Disclaimer: All original characters, places, and events of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki 
are not mine. They are the property of AIC and Pioneer. All new characters, 
places, and events that have appeared in my last three stories belong to me. 

Notes- Okay. Here I am all ready to go again. This is the third in my short 
story series that follow the events of Will of the Goddesses. If you have not 
read the first three fics then stop right here and go read them. 

Now let me just, once again, thank a few people. One, thanks to GenSao for 
putting all my stuff up in the archive. Two, all the people who have told me how 
much they enjoy my work. I hope I never let you down. I also want to make a 
small apology to all my readers. I am sorry for a couple of really stupid 
spelling mistakes that were prevalent in all my previous fics. Mainly my 
accidental spelling of Jurai. My only excuse was a weird eye to brain to hand 
thing. My brain and eyes saw one thing, and my hands typed something else. 
Hopefully my corrected versions will have been posted long before I get this 
out. Once again I am sorry for that stupid mistake.

Let's get to the meat of this fic. This here will be the last of my short story 
series. In this fic, I will be changing the focus. So far it has been pretty 
obvious that I have been making Tenchi and Ryoko's life the focus of these short 
stories. Now we will be switching over to Sasami. As you have probably figured 
out, this fic will focus on her assimilation with Tsunami. I see this as a very 
important point in the series. There are a lot of emotional aspects of this 
whole situation that are very delicate. I know that there are a ton of fics 
about this out there, but the question is do they get the point across?

I am now going to attempt to write this very deep fic. I hope I can pull it off. 
Well, see you in the post notes.


Peace of Soul


	Space was truly a beautiful thing. Sasami Masaki realized it had been 
almost six years since she had last been in space. She sighed and continued to 
stare out the universal window of the tree ship. At the age of eighteen, Sasami 
was a beautiful young woman. Standing at about five foot ten, she could be 
considered the fantasy of any man in the universe. With an impressive bust, slim 
waist, and long legs Sasami knew that she was beyond what was seen as simply 
beautiful. She was a goddess.

	"Or soon will be," muttered the teenage princess. Sighing again, she 
turned away from the window and walked deeper into the ship.

	As she walked, Sasami ran her fingers through her shoulder length, aqua 
hair. Wearing just a pair of jeans and a white turtleneck, Sasami did look just 
like any other human teenager. To look at her now, one would not know that she 
was a princess of one of the most powerful empires in the galaxy. As the Second 
Crown Princess of Jurai, Sasami was still expected to make appearances at 
important royal functions. Normally she would use her schoolwork as an excuse, 
but she wouldn't miss this particular event for anything. That, and she had 
graduated highschool just over six months ago.

	So it was that she, Tenchi, Ryoko, the three Masaki children, Washu, her 
brother, and Ryo-ohki were all traveling to Jurai for Ayeka's wedding. The 
family had decided to take the tree ship Ayeka had given Tenchi and Ryoko for 
their wedding. Tenchi had named the ship Cho-ryo. The ship lurched slightly as 
it made the final hyperspace jump for Jurai. Sasami walked under trees and past 
bushes, down a dirt path towards the main building of the ship. She rounded a 
corner and was greeted by a heart warming sight. Even through her increasingly 
dark mood, Sasami could not help but smile.

	Scattered in front of the large tree that was the heart and main structure 
of the ship, were several members of her family. Situated on the control podium 
were Azaka and Kamidake flying the ship. Running around the two Guardians were 
two of the three Masaki children. Seven year old Mayuka Masaki was yelling at 
the top of her young lungs while jumping up and down. Wearing a pair of tan 
shorts with a yellow and purple shirt, the child was valiantly trying to pull 
something off of her head. The thing on her head just happened to be her little 
brother Hiro Masaki. The two year old was clinging tightly to his sister's 
bluish black hair giggling like a maniac.

	Hiro had a small mass of cyan hair on top of his head that jutted out in 
several directions just like his mother's. He wore a green T-shirt and a pair of 
brown, corduroy overalls. Aside from the hair, his features were very 
reminiscent of Tenchi. 

	"Faster! Faster!" he was shouting repeatedly.

	"Get off of me you little termite!" screamed Mayuka. "Mom! Make him get 
off! He's pulling my hair out!"

	Sasami looked up to the top of Kamidake to see Ryoko sitting cross legged 
seemingly absorbed in what she was doing. Wearing her old blue, gold, and black 
dress with the tail, Ryoko Masaki was rapidly typing away on a holo laptop Washu 
had given her. Over the past couple of years, Ryoko had taken to writing down 
her life for the past several thousand years. Needless to say the work had been 
titled "A Pirate's Life: The Ryoko Masaki Story."

	"Hiro," she said without halting her work. "Stop pulling your sister's 
hair. I don't think she wants to play horsy anymore." Mayuka continued shouting 
while Hiro continued laughing. "You have until the count of three before I come 
down there. One...Two..." 

	The shouting and laughing abruptly stopped. Hiro let go of Mayuka's hair, 
who in turn grabbed the toddler and tossed him to the ground. The little boy got 
back to his feet, stuck out his tongue at his older sister, and walked over to 
where his twin was playing at the base of Azaka. Where Hiro was loud and 
rambunctious, Rei Masaki was a little bit more well mannered for her age. Yes, 
she could be just as wild, but the child seemed to have inherited their father's 
self control.

	Except for the straight, raven black hair that ran past her shoulders, Rei 
was nearly a spitting image of her mother. With feline, brown eyes and Ryoko's 
sharp, exotic features, she was already a very pretty little girl. She wore a 
sleeveless, dark pink dress and was lying on her stomach drawing in a coloring 
book. Hiro plopped himself right down in front of her, grabbed a couple of 
crayons, and started coloring on the same page. Instead of complaining, Rei 
simply took the book and tore it away from her brother. 

	Hiro was on his feet instantly reaching for the book. "Give it, Rei!" he 
cried.

	Rei was also on her feet with a mischievous grin that would make her 
mother proud. "No, it's mine." She made a raspberry at Hiro and bolted to the 
right. And so it was that the two twins began to chase each other around Azaka. 
Sasami started to wonder if she would ever be able to have a family of her own. 

	Her own.

	The words echoed back and forth in her mind. How much longer could she use 
that term?

	"How much longer will I even be me?" she said quietly.

	Ever since her birthday back in February, Sasami knew that her 
assimilation with Tsunami would soon occur. No one had said anything to her. It 
was just a feeling that she had. Soon Tsunami would merge with her and possibly 
snuff out her very existence. As Sasami wandered over to the others, her 
thoughts grew darker and darker. 

	Mayuka, who was vainly trying to get her hair back into some sense of 
order, was the first to notice her. "Hey, Aunt Sasami."

	"Hey, kiddo," said Ryoko without pausing in her typing. "Can you do me a 
favor?"

	Sasami grunted and looked up at the pirate. "What?"

	"Can you go and get Tenchi for me?" she asked. "I need to talk to him."

	"Why don't you just use your link?" replied Sasami tartly. 

	Ryoko finally stopped typing to look down at the teenager. "He's training 
with the old man somewhere, and he's closed off his end." She thinned her eyes 
at the princess. "And what's with the attitude?"

	Sasami huffed and started for the house. "Why don't you go and get him 
then?" 

	The blue haired girl was startled when Ryoko suddenly appeared right in 
her path. Tenchi's wife leaned forward placing her nose to nose with Sasami. 
"All right, kid. Time to check yourself." She thrust a finger in Sasami's face. 
"I don't know what bit you in the ass, but don't start acting like a bitch for 
no good reason. I love you to death, but I didn't take this crap from your 
sister, and I won't take it from you."

	Sasami scowled back at her. She quickly straightened to her full height 
and brushed past Ryoko without saying another word. 

	*She doesn't understand,* thought Sasami. *No one does. None of _them_  
might not exist tomorrow.*

_____ 

	"She's been getting worse and worse lately," Ryoko mumbled as she watched 
Sasami walk into the house/tree.

	A high pitched scream split the air drawing her attention back to the 
reason she couldn't go find Tenchi herself. She turned around to see Hiro and 
Rei grappling with one another. Ryoko didn't waste a moment before teleporting 
right behind her children and separating them. They were each sporting a couple 
of bruises that were already fading. The kids had just started manifesting 
several of her special abilities. Both of them healed quickly, and they both 
were unusually strong for their age. Ryoko just hoped that neither one figured 
out how to fly or teleport anytime soon. That would make it real hell to keep an 
eye on them. 

	She dropped to one knee, so that she was eye level with the twins. "Okay. 
What's the problem?"

	"She won't le'me use the culring book," Hiro said quickly. 

	"He juss wants ta mess my drawings, Mommy," countered Rei.

	Ryoko got back to her feet and split herself into two. Ryoko A picked up 
Rei, and Ryoko B picked up Hiro. "I think you two need some time apart," Ryoko A 
suggested.

	"I agree," added Ryoko B. 

	"Mayuka?" they both said at the same time.

	"Yeah?" asked the child. Her oldest daughter was still trying to fix her 
short blackish blue hair. She was used to seeing her mother's powers, so two 
Ryokos did not phase her at all. 

	Ryoko A walked over and placed Rei down next to her. "Why don't you take 
your sister and go find your father?" 

	"Do I have to?" whined Mayuka. Ryoko A gave her a stern look that halted 
any further complaints. The eldest Masaki child took her sister's left hand and 
walked off muttering with Rei asking what certain words she muttered meant.

	Ryoko A suddenly vanished, rejoining with Ryoko B. Ryoko blinked once and 
looked at the toddler in her arms. "You shouldn't hit your sister, honey."

	"But you hit Aunt Ayeka and Aunt Mihoshi all the time," he told her.

	Ryoko turned and started walking away from the control podium. "Well, 
that's different. We're just playing."

	"We were juss playin', too," argued the little boy. "Does that mean I can 
use "no no" words like you?"

	Ryoko grimaced. She was really going to have to learn not to curse so much 
for all her children's sakes. As she walked towards the bow of the ship, Ryoko 
once again attempted to tell her son why certain words were "good" and others 
were "no no."

_____ 

	The door slid open, and Washu walked out of her room just as Sasami 
stormed past. The scientist watched the princess scale the stairs two at a time 
towards her room. "Wonder what's up with her?"

	"Ryoko," Washu called out telepathically to her daughter. 

	"Yeah, mom?" came a reply soon after.

	"What's the matter with Sasami? She just flew past me in a snit."

	"Got me," she answered. "You could chalk it up to the Juraian Royal Bitch 
Gene, but that would be pretty out of character for Sasami."

	"Want me to have a go at her?" suggested Washu.

	"Could you?" said Ryoko. "I've got my hands full with Hiro. That, and I 
never have reacted well to royal bitchiness."

	Washu made an exaggerated mental sigh. "I guess it's up to the greatest 
genius this universe has ever seen to fix things once again."

	"Ah, go float your ego boat someplace else," came Ryoko's voice before she 
cut off the link.

	Washu could not help but smirk at her daughter's last remark. Wearing tan 
slacks, a white blouse, and a black vest with a purple trim Washu calmly walked 
up the stairs to the second level of the tree/house. She stopped in front of 
Sasami's door and knocked. 

	"GO AWAY!" she heard Sasami yell.

	"It's Washu," was all she said in response. Seconds later the door slid 
open.

	Washu carefully walked into the room while assessing the situation. 
Sasami's room was like most on Cho-ryo. There was a full sized bed in the center 
with purple sheets, a dresser and mirror on the left wall, and a table with two 
chairs sitting under a window on the right wall. The floor was covered by a 
cream colored carpet. Sasami, herself, was sitting on the edge of her bed with 
her ankles crossed. Washu walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

	She waited a moment before speaking. "Well?"

	Sasami looked up at her with thinned, pink eyes. "Well what?"

	Washu crossed her legs while leaning back. "Would you care to explain your 
sudden attitude problem? Or do I have to hook you up to a machine to get it out 
of you?" And she meant it too.

	The teenager's mouth fell open because she knew the threat to be true. 
Sasami began to fiddle with her hands. "I..."

	Washu nodded her head. "You...?"

	Sasami looked Washu in the eyes for a second, and the genius clearly saw 
the anguish there. "Washu, I'm...I'm afraid that I'm going to disappear."

	"What on Earth are you talking about?" replied Washu with a tilt of her 
head. 

	"You know I turned eighteen back in February." Washu nodded. "Well," 
continued Sasami with obvious hesitation. "It's going to happen soon."

	Washu was honestly confused. "What? What's going to happen soon? Sasami, 
you're not making any sense."

	Tears started to well up in Sasami's eyes. "Soon Tsunami and I are going 
to merge, and I'll disappear." She began to cry. "I don't want to disappear, 
Washu!"

	It was only a half a second before Washu was out of the chair and 
embracing the weeping girl. Washu cradled her head and started rocking gently. 
"Shhh. It's okay, Sasami."

	"No it's not," she cried. "Tsunami is going to take over my body, and 
there won't be anything of me left." Her crying increased. "And nobody even 
cares. Everyone is so involved with their own lives that they've all completely 
forgotten what's going to happen to me! Tenchi and Ryoko have their children, 
Ayeka's getting married and starting her own family, brother Yosho doesn't give 
a damn about anything but the Shrine, and you're too busy with your 
experiments."

	Washu simply sat there letting Sasami get it all out of her system. 
However, the genius knew too well that everything the princess was saying was 
absolutely true. Sasami had always been so mature about everything that no one 
ever really worried about her. Of course Washu knew that underneath it all, 
Sasami was just as fragile as the rest of them. Perhaps even a bit more so. As 
she thought about it more, all the pieces started to fall into place.

	For years, as a child, Sasami had lived with the fear that she wasn't 
anything but a clone of the original Sasami. Ever since the initial 
assimilation, Sasami had believed she was a fake. Therefore, she had always gone 
the extra distance to be perfect so that she would always be accepted. Then when 
Tsunami revealed the truth eight years ago, Sasami had relaxed about the whole 
thing. She knew she was the one and only Sasami. So for the past eight years she 
had lived with a new sense of life. Now though, the existence she treasured so 
much was being threatened once again.

	And everyone had forgotten, except Sasami.

	Sasami had stopped crying now and was just sniffling into Washu's right 
shoulder. The red head eased her back and started cleaning her face off with a 
handkerchief that had appeared from nowhere.

	"I don't know what to say, Sasami," admitted Washu. "I don't really say 
this often, but I'm sorry. You're right. Everyone has gotten so used to just 
living their lives, that we all forgot what you were eventually going to go 
through."

	Sasami took the handkerchief and wiped her nose. "It's okay, Washu. I 
guess I should have said something without lashing out."

	Washu was shaking her head. "Don't you dare apologize, Sasami. You have 
always been the caretaker of this family, and it's about time that you were 
taken care of for once."

	Hope suddenly filled her pink eyes. "Then you're going to do something to 
help me?"

	Washu slapped herself inwardly for implying help that could not be given. 
"I'm sorry, again, Sasami, but there's nothing I or anyone can do to help you." 
Sasami's face drooped and her shoulders drooped. Washu laid a comforting hand on 
her left shoulder.

	"Listen to me, Sasami," ordered the genius. Sasami raised her head to meet 
Washu's gaze. "You know that I was once a goddess, and that Tsunami and I were 
sisters?" The girl nodded. "From what I remember, Tsunami was the one who was 
always prepared for a situation. She always had some plan ready to go incase 
something went wrong. Tsunami always went to great lengths to make sure that no 
one was ever hurt by anything she, Tokimi, or myself did. But because she always 
had a plan or three in mind, I was never even able to predict what she would 
do."

	She patted Sasami lightly on the shoulder. "So you see, even if I could do 
something there is no telling what Tsunami plans to do anyway. The best thing I 
can do now is make a suggestion."

	Sasami gave her one of the most hopeless looks Washu had ever seen. It 
broke her heart. "Then what should I do?"

	Washu cleared her throat in an attempt to banish the lump forming there. 
"We'll be at Jurai by tomorrow. Since the wedding won't be happening till the 
next day, that gives you a chance to try and clear up this whole situation."

	"How?" asked Sasami.

	"You must confront Tsunami about everything," Washu told her flatly. No 
use sugar coating things.

	"But what if something happens?" she asked in a fearful voice.

	"I don't know," replied Washu. Damn she hated those three words. "Just 
like," she swallowed, "I...don't know what will eventually happen when the two 
of you assimilate. You are just going to have to talk to her."

	Sasami had regained some of her composure at this point. She made a face 
accompanied by a groan. "Why did I have to grow up? Everything just keeps 
getting more difficult the older I get."

	Washu chuckled. "Wait till you get to be twenty thousand years old, little 
one." She put her right arm around Sasami. "Then you can complain to me about 
getting older." Both of them started laughing lightly.

_____ 

	The new main Galaxy Police Headquarters was a den of activity. Similarly 
designed like the one destroyed during the Goddess War, Kiyone Makibi always 
felt a sense of order come over her when she was on it. Standing on the 
observation deck of the thirty third level, the teal haired GP watched as one of 
three Juraian battleships completed docking procedures. The three ships had just 
arrived to fly escort for the GP officials who would be attending the Empress's 
wedding. Kiyone had been personally invited, so she was going as well.

	"Detective First Class Makibi please report to docking bay five," came a 
nasal voice over the intercom. A sense of giddiness suddenly overcame the 
normally collected woman.

	Kiyone turned about face and quickly walked towards the nearest turbolift. 
She ticked off the levels on her fingers until she reached the docking level. 
The door slid aside, and the GP nearly knocked down three other officers about 
to enter the lift.

	"Sorry!" she called over her shoulder as she continued on.

	Kiyone keyed open the door to the docking bay and ran inside. The bay was 
lined with several of the new Vector Class cruisers along with the Juraian tree 
ship. The Vectors were all shaped like triple layered arrowheads. Between each 
level was a row of five plasma cannons along with two racks of concussion 
missiles. Kiyone stopped next to an unoccupied loader to watch as the Juraian 
dignitaries disembarked from their ship. She frowned when it seemed that the 
last one had gotten off.

	Obviously dejected, she turned around to leave the bay all together. She 
could report back just before it was time to leave. 

	"I suppose I'll go back to my room, and then try and track down Mihoshi," 
she mumbled. 

	Hands in pockets, Kiyone walked back to the lift and took it to level 
twenty. She exited the tube without even looking up. "Stupid man," she was 
mumbling. "Don't need his stupid ass anyway. Never needed anyone before, and I 
don't need'em now."

	Doing her best to hide her disappoint under her old, steely exterior, 
Kiyone walked down the hall to her room. She punched in the entrance code and 
walked into the darkened room. "Lights," she commanded.

	Nothing happened.

	"I said lights!" she snapped.

	The GP had barely enough time to react before a shadowy figure jumped at 
her from the right. Kiyone threw out two punches, but the attacker caught her 
wrists. She grunted slightly as her back hit the wall. She wasn't surprised when 
a pair of lips suddenly pressed themselves against hers. Hands released her 
wrists, and Kiyone responded by throwing her arms around the attacker's neck.

	"Surprise," came Mastir Segrey's voice between kisses.

	"You bastard," responded Kiyone. "Making me think you didn't come along 
with the escort." Her hands were now fumbling with the buckles of his light 
armor. "I should kick your sorry ass out of here."

	He stopped kissing her for a moment. Kiyone could just make out a grin 
under his mustache. "But then how would we have sex?" he asked. Kiyone laughed 
hysterically when he lifted her up and carried her over to the sleeping area of 
the quarters.

	It was some time later, and the GP and the Juraian knight were laying 
close together under the gray sheets of Kiyone's bed with their clothes 
scattered around the room. Kiyone was lying with her head on Mastir's chest 
staring at the ceiling with his right arm around her. Currently she was trying 
to figure out how her headband got to be hanging from a sprinkler. 

	"I've been thinking," said Mastir breaking the silence. 

	"About what?" she asked still staring at her headband.

	"Us, mainly." This caused Kiyone to shift to her elbow, so as to look at 
him. "Well, we have been seeing each other for just over two years now, Kiyone."

	"And you're wondering about where we're heading," she finished.

	"Yes I am," he said seriously. "Kiyone, we haven't even told our friends 
about us yet."

	She sighed and laid back down on his chest. "Does that offend your Juraian 
moral code?" she asked carefully.

	He was silent for a moment. "I admit it does bother me some."

	"I'm just not ready yet, Mastir," she told him. "I've never been good at 
keeping relationships going. In the past I've always put my work first as an 
excuse or used something else to push someone away." She sat up and looked down 
at him. "I don't want to mess this up," she said. She reached down to caress his 
cheek. "Believe it or not, I think I love you."

	Mastir took her hand in his and gripped it tightly. "I think I love you, 
too." He pulled her down to him, and the two lovers shared a deep kiss.

	Suddenly the lights went on completely causing them to both jump. "Hey, 
Kiyone," chimed an all too familiar voice from the outer room. "It's time to..."

	Mihoshi Kuramitsu entered the bedroom, stopped mid-sentence, looked at the 
naked couple, and screamed in shock.

	"GET OUT!" both Kiyone and Mastir yelled at the same time. Mihoshi, bright 
red, spun around and ran from the room.

	Several minutes and a lot of choice phrases later, Kiyone and Mastir 
exited Kiyone's quarters to find Mihoshi standing in the hall waiting for them. 
The bubblehead blushed while giggling. Mastir cleared his throat and began 
walking down the hall. Kiyone just stood there, while Mihoshi continued 
giggling.

	"I'm sorry, Kiyone," the blond said between laughs. "But I think it's so 
sweet that the two of you are..."

	Kiyone lunged forward grabbing the collar of her partner's uniform. "You 
never saw any of that," growled the teal haired GP.

	Mihoshi blinked her large, blue eyes. "But, Kiyone. I *did* just see you 
two having se..."

	"Don't make me hurt you, Mihoshi," threatened Kiyone.

	Mihoshi was about to say something else, when Kiyone quickly clamped her 
hand over the ditz's mouth. As Kiyone led her partner down the hall, she made 
several descriptive examples of what she would do to her if Mihoshi repeated 
anything she saw in that bedroom. Mihoshi nodded and promised not to say a 
thing, but that didn't stop her from giggling all the way to Jurai.

_____ 

	"We are one hour away from Jurai," came Azaka's voice over the intercom. 

	Tenchi Masaki mentally noted the announcement as he stared at the open 
closet. Wearing only a pair of black drawstring pants, the prince was simply 
standing in his room staring at the collection of clothes in front of him. It 
had been a couple of hours since he finished training with his grandfather. The 
session had ended when Mayuka and Rei had appeared saying that Ryoko had sent 
them to find him. After listening to them both complain about their brother for 
a short time, the twenty five year old father had led his two daughters back to 
the center of the ship. Once there Tenchi had deposited the children with his 
wife and gone off to get cleaned up. And so it was that Tenchi was just standing 
in front of the closet trying his damnedest to choose a suit to wear.  

	"I don't think staring at them is going to do anything," came Ryoko's 
voice from nowhere. Tenchi felt a mental tingle followed by a pair of slender, 
yet strong arms embrace him from behind.

	Ryoko shimmered into existence with her chin resting on his left shoulder. 
"So how much longer are you going to just stand there?" she asked.

	He shrugged lightly. "I just hate having to wear these things," he told 
her with a gesture to the dozen Juraian suits hanging in the closet. 

	"Oh, come on, Tenchi," purred his wife. "Dressing up can be fun." She 
started to nuzzle his left ear. Goose bumps rushed all along his arms as she 
began nibbling on said ear.

	"Um, Ryoko?" he asked slowly. 

	"Uh huh?" she replied without ceasing her actions. 

	"Where are the kids?" Tenchi could feel his self control starting to wane.

	"With your grandfather and Washu," she whispered. Her warm breath sent a 
shiver down his spine. "If you hurry and choose a suit, I think we can still 
find some time to..."

	The cyan haired beauty never had a chance to finish her sentence. Tenchi's 
right arm shot out, grabbed the first suit it touched, and tossed it over the 
nearest chair. He quickly followed the action by scooping Ryoko up in his arms. 
It was only a few quick steps over to the bed, where he summarily dumped her on 
to the light green sheets. Ryoko had only moment to look puzzled before he gave 
her a crooked smile and jumped right on top of her.

	Ryoko loosed a surprised laugh. "Tenchi, stop! That tickles!" Her laughter 
soon changed to a satisfied moan. "On second thought, don't stop."

_____ 

	Sasami stood in front of the control podium of Cho-ryo with most of the 
ship's passengers. The only two missing were Tenchi and Ryoko. Washu stood 
opposite Sasami with Rei in her arms. The genius wore a long, sleeveless 
lavender dress with black lapels and a deep blue sash around her waist. Rei had 
on a small pair of baggy, rose colored pants, a white collared shirt, and she 
wore a white Juraian robe inlaid with red criss-cross designs over it all. Hiro 
stood at Washu's feet in similar clothes except that his pants were blue, and 
the designs on his robe were gold. Mayuka was dressed in a light green kimono 
with yellow sides, sleeves, and a blue sash. Katsuhito, as usual, wore only his 
priest robes. 

	The teenager herself had on the attire suited for the Second Crown 
Princess. Her inner kimono was mainly dark orange. The collar was black, as were 
the sleeves starting just below the shoulders. The sash around her waist was a 
slightly lighter shade of orange. Over the kimono she had on a long, white robe. 
The shoulders of the robe were enlarged with silver leaves on the tops with the 
rest of them being red. Three red stripes ran down from the shoulders along 
sleeves. Silver lettering ran from the silver collar of the robe all the way 
down the lapels to the hem. Sasami's hair fell loose down her neck, and she had 
on the appropriate amount of makeup for her station.

	It was only minutes before touchdown at the Imperial city, when Tenchi and 
Ryoko came hurrying out to the podium. Tenchi's Juraian suit was mainly black 
with a red shoulder sash hanging vertically over his right shoulder to his 
waist. The sash had two Juraian runes on it denoting Tenchi's station as a First 
Crown Prince. Sasami could not help but notice that several of the golden 
buttons running down the center of the suit were fastened incorrectly. Ryoko 
wore a clingy dress to match Tenchi. It was a swirl of red and black that wound 
its ways clockwise down to her ankles with the shoulders only slightly enlarged 
and squared. 

	Washu gave them both an appraising glance. Her nose twitched once. "I 
swear, you two are like a pair of otters." She nodded at Tenchi. "At least 
button that thing correctly."

	Tenchi, red faced and smiling, looked down and went to rearranging his 
buttons. Ryoko didn't give any outward reaction to her mother's comment. She 
calmly picked up Hiro, who had begun to fuss with his robe. "Mind your own 
business, mom," she said in a sweet voice. She delicately took Hiro's hands and 
removed them from the collar of his robe. "Don't mess with your clothes, 
sweetie."

	"Daddy does it," replied the child while pointing at Tenchi.

	Tenchi was currently tugging at his own collar. He stopped when Ryoko 
leveled an icy glare at him. "Do as your mother says, Hiro," added Tenchi in an 
attempt to divert her gaze.

	The ship shook slightly as it landed. "Shall I teleport everyone outside, 
Lord Tenchi?" asked Kamidake.

	"Please do," answered the prince. Everyone was surrounded by blue lights 
and transported outside Cho-ryo.

	When she could see again, Sasami was greeted by exactly what she expected 
to see. Cho-ryo had landed on one of the private docking pads of the Imperial 
Palace. The pearl white walls and towers of the Palace rose up all around them 
with several of the Royal trees rising up from the structure itself. Despite her 
current mood, it made Sasami feel good to see that Jurai had recovered, for the 
most part, from the War. The sky was blue, and all the trees were green again. 
Juraians walked about enjoying their freedom and prominence. 

	Lining the path from the landing pad to the interior of the Palace were 
two columns of Juraian knights. Standing at their heads to greet them personally 
was Admiral Rital Judroa. Still sporting his gray hair with a buzz cut and a 
Juraian military uniform, the Admiral saluted the passengers of Cho-ryo. 

	"It is good to see you again, Lord Tenchi," he said in his gruff voice. "I 
trust your trip was pleasant?"

	Tenchi smiled and extended his hand to the old Juraian. "It was just fine, 
Admiral." 

	The Admiral shook his hand. Next he took Ryoko's right hand and kissed it. 
"A pleasure as always, Lady Ryoko."

	"Admiral," she said with smile. 

	Judroa smiled at all the children, kissed Washu's hand as well, and nodded 
briefly to Katsuhito. When he came to Sasami, he stopped and bowed deeply. 
"Princess Sasami, you have grown into a beautiful woman since I last saw you. 
This old soldier feels it is an honor to be in the presence of such beauty and 
grace."

	Sasami forced out a smile. She extended her left hand, which he kissed. 
"Thank you, Admiral. I am flattered by your words."

	He turned back to the rest of the group. "Her Majesty awaits you all in 
the throne room. If you would please come this way?" He started walking down the 
path inside the Palace. 

	Ryoko with Hiro, Washu with Rei, Tenchi holding Mayuka's hand, and 
Katsuhito brought up the rear as the group followed after the Admiral. Sasami 
stood in her place for several minutes just watching everything around her. Ever 
since they had touched down on the planet, she had felt Tsunami's presence grow 
stronger. Her conversation with Washu the previous day replayed in her mind. 
Like it or not, the princess was going to have to face her destiny. 

	Sasami closed her eyes and stretched out with her senses. Tsunami's 
presence was all around her, but as always it was focused between three places. 
The Tree of Light deep inside the Palace, the battleship ship that was always 
docked in subspace awaiting summons, and of course Sasami. Fear was starting to 
bubble up within the princess. Pushing it aside the best she could, Sasami 
opened her eyes and hurried after the rest of the group. 

	She caught up to them just as they entered the Palace itself. They walked 
down red carpeted halls on the way to the Imperial throne room. The pearl white 
halls themselves were spacious rising twenty feet high with arches made from 
space tree roots supporting them every ten feet. Palace officials and servants 
bowed or nodded at the group as they passed by. Eventually, the group from Earth 
arrived at a pair of twenty foot, ornately engraved wooden doors. The four 
knights guarding the doors parted instantly for Admiral Judroa. Beyond the 
doors, the throne room was exactly as Sasami remembered it.
	
	Columns made from space trees lined the walls with fine tapestries strung 
up between them. Juraian knights stood at attention along the walls like living 
statues watching for any sign of danger to the Empress. A red and gold carpet 
ran from the entrance all the way to and up the elevated dais at the other end 
of the large chamber. At the top of the dais was a throne carved directly out of 
a space tree. But instead of being seated in her throne, Empress Ayeka Jurai was 
standing at the foot of the dais speaking with some official looking men and 
women. Shadowing her from several feet away was her fiancˇe and captain of the 
Royal Guard, Shoytal Ruhanel.

	The image of all her Imperial glory, Ayeka was dressed to rule. The fabric 
of her golden kimono shimmered under the chamber's light. The sleeves were 
silver, as was the sash around her waist. Her purple hair cascaded freely down 
her back all the way to the floor. The circlet made from the Royal space tree 
Ryu-oh could be seen peeking out from beneath her bangs. 

	The Empress halted her conversations immediately at the sight of her 
family entering the throne room. After a series of bows or curtsies, the court 
officials departed. Everyone was led to an antechamber that held only a long 
table surrounded by chairs. The entire group was escorted inside, and a few 
moments later Ayeka and Shoytal entered as well. With some semblance of privacy, 
Ayeka dispensed with all the formal greetings and rushed her family while 
laughing happily. 

	"I'm so happy you all could come!" she cried. For the next few moments, 
there were a series of hugs exchanged between Ayeka and everyone from Earth. 
When she finally got to Sasami, the Empress stopped to look at her. "Oh, my 
little sister," she said with a beaming smile. "Look at you, Sasami! You are 
nearly a grown woman." She threw her arms around the teenager in a near bearhug. 
"I am so sorry I could not make it to Earth for your birthday."

	"It's okay, Ayeka," replied Sasami while returning the hug. "I understand 
that the duties of the Empire come first." Still forcing a smile, she pulled 
away. "I'm just glad I can see you right now."

	Ayeka, still beaming, looked back at the gathered group. "I'll have some 
servants show you all to your rooms. Then we can dine together later on this 
evening. I would remain with you all right now, but despite tomorrow's event the 
Empire still needs running."

	She said a hasty goodbye to everyone and moved back into the throne room. 
Shoytal said a few things to Tenchi and Katsuhito before leaving as well. Soon 
servants arrived to take the Masaki family to their rooms. Sasami let herself be 
separated from the group as they left the throne room. She knew the way to her 
old room and was in no need of directions. The teenage princess wandered around 
the halls of the Palace for a couple of hours until she finally arrived at the 
room she had spent the first nine years of her life in.

	She stood in front of the wooden door just staring at it. With the 
exception of their brief stay here at the conclusion of the War, Sasami realized 
that it had been over seven hundred years since she last spent any real time 
here. When Yosho had first left, Ayeka had eventually decided to run away. Being 
the dutiful sister, Sasami had gone with her for company. So for seven hundred 
years they had been in cryostasis until Ryoko's resurrection had triggered their 
awakenings. And as they say on Earth, "The rest is history," she muttered.

	Sasami slowly touched the silver doorknob with her left hand and twisted. 
The door swung silently open to reveal a memory from Sasami's long gone 
childhood. Spanning twenty by twenty feet, the room was huge by Earth standards. 
For Juraian standards, though, it was only fairly large. The four polished green 
marble walled chamber had everything that would make a girl comfortable. The 
center of the room was a circle that sank several feet into the floor. In the 
circle was a four post bed with pink and white linens. Flanking the bed were two 
fine crafted night tables. Hovering above the bed were three glow lamps set to 
flood the room with warm, yellow light. To the left of the bed area was a large, 
walk in closet that still held all the garments of a younger Sasami. 

	The princess removed her slippers and walked barefoot across the light 
blue carpet of the room. Memories from long ago flooded her mind as she walked 
around. She slowly walked past the bed area towards a collection of colored 
cushions around a video control panel. Sasami smiled as she remembered how it 
was here at this very video station that she had first discovered her love of 
video games. She'd spent hours and hours playing games with the servants or by 
herself. The smile was soon replaced by a frown.

	Because of her sheltered life as a princess, Sasami had never really had a 
lot of friends while living here in the Palace. For fear of her safety, her only 
friends had been the adult wait staff and Ayeka. Top that all off with the fact 
that she had never believed she was real, and her childhood actually looked 
pretty glum. But that had all changed with the trip to Earth. Now she knew who 
she was, and she had friends both in and outside the family. Sasami had some 
sense of where she belonged in the universe.

	And now that was all going to be taken away from her. Whether it was on 
purpose or not, Tsunami would soon come to take away the identity that Sasami 
treasured so much.

	Sasami continued past the video station towards the window that occupied 
the entire wall opposite the door. She stopped in front of the window and sat 
down on the couch that was built into the wall. The princess removed her outer 
robe, letting it fall to the floor. She sat down on the red cushions of the 
couch and stared out the window. The view was a spectacular one that overlooked 
the Royal gardens. Sasami could see the gigantic hedge maze, the rows of 
diligently maintained flowers, and even the Royal family's personal orchard. 

	A sudden thump at the door caused Sasami to turn her head around. There 
was a small distortion at the bottom of the door, and Ryo-ohki hopped through 
into the room. The cabbit meowed as she bounded over to her best friend. In one 
fluid leap, the living ship jumped into her lap. Sasami scratched her on the 
head eliciting a purr.

	"Hello, Ryo-ohki," she said quietly. "Where have you been all this time? 
Hiding from the Twins?" Ryo-ohki nodded emphatically. History had shown that 
cabbits and small children did not mix.

	Sasami returned to watching the day quietly slip away. As the sky 
continued to slowly darken over time, the teenager came to what she believed a 
pivotal decision concerning her situation. Sasami had decided that no matter 
what happened over the next day or so, she was not going to take it lying down. 

	No.

	If her existence was going to end, it would be on her terms. Damned be 
Tokimi in hell if she was going to allow herself to simply be smothered inside 
her own body and mind.

	"Damn Tsunami as well if need be," she whispered.

_____ 

	Ayeka could not help but be amused at how no matter where the family 
seemed to congregate, the mealtime banter never seemed to change. The only 
exception was the addition of three very energetic children, which just added to 
it all. Mastir had recently returned with Kiyone and Mihoshi, so to Ayeka the 
whole family was gathered at the table. Even her parents and Aunt Funaho were 
attending the meal. Of course Azusa did little more than stare off into space 
from his hover chair.  

	Once or twice Ayeka shot a playful barb at Ryoko, who responded in kind, 
but for the most part she observed the dinner. Misaki, in a green and pink 
kimono, could not stop gushing over Sasami. Sasami accepted the attention, but 
Ayeka could not help but notice a certain sense of detachment coming from her 
sister. The aqua haired teenager was usually bright and cheerful, and while she 
did smile a few times, it seemed forced. 

	Funaho, wearing a red and yellow kimono, was passing the meal speaking 
with the oldest of her great great grandchildren, Mayuka. While Tenchi and Ryoko 
participated in the conversations, they spent the better part of the dinner 
trying to keep Hiro in his seat and Rei eating at least some of the food on her 
plate as opposed to throwing it at her brother. Shoytal spent the entire meal 
talking with Yosho about training methods. Ever since her fiancˇe had trained 
with her brother two years ago, he'd been itching to do so again. 

	Kiyone was speaking with Washu about something concerning new GP cruisers, 
but every once in a while the teal haired woman would send what could only be 
called a warning glance at Mihoshi, who was constantly looking at the entrance 
to the dining hall at the Royal Guard. Verka, Mastir, Gerin, and Nunar were all 
standing guard, at Shoytal's command, while the gathered members of the Royal 
family were dining. 

	Eventually the meal ended, and everyone started going their separate ways. 
As the evening had worn on, Ayeka had become increasingly nervous. After all, 
her wedding was drawing ever closer as the minutes ticked by. So it was that 
Ayeka found herself in the Royal chambers with Ryoko. The once rivals now 
friends were sitting in the lounge area of the Ayeka's suit. They were seated on 
a deep green, velvet couch with a crystal coffee table in front of them. The 
wall opposite of the couch was filled with books, and a pair of glow lamps 
floated above them giving off warm, yellow light. 

	Ayeka curled her toes on the lavender carpet and laughed lightly. "It's 
actually going to happen tomorrow. I'm getting married."

	"Bout damn time," remarked Ryoko. "With all those stupid formalities, I 
was beginning to think it was all a hoax."

	Ayeka's eyes went wide. "Excuse me, Ryoko, but didn't you and Tenchi also 
wait two years before marrying?"

	"Different circumstances, princess," she huffed. "Tenchi had to finish 
school first. I was ready from the minute he proposed." She smiled and tapped 
her chin. "Although, I was willing to wait until after we kicked Ziasha's ass."

	"I do not see the difference," countered the Empress with a smile of her 
own. "We had to follow the traditions so that the marriage would be legal."

	"To hell with tradition," spat Ryoko. "You should've just eloped," she 
added with a seedy grin.

	Ayeka thinned her eyes, and her smile changed to a smirk. "I should have 
expected such a response from a pirate."

	Ryoko barked out a laugh and looked around the room. "What time is it?"

	Ayeka looked at a holographic clock behind her. "Just a two hours past 
sundown. Why?"

	"Bedtime for the kids," she replied. "Tenchi can probably handle it 
himself, but he's a big softy when it comes to them. Those three will twist him 
around their collective finger if I'm not there in order to stay up later."

	Ayeka started to laugh lightly. "Listen to you. One moment you trash 
tradition, and now you are advocating rules and order. I do believe our reality 
is about to come to an end."

	Ryoko got to her feet placing a hand on each hip. "Things are different 
when it's your kids, Ayeka. It's kinda scary for me, but I'm in charge of making 
sure they turn out all right. And if that means following a couple of stupid 
rules, well then I'll do it." Ryoko folded her arms under her chest. "I don't 
want them to have to deal with any of life's demons if I can help it." 

	Ayeka gave her a thoughtful look. "I do not believe I have ever heard you 
be so serious about something besides Tenchi."

	Ryoko returned the look. "They're my life, Ayeka." A small smile appeared 
on her face. "Without my family I'd have nothing. I'll do anything to protect 
and take care of them. Even die."

	It took a moment for Ayeka to digest the other woman's statement. "Since 
we are on the subject of family, I need to ask you something."

	Ryoko's small smile turned devilish, as did her look. "What? Did Shoytal 
knock you up?"

	"OF COURSE NOT!" shouted Ayeka jumping to her feet. She quickly cleared 
her throat and returned to her seat. "No. To have that happen before marriage 
would be improper." Ryoko huffed, but Ayeka continued. "I wanted to ask you 
about Sasami. Is she all right?"

	Ryoko looked at the clock then back at Ayeka. "Ah, a few minutes won't 
make that big a difference." She sat back down next to the Empress. "So you 
noticed, huh?" 

	Ayeka nodded. "She seems very distant from the rest of us. She barely said 
a word at dinner, as well as only slightly touching her food. Has something 
happened that you're not telling me?"

	Ryoko raised a cyan eyebrow at her. "Sasami's one of my best friends 
besides being family. If something had happened, don't you think I would have 
called you immediately?"

	"I guess you are correct," agreed Ayeka. "I just get a little worried for 
her. I do not get to see her as much as I would like to, so I become a little 
upset if I think I've missed something." The Empress wiped a hand across her 
face. "If nothing has happened to her, then why is she acting so strangely?"

	Ryoko leaned back on the couch. "Truth be told, I wouldn't know if it had 
slapped me in the face. With taking care of the Twins and Mayuka just having 
started school last year, I'm pretty oblivious to the rest of the world. Did you 
know that I actually had to get a license to drive a car, so that I could take 
Mayuka to school? We had a little talk, and she doesn't want me to just teleport 
her around everywhere."

	"Well," Ayeka started to say, "I guess she just wants to look normal for 
all her friends at school. How do you think they would react to the knowledge 
that her mother is an alien with super powers?"

	"Guess you're right," admitted Ryoko. The pirate suddenly stiffened. 
"Crap. Okay, I'm coming." She focused on Ayeka again. "Sorry, princess, but I 
gotta go. There's been an incident involving Hiro, Mayuka, and something to do 
with glue. Where they got the glue I don't really know. Later." She winked once 
and vanished.

	"But, Ryoko!" Ayeka called out. "What about Sasami?" she finished quietly.

_____ 

	"So, Washu. We have not really had time to speak since the War," stated 
Funaho as she and Washu sat at the dinning room table drinking tea. Misaki and 
Azusa were at the other end of the table speaking with Sasami. 

	"No we have not, Lady Funaho," replied Washu evenly. "Do you still head 
the Juraian intelligence network?"

	The former queen shook her head. "I am afraid not. My recovery from 
imprisonment in subspace was a lengthy one, and by the time I was healed enough 
too much had occurred. To put it simply, I was out of the loop for too long."

	"Pity." Washu sipped her tea. She looked around the room for a moment. Her 
emerald eyes stopped on Azusa for the briefest of seconds. There was 
something...odd about him. Washu dimly remembered getting the same feeling when 
she saw him at Tenchi and Ryoko's wedding. *Why is this feeling so familiar?* 
she wondered.

	"What are you doing to keep busy these days?" asked the genius politely in 
order to keep the conversation moving.

	"Well, Misaki and I have spent most of our time lately planning Ayeka's 
wedding." The dark haired woman leaned closer. "In all honesty, I'm bored to 
death, but Misaki is loving every minute of it."

	Washu allowed herself a quaint smile. "I would expect that. Ayeka is her 
little girl after all." Both their gazes drifted to the other end of the table. 
Funaho looked at her blue haired, sister wife. 

	Washu, however, could not take her eyes off of Azusa. The former Emperor's 
eyes were glazed over, and he was staring at something that no one else would 
probably ever see. Washu sipped her tea again and continued to puzzle over the 
feeling she was getting from him.

_____ 

	Time passed, and the big day finally arrived. All of Jurai seemed alive on 
this day of days. Juraians walked down the streets greeting one another with 
more enthusiasm than ever. Their Empire had grown strong again after many years 
of toiling. The great tree ships were patrolling the stars again promising 
safety for all. And now their Empress was going to marry, to another Juraian no 
less, and ensure the continuation of the Royal family. Jurai did have reason to 
celebrate. Its future was once again a bright star in the galaxy.

	A good question to ask, though, was if *everyone* would have a future by 
the end of the day?

_____ 

	"Well this is it, princess," Ryoko said as she helped put the finishing 
touches on Ayeka's wedding dress. 

	Sharing the Earth custom of being white, Ayeka's dress was something to 
behold. Fitting snugly around her small waist, the lower half of the dress 
billowed out around her legs. Finely cut diamonds were sequenced into the folds 
giving off a shimmering affect. The midsection of the dress smoothly wrapped 
around the Empress's chest running into a simple bow on her lower back, leaving 
her upper back bare. The sleeves ran tightly all the way to her wrists and each 
had a thin scarf of silk dangling from the end. Ayeka's six feet of purple hair 
had been set into several braids, which had then been gathered into one large 
tail, wrapped once like a bun at the back of her head, and then allowed to fan 
out behind her. 

	Ryoko was walking around the small pedestal she was standing on taking one 
last look. Still wearing a silk, green robe herself, Ryoko was forced to whistle 
at Ayeka. "I gotta say you look great, Ayeka, despite the scar." She 
straightened a bit as she continued. "Of course I'll have you beat once I get 
dressed."

	Ayeka gave the pirate a wry smile while fingering the white line on her 
left cheek. "Forget it, demon. My beauty will be unmatched today." She took in a 
breath and began to admire herself in the half dozen mirrors in front of her.

	Ryoko floated up to Ayeka and gave her a small hug. "Good luck, babe. I 
have to get ready and then round up the troops. See ya at the ceremony." Then 
she was gone.

_____ 

	Sasami stood in front of her standing mirror looking at herself. The 
princess wore a light blue strapless dress made from the finest Juraian silk. It 
folded once around her upper body and was clipped by a red jeweled brooch at her 
cleavage. The rest of the dress fell loosely around her ankles with a slit up 
her left leg. Other than the dress, Sasami did not look like she was going to a 
wedding. Her hair, while still alluring, just fell loosely to her shoulders, and 
she was not wearing a stitch of make up. 

	She was still staring at herself in the mirror, when there was a knock at 
the door. "Sasami?" came Ryoko's voice from outside. "I'm coming in!" One of her 
arms started coming through the door.

	"I'm not decent," Sasami replied flatly.

	The arm stopped passing through the door. Ryoko's fingers wiggled at 
Sasami before her arm retracted. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that 
everyone's almost ready and heading out. Do you want us to wait for you?"

	"No," she said. "Just go on. I'll catch up."

	"You sure?" Sasami didn't say anything. "All right. We'll see you at the 
ceremony then."

	Sasami stared into the reflection of her pink eyes. She waited for the 
reflection to move. When nothing happened, the teenager finally turned and 
walked towards the door. She slipped on a pair of heeled shoes that matched the 
color of her dress and left to face her destiny.

_____ 

	"May I see your invitation, please?" asked the white robed Juraian. Tenchi 
handed a card to the man, who read it over quickly. He rang a gong next to him 
to call the attention of all those gathered in the ballroom below. "Presenting 
His Royal Highness, First Crown Prince of the Juraian Royal family, Lord Tenchi 
Masaki. Accompanying him is his wife Her Royal Highness, First Crown Princess of 
the Juraian Royal family, Lady Ryoko Masaki."

	Tenchi, only slightly embarassed by his title, descended the red carpeted 
stairs with Ryoko, who was beaming with pride at her title, on his left arm. 
Tenchi wore a Juraian suit that was so white it was almost silver. A yellow sash 
outlined in red hung on his right shoulder with his status runes.  A red stripe 
ran along the underside of both his tight sleeves ending in a red circle at his 
wrists. 

	Ryoko's dress was both green and yellow. The lower half was entirely green 
and clung around her legs, yet she still walked as gracefully as ever. The dress 
stopped at her waist and changed into two pieces that covered her upper body. 
Two pieces of fabric, one green the other yellow, crossed tightly over her 
chest. The pieces, green going left and yellow right, continued by wrapping once 
around each of her shoulders and then swirling all down her arms becoming 
thinner in texture. Her back was a mesh of green and yellow strings that held 
the dress on her body. Tenchi's wife kept her hair in all its natural glory and 
wore only a thin layer of red lipstick. Her golden, feline eyes, however, 
somehow created the illusion that she was wearing more cosmetics.

	The gathered guests in the fish bowl shaped ballroom reacted in one of two 
ways. Some ooed and ahhed at the couple, while others grumbled. From what Tenchi 
knew there were still some Juraian families who did not like the fact that a 
Crown Prince was part Earthling, let alone that he had married the Space Pirate 
Ryoko. None of these facts really bothered the couple at all. As they reached 
the polished, wood floor Ryoko began pointing out who was who to Tenchi.

	"Those guys over there," she said pointing to a group of pointy eared and 
slightly furry humanoids, "are Kirani. The Kirani Empire is one the closest to 
Jurai space. They are some of the best pilots in the galaxy."

	"The really tall, skinny humanoids wearing the skin tight suits are 
Driknil. They are a small Empire, but they have a lot of gas mining in their 
territory, so the pretty much own the monopoly for gas in this galaxy."

	"The big muscular ones in black are Verrida. They are from another galaxy 
all together. If I remember correctly, they pretty much own two of the galaxies 
next to ours."

	"The scaly looking fellows wearing the respirators are from the Hinerit 
Republic. These guys are merchants. The whole Republic is built on whoever can 
buy the best political position."

	Tenchi was looking at her in complete awe. "How do you know all this 
stuff?"

	She leaned up slightly to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I've been around 
the block, my dear. Now those guys with the wings..."

_____ 

	"But that's not what's on the card," whined the Juraian.

	"Just say it!"

	He swallowed visibly and nodded. "Presenting the most beautiful, talented, 
graceful, and greatest scientific genius in the entire universe, the Professor 
and all around Doctor, Washu Hakubi!"

	Washu dolls A and B appeared out of nowhere. "You damn straight!" they 
both shouted before disappearing again. 

	With her ego literally surrounding her as an aura, Washu descended the 
stairs like she owned the entire universe, which after a fashion she did anyway. 
Her dress was completely ruby red to match her spiky hair. It was as simple calf 
length dress slit up the right side, showing just a hint of cleavage, and with 
bare shoulders that led to forearm length red gloves in the place of sleeves. 
She walked through the crowd, which seemed to part at her will. The genius 
searched the guests until she saw the small group she was looking for. Tenchi 
and Ryoko were speaking with none other than Tristu. The old man wore his simple 
white robe and held his walking staff in his right hand. Standing behind him 
were two armored soldiers each with spiky orange hair.

	The old priest spotted her first. "Ah, there's my voluptuous Lady, now."

	Washu grinned at him. "I think you really need to work off some of that 
pent up sexual energy, my old friend," suggested Washu.

	"When should I come by tonight?" he asked with believable sincerity.
	
	Everyone, except Tristu's guards, laughed lightly. "How are the kids?" 
asked Ryoko finally.

	"They're fine. Lord Katsuhito's with them right now," replied the genius. 
"He hates all this formality even more than Tenchi. He said he'll come by the 
reception later." She looked around again. "Where's Sasami?"

	Ryoko looked past her at the stairs. "You mean she's not in line to get 
in?" Washu shook her head. "That's odd. She said she was only going to be a few 
minutes behind us, and that was a half an hour ago."

	The doors at the far end of the room suddenly swung open to reveal the 
royal gardens beyond. "Looks like it's time for the ceremony," Tenchi informed 
them.

	Ryoko made a face. "Looks like I'll have to teleport over and grab our 
moody little princess."

	Washu quickly grabbed her daughter's arm. "No, I'll go and get her. You 
guys go and enjoy the ceremony. I can get by without being there, but you two 
are too important to be missing. Most of the Royal family needs to be there."

	She quickly started back for the stairs, but jumped when a hand grabbed 
her rear. She didn't stop, though. "I'll have to remember to kick that old 
pervert's ass later."

	It took her a few minutes to navigate against the traffic while getting 
back to the stairs. Once she had scaled the steps and exited the room, Washu 
quickly teleported right to Sasami's room. She reappeared in front of the door. 

	"Sasami?" she called out. When there was no answer, Washu knocked. 
"Sasami, are you all right?" Fed up with politeness, the genius opened the door 
with a wave of her hand. The room was empty.

	Washu scanned it until she saw Ryo-ohki sleeping on Sasami's bed. She 
walked over and picked the sleeping cabbit up. "Wake up, Ryo-ohki."

	The tiny creature blinked her golden eyes twice. "Meow?"

	"Where is Sasami, Ryo-ohki?" Washu asked seriously. "This is very 
important."

	Ryo-ohki told Washu mentally that she'd been sleeping for a long time and 
had no idea when Sasami had left the room. "Hmmm," murmured Washu. "Okay, here's 
what I want you to do. I want you to go tell Ryoko that it'll be a little longer 
before I find Sasami."

	"Meow meoow?"

	"No, I want you to go over there yourself," ordered Washu. "And use your 
humanoid form...and be about fifteen."

	"Meeeoow."

	Washu rolled her eyes. "You can sleep anytime. Now go, or I go and get the 
Twins." Ryo-ohki squirmed out of her hands and hopped away. 

	"Now, where have you gotten to, Sasami?" wondered Washu out loud. She 
thought about it for a moment. Then it came to her. "Oh, Sasami," whispered the 
red head as she ran out of the room.

_____ 

	Deep inside the inner most levels of the Imperial Palace were the oldest 
of the space trees. As Sasami walked down the path towards the tree chamber, 
memories of her last visit flashed through her mind. Ryoko's attack on the 
Palace. Her misstep and plummet past the trees. Then her initial assimilation 
with Tsunami. It all jumbled together as one scene. The princess stopped in 
front of the doors. 

	There was no obvious way to open the doors. The doors would only open for 
a member of the Royal family. Sasami raised her right hand causing the doors to 
swing open. She wordlessly entered the tree chamber without looking back. With 
no ceiling or floor in sight, the chamber was filled with what seemed to be a  
countless number of floating dais, each one with a space tree growing from it. A 
soft blue light filled the entire chamber making Sasami's dress seem to glow. 
The princess looked around until she could sense her target. Stepping on to the 
nearest teleportation pad, Sasami willed herself over to Tsunami, the Tree of 
Light.

	The Tree was a magnificent thing to behold. Rising twenty feet into the 
air, its mass of green yet silver shining leaves twinkled in the light. Sasami 
closed her eyes and extended her hands out.

	"In the name of Tsunami, I command the pathway to open. Heaven to Ocean, 
Ocean to Earth, Earth back to Heaven." The triangles on her forehead started 
glowing green. As the words left her mouth, a traveling rune appeared on the 
trunk of the Tree. Sasami was suddenly transformed into pure light and 
transported inside.

_____

	When she opened her eyes, it took Sasami's memory a moment to catch up 
with her. She had opened the gateway, and now she was beyond the material world. 
Sasami found herself floating in a black void. Darkness surrounded her, but 
there was nothing fearful about it. It seemed as though she was alone...

	...and she was also naked!  

	Pushing her embarrassment aside, Sasami summoned up her courage and called 
out. "Tsunami! I've arrived! So come out and face me!"

	There was a flash only feet from where she was floating. When she opened 
her eyes again, Sasami was shocked to be staring at herself. Tsunami was an 
exact double for the princess with only a couple of differences. Where Sasami 
had cut her hair, Tsunami's fell to her ankles in two ponytails, and instead of 
two triangles Tsunami had two circles on her forehead. The only other major 
difference was that the goddess was garbed in a simple white robe.

	"Hello, Sasami," greeted Tsunami in her voice. "Why have you come here? 
There is still a short amount of time before we are to fully assimilate."

	Sasami swallowed hard. "I...I've come to tell you that I'm not just going 
to give up my body and my life without a fight." There, she'd said it!

	Tsunami smiled serenely at her. "So you have come to fight me? Is that 
correct?"

	The teenager balled her hands into fists. "Th...that's right. I'm going to 
fight for my right to exist. I'm not going to just roll over and let you push me 
out of existence."

	Sasami was taken back when the goddess started to chuckle lightly. "My 
poor little Sasami. Where have you gotten such an idea into your head?"

	"Wh..what?" stammered Sasami.

	Tsunami was shaking her head now. "I suppose this is my fault once again 
for not explaining things to you before hand. I have been so preoccupied with 
nourishing the space trees for the past several years, that I completely forgot 
that you still did not yet completely understand the nature of our bond."

	The goddess folded her hands across her stomach and took a deep breath. 
"What you have been thinking will indeed happen, but in the exact opposite. When 
you were dying all those years ago, I made a conscious decision to sacrifice a 
portion of myself to save your life. When we finally become one, a part of me 
will be disappearing. Well, I believe the more accurate phrasing would be that 
you are absorbing that part. When that happens you will be me, yet you will 
still be yourself with your own free will and life. I will also still exist as 
separate entity within the Tree of Light as well. But that portion of me will 
always be a part of you forever." She tilted her head slightly to the left. "Do 
you understand all of this?"

	Sasami was in a complete state of shock. "I...think so." A second passed. 
"Well, not entirely."

	Tsunami smiled again. "I assure you that all will be clear when we join." 
She extended her right hand to Sasami. "It is close enough to the time. If you 
wish, we can do so now."

	The princess watched the goddess for a moment. There was a lot she was 
still not certain about, but one thing was definitely clear. She would still be 
herself. Sasami slowly reached and clasped Tsunami's hand. The goddess pulled 
her close until their foreheads were touching.

	"Just relax and be at peace," whispered Tsunami. "Heaven to Earth, Earth 
to Soul, and Soul back to Heaven. Let our souls become one."

	A great warmth followed by an overwhelming sense of peace suddenly 
overcame Sasami. The darkness was suddenly swallowed up by the explosion of 
light between the princess and the goddess. There was heat, but Sasami was not 
bothered by it. The heat was not dangerous, but welcoming. It seeped into her 
body, consuming her completely. That was when she saw the light. Any fear that 
had once dwelt in her heart was gone. With a smile on her face, Sasami opened 
herself completely to the light.

_____ 

	Washu was pacing back and forth in front of the doors leading to the space 
tree chamber. According to her readings Sasami had been in there for almost half 
an hour. The genius had tried to get past them, but even her science couldn't 
mimic the Royal family's blood and power. When the doors finally opened, she 
rushed forward almost knocking Sasami down in the process. Washu grabbed the 
girl by the shoulders and looked her over.

	"Sasami!" she cried. "Are you all right? Is anything hurt?" She started 
shaking her. "What were you thinking going in there like that without telling 
somebody!? What if you got hurt and no one knew where you were!? I know I told 
you to confront your fears, but I didn't think you'd do it so recklessly!"

	Sasami smiled and ran her right hand through her hair, pushing back her 
bangs in the process. Washu almost screamed when she saw the two circles on her 
forehead. "Oh my!" gasped the red head. "Are you Sasami...or my sister?"

	"I'm still Sasami, Washu," replied the princess in a cheerful tone. "But 
Tsunami is also with me as well, but not in the way that we thought she would 
be."

	Washu removed her hands from Sasami's shoulders and stepped back. "What 
happened?" she asked unsure if she really wanted to know.

	Sasami blinked once and took in a deep breath. "Tsunami and I have merged, 
but only on a spiritual level. Physically, mentally, and for all intents and 
purposes I am still Sasami and always will be. But there is a part of me that 
was once Tsunami. I know everything she ever did, or will when all the fog from 
my memory clears away, I can summon the battleship, and I can even access the 
power of the Tree of Light to an extent. I think it's kind of like when Ryoko 
assimilated Zero. Ryoko is still Ryoko, but a small piece of Zero remained that 
allowed Ryoko to deal with her emotions." 

	"Amazing," was all Washu could say. "So Tsunami still exists?"

	Sasami nodded. "She is still the essence of the Tree of Light and a part 
of the battleship." The princess walked forward and put her arm around Washu. 
"I'm kinda hungry. Why don't we go to the reception and join everyone?"

	Washu smiled and pulled Sasami into a tight hug. "It's nice to have you 
back to normal, Sasami."

	"It's nice to know I'm *around* to be normal," she whispered in response.

_____ 

	Sasami and Washu entered the Royal gardens to find it packed with 
thousands of aliens and Juraians. Between the two of them it did not take long 
to find the rest of the family. Sasami found her sister and gave her a huge hug 
and kiss, while apologizing for missing the ceremony. Ayeka was just glad to see 
that Sasami was feeling all right. The princess congratulated Shoytal as well, 
who was technically her brother, now. Sasami moved on to Ryoko next. She gave 
her friend a long hug and apologized for being such a bitch earlier. Ryoko 
accepted the apology without hesitation and gave Sasami a hug of her own.

	"What's everyone so happy about?" asked Mihoshi. The blond GP walked up in 
her dress uniform and holding a plate with a piece of chocolate cake. 

	"It's nothing, Mihoshi," said Sasami. She reached out, took a small piece 
of the cake, and plopped it into her mouth. "Where's Kiyone?" 

	Mihoshi shrugged and started to eat the cake as well. "I don't know. 
Probably off having sex with Mastir or something."

	"MIHOSHI!!!" came a horrified cry from behind them all. 

	Everyone turned around to stare at Kiyone, in her own dress uniform, who 
happened to be standing next to Mastir. Mihoshi cried out, dropping her plate in 
the process. "Oops, I forgot I wasn't supposed to say anything."

	Ryoko was looking at the GP and the Juraian knight. "You," she pointed at 
Kiyone, "and you," she pointed at Mastir, "are doing it?" The pirate started 
laughing so hard that she had to lean on her husband for support. "Oh, this is 
rich!"

	"I'm...going...to KILL YOU, MIHOSHI!" screamed Kiyone. She lunged for her 
partner with hands outstretched. Mihoshi cried out again and ran for her life 
with Kiyone hot on her heels. 

	Suddenly Ukarit came walking up to the group wearing a green suit and 
carrying a wrapped box. "Hey, everybody. Did I miss anything?" That just sent 
Ryoko over the edge into another fit of hysterical laughter, so that she was 
floating up into the air.

	The entire time Sasami just stood there smiling at the actions of the 
people she called family. After months of worrying about her very existence, 
Sasami could finally relax. She felt complete, now. She knew who she was, and 
exactly where she fit into that crazy thing they called life. Most off all, 
Sasami had peace of soul.

Fin


Notes:

Well that's it. My short story series is now complete. I hope that you all 
enjoyed this fic, and that I did not let anyone down. I know that it was a 
little shorter than the last two fics, but I wanted to try and stick to the main 
point without a lot of scenes in between. Unlike the last two, this one had a 
very important point that could not be spread out too thin. While there was some 
humor, I meant it to be serious. Also, the info on Sasami's birthday was 
acquired from the good people at the RFFC. 

As to the way I have portrayed the whole assimilation thing. I think I made it 
pretty clear in the fic. Sasami and Tsunami are joined, but it is more of a 
spiritual thing rather than physical. That is just how I see it. No one has to 
agree with me on it. If you don't then that is just your opinion. Also I hope 
that I got Sasami's activation phrase correctly. I left my OAV DVD's at home in 
order to minimize my distractions during these last few weeks of the semester (I 
am an expert procrastinator with the correct tools at my disposel. Sitting down 
to watch all 13.5 eps is just too tempting, so I only brought all the movies, 
heh heh. What's a couple hours or so?).

Anywho, I don't think I have too much more to say here. As I said this is the 
last of my short story series for my Tenchi timeline. These three fics were 
written for a few reasons. One, I just love this stuff. Two, I wanted to have 
some fun placing the characters in some amusing situations. Three, there were 
some things that I wanted to touch on that WotG could not. Four, everything in 
these fics had a purpose that pertains to furthering my timeline (ie, they are 
setting the stage).

I am now going to take an extended break from working on my Tenchi universe. I 
have some other projects that need to be finished. But worry not my faithful 
readers, the ride isn't over yet. Expect to see my multi-part sequel fic to 
"Tenchi Muyo! Will of the Goddesses" sometime late this summer or in the early 
fall.

Just to wet your whistles it will be titled: "Tenchi Muyo! Shadows of a 
Forgotten Sin"

Later

Roas Atrades

All comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com