Fun thought. In a perverse sort of way, you can apply Peter Gabriel's Big Time to Garrick's life at this point. Look at the lyrics and start drawing the parallels! Wheee!
Hang on to your pants! We're kicking this one off with a celebrity introduction!
Moving is always an odd experience.
A new place with new spaces and you have to figure out where to put
everything. In this case, I had an advantage in that I made this
space with all my belongings in mind – I already knew where I
wanted everything to go. But what made this very different was an
experience that was completely novel to me: I did not have enough
stuff to fill up my space.
I'm used to living in smaller spaces, but I have always wanted
something sprawling like I had designed. So I may have gone just a
bit overboard. Oh, it wasn't ridiculously huge. It wasn't it felt
like my bed only occupied a small corner of the Dallas Cowboys'
stadium. It's more like my sleeping area seemed to have a largish
empty spot that my brain quickly tagged as 'big enough to fit a plush
leather sofa on one side, a matching loveseat ninety-degrees over,
and a coffee table between them'. Rather, it did so with the image
of such instead.
As I assembled my bed, a strange, yet familiar voice rang out,
echoing in my still mostly empty C-Space.
“So, you catch the interest of a galactically renowned scientist,
gain the liking of First-Generation Royal Tree, and steal the heart
of my granddaughter. What am I to do with such a strange person?”
I turned, blinked in shock, and said, “Holy shit, you're Seto
Kamiki Jurai.”
Seto smiled. “Oh, not going to use that 'Devil Princess of Jurai'
title?”
I raised an eyebrow and replied, “Does a man tell a fire-breathing
dragon she's ugly?”
Seto smiled, chuckling. “Charming. I can see why the others like
you. You don't just run and hide like Tenchi does. You fire back.”
“Well, I must admit that part of me is screaming at the rest of me
to take strategic cover. But the other part says that she'll just
nuke me from high orbit if I do that.”
Now it was Seto's turn to raise a speculative eyebrow. “Now why
would I do that?”
“Because I just might make myself too dangerous to allow running
loose.” I then shrugged as I gave it more thought. “Then again,
you are the sort to keep us 'potentially dangerous' types closer than
your 'friends'. Just please don't try to marry me off to someone. I
may be lonely, but I'm not ready. Just ask Washu-chan.”
“She told me all about it,” Seto reassured me. “Don't worry,
that's not on the table right now.”
My eyebrow went up like a flag again. “Right now, she says.
Twelve months later, you'll be setting me up with Minaho.”
“Oh?” said Seto, as though catching wind of something tasty.
“Why Minaho?”
I shrugged. Don't worry, it's not all I do – I'm just resigned to
my fate here and now.
“I think she's cute and I might as well make my preference known
now. Dunno if she'd like me though. I got a nasty streak in me and
it rears it's ugly head when I get pissed. You're best bet is to arm
me up, aim me at someone particularly nasty, and say, 'Sic 'em,
boy.'”
Seto actually looked a bit sour about that. “Is that really
necessary?”
I sighed. “Sorry about that,” I apologized sheepishly. “Just
a bit of that nasty streak I mentioned. I'm kinda
passive-aggressive.”
“So I see,” she replied with a rueful smile. “Look, before you
start to get silly with me, young man, why don't we sit down and
talk?”
I looked around glumly. “Well, I apologize I don't have any seats
to offer you, so I guess we can go to the den. But! I insist on
making a pot of tea.”
“As you wish, Mr. Grimm.”
“That's a nice fragrance,” Seto said as I set the tray with a
steaming pot and empty cups down in front of her.
“The tea masters that made it call it 'Sleepy Time', but I like it
for more than just that. I figure I should calm my nerves anyhow.
Try it with a bit of this wildflower honey. It's good enough without
it, but just a bit of sweetness really brings out the flavors.”
“Thank you. Would you do the honors?”
“As you wish.” I poured the tea, added the honey, and gave it to
Seto before serving myself.
“This is nice. I can see why they call it Sleepy Time. Would you
mind if I took some back with me?”
“I can spare a few teabags. Your best bet, though, is to sneak
onto one of the larger US Military bases with a fake ID and pick some
up at the Commissary. That, or go straight to the US for it.
Probably less troublesome that way anyhow.”
“I would appreciate your gift. This would be the best after a
particularly stressful day... Not that those happen very often these
days.”
I had to grin at that. “Yes, you being that master manipulator and
all. Seriously, my hat is off to you. Not many people, even those
with enhanced lifespans like yours, become as good at pulling the
strings as you do.”
“Well now,” said Seto with a smile. “I don't know whether to
be flattered or insulted.”
I gave her my patented 'Pull the other one, it has bells on it' look,
and said, “You do it, usually, with the best intentions in mind.
Though I gotta admit, getting your husband to marry you because
you'll kill him otherwise... that's something else. Your kind is
certainly rare and I wish there were more of you around.”
“Oh dear Tsunami no! It'd be chaos!”
I laughed. That evil look was there, I just knew it. “I know,
right? It would be so epic! Fifty Xanatos Pile-Ups left and right!”
“Xanatos?”
“A fictional character from my home timeline that was known for
being a magnificent bastard – manipulating the other characters so
that just when they think they got one over on him, they really just
played into his hands. His plots were what came to be known as
Xanatos Gambits, and a collision of multiple Xanitos Gambits by
different characters was known as a Fifty Xanatos Pile-up. You know,
like a cascading traffic accident on a super-highway.”
“You certainly like exposition.”
I shrugged. “I have long felt that Raven is my totem animal.”
“And that means?”
“Incessantly chatty, ever observant, smart, clever, devious, and
one hellacious mean streak. Magnificent birds, really. They make
wonderful and loyal companions if you can ever get one to take a
shine to you, but unfortunately they're protected by federal law in
the US.”
“Pity. But then, I doubt their laws apply to me. Maybe I should
go see if one does take a liking to me. Mikagami could use the
company.”
I chuckled. “Just don't bring in anything shiny if you don't want
it to get snatched – unless that's your intention in the first
place. Ravens love shiny stuff.”
“Duly noted,” said Seto bemusedly. “You know what, I think I
do like you, Garrick. However, ever since the whole fiasco with Lady
Funaho we are understandably leery of adopting another human into our
family.”
I blinked. “Sasami doesn't kid around, does she?”
Seto's smile got a bit bigger. “No, she doesn't. The little
darling. I hope that someday she'll be able to fill my shoes.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Somehow, I don't doubt that. That
adorable little imp.”
“At any rate, if you are going to join our family, Garrick, you
will need to ostensibly prove your worth to the rest of the
politicians on Jurai.”
I glowered at Seto. “You should know that I don't suffer
politicians very well.”
“Oh? And what about me?”
“You're different. You actually act with the interests of your
people in mind... granted, your people are the Royal Family, but
seeing as yours aren't a bunch of tyrants I can let that slide.”
“And if we were?”
“I'd play along, get myself into a suitable position of power
within the Royal Household, and then stab everyone that deserves it
in the back.”
“Well, you were right about being devious and mean. Anyhow,
Funaho, that is Yosho's Tree, wanted you to have this.” she then
hold her hand out, and in it was a tiny, round, brown-colored,
acorn-like object.
“That... is a seed...” I said slowly.
“It is,” replied Seto. I could swear she had canary feathers on
her face.
“From a first-generation tree...” I looked up in here eyes and
said, “I don't deserve this.”
“I only need you to take care of it for a while, Garrick. If word
got out that there was a Royal Tree here on Earth that was able to
produce seeds then there would be no end to the trouble that could
cause us – even if that information was restricted within the
Counsel Chamber.”
I blinked. “They would demand that Yosho return to Jurai... and
you wouldn't do that to him because he likes it here – it would
break his heart.” I then gave her sidelong look. “And
entrusting this seed to me would be a perfect way for you to test my
character.”
“Garrick, please... just accept this for now. I don't know of
anyone else more convenient than you right now. Ayeka has her
seedling. Sasami-chan... doesn't need one. And Tenchi... We have
plans for him.”
I sighed. “Alright, alright, you got me. I'll take care of the
little one.” I held out my hand and Seto gently placed the seed in
my palm. I looked down at the tiny thing, so innocuous looking.
“It's strange,” I said, “How something so small can, with time
and nurturing, growing into something as great and powerful as
Funaho.”
“We are all like that, Garrick.”
“Yes. I suppose we are. May I name this one?”
“I suppose it would be alright.”
“Your name will be Katherine. Yours is to be intelligence,
cunning, beauty and grace fit for royalty.”
“A laudable goal. Do you think she will be up to it?”
“This is one of Funaho's. She will be.”
“At least you show some wisdom despite being so young.”
“I know. I must seem like such a child... but that is what makes
us Earth people so special. Our lives are so brief that we can feel
them flickering and burning away like a candle in the wind. And so,
with that sense of urgency behind us, we push so hard for a better
tomorrow, because for us nothing ever comes soon enough.”
“That is why I accepted Funaho into the family. I knew that she
would shake things up a bit, and she did. And now here I am,
considering accepting another human, this time one of you infamous
Americans. I wonder how much you will shake things up?”
I looked over at Seto and smiled. “Like throwing rocks in a pond
and seeing what sort of ripples you make. But just you watch, Seto.
This rock is gonna grow wings and skate across your pond, making
ripples wherever it goes. I'll be damned if I don't have some
control over my destiny.”
Seto looked absolutely delighted. “Do your best, Garrick. I will
eagerly anticipate the show you put on.”
I chuckled at that. Seto anticipating my show? I had better not
disappoint her then. I then look down at the seed once more and
gently slipped it into one of my pockets.
“She'll be safe in there for the moment. Anyhow... so, plans for
Tenchi? I take it they involve the words 'First Generation'?” I
hazarded.
“Nothing other,” Seto replied. “I have already decided that he
is to be the next in line for the throne.”
“Ouch! Don't let the poor guy hear that – he'll have the anxiety
attack to end all anxiety attacks.”
Seto chuckled. “Of course not. He won't find out until he finally
decides he's gonna marry those girls.”
“Again, ouch.” I sighed. “I got to admit though. I do envy
him.”
“Do you now? You could take a little of the heat off him.”
I snorted. “I'll tell you the same thing I told Washu-chan – bad
things happen to those that poach on Lord Tenchi's turf. It is a
mandate of this universe.”
“Are you so certain now?” she asked.
“Deadly. Although, there is also the mandate that anyone that gets
involved with Tenchi will have his luck and misfortune rub off on
them. Just watch out for an up-and-comer called Seina Yamada. He's
Tenchi's cousin. Nice guy, but he's got bad luck so bad you could
literally weaponize it.”
“I see. And you think it will rub off on you as well?”
I shrugged. “Time will tell. If it does, great! Just be careful
about who you allow to associate with Tenchi-kun in the future. If
it doesn't oh well. At least I'll have some interesting stories for
the grandkids.”
“A little presumptuous, aren't we?”
“Nah, just walking the fine line between fatalism and optimism.
More tea?”
“Please. Without the honey this time.”
“Of course.”
Seto and I nattered on for another hour before she decided her time
was up. She reminded me to take care of Funaho's seed and I gave her
the teabags. She then bade me farewell, and left just like that.
I cleaned up the cups and the tea pot, then went over to Washu's door
and knocked firmly, but politely on the door while removing the seed
from my pocket. The door popped open perfunctorily and Washu's voice
came from inside.
“Come on in, Garrick.”
“Thanks,” I said as I went in, closing the door behind me.
“You know,” said Washu as she entered some random data on her
main holographic console from her floating cushion. “...you're one
of the few people here that observes the proper protocols when it
comes to gaining access to my lab.”
I shrugged. “Not much to it. Just knock and wait and see if you
get an answer. If not, then you're probably in the middle of
something more important.”
“Which I'm not as you can see,” she said as she dismissed the
console with a grand flourish and spun around to face me. “What's
up, Gar-kun?”
I smiled, shaking my head. This was so unreal.
“Whulp, courtesy of our favorite little junior princess
manipulator, my application for adoption into the Royal Family of
Jurai has been received by the senior princess manipulator and is
pending approval.”
Washu cackled. “HAH! I knew it! I mean, sure, I knew Seto was
here talking to you, and I didn't eavesdrop... but still, I knew it!”
“Har-dee-har. Once you're done getting the giggles out of your
system, oh high and mighty genius of the entire universe, I need some
basic how-to's for taking care of this kid here.” I then showed
her the seed.
Washu blinked and whistled. “She really wants to see what you're
capable of.”
“No kidding,” I grumbled. “Not that I'm backing down or won't
give it everything I got... but still...” I shook my head. “Look,
you can't just whip up a central unit for a Juraian treeship for me,
can you?”
“Nope. And Ayeka has the only spare we had.”
“Damn.” I then looked down to the seed and sighed. “I'm
sorry, Katherine. Guess we'll have to wait a while before I can
plant you.”
“Hold that thought,” said Washu. “I said I couldn't make a
central unit. I never said I couldn't make something to properly
nurture her. And the best part is that we can add it onto your
C-Space.”
“So you mean that I can properly see to this little one's well
being?”
“Of course!”
“Let's get started then! I want this garden to be the envy of all
Jurians!”
“Well, if that's your aim then I suggest we bring someone else in
on this.”
“What?” said Ayeka, at a complete loss for any other words.
“I know, right?” I sighed. “I mean... I like to think that
I'm a nice guy and all... but I'm pretty surprised by this turn of
events myself.”
“Well of course!” replied Ayeka haughtily. “It take more than
just being a nice person. You must have strength of character,
gravitas, and the perseverance and bearing of a noble.”
“Ayeka, my dear Princess? Any more cheese in that line and we'd be
able to set up a delicatessen.”
“Don't mock me!”
I smiled and cajoled her, “Oh, come on. You just make it too easy
sometimes. Why do you think Ryoko picks on you so badly?” I then
lowered my voice and added, with a conspiratorial grin, “Not that
she doesn't leave herself wide open for a verbal assault herself.”
Ayeka grinned back. “She does at that, does she?” Her
expression then shifted to something more anxious. “Do you really
feel that I... leave myself open?”
“Well, you certainly don't have the most approachable demeanor at
times. My advice? Save the untouchable princess act for state
functions. You want your people to think of you as someone who will
hear them out, right?”
“Well, of course,” the princess replied, this time in a more
sober tone. “It is one of our highest responsibilities to hold
open court so we may hear the grievances of our people.”
“Well, there you go then... I think that someone you might want to
emulate a bit is a famous Queen of Earth's history, a woman known as
Elizabeth the First. She was a remarkable woman. So great was her
desire for there to be stability in her land that she forewent
marriage. 'I am the bride of England' she would say.”
“But... how did she have an heir?”
I shook my head. “Sadly, she didn't. For one thing, rampant
inbreeding led to infertility and impotence in the royal family of
England. A few even think that Elizabeth was not really the true
successor. Her being a bastard-daughter lends a bit of credence to
the matter. Also, there was a lot of corruption in the royal
household at the time from the Catholic Church trying to interfere in
the matters of Britain. Religious fanatics and power mongers. Long
story.”
A look of realization blossomed on Ayeka's face. “So to ensure
that she would never be influenced she sought no suitors. What a
terrible fate!”
I nodded sadly. “She was an incredible woman. She led Britain
into a golden age the likes of which was never seen again... But
during her time, there was no other like her. Such was the adoration
of her subjects that she would even go out to dance among the
commoners. Especially if the minstrels played a particularly rousing
tune.”
“Well, if that is true then I suppose she at least had some
happiness in her life.”
I smiled. “Ask me about her favorite playwright sometime. At any
rate... Princess, please... it really would mean a lot to me if you
help me.” For emphasis, I pull Funaho's seed out of my pocket and
showed it to her.
I knew I had her. I couldn't really see it in her bearing, but in
her eyes... I could tell she just melted as if I had shown her a
particularly cute puppy.
“Alright, Garrick. But not for you,” she added quickly. “I am
doing this for Funaho... and for this little one.”
“Katherine.”
“Who?”
“I decided that I would name her Katherine.”
“What sort of name is that?”
I smiled. “It is an ancient and much loved name for a princess.”
Ayeka was, simply put, astounded at what I did know. Having learned
gardening from my mother the same way I learned auto mechanics from
my father, I had a lot of common sense knowledge at my disposal, as
well as some of the more zen like teachings.
“Oooh!” cooed Ayeka. “These flowers are so big! And such
vivid colors!”
“Yes. It's a tropical plant called a Hibiscus. Because it likes
light so much we'll have to put it with the Trigona.”
“Trigona?”
I pointed to the Euphorbia in question, a six-foot tall collection
triangular-shaped stems with spines and tear-drop shaped leaves along
the edges of each, all branching upwards from a central stalk, and
colored a mottled leaf-green.
“What is that thing?” she remarked with wide-eyed shock at the
rather imposing plant.
“Euphorbia Trigona,” I told her. “Common name: African Milk
Tree. I just like to call it a Trigona.”
“It... has thorns. All over it.”
I smiled. “Yeah. It can be a nasty customer to bump into,
especially since it's sap is absolutely poisonous.”
“It's POISONOUS!?”
“Relax,” I replied, scolding her. “Mainly it's just to keep
things from eating it. I'd imagine that if your trees didn't have
you Juraians to protect them from predators they would have evolved
some nasty defense mechanisms as well.”
Ayeka blinked, then smiled nervously. “Oh. Well, when you put it
that way I guess I can see why. But why would you have something
dangerous like this?”
“Because, look at it! It is magnificent, lovely, and yet imposing
as well. And despite that it is an easy going sort of plant. It
requires very little care and it disdains pampering. It propagates
through cuttings but under loving and patient care it will even
flower. Oh, and it absolutely loves sunlight. Desert plant, you
know.”
“I have always thought it is strange how plants can thrive in
deserts,” the Princess said as she stepped closer to the Euphorbia
to get a better look at it.
I smiled. “Someday I need to take you guys to the Mojave. It's
hot and dry, but if we go in the springtime it's pleasant. The cacti
and sage all blossom, the birds sing, and the land comes to life all
around you. If not for the heat, you'd think you weren't in a desert
at all.”
“Well that does sound like a pleasant idea,” she said absently.
She was now utterly fascinated by the plant.
“I'll talk to Tenchi and Washu-chan about it sometime. But anyhow,
would you like to try growing one yourself?”
That got her attention as she looked up at me in surprise. “Ah...
well, you did say it was easy to care for, right?”
I smiled. “Pretty much. Just needs a warm and sunny spot. Pot it
with peat and perlite, and water it generously about once a week –
just long enough for the soil to dry out. That simulates the weather
patterns this plant is native to – sudden torrential downpours
followed by days of dry weather. Feed it once every three months
with a plant food for desert-dwelling plants. It's a very hardy
plant, so if you want to err on the side of caution, don't water it.
“So, you want a cutting?”
Ayeka thought about it, but only for a moment. “Yes, I would like
one.”
I smiled then went to the box with my smaller bits of gardening
supplies, got out the pruning shears and a rag, then went to my
Trigona.
I ran my finger along the smooth side of one of the larger stalks and
said, “Just a small bit, my friend, so someone else may know the
pleasure of your presence.” I then found one of the newer growths,
just six inches in length, and growing in a direction that would make
it a little more cumbersome to move anyhow, placed the shears, laid
the rag over it, and cut.
Ayeka gasped as the thick milky-white sap spurted a drop on my hand.
I didn't mind – I don't react as badly to the sap as some do... at
least as long as I get to it in a timely manner. For the moment, I
set the pruning shears aside and laid the newly cut stalk of Trigona
on the rag and offered it to Ayeka.
“Here,” I said as she gingerly took it from me. “Let it dry
out a bit in someplace warm. A week or two should do it. Then,
plant it and water it judiciously. And just so you know, it will
take a while to start growing.”
“Really? Why's that?”
I smiled. “Well, people aren't sure, but I'm certain it's because
the plant wants to be sure it can trust you.”
“Really?” said Ayeka, her curiosity piqued.
“Yes. My mother gave this one to me as a gift – it was already
established and it took a month of my care before it decided to grow
out.”
“Ah, Garrick? What about your hand?”
“I'm getting to it. Unlike some, I'm not hyper-sensitive to it.”
I then made deed to word by getting out another rag, wiping the sap
away, and then following it up with a disinfectant wipe. I had a
bottle of them in my gardening supplies just for these occasions.
“See, all done. Now, let me show you some pictures of the native
Texas wildflowers. I guarantee you'll love it.”
We didn't spend much more time going through my catalog of plants.
There weren't a whole lot since I never had much room for a garden
before. And most of my plants were cacti anyhow. Ayeka was
disdainful at first, until I showed her what they looked like when
they blossomed... and then I told her that some even fruited
afterward, and that the fruit made excellent candies and jellies.
Suffice to say, she was rather eager to try her own hand at caring
for cacti. If nothing else, it would give Sasami-chan something new
to try her hand at.
Eventually, Ayeka and I had hammered out a rough plan for my garden.
We'd fill in the details the next day. At dinner time, she
positively gushed about everything she'd learned from me about Earth
flora, especially the desert-dwelling varieties, and went on about
how she wanted to learn more about earth's plantlife.
Sasami-chan looked absolutely pleased by this turn of events. I
figured that it was primarily because to her it seemed that Tenchi
was the only thing on Earth that she had any real interest in. Ryoko
on the other hand was so befuddled that she couldn't even think to
look for an opening to crack down on Ayeka. Mihoshi was just
pleasantly clueless and asked simple questions about what Ayeka
learned. And Washu just kept shooting me bemused looks as though to
say, “You little player, you!”
Tenchi, for his part, was befuddled as well, but it was the pleasant
sort. I wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but it was possible that
this was a side of Ayeka that Tenchi had never seen until now... and
he seemed to like what he saw.
Yosho just smiled. He knew Ayeka to a tee, so I guess he figured it
had only been a matter of time. He also shot me looks, but unlike
Washu-chan's... his were more speculative. I had a feeling why:
Yosho was a favorite of Seto, and it would not surprise me if he knew
about her interest in having me adopted into the family.
First thing after breakfast the following morning, I made my way up
to Yosho's shrine. Though what he had enshrined up there I had no
idea. But knowing the so-called Old Man's sense of humor, it was
probably some knick-knack of his from Jurai.
Autumn had hit hard. It wasn't freezing, but I had judiciously
shunned the idea of going wearing only long sleeves and jeans.
Instead, I wore my trusty Levi's Red Tab winter-weight jean jacket, a
sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants under my cargo pants, and wool socks
to go with my old, trustworthy Navy boots.
Once I got to the shrine, I went through the proper cleansing ritual
of washing your hands and mouth, and then went to the offering box to
drop off a few fifty-yen coins. I then went to the shrine itself,
clapped my hands twice, then bowed my head in prayer.
As I lifted my head once more, I heard Yosho's voice call out to me.
“You seem to be having a crisis of faith.”
“You could say that,” I sighed as I turned to face him. “I was
raised as a Mormon. Recent events have kinda... invalidated a lot of
my beliefs.”
“Mormon you say? I've known a few of their missionaries. Good men
with good hearts. They don't come much better. I can see some of
that upbringing in you... though you certainly seem a little more
worldly.”
I shrugged. “I never went on my mission. Never felt the call, I
guess. Makes me wonder if that has anything to do with all this.”
Yosho shook his head. “I have no idea why you are here, Garrick,
but I do know that's the wrong way to think about this. Come, let's
have some tea. There's a lot for us to talk about, and I think
that's exactly why you're here.”
“Thanks. It's been a while since I've had some proper green tea.”
I was sat down in Yosho's quarters at his kotatsu (a heated table
with a quilt tacked to the edges) and the tea was poured. After I
took my first long sip, Yosho broke the silence.
“As I said, there is a lot that we need to discuss, but I think the
foremost item is your faith.”
I was taken aback by that – enough that it took me a moment to
formulate a response. But Yosho, if anything, was patient.
“Seto wants to see if I'm up to snuff, and you want to discuss
religion?”
Yosho smiled kindly. “Whether you like it or not, Garrick,
religion is a very important aspect of a person's sense of self.
You've suffered a very traumatic blow to that sense of self.
Sasami-chan has told me all about it. You're hurting and there is
nothing in your belief system for you to fall back on in this
scenario. I know this because I've gotten all the discussions from
those missionaries I mentioned.”
I sighed. I felt numb and hollow by this point in time. I figured
that I might as well go through with this because it couldn't be any
worse than I felt now.
“I... don't know for sure what to believe in any more. I mean...
some power has drop-kicked me out of my home-world and into yours...
where I know for a fact that three goddesses, of which Tsunami is one
of them, created this particular universe. I know all this. And I
know that it invalidated just about everything I believe in... but
now... I just don't know what to believe in any more.”
Yosho nodded. “I can understand that. Though I think it's a
little less knowing what to believe in, and more the loss you have
suffered. Sasami-chan said you were horribly lonely, and the ability
for a family to remain together eternally is a central tenet of the
Mormon faith. Suddenly, you've been gifted with a seed, from my
Funaho no less! And little Sasami wants you to be our brother. I
think that someone is trying to get your attention, boy.”
I blink. “Tsunami? But why? I mean... I'm not that important.
I'm dust compared to her.”
“That may be true, but the thing is that Sasami-chan cares about
you. And that matters to Tsunami more than you might think.”
Because Sasami cares.
Sasami is Tsunami and Tsunami is Sasami.
And anyone that Sasami would care about would have the Goddess's
attention just like that.
“I see...” I said slowly. “Thank you for bringing that to my
attention, Yosho. I don't know if I would have noticed it myself or
not. Just... this is gonna seem kinda silly, but how does one pay
their respects to Tsunami-sama?”
Yosho smiled. “When you come back tomorrow I'll start teaching
you. But for now, let's move on to more practical topics... little
brother.”
I blinked. “Hoo boy.”
Yosho barked a laugh. It was short and relatively quiet, but it was
quite a guffaw just the same.
“You have a delightful knack for ironic understatement. Don't
worry, though. Mother has decided that she will be the one to take
you under her wing.”
I blinked once more. “As in Head of Military and Political
Intelligence Funaho?”
“Of course.”
“... You were right. 'Hoo boy' doesn't even begin to cover it.”
Yosho chuckled at my expense. “Don't worry too much. She simply
wishes to debrief you. She'll be gentle about it. After all, she's
considering making you her son.”
“So I really would be Sasami's brother then. Although I certainly
won't be the older one.”
Yosho passed it off with a shrug. “Subjectively, she's only
experienced twelve years of her life. And Ayeka's experienced only
eighteen. As far as Sasami-chan is concerned, you are their elder.”
Yosho then grinned mischievously. “Although you'll still be
subordinate to me.”
I rolled my eyes and replied in a droll tone, “Oh gee, just what I
always wanted: an annoying older brother.”
“I am not anoying,” said Yosho defensively, but I saw straight
through it.
“Like hell you are. You aren't even the old man you pretend to
be.”
“Ah, so you know that as well.”
I shrugged. “No worries. Not like I'm gonna go blabbing about it.
But if you want some advice, I'll give it to you: might want to
consider dropping the act sometime. Not right away – I'd wait
until Tenchi finally gets himself settled down. Oh, and Noboyuki
winds up getting remarried as well.”
“Oh? Who?”
“That cute assistant he's got in his office. The one that comes
from an alternate universe. Kinda like me, only without Random
Omnipotent Beings getting involved. They have a son together and
eventually he winds up going to his mother's homeland to make all
kinds of trouble there and a harem as well. Seems like it runs in
the family.”
Yosho stared at me with wide-eyed amazement. “Is this some kind of
joke!?”
“Not a bit. Just don't let on to Noboyuki. Might jinx the whole
damn thing.”
Yosho blinked. “I guess I'll just have to take your word for it
then. Mother is going to have a field day with you.”
I snorted. “Don't I know it.”
The old man chuckled, but then turned sober once more as he asked,
“Tell me Garrick, what do you know of the way of the sword?”
I blinked as I thought about the implications of this question: all
of them pointed to pain in my future.
“I've dabbled in it somewhat in the past.”
Yosho nodded. “I thought as much. Your movements are like that of
a grappler. It's a great skill to have, however, among the Royal
Household, any formal challenges to a dual you may face are to be
decided through your ability as a swordsman.”
“I see. When do you wish to begin, Yosho-sensei?” No sense in
delaying the inevitable.
“Tomorrow. After your lessons of doctrine.”
The rest of my day would have been relatively uneventful. With my
truck and trailer parked in my workshop, I had easy access to unload,
stage, and unpack everything. Let me tell you, having enough room to
pre-organize everything for unpack really helps.
However, as I was just finishing with the staging part, I heard a
knock on a door somewhere. Just as I was wondering where it came
from, a screen popped up in front of my face displaying a pensive
looking Ryoko through a wide-angle lens.
“Huh. Peep-hole,” I said thoughtfully as I began to make my way
to the door.
“Ah, hey,” said Ryoko nervously as I opened my door to her.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Sure, come on in. I was actually wondering when I'd get my first
visitor.”
“Oh. Cool.” Ryoko followed me in and then whistled. “Nice.
Isn't it a bit big?”
I shrugged. “It is for now, but I plan on filling it up
eventually. Honestly, I've always wanted a place like this. You're
mom gives out the coolest stuff.”
Ryoko made a sour look at that as we went from the common space and
into the workshop. “Don't call her that.”
I rolled my eyes but let it go for the moment. “So, social call or
did you just want to see what I was up to in here?”
“Bit of both,” said Ryoko. “Really... people been talking...
and I kinda guess I never really apologized for what happened.”
I looked at her in surprise. “You mean that whole thing with the
sucker punch off the stairs? I already told you guys it was okay.”
“No, I mean... I need to apologize for myself. Not let someone
else do it.”
As I got back to work with unloading my stuff and sorting it all out,
I suddenly realized that someone, either Washu, Sasami, or both put
Ryoko up to this. I then figured that I might as well make this easy
on her.
I smiled gamely over the top of a large box full of bed linens and
said, “Thanks. I do appreciate that coming from you, Ryoko. And
really, it was just an accident. No hard feelings. So what do you
say? Buddies?”
“Heh. Sure thing. You know, you're a pretty laid back guy,
Garrick.”
I gave a lopsided grin. “I just try not to sweat the small stuff.”
“For a human a broken neck isn't small.”
“For your mom- sorry, Washu-chan, it is. Though really... try not
to let it happen again... hate for me to be in that situation without
her to fix me up.”
“Ah, don't worry Garrick. Ain't nothing gonna happen to you with
me around. Say, you mind letting me hang out in here now and then?”
“As long as you aren't trying to dodge chores. I'd prefer it if
Ayeka didn't think I was letting you hide in here.”
“Ooooh! Kissing up to the princess?” Ryoko teased.
I shrugged as I hefted another box of books. I had quite a few of
those. “No. It's just that Ayeka's a nice person and I'd really
like it if she were a friend and not an adversary.”
Ryoko rolled her eyes. “If only she'd take that stick out her
butt.”
I sighed. “Brutal, but somewhat true. Gotta get past that
untouchable princess facade, but the thing is that's all it is –
just a facade.”
“Oh, and how do you know?”
I gave Ryoko a flat look. “Ryoko, you do realize we're talking
about Misaki's daughter, right? You know, our lady of
adores-all-that-is-cute and giver-of-bone-crushing-hugs?”
“I don't think-”
I cleared my voice and then squeaked, “MOMMY!”
Ryoko crashed to the shop floor, laughing herself silly. “Okay!
Okay! You got me! HAH-HAH! I'd almost forgotten about that!”
I chuckled. “You see, the Princess has a softer side to her.” I
then sighed as I pulled over my larger office chair and plunked
myself down into it. “Really... in a way I think she's softer than
Sasami is.”
“What!?” cried out Ryoko. “Even though she can be such a
bitch!?”
I nodded. “It's a defense mechanism.”
“What do you mean?” grumbled Ryoko.
I sighed again. “Look, I know because I've been in her shoes
before. I don't mean the whole position-of-priveledge thing. Far
from it. What I've been through was similar in that I was a boy with
a very sweet and tender heart... and everyone around me seemed to
want to stomp it flat.”
“What? So, stomp 'em back.”
“That's what I did. So, for some people I was a very sweet boy...
until I came across someone I didn't like, then I was like a little
demon-spawn child.”
“That's the idea!” cheered Ryoko.
I gave her a sober look. “But I didn't have very many friends
because of that.”
Ryoko gave me a funny look. “But some people had to like you.”
“A few did,” I said, shrugging. “Most heard it from others how
horrible I was and either avoided me or teased me.”
Ryoko blinked in wide-eyed amazement. “Oh.”
“So, just imagine this adorable little princess. She is sweetness
and sunshine – she's so cute she'd almost make you gag, except
she's such a nice little kid you just can't bear to hurt her. With
me so far?”
“okaaayyyy,” Ryoko drawled suspiciously.
“So, one day she meets some other kids visiting the Royal Palace...
but they're all jealous of her, so instead of being her friend like
she wants to be, they tease her, take her things, and pull her
pigtails. Isn't that just horrible of them?”
“Yeah, that is horrible,” said Ryoko, looking a little sheepish.
“The poor, sweet little princess runs to her mother, crying her
eyes out. She feels so hurt that she can't even bear to tell her
mother what happened. She has the horrible realization that there
are people out there that are just plain mean, and the best thing to
do is to be mean right back at them so they can't hurt you.
“So, the next day, instead of letting the kids hurt her like they
did before, she calls the guards on them and has them thrown out of
the palace.”
“Oh... wow... I never really thought of it that way.”
I nodded. “Now, there's a bit of a difference between her and
Sasami... Sasami is strong in ways Ayeka isn't. Sure, she can be
hurt, but she bounces back with a vengeance. And she also had Ayeka
to watch after her... someone who already knew how mean some people
could be... and knew how to be mean right back at them so Sasami
didn't have to be.”
Ryoko grumbled. “Even if I know all this and I try to be nice to
her, she's still gonna be a first-class bitch.”
“For a while. It's gonna take time, Ryoko. This isn't like when
you feel like having some sake so you go and raid the pantry for a
jug. It's more like growing a flower. You have to give it sunlight,
warmth, food and water, and most of all, time.”
“It sounds so boring though!” groaned Ryoko.
“Hey, I'm not saying you two can't banter. Believe me, you two can
have a lot of fun just messing around with each other as long as you
don't let it go too far. My brothers and I used to do that a lot.”
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. “Your brothers?”
I sighed. “Yeah. Five of 'em. And we'd mess around with each
other in ways you wouldn't believe. I really do miss those
knuckleheads, Ryoko.” I then gave Ryoko a sober look. “You got
an opportunity here that you really shouldn't squander – and I'm
not simply talking about Tenchi's affections here.”
Ryoko gave me a look that was almost a glare. “What do you mean?”
“These people, Ryoko... they're like family. Ayeka, Sasami, even
that adorable ditz, Mihoshi – they're all like sisters to you.
And the most terrible part is... you don't even seem to realize it.”
Ryoko scoffed. “We're not family.”
I gave Ryoko a glare. “How about you try going out there and
telling it to that beautiful blue-haired little princess?”
“What!?” snapped Ryoko. “What the hell, Garrick! I thought
we're supposed to be friends here!”
“And I'm doing what any friend would do,” I snapped back sharply,
“telling you how it really is. Because someone that isn't your
friend wouldn't give two shits about it. And I want my friend to be
happy in the end – even if that means she shares a husband with a
mean spirited spit-fire of a royal pain in the ass. Because if my
friend would just realize it, that princess would be her mean
spirited spit-fire of a royal pain in the ass.”
“Oh, come on Garrick. It's never gonna be that way.”
“It can be Ryoko. Just... please... trust me on this. It's better
to give this a shot than to regret it later on. There's enough
regrets to go around as it is. And I don't want anyone else feeling
as lonely as I do. Trust me, if you felt what I do, it would kill
you.”
“And what do you feel?” she asked, a hard look on her face, but
in her eyes...
“Gone,” I said softly. “Everyone. My family. Not dead. Not
missing. Just gone. And me, cursed to never have the chance to see
them again, not even in death where it had been promised since time
began that families would be reunited. Instead, just cold and lonely
eternity.”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I'm lying?”
Ryoko shook her head, at a loss. “How do you deal with that?”
I sighed. “It's hard. Fortunately for me, that beautiful
blue-haired little princess out there came to my rescue. She can
sense how badly I'm hurting, and she doesn't want to see me hurt like
that anymore. And I've pretty much just latched onto the lifeline
she's thrown me. Because, I know that if I don't...”
“You'll drown,” Ryoko finished. She then sighed. “You're
right. It would kill me if I ever felt what you feel. Even after
Yosho sealed me away I at least had my anger. And even when that
faded, I didn't have any real memories to fall back on. No real
past, so nothing to have lost. And then... there was Tenchi. I saw
him grow up.
“And now I have all these people around me... I guess... that's
what kinda scares me... the idea of losing them.”
I nodded. “It's something we all have to deal with. Fortunately
for you, they're all pretty tough customers. It'd take something
real nasty to take any one of your family out.”
Ryoko snorted. “That's definitely something I have to give to the
bitch. She definitely knows how to duke it out.”
I scoffed affectionately at the thought. “She does at that,
doesn't she?” I then shook my head and got back up out of my chair
and surveyed the unpacking thus far. “Anyhow, this stuff isn't
gonna get itself unpacked. Mind lending a hand?”
Ryoko sighed. “Do I really gotta?”
“No, but it does mean I'll get to sitting down and drinking with
you sooner than later, buddy.”
“Okay, when you put it that way... what do you want me to do?”
I smiled. “The boxes over there next to you have my library in
them. They'll need to be brought over to the bookshelves upstairs
and then shelved. Don't worry about them being in any sort of order.
I just want them out of the boxes and on the shelves for now – I
can sort through them later.”
“Huh. Sounds easy enough.”
“Especially for you – you can levitate and go through the walls.”
With Ryoko helping me, the unpacking went a lot faster than it would
have gone with just me working at it. Also, having a lot more than
enough space to put everything helped as well – I didn't have to
'tetris' anything to get all my belongings into place.
So, when Sasami-chan brought us both lunch, I left her some very
specific instructions for Southern-Style Peach Iced Tea, and that it
was to be saved for something special later on after dinner.
That night as the dinner table was being cleared, I made the
announcement.
“Hey guys! Good news! Thanks to Ryoko's help, I'm all unpacked.
All there's left for me is the settling in.”
A round of cheers went around the table and I held my hands up,
signaling I had more to say.
“To celebrate, I'm going to share some of my Good Stuff with
everyone tonight... at least everyone that is old enough to partake.”
“Good stuff?” said Ryoko, her curiosity piqued.
“What sort of stuff is this?” asked Ayeka.
I smiled. “You'll see. I'll be right back. Sasami-chan? Would
you be so kind as to get that iced tea out and some tumbler glasses?”
“Sure thing, Gar-kun.”
Quickly I went to my room and got the special wooden box that
protected the six mason jars inside it and then went back down to the
main room. I got there just as Sasami was setting out the tumblers.
“What is that?” asked Sasami as I opened the box and carefully
removed one of the jars.
I grinned and said, “Mountain Dew. White Lightning. Moonshine.”
Yosho blanched. “You mean that's American Corn Liquor!?”
I cackled softly. “Oh yeah. It's the genuine article. The only
way it could be even more authentic is if I had purchased it from
someone that hadn't paid the liquor tax on it. Don't worry though.
This stuff is only one-hundred-fifty proof.”
Yosho made some inarticulate noises as his face went white.
“Grandpa!?” cried out Tenchi in alarm.
“That 'stuff' of his,” croaked Yosho, “is ten times stronger
than the sake we usually get!”
“Whoah,” said Ryoko fervently.
Everyone else just looked at me in wide-eyed horror.
I just grinned back at them all. “Yes people, this is the beverage
of choice for the people that made their livings in the smokey
mountain hills of the Appalachians and the rugged steppes of the
Tennessee River Valley. They would sit on their back porches after a
long and hard-day's work, and ease the aches and pains in their
bodies by slowly imbibing this liquor. This is a working man's booze
– strong enough to knock a mule off its feet.
“Of course, such a beverage commands respect, so many of these
hardy working types would mix it with something... and what better
than an ice-cold glass of tea, sweetened by the nectar of peaches
picked at the peak of ripeness.”
I then began mixing the drinks. For Tenchi, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and
Yosho just a jigger of moonshine to theirs. Myself, Washu, and Ryoko
got the half-and-half treatment. Sasami, of course, just had the
straight iced tea... I specifically instructed her to watch her drink
vigilantly.
“A toast!” proposed Washu once all the drinks were poured. “To
our new family member: Garrick Grimm! Let's hope he finds a cute
wife!”
Sasami gleefully agreed.
Ayeka found it delightfully scandalous.
Ryoko would have made a spit-take if she hadn't waited for Washu to
finish.
Mihoshi wondered out loud if any of her old classmates might like me.
Ryo-Ohki 'mii-ahh'ed.
Tenchi laughed.
Yosho just smiled and raised his glass.
I smiled as well, shaking my head. “Oh, I know what you're after,
Washu-chan, but I'll drink to that anyhow.”
“KAMPAI!” we all cheered as we clinked our glasses together.
Hang on to your pants! We're kicking this one off with a celebrity introduction!
Moving is always an odd experience.
A new place with new spaces and you have to figure out where to put
everything. In this case, I had an advantage in that I made this
space with all my belongings in mind – I already knew where I
wanted everything to go. But what made this very different was an
experience that was completely novel to me: I did not have enough
stuff to fill up my space.
I'm used to living in smaller spaces, but I have always wanted
something sprawling like I had designed. So I may have gone just a
bit overboard. Oh, it wasn't ridiculously huge. It wasn't it felt
like my bed only occupied a small corner of the Dallas Cowboys'
stadium. It's more like my sleeping area seemed to have a largish
empty spot that my brain quickly tagged as 'big enough to fit a plush
leather sofa on one side, a matching loveseat ninety-degrees over,
and a coffee table between them'. Rather, it did so with the image
of such instead.
As I assembled my bed, a strange, yet familiar voice rang out,
echoing in my still mostly empty C-Space.
“So, you catch the interest of a galactically renowned scientist,
gain the liking of First-Generation Royal Tree, and steal the heart
of my granddaughter. What am I to do with such a strange person?”
I turned, blinked in shock, and said, “Holy shit, you're Seto
Kamiki Jurai.”
Seto smiled. “Oh, not going to use that 'Devil Princess of Jurai'
title?”
I raised an eyebrow and replied, “Does a man tell a fire-breathing
dragon she's ugly?”
Seto smiled, chuckling. “Charming. I can see why the others like
you. You don't just run and hide like Tenchi does. You fire back.”
“Well, I must admit that part of me is screaming at the rest of me
to take strategic cover. But the other part says that she'll just
nuke me from high orbit if I do that.”
Now it was Seto's turn to raise a speculative eyebrow. “Now why
would I do that?”
“Because I just might make myself too dangerous to allow running
loose.” I then shrugged as I gave it more thought. “Then again,
you are the sort to keep us 'potentially dangerous' types closer than
your 'friends'. Just please don't try to marry me off to someone. I
may be lonely, but I'm not ready. Just ask Washu-chan.”
“She told me all about it,” Seto reassured me. “Don't worry,
that's not on the table right now.”
My eyebrow went up like a flag again. “Right now, she says.
Twelve months later, you'll be setting me up with Minaho.”
“Oh?” said Seto, as though catching wind of something tasty.
“Why Minaho?”
I shrugged. Don't worry, it's not all I do – I'm just resigned to
my fate here and now.
“I think she's cute and I might as well make my preference known
now. Dunno if she'd like me though. I got a nasty streak in me and
it rears it's ugly head when I get pissed. You're best bet is to arm
me up, aim me at someone particularly nasty, and say, 'Sic 'em,
boy.'”
Seto actually looked a bit sour about that. “Is that really
necessary?”
I sighed. “Sorry about that,” I apologized sheepishly. “Just
a bit of that nasty streak I mentioned. I'm kinda
passive-aggressive.”
“So I see,” she replied with a rueful smile. “Look, before you
start to get silly with me, young man, why don't we sit down and
talk?”
I looked around glumly. “Well, I apologize I don't have any seats
to offer you, so I guess we can go to the den. But! I insist on
making a pot of tea.”
“As you wish, Mr. Grimm.”
“That's a nice fragrance,” Seto said as I set the tray with a
steaming pot and empty cups down in front of her.
“The tea masters that made it call it 'Sleepy Time', but I like it
for more than just that. I figure I should calm my nerves anyhow.
Try it with a bit of this wildflower honey. It's good enough without
it, but just a bit of sweetness really brings out the flavors.”
“Thank you. Would you do the honors?”
“As you wish.” I poured the tea, added the honey, and gave it to
Seto before serving myself.
“This is nice. I can see why they call it Sleepy Time. Would you
mind if I took some back with me?”
“I can spare a few teabags. Your best bet, though, is to sneak
onto one of the larger US Military bases with a fake ID and pick some
up at the Commissary. That, or go straight to the US for it.
Probably less troublesome that way anyhow.”
“I would appreciate your gift. This would be the best after a
particularly stressful day... Not that those happen very often these
days.”
I had to grin at that. “Yes, you being that master manipulator and
all. Seriously, my hat is off to you. Not many people, even those
with enhanced lifespans like yours, become as good at pulling the
strings as you do.”
“Well now,” said Seto with a smile. “I don't know whether to
be flattered or insulted.”
I gave her my patented 'Pull the other one, it has bells on it' look,
and said, “You do it, usually, with the best intentions in mind.
Though I gotta admit, getting your husband to marry you because
you'll kill him otherwise... that's something else. Your kind is
certainly rare and I wish there were more of you around.”
“Oh dear Tsunami no! It'd be chaos!”
I laughed. That evil look was there, I just knew it. “I know,
right? It would be so epic! Fifty Xanatos Pile-Ups left and right!”
“Xanatos?”
“A fictional character from my home timeline that was known for
being a magnificent bastard – manipulating the other characters so
that just when they think they got one over on him, they really just
played into his hands. His plots were what came to be known as
Xanatos Gambits, and a collision of multiple Xanitos Gambits by
different characters was known as a Fifty Xanatos Pile-up. You know,
like a cascading traffic accident on a super-highway.”
“You certainly like exposition.”
I shrugged. “I have long felt that Raven is my totem animal.”
“And that means?”
“Incessantly chatty, ever observant, smart, clever, devious, and
one hellacious mean streak. Magnificent birds, really. They make
wonderful and loyal companions if you can ever get one to take a
shine to you, but unfortunately they're protected by federal law in
the US.”
“Pity. But then, I doubt their laws apply to me. Maybe I should
go see if one does take a liking to me. Mikagami could use the
company.”
I chuckled. “Just don't bring in anything shiny if you don't want
it to get snatched – unless that's your intention in the first
place. Ravens love shiny stuff.”
“Duly noted,” said Seto bemusedly. “You know what, I think I
do like you, Garrick. However, ever since the whole fiasco with Lady
Funaho we are understandably leery of adopting another human into our
family.”
I blinked. “Sasami doesn't kid around, does she?”
Seto's smile got a bit bigger. “No, she doesn't. The little
darling. I hope that someday she'll be able to fill my shoes.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Somehow, I don't doubt that. That
adorable little imp.”
“At any rate, if you are going to join our family, Garrick, you
will need to ostensibly prove your worth to the rest of the
politicians on Jurai.”
I glowered at Seto. “You should know that I don't suffer
politicians very well.”
“Oh? And what about me?”
“You're different. You actually act with the interests of your
people in mind... granted, your people are the Royal Family, but
seeing as yours aren't a bunch of tyrants I can let that slide.”
“And if we were?”
“I'd play along, get myself into a suitable position of power
within the Royal Household, and then stab everyone that deserves it
in the back.”
“Well, you were right about being devious and mean. Anyhow,
Funaho, that is Yosho's Tree, wanted you to have this.” she then
hold her hand out, and in it was a tiny, round, brown-colored,
acorn-like object.
“That... is a seed...” I said slowly.
“It is,” replied Seto. I could swear she had canary feathers on
her face.
“From a first-generation tree...” I looked up in here eyes and
said, “I don't deserve this.”
“I only need you to take care of it for a while, Garrick. If word
got out that there was a Royal Tree here on Earth that was able to
produce seeds then there would be no end to the trouble that could
cause us – even if that information was restricted within the
Counsel Chamber.”
I blinked. “They would demand that Yosho return to Jurai... and
you wouldn't do that to him because he likes it here – it would
break his heart.” I then gave her sidelong look. “And
entrusting this seed to me would be a perfect way for you to test my
character.”
“Garrick, please... just accept this for now. I don't know of
anyone else more convenient than you right now. Ayeka has her
seedling. Sasami-chan... doesn't need one. And Tenchi... We have
plans for him.”
I sighed. “Alright, alright, you got me. I'll take care of the
little one.” I held out my hand and Seto gently placed the seed in
my palm. I looked down at the tiny thing, so innocuous looking.
“It's strange,” I said, “How something so small can, with time
and nurturing, growing into something as great and powerful as
Funaho.”
“We are all like that, Garrick.”
“Yes. I suppose we are. May I name this one?”
“I suppose it would be alright.”
“Your name will be Katherine. Yours is to be intelligence,
cunning, beauty and grace fit for royalty.”
“A laudable goal. Do you think she will be up to it?”
“This is one of Funaho's. She will be.”
“At least you show some wisdom despite being so young.”
“I know. I must seem like such a child... but that is what makes
us Earth people so special. Our lives are so brief that we can feel
them flickering and burning away like a candle in the wind. And so,
with that sense of urgency behind us, we push so hard for a better
tomorrow, because for us nothing ever comes soon enough.”
“That is why I accepted Funaho into the family. I knew that she
would shake things up a bit, and she did. And now here I am,
considering accepting another human, this time one of you infamous
Americans. I wonder how much you will shake things up?”
I looked over at Seto and smiled. “Like throwing rocks in a pond
and seeing what sort of ripples you make. But just you watch, Seto.
This rock is gonna grow wings and skate across your pond, making
ripples wherever it goes. I'll be damned if I don't have some
control over my destiny.”
Seto looked absolutely delighted. “Do your best, Garrick. I will
eagerly anticipate the show you put on.”
I chuckled at that. Seto anticipating my show? I had better not
disappoint her then. I then look down at the seed once more and
gently slipped it into one of my pockets.
“She'll be safe in there for the moment. Anyhow... so, plans for
Tenchi? I take it they involve the words 'First Generation'?” I
hazarded.
“Nothing other,” Seto replied. “I have already decided that he
is to be the next in line for the throne.”
“Ouch! Don't let the poor guy hear that – he'll have the anxiety
attack to end all anxiety attacks.”
Seto chuckled. “Of course not. He won't find out until he finally
decides he's gonna marry those girls.”
“Again, ouch.” I sighed. “I got to admit though. I do envy
him.”
“Do you now? You could take a little of the heat off him.”
I snorted. “I'll tell you the same thing I told Washu-chan – bad
things happen to those that poach on Lord Tenchi's turf. It is a
mandate of this universe.”
“Are you so certain now?” she asked.
“Deadly. Although, there is also the mandate that anyone that gets
involved with Tenchi will have his luck and misfortune rub off on
them. Just watch out for an up-and-comer called Seina Yamada. He's
Tenchi's cousin. Nice guy, but he's got bad luck so bad you could
literally weaponize it.”
“I see. And you think it will rub off on you as well?”
I shrugged. “Time will tell. If it does, great! Just be careful
about who you allow to associate with Tenchi-kun in the future. If
it doesn't oh well. At least I'll have some interesting stories for
the grandkids.”
“A little presumptuous, aren't we?”
“Nah, just walking the fine line between fatalism and optimism.
More tea?”
“Please. Without the honey this time.”
“Of course.”
Seto and I nattered on for another hour before she decided her time
was up. She reminded me to take care of Funaho's seed and I gave her
the teabags. She then bade me farewell, and left just like that.
I cleaned up the cups and the tea pot, then went over to Washu's door
and knocked firmly, but politely on the door while removing the seed
from my pocket. The door popped open perfunctorily and Washu's voice
came from inside.
“Come on in, Garrick.”
“Thanks,” I said as I went in, closing the door behind me.
“You know,” said Washu as she entered some random data on her
main holographic console from her floating cushion. “...you're one
of the few people here that observes the proper protocols when it
comes to gaining access to my lab.”
I shrugged. “Not much to it. Just knock and wait and see if you
get an answer. If not, then you're probably in the middle of
something more important.”
“Which I'm not as you can see,” she said as she dismissed the
console with a grand flourish and spun around to face me. “What's
up, Gar-kun?”
I smiled, shaking my head. This was so unreal.
“Whulp, courtesy of our favorite little junior princess
manipulator, my application for adoption into the Royal Family of
Jurai has been received by the senior princess manipulator and is
pending approval.”
Washu cackled. “HAH! I knew it! I mean, sure, I knew Seto was
here talking to you, and I didn't eavesdrop... but still, I knew it!”
“Har-dee-har. Once you're done getting the giggles out of your
system, oh high and mighty genius of the entire universe, I need some
basic how-to's for taking care of this kid here.” I then showed
her the seed.
Washu blinked and whistled. “She really wants to see what you're
capable of.”
“No kidding,” I grumbled. “Not that I'm backing down or won't
give it everything I got... but still...” I shook my head. “Look,
you can't just whip up a central unit for a Juraian treeship for me,
can you?”
“Nope. And Ayeka has the only spare we had.”
“Damn.” I then looked down to the seed and sighed. “I'm
sorry, Katherine. Guess we'll have to wait a while before I can
plant you.”
“Hold that thought,” said Washu. “I said I couldn't make a
central unit. I never said I couldn't make something to properly
nurture her. And the best part is that we can add it onto your
C-Space.”
“So you mean that I can properly see to this little one's well
being?”
“Of course!”
“Let's get started then! I want this garden to be the envy of all
Jurians!”
“Well, if that's your aim then I suggest we bring someone else in
on this.”
“What?” said Ayeka, at a complete loss for any other words.
“I know, right?” I sighed. “I mean... I like to think that
I'm a nice guy and all... but I'm pretty surprised by this turn of
events myself.”
“Well of course!” replied Ayeka haughtily. “It take more than
just being a nice person. You must have strength of character,
gravitas, and the perseverance and bearing of a noble.”
“Ayeka, my dear Princess? Any more cheese in that line and we'd be
able to set up a delicatessen.”
“Don't mock me!”
I smiled and cajoled her, “Oh, come on. You just make it too easy
sometimes. Why do you think Ryoko picks on you so badly?” I then
lowered my voice and added, with a conspiratorial grin, “Not that
she doesn't leave herself wide open for a verbal assault herself.”
Ayeka grinned back. “She does at that, does she?” Her
expression then shifted to something more anxious. “Do you really
feel that I... leave myself open?”
“Well, you certainly don't have the most approachable demeanor at
times. My advice? Save the untouchable princess act for state
functions. You want your people to think of you as someone who will
hear them out, right?”
“Well, of course,” the princess replied, this time in a more
sober tone. “It is one of our highest responsibilities to hold
open court so we may hear the grievances of our people.”
“Well, there you go then... I think that someone you might want to
emulate a bit is a famous Queen of Earth's history, a woman known as
Elizabeth the First. She was a remarkable woman. So great was her
desire for there to be stability in her land that she forewent
marriage. 'I am the bride of England' she would say.”
“But... how did she have an heir?”
I shook my head. “Sadly, she didn't. For one thing, rampant
inbreeding led to infertility and impotence in the royal family of
England. A few even think that Elizabeth was not really the true
successor. Her being a bastard-daughter lends a bit of credence to
the matter. Also, there was a lot of corruption in the royal
household at the time from the Catholic Church trying to interfere in
the matters of Britain. Religious fanatics and power mongers. Long
story.”
A look of realization blossomed on Ayeka's face. “So to ensure
that she would never be influenced she sought no suitors. What a
terrible fate!”
I nodded sadly. “She was an incredible woman. She led Britain
into a golden age the likes of which was never seen again... But
during her time, there was no other like her. Such was the adoration
of her subjects that she would even go out to dance among the
commoners. Especially if the minstrels played a particularly rousing
tune.”
“Well, if that is true then I suppose she at least had some
happiness in her life.”
I smiled. “Ask me about her favorite playwright sometime. At any
rate... Princess, please... it really would mean a lot to me if you
help me.” For emphasis, I pull Funaho's seed out of my pocket and
showed it to her.
I knew I had her. I couldn't really see it in her bearing, but in
her eyes... I could tell she just melted as if I had shown her a
particularly cute puppy.
“Alright, Garrick. But not for you,” she added quickly. “I am
doing this for Funaho... and for this little one.”
“Katherine.”
“Who?”
“I decided that I would name her Katherine.”
“What sort of name is that?”
I smiled. “It is an ancient and much loved name for a princess.”
Ayeka was, simply put, astounded at what I did know. Having learned
gardening from my mother the same way I learned auto mechanics from
my father, I had a lot of common sense knowledge at my disposal, as
well as some of the more zen like teachings.
“Oooh!” cooed Ayeka. “These flowers are so big! And such
vivid colors!”
“Yes. It's a tropical plant called a Hibiscus. Because it likes
light so much we'll have to put it with the Trigona.”
“Trigona?”
I pointed to the Euphorbia in question, a six-foot tall collection
triangular-shaped stems with spines and tear-drop shaped leaves along
the edges of each, all branching upwards from a central stalk, and
colored a mottled leaf-green.
“What is that thing?” she remarked with wide-eyed shock at the
rather imposing plant.
“Euphorbia Trigona,” I told her. “Common name: African Milk
Tree. I just like to call it a Trigona.”
“It... has thorns. All over it.”
I smiled. “Yeah. It can be a nasty customer to bump into,
especially since it's sap is absolutely poisonous.”
“It's POISONOUS!?”
“Relax,” I replied, scolding her. “Mainly it's just to keep
things from eating it. I'd imagine that if your trees didn't have
you Juraians to protect them from predators they would have evolved
some nasty defense mechanisms as well.”
Ayeka blinked, then smiled nervously. “Oh. Well, when you put it
that way I guess I can see why. But why would you have something
dangerous like this?”
“Because, look at it! It is magnificent, lovely, and yet imposing
as well. And despite that it is an easy going sort of plant. It
requires very little care and it disdains pampering. It propagates
through cuttings but under loving and patient care it will even
flower. Oh, and it absolutely loves sunlight. Desert plant, you
know.”
“I have always thought it is strange how plants can thrive in
deserts,” the Princess said as she stepped closer to the Euphorbia
to get a better look at it.
I smiled. “Someday I need to take you guys to the Mojave. It's
hot and dry, but if we go in the springtime it's pleasant. The cacti
and sage all blossom, the birds sing, and the land comes to life all
around you. If not for the heat, you'd think you weren't in a desert
at all.”
“Well that does sound like a pleasant idea,” she said absently.
She was now utterly fascinated by the plant.
“I'll talk to Tenchi and Washu-chan about it sometime. But anyhow,
would you like to try growing one yourself?”
That got her attention as she looked up at me in surprise. “Ah...
well, you did say it was easy to care for, right?”
I smiled. “Pretty much. Just needs a warm and sunny spot. Pot it
with peat and perlite, and water it generously about once a week –
just long enough for the soil to dry out. That simulates the weather
patterns this plant is native to – sudden torrential downpours
followed by days of dry weather. Feed it once every three months
with a plant food for desert-dwelling plants. It's a very hardy
plant, so if you want to err on the side of caution, don't water it.
“So, you want a cutting?”
Ayeka thought about it, but only for a moment. “Yes, I would like
one.”
I smiled then went to the box with my smaller bits of gardening
supplies, got out the pruning shears and a rag, then went to my
Trigona.
I ran my finger along the smooth side of one of the larger stalks and
said, “Just a small bit, my friend, so someone else may know the
pleasure of your presence.” I then found one of the newer growths,
just six inches in length, and growing in a direction that would make
it a little more cumbersome to move anyhow, placed the shears, laid
the rag over it, and cut.
Ayeka gasped as the thick milky-white sap spurted a drop on my hand.
I didn't mind – I don't react as badly to the sap as some do... at
least as long as I get to it in a timely manner. For the moment, I
set the pruning shears aside and laid the newly cut stalk of Trigona
on the rag and offered it to Ayeka.
“Here,” I said as she gingerly took it from me. “Let it dry
out a bit in someplace warm. A week or two should do it. Then,
plant it and water it judiciously. And just so you know, it will
take a while to start growing.”
“Really? Why's that?”
I smiled. “Well, people aren't sure, but I'm certain it's because
the plant wants to be sure it can trust you.”
“Really?” said Ayeka, her curiosity piqued.
“Yes. My mother gave this one to me as a gift – it was already
established and it took a month of my care before it decided to grow
out.”
“Ah, Garrick? What about your hand?”
“I'm getting to it. Unlike some, I'm not hyper-sensitive to it.”
I then made deed to word by getting out another rag, wiping the sap
away, and then following it up with a disinfectant wipe. I had a
bottle of them in my gardening supplies just for these occasions.
“See, all done. Now, let me show you some pictures of the native
Texas wildflowers. I guarantee you'll love it.”
We didn't spend much more time going through my catalog of plants.
There weren't a whole lot since I never had much room for a garden
before. And most of my plants were cacti anyhow. Ayeka was
disdainful at first, until I showed her what they looked like when
they blossomed... and then I told her that some even fruited
afterward, and that the fruit made excellent candies and jellies.
Suffice to say, she was rather eager to try her own hand at caring
for cacti. If nothing else, it would give Sasami-chan something new
to try her hand at.
Eventually, Ayeka and I had hammered out a rough plan for my garden.
We'd fill in the details the next day. At dinner time, she
positively gushed about everything she'd learned from me about Earth
flora, especially the desert-dwelling varieties, and went on about
how she wanted to learn more about earth's plantlife.
Sasami-chan looked absolutely pleased by this turn of events. I
figured that it was primarily because to her it seemed that Tenchi
was the only thing on Earth that she had any real interest in. Ryoko
on the other hand was so befuddled that she couldn't even think to
look for an opening to crack down on Ayeka. Mihoshi was just
pleasantly clueless and asked simple questions about what Ayeka
learned. And Washu just kept shooting me bemused looks as though to
say, “You little player, you!”
Tenchi, for his part, was befuddled as well, but it was the pleasant
sort. I wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but it was possible that
this was a side of Ayeka that Tenchi had never seen until now... and
he seemed to like what he saw.
Yosho just smiled. He knew Ayeka to a tee, so I guess he figured it
had only been a matter of time. He also shot me looks, but unlike
Washu-chan's... his were more speculative. I had a feeling why:
Yosho was a favorite of Seto, and it would not surprise me if he knew
about her interest in having me adopted into the family.
First thing after breakfast the following morning, I made my way up
to Yosho's shrine. Though what he had enshrined up there I had no
idea. But knowing the so-called Old Man's sense of humor, it was
probably some knick-knack of his from Jurai.
Autumn had hit hard. It wasn't freezing, but I had judiciously
shunned the idea of going wearing only long sleeves and jeans.
Instead, I wore my trusty Levi's Red Tab winter-weight jean jacket, a
sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants under my cargo pants, and wool socks
to go with my old, trustworthy Navy boots.
Once I got to the shrine, I went through the proper cleansing ritual
of washing your hands and mouth, and then went to the offering box to
drop off a few fifty-yen coins. I then went to the shrine itself,
clapped my hands twice, then bowed my head in prayer.
As I lifted my head once more, I heard Yosho's voice call out to me.
“You seem to be having a crisis of faith.”
“You could say that,” I sighed as I turned to face him. “I was
raised as a Mormon. Recent events have kinda... invalidated a lot of
my beliefs.”
“Mormon you say? I've known a few of their missionaries. Good men
with good hearts. They don't come much better. I can see some of
that upbringing in you... though you certainly seem a little more
worldly.”
I shrugged. “I never went on my mission. Never felt the call, I
guess. Makes me wonder if that has anything to do with all this.”
Yosho shook his head. “I have no idea why you are here, Garrick,
but I do know that's the wrong way to think about this. Come, let's
have some tea. There's a lot for us to talk about, and I think
that's exactly why you're here.”
“Thanks. It's been a while since I've had some proper green tea.”
I was sat down in Yosho's quarters at his kotatsu (a heated table
with a quilt tacked to the edges) and the tea was poured. After I
took my first long sip, Yosho broke the silence.
“As I said, there is a lot that we need to discuss, but I think the
foremost item is your faith.”
I was taken aback by that – enough that it took me a moment to
formulate a response. But Yosho, if anything, was patient.
“Seto wants to see if I'm up to snuff, and you want to discuss
religion?”
Yosho smiled kindly. “Whether you like it or not, Garrick,
religion is a very important aspect of a person's sense of self.
You've suffered a very traumatic blow to that sense of self.
Sasami-chan has told me all about it. You're hurting and there is
nothing in your belief system for you to fall back on in this
scenario. I know this because I've gotten all the discussions from
those missionaries I mentioned.”
I sighed. I felt numb and hollow by this point in time. I figured
that I might as well go through with this because it couldn't be any
worse than I felt now.
“I... don't know for sure what to believe in any more. I mean...
some power has drop-kicked me out of my home-world and into yours...
where I know for a fact that three goddesses, of which Tsunami is one
of them, created this particular universe. I know all this. And I
know that it invalidated just about everything I believe in... but
now... I just don't know what to believe in any more.”
Yosho nodded. “I can understand that. Though I think it's a
little less knowing what to believe in, and more the loss you have
suffered. Sasami-chan said you were horribly lonely, and the ability
for a family to remain together eternally is a central tenet of the
Mormon faith. Suddenly, you've been gifted with a seed, from my
Funaho no less! And little Sasami wants you to be our brother. I
think that someone is trying to get your attention, boy.”
I blink. “Tsunami? But why? I mean... I'm not that important.
I'm dust compared to her.”
“That may be true, but the thing is that Sasami-chan cares about
you. And that matters to Tsunami more than you might think.”
Because Sasami cares.
Sasami is Tsunami and Tsunami is Sasami.
And anyone that Sasami would care about would have the Goddess's
attention just like that.
“I see...” I said slowly. “Thank you for bringing that to my
attention, Yosho. I don't know if I would have noticed it myself or
not. Just... this is gonna seem kinda silly, but how does one pay
their respects to Tsunami-sama?”
Yosho smiled. “When you come back tomorrow I'll start teaching
you. But for now, let's move on to more practical topics... little
brother.”
I blinked. “Hoo boy.”
Yosho barked a laugh. It was short and relatively quiet, but it was
quite a guffaw just the same.
“You have a delightful knack for ironic understatement. Don't
worry, though. Mother has decided that she will be the one to take
you under her wing.”
I blinked once more. “As in Head of Military and Political
Intelligence Funaho?”
“Of course.”
“... You were right. 'Hoo boy' doesn't even begin to cover it.”
Yosho chuckled at my expense. “Don't worry too much. She simply
wishes to debrief you. She'll be gentle about it. After all, she's
considering making you her son.”
“So I really would be Sasami's brother then. Although I certainly
won't be the older one.”
Yosho passed it off with a shrug. “Subjectively, she's only
experienced twelve years of her life. And Ayeka's experienced only
eighteen. As far as Sasami-chan is concerned, you are their elder.”
Yosho then grinned mischievously. “Although you'll still be
subordinate to me.”
I rolled my eyes and replied in a droll tone, “Oh gee, just what I
always wanted: an annoying older brother.”
“I am not anoying,” said Yosho defensively, but I saw straight
through it.
“Like hell you are. You aren't even the old man you pretend to
be.”
“Ah, so you know that as well.”
I shrugged. “No worries. Not like I'm gonna go blabbing about it.
But if you want some advice, I'll give it to you: might want to
consider dropping the act sometime. Not right away – I'd wait
until Tenchi finally gets himself settled down. Oh, and Noboyuki
winds up getting remarried as well.”
“Oh? Who?”
“That cute assistant he's got in his office. The one that comes
from an alternate universe. Kinda like me, only without Random
Omnipotent Beings getting involved. They have a son together and
eventually he winds up going to his mother's homeland to make all
kinds of trouble there and a harem as well. Seems like it runs in
the family.”
Yosho stared at me with wide-eyed amazement. “Is this some kind of
joke!?”
“Not a bit. Just don't let on to Noboyuki. Might jinx the whole
damn thing.”
Yosho blinked. “I guess I'll just have to take your word for it
then. Mother is going to have a field day with you.”
I snorted. “Don't I know it.”
The old man chuckled, but then turned sober once more as he asked,
“Tell me Garrick, what do you know of the way of the sword?”
I blinked as I thought about the implications of this question: all
of them pointed to pain in my future.
“I've dabbled in it somewhat in the past.”
Yosho nodded. “I thought as much. Your movements are like that of
a grappler. It's a great skill to have, however, among the Royal
Household, any formal challenges to a dual you may face are to be
decided through your ability as a swordsman.”
“I see. When do you wish to begin, Yosho-sensei?” No sense in
delaying the inevitable.
“Tomorrow. After your lessons of doctrine.”
The rest of my day would have been relatively uneventful. With my
truck and trailer parked in my workshop, I had easy access to unload,
stage, and unpack everything. Let me tell you, having enough room to
pre-organize everything for unpack really helps.
However, as I was just finishing with the staging part, I heard a
knock on a door somewhere. Just as I was wondering where it came
from, a screen popped up in front of my face displaying a pensive
looking Ryoko through a wide-angle lens.
“Huh. Peep-hole,” I said thoughtfully as I began to make my way
to the door.
“Ah, hey,” said Ryoko nervously as I opened my door to her.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Sure, come on in. I was actually wondering when I'd get my first
visitor.”
“Oh. Cool.” Ryoko followed me in and then whistled. “Nice.
Isn't it a bit big?”
I shrugged. “It is for now, but I plan on filling it up
eventually. Honestly, I've always wanted a place like this. You're
mom gives out the coolest stuff.”
Ryoko made a sour look at that as we went from the common space and
into the workshop. “Don't call her that.”
I rolled my eyes but let it go for the moment. “So, social call or
did you just want to see what I was up to in here?”
“Bit of both,” said Ryoko. “Really... people been talking...
and I kinda guess I never really apologized for what happened.”
I looked at her in surprise. “You mean that whole thing with the
sucker punch off the stairs? I already told you guys it was okay.”
“No, I mean... I need to apologize for myself. Not let someone
else do it.”
As I got back to work with unloading my stuff and sorting it all out,
I suddenly realized that someone, either Washu, Sasami, or both put
Ryoko up to this. I then figured that I might as well make this easy
on her.
I smiled gamely over the top of a large box full of bed linens and
said, “Thanks. I do appreciate that coming from you, Ryoko. And
really, it was just an accident. No hard feelings. So what do you
say? Buddies?”
“Heh. Sure thing. You know, you're a pretty laid back guy,
Garrick.”
I gave a lopsided grin. “I just try not to sweat the small stuff.”
“For a human a broken neck isn't small.”
“For your mom- sorry, Washu-chan, it is. Though really... try not
to let it happen again... hate for me to be in that situation without
her to fix me up.”
“Ah, don't worry Garrick. Ain't nothing gonna happen to you with
me around. Say, you mind letting me hang out in here now and then?”
“As long as you aren't trying to dodge chores. I'd prefer it if
Ayeka didn't think I was letting you hide in here.”
“Ooooh! Kissing up to the princess?” Ryoko teased.
I shrugged as I hefted another box of books. I had quite a few of
those. “No. It's just that Ayeka's a nice person and I'd really
like it if she were a friend and not an adversary.”
Ryoko rolled her eyes. “If only she'd take that stick out her
butt.”
I sighed. “Brutal, but somewhat true. Gotta get past that
untouchable princess facade, but the thing is that's all it is –
just a facade.”
“Oh, and how do you know?”
I gave Ryoko a flat look. “Ryoko, you do realize we're talking
about Misaki's daughter, right? You know, our lady of
adores-all-that-is-cute and giver-of-bone-crushing-hugs?”
“I don't think-”
I cleared my voice and then squeaked, “MOMMY!”
Ryoko crashed to the shop floor, laughing herself silly. “Okay!
Okay! You got me! HAH-HAH! I'd almost forgotten about that!”
I chuckled. “You see, the Princess has a softer side to her.” I
then sighed as I pulled over my larger office chair and plunked
myself down into it. “Really... in a way I think she's softer than
Sasami is.”
“What!?” cried out Ryoko. “Even though she can be such a
bitch!?”
I nodded. “It's a defense mechanism.”
“What do you mean?” grumbled Ryoko.
I sighed again. “Look, I know because I've been in her shoes
before. I don't mean the whole position-of-priveledge thing. Far
from it. What I've been through was similar in that I was a boy with
a very sweet and tender heart... and everyone around me seemed to
want to stomp it flat.”
“What? So, stomp 'em back.”
“That's what I did. So, for some people I was a very sweet boy...
until I came across someone I didn't like, then I was like a little
demon-spawn child.”
“That's the idea!” cheered Ryoko.
I gave her a sober look. “But I didn't have very many friends
because of that.”
Ryoko gave me a funny look. “But some people had to like you.”
“A few did,” I said, shrugging. “Most heard it from others how
horrible I was and either avoided me or teased me.”
Ryoko blinked in wide-eyed amazement. “Oh.”
“So, just imagine this adorable little princess. She is sweetness
and sunshine – she's so cute she'd almost make you gag, except
she's such a nice little kid you just can't bear to hurt her. With
me so far?”
“okaaayyyy,” Ryoko drawled suspiciously.
“So, one day she meets some other kids visiting the Royal Palace...
but they're all jealous of her, so instead of being her friend like
she wants to be, they tease her, take her things, and pull her
pigtails. Isn't that just horrible of them?”
“Yeah, that is horrible,” said Ryoko, looking a little sheepish.
“The poor, sweet little princess runs to her mother, crying her
eyes out. She feels so hurt that she can't even bear to tell her
mother what happened. She has the horrible realization that there
are people out there that are just plain mean, and the best thing to
do is to be mean right back at them so they can't hurt you.
“So, the next day, instead of letting the kids hurt her like they
did before, she calls the guards on them and has them thrown out of
the palace.”
“Oh... wow... I never really thought of it that way.”
I nodded. “Now, there's a bit of a difference between her and
Sasami... Sasami is strong in ways Ayeka isn't. Sure, she can be
hurt, but she bounces back with a vengeance. And she also had Ayeka
to watch after her... someone who already knew how mean some people
could be... and knew how to be mean right back at them so Sasami
didn't have to be.”
Ryoko grumbled. “Even if I know all this and I try to be nice to
her, she's still gonna be a first-class bitch.”
“For a while. It's gonna take time, Ryoko. This isn't like when
you feel like having some sake so you go and raid the pantry for a
jug. It's more like growing a flower. You have to give it sunlight,
warmth, food and water, and most of all, time.”
“It sounds so boring though!” groaned Ryoko.
“Hey, I'm not saying you two can't banter. Believe me, you two can
have a lot of fun just messing around with each other as long as you
don't let it go too far. My brothers and I used to do that a lot.”
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. “Your brothers?”
I sighed. “Yeah. Five of 'em. And we'd mess around with each
other in ways you wouldn't believe. I really do miss those
knuckleheads, Ryoko.” I then gave Ryoko a sober look. “You got
an opportunity here that you really shouldn't squander – and I'm
not simply talking about Tenchi's affections here.”
Ryoko gave me a look that was almost a glare. “What do you mean?”
“These people, Ryoko... they're like family. Ayeka, Sasami, even
that adorable ditz, Mihoshi – they're all like sisters to you.
And the most terrible part is... you don't even seem to realize it.”
Ryoko scoffed. “We're not family.”
I gave Ryoko a glare. “How about you try going out there and
telling it to that beautiful blue-haired little princess?”
“What!?” snapped Ryoko. “What the hell, Garrick! I thought
we're supposed to be friends here!”
“And I'm doing what any friend would do,” I snapped back sharply,
“telling you how it really is. Because someone that isn't your
friend wouldn't give two shits about it. And I want my friend to be
happy in the end – even if that means she shares a husband with a
mean spirited spit-fire of a royal pain in the ass. Because if my
friend would just realize it, that princess would be her mean
spirited spit-fire of a royal pain in the ass.”
“Oh, come on Garrick. It's never gonna be that way.”
“It can be Ryoko. Just... please... trust me on this. It's better
to give this a shot than to regret it later on. There's enough
regrets to go around as it is. And I don't want anyone else feeling
as lonely as I do. Trust me, if you felt what I do, it would kill
you.”
“And what do you feel?” she asked, a hard look on her face, but
in her eyes...
“Gone,” I said softly. “Everyone. My family. Not dead. Not
missing. Just gone. And me, cursed to never have the chance to see
them again, not even in death where it had been promised since time
began that families would be reunited. Instead, just cold and lonely
eternity.”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I'm lying?”
Ryoko shook her head, at a loss. “How do you deal with that?”
I sighed. “It's hard. Fortunately for me, that beautiful
blue-haired little princess out there came to my rescue. She can
sense how badly I'm hurting, and she doesn't want to see me hurt like
that anymore. And I've pretty much just latched onto the lifeline
she's thrown me. Because, I know that if I don't...”
“You'll drown,” Ryoko finished. She then sighed. “You're
right. It would kill me if I ever felt what you feel. Even after
Yosho sealed me away I at least had my anger. And even when that
faded, I didn't have any real memories to fall back on. No real
past, so nothing to have lost. And then... there was Tenchi. I saw
him grow up.
“And now I have all these people around me... I guess... that's
what kinda scares me... the idea of losing them.”
I nodded. “It's something we all have to deal with. Fortunately
for you, they're all pretty tough customers. It'd take something
real nasty to take any one of your family out.”
Ryoko snorted. “That's definitely something I have to give to the
bitch. She definitely knows how to duke it out.”
I scoffed affectionately at the thought. “She does at that,
doesn't she?” I then shook my head and got back up out of my chair
and surveyed the unpacking thus far. “Anyhow, this stuff isn't
gonna get itself unpacked. Mind lending a hand?”
Ryoko sighed. “Do I really gotta?”
“No, but it does mean I'll get to sitting down and drinking with
you sooner than later, buddy.”
“Okay, when you put it that way... what do you want me to do?”
I smiled. “The boxes over there next to you have my library in
them. They'll need to be brought over to the bookshelves upstairs
and then shelved. Don't worry about them being in any sort of order.
I just want them out of the boxes and on the shelves for now – I
can sort through them later.”
“Huh. Sounds easy enough.”
“Especially for you – you can levitate and go through the walls.”
With Ryoko helping me, the unpacking went a lot faster than it would
have gone with just me working at it. Also, having a lot more than
enough space to put everything helped as well – I didn't have to
'tetris' anything to get all my belongings into place.
So, when Sasami-chan brought us both lunch, I left her some very
specific instructions for Southern-Style Peach Iced Tea, and that it
was to be saved for something special later on after dinner.
That night as the dinner table was being cleared, I made the
announcement.
“Hey guys! Good news! Thanks to Ryoko's help, I'm all unpacked.
All there's left for me is the settling in.”
A round of cheers went around the table and I held my hands up,
signaling I had more to say.
“To celebrate, I'm going to share some of my Good Stuff with
everyone tonight... at least everyone that is old enough to partake.”
“Good stuff?” said Ryoko, her curiosity piqued.
“What sort of stuff is this?” asked Ayeka.
I smiled. “You'll see. I'll be right back. Sasami-chan? Would
you be so kind as to get that iced tea out and some tumbler glasses?”
“Sure thing, Gar-kun.”
Quickly I went to my room and got the special wooden box that
protected the six mason jars inside it and then went back down to the
main room. I got there just as Sasami was setting out the tumblers.
“What is that?” asked Sasami as I opened the box and carefully
removed one of the jars.
I grinned and said, “Mountain Dew. White Lightning. Moonshine.”
Yosho blanched. “You mean that's American Corn Liquor!?”
I cackled softly. “Oh yeah. It's the genuine article. The only
way it could be even more authentic is if I had purchased it from
someone that hadn't paid the liquor tax on it. Don't worry though.
This stuff is only one-hundred-fifty proof.”
Yosho made some inarticulate noises as his face went white.
“Grandpa!?” cried out Tenchi in alarm.
“That 'stuff' of his,” croaked Yosho, “is ten times stronger
than the sake we usually get!”
“Whoah,” said Ryoko fervently.
Everyone else just looked at me in wide-eyed horror.
I just grinned back at them all. “Yes people, this is the beverage
of choice for the people that made their livings in the smokey
mountain hills of the Appalachians and the rugged steppes of the
Tennessee River Valley. They would sit on their back porches after a
long and hard-day's work, and ease the aches and pains in their
bodies by slowly imbibing this liquor. This is a working man's booze
– strong enough to knock a mule off its feet.
“Of course, such a beverage commands respect, so many of these
hardy working types would mix it with something... and what better
than an ice-cold glass of tea, sweetened by the nectar of peaches
picked at the peak of ripeness.”
I then began mixing the drinks. For Tenchi, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and
Yosho just a jigger of moonshine to theirs. Myself, Washu, and Ryoko
got the half-and-half treatment. Sasami, of course, just had the
straight iced tea... I specifically instructed her to watch her drink
vigilantly.
“A toast!” proposed Washu once all the drinks were poured. “To
our new family member: Garrick Grimm! Let's hope he finds a cute
wife!”
Sasami gleefully agreed.
Ayeka found it delightfully scandalous.
Ryoko would have made a spit-take if she hadn't waited for Washu to
finish.
Mihoshi wondered out loud if any of her old classmates might like me.
Ryo-Ohki 'mii-ahh'ed.
Tenchi laughed.
Yosho just smiled and raised his glass.
I smiled as well, shaking my head. “Oh, I know what you're after,
Washu-chan, but I'll drink to that anyhow.”
“KAMPAI!” we all cheered as we clinked our glasses together.