down the path that ran beside the series of cascades and 
pools away from the waterfall.  Moving slowly, Nathaniel was careful 
not to jar his knees too much, while Sasami winced at almost every 
step, wondering if her body would ever stop hurting.

				*	*	*


	Whoever it was, the pilot decided, was very good.  He was not 
aware of any vessels that could match the performance of the prototype 
Juraian racing yacht he was in command of, but that did not mean 
such ships were not out there.  Obviously there were, because not only 
had one managed to track his ship, in spite of the advanced stealth 
technology, across half the length of Jurai restricted space, it had also 
*gained* distance on him through the cluttered asteroid fields of the 
Sol System.

	Careening just over the surface of the Earth's moon, the 
Juraian spacecraft swung low to cut away the time it would take swing 
around the small satellite.  Scraping over the moon, the engines from 
the craft created a force wake that stirred up a wide swath of moon 
dust, kicking it in all directions.  Rising in a magnificent plume, the 
dust particles twinkled in the sunlight that rained down upon them.  A 
few lucky observers on Earth with smaller telescopes would later 
report excitedly of the first apparent collision of an asteroid with the 
moon.

	Gnashing his teeth in frustration, the pilot once again 
accelerated beyond prudent speeds for that sector and sped for Earth.  
Only minutes later, the sleek form of a silver-blue Galaxy Police patrol 
ship raced by as well.  However, due to the debris launched slowly into 
space by the Juraian vessel, the patrol craft was forced to make a 
higher and larger arc around the moon to avoid contaminating its 
engines, giving the intruding craft a little more of a lead.  Then, just 
like the previous vessel, the patrol craft also accelerated and raced for 
Earth.

				*	*	*


	"Why the sudden change of attitude, anyway?" asked 
Nathaniel curiously.

	He and Sasami had been walking quietly for several minutes 
by this point, and had moved slowly away from the babbling brook 
into the shade of the forest.  Sasami looked up in confusion.

	"What do you mean?" she asked.

	"Well, what made you see the error of your ways?" he 
inquired light-heartedly, "You said you family forgave you, right?  
And I can't imagine anyone would go to the trouble of receiving the 
forgiveness of a stranger without some kind of change from being a..."

	"A bitchy princess?" offered Sasami, daring to make a risky 
joke at the expense of her identity.

	"Not to put to fine a point on it," he smiled ruefully.

	Sasami opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly found 
herself unable to articulate what exactly it was Tenchi and Yosho had 
done to her.  The thought of describing the parts of her test she could 
remember and the way it utterly exposed her entire being seemed 
almost too personal to speak of, for some reason.

	"It's hard to explain," she replied quietly, gazing at the low 
branches that passed by overhead, "I'm not sure I understand it myself, 
but my family put me through a grueling penance yesterday while you 
were resting."

	Nathaniel nodded sagely.  "That's why you're walking so 
stiffly, eh?  I was starting to think you were just doing that out of 
sympathy."

	"Not likely," Sasami disagreed, shaking her head, "I couldn't 
fake being this sore if I tried."

	"Well, it's a well known fact that hard work and struggle is a 
means of tempering the mind and the spirit from weakness," he 
mentioned, "people have been doing that in one way or another since 
time began."

	"Really?" asked Sasami, shocked that Nathaniel would have 
an insight into her ordeal.

	He only nodded in response and turned his head forward 
again as he continued to walk along the path beside her.  It occurred to 
Sasami that while Nathaniel was becoming less and less of a stranger 
every minute, there was a lot of surprising things about him that 
intrigued her in a way she could not quite explain.  She worried that 
he was leaving from her home soon so she would not be able to 
discover any of his mysteries.  That thought nagged in her noggin as 
they exited the woods and joined the main path at the base of the 
shrine stairs and headed for the house.

	"Nathaniel," she spoke up as they made the turn.

	"Mmm-hmm?" he mumbled back.

	"How... I mean, what are you going to do now?"

	Nathaniel rubbed the side of his forearm with his other hand 
and made a thoughtful face.  "I guess I'll be heading back towards 
Tokyo, maybe catch the late afternoon bus back into town and head on 
from there."

	"And you'll be flying home once you get to Tokyo?" asked 
Sasami.

	He sighed, "Yeah, I think so.  After being here about a week, 
I realized it was a mistake to come this far by myself.  I shouldn't have 
tried to do this without someone else, and I really don't feel like 
traveling anymore alone."

	"You don't have to be alone."

	A little part of Sasami's brain gaped in amazement.  Where 
had *that* come from?  Sasami was not the type of young woman to 
leave the mountains with a strange guy, was she?

	Nathaniel did not seem to believe so, either.  "Beg your 
pardon?" he asked.

	"I don't have to leave here for about a week," she said simply, 
"and I've probably seen less of Japan than you have.  I looked in your 
travel planner, and there's so much you wanted to see.  I'd like to see 
it with you."

	'Ohmygod, what are you doing?  Sister Ayeka would never 
approve of you-'

	`Oh, *bother* with Ayeka!'

	Nathaniel stopped in the middle of a clearing.  Well within 
sight of the house, he and Sasami were on the other side of the lake 
with not much more than a few minutes walk left.  Sasami could 
clearly tell that he was considering and tempted by the offer, but there 
were too many doubts, despite his acceptance of her apology, hanging 
in the back of his mind.

	"I-I'm not looking for anything," she stammered quickly, "or 
trying to do anything reckless before going home.  It's just... well, I'd 
like to get to know the only friend I've ever really made in Japan 
before he leaves."

	"I'm going to pretty dull places," he mentioned, "shrines and 
temples and parks and stuff."

	"I know."

	Nathaniel added, "I'm doing this pretty low budget whenever 
possible, youth hostels and other low frills most of the time.  That inn 
in town was an exception."

	Sasami smiled.  "I know," she repeated.

	"I can go happily for days without saying much to anyone," 
he cautioned.

	"Same here," Sasami grinned, putting her hands on her hips, 
"Are you going to be running out of possible problems to tell me 
anytime soon?"

	"Do you own a backpack?"

	"I can get one!" Sasami chirped hopefully.

	Nathaniel shook his head and smiled wonderingly.  "Well, 
that was totally unexpected.  I guess I'm staying in Japan for a while."

	Sasami laughed and clapped her hands merrily before 
reaching over and grabbing Nathaniel's hands as well.  Smiling from 
ear to ear, the princess then opened her mouth and began to say 
something.  Whatever she was going to say at that moment, she would 
never be able to remember no matter how hard she tried later, because 
just then, everything in the world was suddenly drowned out by 
a thunderous roar of cataclysmic proportions.

	With winds whipping wildly around the pair, the dirt and 
sand lifted in all directions.  Falling into Nathaniel, Sasami cried out 
in surprise as their eyes were both stung by the swirling debris.  
Unable to withstand the force of the wind or the noise, the two were 
forced to their knees, each holding the other tightly with their eyes 
closed shut.  Then as quickly as it had begun, the noise and gale force 
winds died.

	Nathaniel, gritting in pain from having landed on his knees 
again, cautiously opened one eye.  Not seeing anything out of the 
ordinary in any direction, he slowly pointed his face up to the sky.

	And then his jaw dropped.

	"W-what the hell is that?" he demanded in a shaky voice.

	Jerking her head up quickly from where it had been tucked 
against Nathaniel's chest, Sasami promptly whacked his chin, causing 
him to bite his tongue.  While Nathaniel winced in pain, Sasami 
looked up into the sky.

	"J-Juraian?" she blurted, "b-but they're early! And that's not 
one of our ships!"

	Hanging gracefully in the air, right above the Masaki 
residence, was a small and sleek Jurai ship.  It's hull made entirely of 
wood, the ship might have been small for a space going vessel, but it 
was still larger than the house and could easily crush it if landing 
became an option for the pilot.

	Nathaniel regained some of his composure and dragged 
himself and Sasami up to their feet.  Looking up at the ship in wide-
eyed amazement, he stammered for a second until he could catch his 
breath.

	"Juraian?" he asked rapidly, "What the hell is that, and what 
do you mean they're early?"

	Before Sasami could even open her mouth to answer, there 
was a shimmering and a haze between them and the lake.  Landing 
gracefully out of thin air, a tall humanoid figure alighted on the 
ground in a flurry of robes and hair.  Covered from head to toe in an 
ornate and heavy robe, the visitor stood motionless for a little bit, 
breathing deeply as if from some heavy exertion.

	Sasami could see instantly from the manner of the figure's 
dress that he or she was Juraian in origin.  She could even tell by the 
insignia's on the clothes that they represented one of the smaller and 
least powerful of the many noble houses of Jurai.  However, Sasami, as 
she clung to Nathaniel for balance, could not imagine who it might be.  
The restricted zone of Jurai space, especially a colonized planet 
within, were strictly off limits by royal decree, and no one not of the 
royal family would dare violate that if they valued their life.

	Eventually, the figure reached up and pushed back the heavy 
hood of the robe.  Masses of thick and long, dark brown hair rained 
down around the shoulders of the figure, finally revealing a man of 
about twenty-five to thirty, with sharp features and piercing gray eyes.  
He was as tall as Nathaniel, but with a slightly narrower build.  With a 
pleasant smile that radiated nothing but coldness, the man bowed with 
a flourish.

	"Princess Sasami," he drawled in a smooth voice, "truly it is a 
pleasant surprise to find you here on this remote colony.  Indeed, I 
found it hard to believe the rumors that have been flying around court 
about your stays here, but, obviously, they must be in part true."

	Sasami managed to regain her composure enough to get her 
balance back and stand without Nathaniel's assistance.  Nathaniel, 
however, had a look of incredulity plastered across his face, trying to 
figure out just who this nut was and how a gigantic ship could be 
*hovering* silently above a house.

	"Naturally, when you availability for marriage was made 
known to the court by your sister, I simply had to seek you out," the 
man continued, "but where are my manners?  My name is Tevean, 
your highness, from the noble house of Jan.  I am... humbled to make 
your acquaintance."

	Taking a first step forward, Tevean Jan made to approach the 
princess.  His movement snapped Nathaniel out of his daze instantly, 
and the American placed himself in front of Sasami defensively.

	"Now you just hold the hell up, whoever you are!" he 
commanded in a firm voice, "I don't know *what* you think you're 
doing talking like a lunatic, but-"

	Nathaniel was unable to get another word out.  Without 
changing the pleasant look on his face, the Juraian raised a hand 
negligently and gestured.  Caught up by an unseen force, Nathaniel 
was struck full in the chest and tossed along the ground for over 
twenty yards.  Skipping along the ground, he finally came to a splashy 
stop in the shallows of the lake.  Tevean Jan's gaze never left its focus 
on Sasami.

	"Nathaniel!" screamed Sasami, her hands reaching out in a 
futile gesture.

	"I apologize if I have damaged your servant," Tevean smiled 
without concern, "Earthling's appear to have little respect for our 
station, if he is representative of the lot.  But then, perhaps he was not 
your servant?"

	Tevean Jan stepped a bit closer to the stunned princess, a 
greasy smile etched across his otherwise handsome features.  "Your... 
companion, perchance?" he asked, innuendo dripping from his voice, 
"Maybe the rumors flying about court with regards to your frequent 
stays on this little planet are not wholly without basis in truth."

	There was a snapping hum and a heat suddenly at the nape of 
Tevean's neck.  Freezing instantly in calm recognition of a weapon 
pointed directly at his exposed back, the Juraian altered his smile 
slightly and crossed his arms.

	"To sneak up on me so quietly and without warning," Tevean 
Jan mused, "With whom do I have the honor?"

	Standing in a forward stance with his blue, energy blade 
extended and unwavering at Tevean's neck, Yosho smiled grimly and 
pushed his small spectacles back with his free hand.

	"Your better," replied Yosho, "both in courtesy and skill.  Of 
the many mistakes you have made today, however, attacking a guest of 
my house will be your last."

	Taking a step or two back, Sasami's frightened expression 
calmed just a little bit, but she still regarded Tevean Jan like a snake.

	"Prince Yosho," smiled Tevean pleasantly, not moving, "so 
the rumors of your residence on Earth are not so baseless, either.  It is 
a great pleasure to make the acquaintance of so famous a royal 
swordsman."

	No moving an inch, Yosho replied coldly, "Not so great a 
pleasure as you might believe, especially with the consequences of 
attacking my guest and attempting to assault a princess of Jurai."

	Tevean laughed.  "My dear Prince Yosho," he said, his head 
tilting to one side slightly, "I am *certain* that you are mistaken with 
what is going on here.  Whatever you are thinking, it is not was it 
seemingly looks to be-"

	There was another roar and rush of wind that swept down 
through the valley and across the lake.  Sasami shielded herself again 
from the dust and dirt that flew up into the air, but neither Tevean nor 
Yosho moved an inch, each of their attentions locked firmly on the 
other.  Many yards away, Nathaniel lay face up and unmoving in a 
couple inches of lake water.  Swooping low over the tree line, a Galaxy 
Police patrol vessel, silver-blue and larger than Tevean Jan's speed 
yacht, took position directly over the lake.  There was a loud whirling 
noise as the main cannon on the patrol vessel took aim directly at the 
smaller Juraian ship.

	Suddenly, an amplified voice called out from the sleek patrol 
ship.

	"Looks to me like you're illegally parked over my daddy's 
house, bub!"

	The smile never leaving his smug face, Tevean Jan looked up 
at the patrol craft and grinned.

	"Amusing," was all he said.

			*	*	*


Coming up in Chapter 9 (which will be rather short):

"Guardians are the most trusted protectors of the royal family, and I trust 
you."

Mayuka to the rescue, the cat is let out of the bag, and Sasami makes her 
leave of Earth and her family.

Comments and Criticisms Appreciated!

Send comments to Mike McAvoy (mmcavoy@ejourney.com)
http://www.angelfire.com/va3/shenandoah/
Last updated October 15, 2001.