AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:
        If you wish to contact me by e-mail, my address is:
        trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us

        "Innocent Child"                        A Tenchi Muyou! fanfic
                                                        by Tim Miller

        "Um . . . Aeka?"
        "Leave me alone, Ryouko."
        Ryouko sighed, looking down at the floor. "Wish I could, princess, but 
I think we need to talk."
        "Don't even try to tell me it's my fault." Aeka's voice was noticeably 
strained, but she continued facing away from Ryouko.
        "I wasn't going to."
        "Liar."
        Ryouko sighed. "Dammit, princess, would you stop acting like a little 
girl for - "
        Aeka moved faster than Ryouko usually gave her credit for, and the 
space pirate/demoness just barely brought her hand up in time to stop the 
Juraian princess's fist. "Aeka, will you *knock it off*? I didn't come up here 
to fight, I thought I said we needed to talk!"
        Aeka drew a shuddering breath, and yanked her fist out of Ryouko's 
grasp as she turned away from her rival. "There's nothing to talk about, you - 
you - " Aeka couldn't even come up with an appropriate insult to fling at 
Ryouko.
        Ryouko let her rival simmer for a moment as she looked around the 
darkened room. Aeka's futon was somewhat rumpled, as Aeka had been kneeling on 
it when Ryouko entered the room; the other futon was laid out perfectly, the 
cover straight and tidy. You couldn't even tell that it was ever used.
        "Do you know where the others are?" Ryouko finally asked.
        "No." Aeka didn't move.
        "Wasyuu's been in her lab all day, so I don't think she knows yet. I 
dunno where Mihoshi is. Tenchi's dad is at work, Grandpa went to Funaho - "
        "Did he take . . . her?"
        "I think so, yeah. And I dunno where Tenchi is, either."
        Aeka sighed, turning around to face Ryouko. "And you haven't shed a 
single tear."
        Ryouko stiffened slightly. "You think I don't care? Look, I didn't 
think it'd do any good if I came to you looking as much a wreck as you do."
        Aeka bristled. "Why, you - "
        "Don't. Aeka, just try to calm down and talk to me, don't throw 
insults . . . I'm trying to help." 
        "Why should you care?"
        "For her sake," Ryouko said as she indicated the futon next to Aeka's. 
"Do you think Sasami would want to see us at each other's throats *now*, of 
all times?"
        "It's *your* fault, you pirate!"
        "There's enough blame for both of us - damn it to hell, princess, if I 
could take all the fault for myself, I probably would. But bottling it up and 
pretending you didn't do anything . . . "
        For once, Aeka couldn't even respond to Ryouko's words. The former 
space pirate was right: Aeka was trying to squelch the remorse she felt . . . 
and couldn't. Aeka turned her face away, trying to hold back the tears. She 
failed. 
        Ryouko laid a gentle hand on Aeka's shoulder. "Aeka-himesama . . . "
        The dam broke, and Aeka's tears came flooding out from her eyes. 
Ryouko hugged Aeka gently, letting the princess cry on her shoulder; concern 
for the rival she'd come to accept as a friend overwhelmed the distance she 
normally kept from everyone except Tenchi. Aeka didn't even seem to notice, or 
care, as she let the grief out.
        "You're wrong," Aeka finally said. "It's not your fault at all. 
Dammit, Ryouko, I was her big sister, I should have been paying more attention 
when she got in the way - "
        "Shhhh," Ryouko hushed her. "You wouldn't have done that if I hadn't 
been baiting you so much."
        Aeka abruptly realized what she'd been doing, and pulled away from 
Ryouko. "How dare . . . " She trailed off, looking at Ryouko, and finally 
recognized the emotions in Ryouko's eyes: grief, sorrow, pain, loss. No hatred 
or malice, no jealousy - but there was concern in Ryouko's expression.
        "Feel better now?" Ryouko asked with a weak smile.
        "A little bit . . . but I'm not gonna let you do that to me again," 
Aeka retorted with an even weaker smile.
        Ryouko attempted to look innocent, but despite her long practice, she 
failed miserably. Aeka actually had to stifle a giggle at the result.
        "So what happens now?" Ryouko asked.
        "I . . . I don't know."
        "You've got to have some idea - "
        The door to the room slid open. "Excuse me," Tenchi interrupted. "I 
need to talk to the two of you."
        Ryouko and Aeka looked up; Tenchi stood in the door, carrying a large 
backpack and wearing - "Are those traveling clothes?" Ryouko asked.
        "Yes." Tenchi stepped into the room. "I'm leaving after I talk to 
you."
        "Why?" Aeka asked as she looked up at Tenchi.
        "Because of Sasami. You both know who killed her, and I'm not going to 
let that happen to anyone else here. Neither of you are to follow me under 
*any* circumstances, is that clear?"
        Aeka and Ryouko traded looks, then looked back up at Tenchi. "You're 
serious?" Ryouko asked.
        "Serious enough to use this if I have to." Tenchi held up a wooden 
sword hilt, the Juraian Master Key that bore his name. "I don't want to see 
either of you again in this world."
        "Tenchi . . . " Aeka looked at the Tenchi-ken for a moment, then back 
up at its owner.
        "Don't try to talk me out of it. That goes for both of you."
        "What happens if we try to follow you?" Ryouko asked.
        Tenchi's brow furrowed, and a bright spark flared at the sword end of 
the Tenchi-ken. "Don't try to follow me. Either of you. Not unless you can 
tell me the impossible has happened." 
        "It's not impossible!" Aeka burst out, rising to her feet. "Sasami was 
linked to Tsunami, and Tsunami protects her own!"
        "Forgive my saying this," Tenchi growled, "but Tsunami hasn't done a 
terribly good job of 'protecting her own,' has she?" He turned around and 
stalked out of the room.
        "Tenchi - " Ryouko started to go after him; Aeka raised a hand to 
block her.
        "Let him go," Aeka sighed. "There's nothing we can do."
        Ryouko was silent for a moment, then phased and floated up to the roof 
of the house. Aeka walked to the window and gazed out at the front walk.

        Tenchi checked in his backpack one last time, then rapped on the door 
under the stairs. "Wasyuu?"
        The door opened, and Wasyuu-chan gazed up at him. "Yes?"
        "I thought you should know: I'm leaving."
        "Oh, you mean Sasami?"
        Tenchi blinked. "You mean you knew, and didn't do anything?"
        "It's out of my hands. See you later." Wasyuu withdrew back into her 
lab and closed the dimensional door.
        "What do - ah, hell with it!" Tenchi spun on his heel, heading for the 
door. After putting on his shoes, he looked around the entryway for the last 
time.
        "So this is how it ends," he murmured. "The last time I'll see any of 
you . . . " He closed his eyes in pain. "I can't let you hurt anyone else, 
ever again . . . especially not because of me. Any of you." He turned around, 
opened the door, and left his home behind him.

        Katsuhito, known to a few as Youshou, looked up from the girl's body 
to gaze at Funaho, the holy tree of the Masaki Shrine. He felt the old energy 
of the tree's spirit, the mind that had driven the ship Funaho ever since the 
time of its birth, until the crash seven centuries ago that had stranded him 
on Earth.
        Funaho, in return, seemed to sense him, and the two touched on a level 
deeper than communication, what some would call communion. Youshou closed his 
eyes, letting out the call, the cry, the plea for help . . . 

        Tenchi paused for a moment before the torii, then walked through it 
and onto the grounds of the Masaki Shrine. "Grandpa?" he called.
        There was no answer, and Tenchi quickly explored the Shrine for any 
sign of where his grandfather had gone. There was no trace. Finally, Tenchi 
turned his steps across the countryside, towards the tree that he had learned 
was Funaho.
        As he drew within sight of Funaho, he saw his grandfather crossing to 
the shore, placing his foot on each stepping stone in turn as he carried the 
bundle in his arms.
        "Grandpa," Tenchi said as Youshou drew near, "I was looking for you."
        "I know," Youshou responded. "But before you leave, there's something 
you ought to know . . . "
        Tenchi blinked. "What is it?"
        The bundle in Youshou's arms stirred, then reached up and pulled down 
the cloth that shrouded it, revealing blue hair, pink eyes, and freckled 
cheeks on a weakly smiling face. "Sorry to worry you guys."
        Tenchi's backpack crashed to the ground. "WHAT IN THE . . . "

        Ryouko sat up. "Did you hear something?" she asked Aeka.
        "No, I didn't. Why?"
        "I thought I heard Tenchi shouting."
        "Should we go look?"
        "Nah . . . I don't think you can heal as quickly as I can, and I don't 
care to fight him right now."
        Aeka dropped her cards on the table and went over to the front window. 
" - Ryouko, he's coming this way. Running."
        "Oh really?" Ryouko set her cards down, and crossed over to stand next 
to Aeka. "Something must have happened, he looks like he saw a ghost."
        "*Now* do you think we should go see what happened?"
        "Depends how serious he was - " Ryouko was interrupted as the door 
banged open.
        "Ryouko! Aeka! Wasyuu! Come quickly!" Tenchi shouted.
        Wasyuu's dimensional door opened, and the diminutive genius poked her 
head out. "Hmmm . . . something must have held them up."
        Ryouko stopped to glare at her 'mother.' "What are you talking about?"
        Wasyuu chuckled as she emerged from the alternate dimension which her 
lab was housed in. "You'll see."
        The three females converged at the entryway, where Tenchi was panting 
for breath. "You'll never believe what just happened," he wheezed.
        "Slow down, Tenchi," Wasyuu said. "I think I can guess what happened."
        "Wasyuu, if you know what happened, then *tell us*!" Ryouko snarled.
        "You'll find out soon enough," Wasyuu answered as she waved to 
Youshou. "Where is she?"
        "Right here," Youshou said as he unwrapped the shroud from Sasami and 
set the girl down on her feet.
        "Sasami-chan!" Aeka hurtled out the door, nearly crushing her little 
sister in an embrace. "Oh, gods, you're all right!"
        The blue-haired girl coughed once or twice. "I *won't* be if I can't 
breathe, oneechan . . . and I'm still not completely better."
        Aeka blushed, and let go of Sasami. "Youshou, what happened? What did 
you do?"
        "I didn't do anything myself," Youshou replied as Wasyuu, Ryouko, and 
Tenchi came out to join them. "Tsunami had to know that Sasami had been hurt, 
and that's what I was doing at Funaho."
        "I thought it might be something like that," Aeka murmured.
        "I hope you all have learned a valuable lesson today, though." 
Youshou's voice was stern. "Aeka, Ryouko - the two of you have to stop 
fighting. Especially if you want to remain under this roof. I don't care what 
friends you may have made here, but the next time that powers start flying, 
the person or persons responsible will be thrown out of the house permanently. 
If I have to seal someone away in the cave again, I will. If you're stranded 
on Earth as a result of your eviction, don't come to any of us for help. Do I 
make myself perfectly clear?"
        "Yes," Ryouko nodded.
        "Perfectly," Wasyuu responded.
        "I understand," Aeka said clearly as she hugged Sasami.
        Youshou gave Tenchi a somewhat pointed look. "That goes for you too."
        "Got it," Tenchi replied. "No fights in the house, or where bystanders 
could get hurt."
        "Exactly. Sasami, how do you feel?"
        "My head hurts a bit," Sasami answered, "and I could sleep for two 
days while the rest of my body stops hurting. But other than that - and my 
clothes - I'm fine."
        Aeka looked at her sister's scorched-looking robes. "I guess we kind 
of overdid it, huh?"
        "Aeka, get over here." Ryouko started walking away.
        "WHAT?" Aeka asked as she looked over at Ryouko.
        "I *said* to get over here, and I meant now!"
        "You two aren't going to start fighting again now, are you?" Tenchi 
sighed.
        Sasami just looked up at her sister and Ryouko; her expression said 
everything that she needed to. Ryouko actually looked sheepish for a moment, 
then phased down into the ground and vanished from sight. Aeka sighed, and 
walked away towards the lake.
        "Sasami-chan," Tenchi said, "I'm glad you're okay."
        "So'm I, Tenchi-niichan."
        "Maybe it'll be peaceful around here for a while," Youshou hoped.
        "Knowing those two," Wasyuu commented, "we'd have the gods on our side 
if it were."

AUTHOR'S AFTERWORD:
        This story is the result of a couple of lines of thought: Is there 
anything that could get Aeka and Ryouko to stop fighting? and, What would be 
the effect if Sasami died?
        The latter question came to me while I was listening to the "Saint 
Sasami" music from the Tenchi Muyou! OAVs; I don't recall where in the series 
this music is heard. (It's track 14 on the Tenchi OAV Best Collection, vol. 1) 

Glossary of Japanese expressions:
-chan     - familiar/affectionate suffix
-himesama - princess (formal suffix)
-ken      - in "Tenchi-ken": sword
oneechan  - elder sister (familiar, affectionate)
-niichan  - elder brother (affectionate suffix)

Acknowledgements:
        The characters and setting(s) used above are the creations of whoever 
originally created _Tenchi Muyou!_ (No Need for Tenchi!). Unfortunately, I 
don't know who created _Tenchi Muyou!_ in the first place so I can't give 
credit by name . . . 
                                Tim Miller
                                        trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
        April 28, 1997