Someplace like home by Robert Hazelton

	Disclaimer: The characters within are used without permission for the sheer non profit

enjoyment of fans of the Tenchi Muyo! genre.  The author claims no ownership.

Episode 5: No need for Identity

            She was blanketed in light.  Bright and white, it was almost as substantial as a wool blanket wrapped loosely about her.  Her eyes were closed and the brightness was still too much for her to bear.  She clenched her eyes tighter, raised her hands to shield them but it didn’t help.  It was then that she noticed the silence…

            Like sitting in the dark alone, she could barely make out her heart throbbing in her chest.  She opened her mouth to break the thick noiseless wall around her but nothing came out.  She panicked.  Rolling on her stomach, she pressed up from the hard floor and ventured to open her eyes, screaming soundlessly as the pain of the light burrowed into her skull.  Slumping against a wall she didn’t know was there, she tried to regroup.

            ‘Okay Ryoko, where are you?’ She asked herself.  ‘Take a deep breath…’

            Complying with her order, she pushed off the wall and started forward with her hands out, groping for obstacles but finding none.  A sound of running water made her ear twitch almost painfully the change was so dramatic. 

            Rushing toward her from the right, she turned her back to it and tried to run but it overwhelmed her in an instant.  Submerging her flailing form, she thrashed to swim to the surface but the light was still present and her equilibrium was non-existent.  There was no way to know if she was swimming to the surface or deeper into the water.

            Her lungs burned as she forced her body into activity.  Better to die trying than to float to the end…  She clenched her teeth as the sensation grew from uncomfortable to painful to unbearable.  A convulsion wracked her body and she fought with every ounce of her will to not inhale.  ‘Prolonging the inevitable.’ A peaceful side of her mind told her.  ‘It’ll be over very soon…’

            As suddenly as the water should’ve rushed into her lungs she fell from the light and landed on something hard, her body gasping for air and receiving it quickly.  Weakened from the ordeal, she remained on her side and panted, occasionally coughing on the water that was plastered to her face.

            Ryoko had no idea how long she had been on the ground before she opened her eyes and took in the area.  Ambient light spilled from an unseen inlet overhead.  She was in a tunnel that vaguely resembled an ancient sewer.  The walls were moist and glistened green from an eerie yellow glow.  She managed to take her feet and began stumbling down the hall, using the curved wall to hold her balance as she went.

*           *            *

            “Tenchi!  They’re firing again!”  Ayeka cried and Tenchi looked up from the prone Ryoko with a sigh.

            “Ryo-Ohki offer up a surrender signal.”  Tenchi looked at Ayeka.  “Maybe we can get them to come to us if we can’t go to them.”

            Ayeka nodded but her face betrayed the nervous tension that washed through her.  “I hope that they don’t think it’s a trap.”

            “A chance we’ll have to take.”  Tenchi’s face was set in a stern expression as he watched the view screen intently.  “This is going to be close.”

            Ryo-Ohki shook with a direct hit and Tenchi rushed over to steady Ayeka.   A blue field surrounded them and the ship slowed to a halt.  “Open the air lock Ryo-Ohki.  Let them in.”  Tenchi helped Ayeka up and walked over to the door.

            It hissed open and he could see Mihoshi and Kiyone armored up with rifles.  “Mihoshi!  It’s Tenchi!”

            “Oh no!”  Mihoshi cried in a voice made metallic by her helmet.  “Tenchi’s the pirate!”

            “Mihoshi, you bubble headed idiot!”  Ayeka cried.  “We came out to help you!  Our communications have been down!”

            “Why did you fire on us?”  Kiyone asked as she stepped aboard and lowered her weapon.

            “We didn’t!”  Tenchi cried and looked back at the view screen.  “Someone else was shadowing us and taking shots at you.”

            “Wait,” Ayeka shook her head.  “Whoever’s doing it is probably still nearby.”

            “Right.”  Kiyone looked at Mihoshi.  “Get back to the ship and keep an eye on the scanners.  I’ll stay here and we’ll try to get the comm. back online.”

            “Okay Kiyone!”  Mihoshi giggled and  rushed back through the airlock.

            “Something’s wrong with Ryoko.”  Tenchi frowned and motioned back to her lying on the ground.  “We have to get her to Washu as soon as possible.”

            “First thing’s first, Tenchi.”  Kiyone looked at Ayeka.  “Will you two be able to handle the ship while I try to fix the comm.?”

            “Sure.”  Ayeka rolled her eyes at Kiyone.  “Why not?”

            Kiyone dropped down and began to examine the communications console with a frown.  “This isn’t broken.”  She murmured.  “It’s been shut down.  There’s no power getting to it.”

            “What are you saying?”  Tenchi asked.

            “I’m saying that someone had to turn it off for it to not work… I can’t imagine anyone getting this close to Ryo-Ohki while you were all on board unless it was Ryoko.”

            “She was acting very oddly.”  Ayeka frowned.  “Why would she do it though?”

            “She’s obviously not herself.”  Tenchi clenched his fist.  “I know that whatever’s out there has something to do with this… When I find him, I’m going to—“

            The ship shook with a blast and Mihoshi’s voice broke over Kiyone’s communicator.  “Kiyone!  They targeted the boarding ramp!  What do we do?”

            “Calm down, Mihoshi.”  Kiyone looked down at the console and tapped at the controls bringing the view screen online with a red tactical grid overlay.  “Look sharp… The only way that I can imagine they’re hiding like this is with some kind of cloaking device.”

            Ayeka squinted at the screen, unaware of Tenchi mimicking her expression not a foot to her side.  “There!”  They cried in unison, pointing toward the top of the screen.

            “Got it.”  Kiyone lifted her communicator.  “Mihoshi, get ready to target an explosion.”  She tapped a few more of Ryo-Ohki’s controls and several beams shot out and connected with something causing a bubble of red and orange.

            More blasts followed from both the Galaxy Police vessel and Ryo-Ohki, bringing the enemy ship out of cloak.  There was a collective gasp as they all realized what ship materialized before them—a combination of surprise and amazement mixed with a bit of fear.  It was the Soja.

*           *            *

            Sasami dropped to her knees before Tsunami and tried to catch her breath, both her hands pressed to her chest.  She had run from the house as fast as she could after a nightmare, seeking the solace of something that always provided her with comfort in the absence of her sister.  Looking up at the great tree, she sighed in relief as a sensation of safety overcame her.

            She had been worried about Ayeka and Tenchi all day and up to going to bed.  A dreadful feeling had been dominating her thoughts that whatever was out there was drawing out her friends and leading them to a trap.  Such premonitions were uncommon for her but she had learned that they were often not wrong.  A gift from Tsunami perhaps.  Still, she hated feeling helpless and in this particular situation, she was about as helpless as she could get.

            ‘Don’t despair, Sasami.’  An otherworldly voice echoed in her mind. 

            “Tsunami?”  She asked.

            ‘Yes…’  The voice was gentle and her fears began to abate.  ‘Lord Tenchi and Lady Ayeka will be safe.  I have set events in motion that will assist them.’

            “Oh Tsunami, what can I do though?”  Sasami frowned.  “I want to help them!”

            ‘Your belief in them has helped them, Sasami.’

            “But I don’t understand…”

            ‘Your heart amplified my abilities, your desire made the action, your mind directed the motion.’

            “Huh?”  Sasami tilted her head.

            ‘Rest, Sasami… Trust in me…’

            Sasami yawned and stretched.  “Alright, Tsunami…”  She muttered, lowering herself to the ground slowly, her eyes closed before she was fully prone and pulled her knees up to her chest.  Her breathing became regular and a light blue glow fell over her as a silhouette watched with a smile…

*           *            *

            Strength slowly ebbed through her aching muscles and the pains in her chest had subsided gradually over the past hour.  Her knees trembled from exhaustion and she finally had to lean against the filthy wall to rest—an activity that her eyes particularly appreciated as they still burned from the light she had been swathed in earlier. 

            For however long she had been stumbling around the ruins of the sewer, she had become accustomed to the trickle of the water along the cobble.  Sliding to the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest to avoid the water.  A numb feeling started in her toes and worked its way up slowly.  Her eyes darted open as she realized she was falling asleep… ‘No, Ryoko!  Even if it was safe, you can’t sleep now!’  She started to rise and a sound up the tunnel gave her pause. 

            Levitating effortlessly to her feet, she listened carefully for a moment and formed her sword.  It was footsteps, pacing slowly through the water in her direction.  ‘It’s about time.’  She gritted her teeth.  ‘I hope to God you’re the thing that brought me here.’  Dropping into a defensive crouch, she held her sword before her and waited…

            The footsteps stopped just around the corner ahead and a head peaked around the stone.  It was small and round with a tiny beard and a ruddy nose.  The eyes were set wide a part, tiny orbs of blue in a tan field of leathery skin.  He hopped from around the corner and stood some twenty feet before her, his thick body not more than four feet tall.

            He was dressed in brown breaches that tucked into what appeared to be suede boots.  A red shirt clung to his disproportionate frame and he wore a dagger on his left like a sword.  He smiled up at her and waved a stubby fingered hand.  “Ryoko?”  He asked with a squeaky voice.

            “How do you know who I am?”  She relaxed her stance a bit but kept the weapon pointed in his direction.

            “I know many things.”  He smiled and paced to the wall and leaned his shoulder against it.  “One of my stature must learn many things or I’d be at a disadvantage to those of yours.”

            “Okay, what the hell do you want?”

            “That’s not very polite.”  He frowned.  “You haven’t even asked my name.”

            “Maybe that tells you something about how much I care.”  She started toward him slowly.  “So if you’re going to just waste my time, I think I’ll be going.”

            “Wait!”  He cried.  “You can’t go yet!”

            “Why?”

            “You and I need to talk…”

            “I haven’t left yet.”  She tried to peer down the hall the way he had come but couldn’t see anything but blackness.

            “I know about your dreams… I know about the thinning border between your realms of existence.”

            She gave him a sharp look.  “Mind explaining that?”

            “Your mind has been tricked when you entered the dream realm physically… specifically, your subconscious.”  He paused and looked at her expectantly but when she said nothing, he continued.  “When you transported yourself through the barrier that until then had only been frequented by your subconscious, it was convinced that all of you belonged there.”

            “I don’t get it… You’re saying that my falling into those dream states is because my subconscious is confused?”

            “That’s exactly what I’m saying.  But here’s the tricky part.”  The little guy grinned and she couldn’t say she appreciated the mischievousness that twinkled behind his eyes.  “Your physical body and mind know where they belong and so they’re in turmoil with your subconscious, fighting to keep you in what you might call the ‘real world’ although that phrase is something of a misnomer.”

            She juggled what he was telling her and gazed at him critically.  “You know so much, how do I solve this problem?”

            “The one thing you’ll never do.  The one thing you can’t do.”  His tone almost seemed to mock her.

            “There’s very little that I can’t do.”  She squinted at him.  “What is it?”

            “You have no idea who you are, Ryoko.  No one does.  That makes it somewhat difficult to know peace.”

            “Of course I know who I am!”  She took an angry step toward him.

            He chuckled and did a little jig, stopping suddenly to stare at her gravely.  “Really…  That’s why the rage in your heart burns in constant argument with the compassion in your soul.  Why you live in duality.  Your love for this boy Tenchi and your sordid past as a criminal.  Who are you trying to fool?  Certainly not me…”  A giggle wracked his body.  “It must be you!”

            “Damn it, you little bastard.”  She grimaced.  “Why don’t you show me how smart you really are and tell me what it is that I won’t ever do.”

            “My, my, my you are mighty testy, Miss Ryoko!”  He sighed and let his smile drip away as she stared at him angrily.  “Alright, I’ll try to help you.  But it won’t do any good.”

            “Let me be the judge of that.”

            “Haven’t you ever thought about your relationships with the others in your social circle?  With Ayeka, Sasami, Washu, Tenchi…”

            “Of course I have.  I think about it all the time.”

            “Ah, but not the right way!  How would you describe your relationship with Ayeka?”

            She came up with a snazzy remark but held it back.  “Turbulent I guess.”

            “At odds for a prize perhaps?  That is how you look at Tenchi right?”

            “Absolutely not!  How dare you presume—“

            “I presume nothing!”  He threw his arms over his head and flailed them about for a moment, finally calming down and shaking his head at her.  “You are a criminal—a pirate.  What did you work for your whole career but the prize?  Striving to steal what you couldn’t earn…  Your worthiness must have been questioned, otherwise why the arrogance?  Where does it come from?  It’s a safety measure isn’t it?  Yes, it must be.  You’re begging for forgiveness but you’re too proud to ask for it and so you pretend to be so superior that no one will get close to you.  Not even your beloved Tenchi…”

            “Shut up!”  She cried, bringing the sword to point at his throat again.  “That’s not true!”

            “Then why were you a pirate?  Why are you so arrogant?  Why do you play at being something that you’re not?”

            “I’m not!”  She yelled, the sword disappearing as she fell to her knees.  “I’m not…”

            “Of course you are.”  He was finally able to gaze at her without looking up.  “Why would you be on your knees if you didn’t agree with some of what I’ve said?”

            She shot her gaze up at him, the expression behind her eyes a mixture of rage and lunacy.  “You have no idea what I feel… what I live with day to day.  Certainly, there’s guilt…  But everyone feels that for something in their lives.”

            “Do they?”

            “You’re trying to twist everything!  How do I know that you’re not part of the problem?”

            “How do you know?”  He laughed.  “You don’t know anything.  You’re a creature of passion, Ryoko—Of instinct.  You don’t have knowledge, you don’t use your head.  Even now, you’re contemplating using your blade to run me through…  What would that prove?  It would only further my point that you’re consumed by your passions.  Controlled by whatever whim your emotions wish to chase.”

            “I’m finished talking to you.”  Her voice was even and calm.  “You obviously know nothing about me if you really think that I have no control over myself.”  She looked past him.  “At the end of this tunnel, lies the answer to how I can escape this purgatory.  Move aside.”

            “You think that you’re ready to face that answer?  That you could embrace what it would have you do?”

            “I’m finished with you, dwarf.”  She pushed herself to her feet and walked past him.

            “You can’t just leave!  I’m not finished with you!”

            “You won’t fill me with self doubt.”  She responded.

            “That’s not why I sought you.”

            “Then I’m sorry you wasted your time.”  She could hear him responding but ignored the content of his dribble.  ‘Focus, Ryoko.’  She reminded herself.  ‘Focus and determination…’