And now it is time for Garrick to deal with a bit of fallout...
Soon enough we were away once more. While I had been occupied, Seto
had a brief conversation with Minagi and Yuki. The over all
impression I got from Seto afterwards was that she was quite pleased
with the two.
Right then, Minagi was helping Yuki get out of the elaborate Maiko
girl robes. I was just dozing in the bed, recovering after a
hard-fought twenty-four hours.
I wasn't surprised when Yuki thudded into the mattress, crawled over,
and snuggled into my chest.
What did surprise me was how she began crying.
“Yuki-chan?” I asked, probably sounding a bit sleepier than I
wanted to. “What's wrong my tiny little love?”
“sasami-chan... she was right.”
I carefully sat up, pulling the tiny girl into my lap and cradling
her while Minagi came up from the other side and leaned against me,
giving me her support while she gently soothed Yuki.
“Tell me what happened, love.”
Slowly, haltingly, she did with some help from Minagi. It had begun
with her being made to dance. She didn't really know any, so he made
Ayeka show her how. And afterwards he made her serve him wine. And
then the touching began and that was when she knew without a doubt
what kind of peril she was in.
When Ohsa finally felt up Yuki, Ayeka, my beautiful guardian angel of
a sister, came down on that animal with all the fury of an enraged
noble woman endowed with the power of Jyurai.
That... could have been nothing less than glorious... especially
since it was discovered that Ohsa had been struck into a stupor that
he did not come out of for hours. Minagi's roofie, it had seemed,
was no longer needed. Ayeka herself was even surprised that she had
managed to pull that off. But I knew why.
My Beloved Sister had reserves of strength even she did not know
about, and it would only come to the fore when someone she genuinely
cared for was in real danger.
In the aftermath, Sasami and Yuki had made up. Now that Yuki fully
understood what sort of dangers she could find herself in,
particularly as girl, she swore to never take our warnings for
granted.
While I was glad that Yuki had grown as a person, and had made up
with Sasami... I just wish that it hadn't come at the cost of this
part of her innocence.
After that, Minagi could only sit there, together, comforting little
Yuki.
Almost without thinking about it, I began to hum softly. The tune
was deep-toned and somber. It was Misty Mountains Cold, the
Dwarven hymn from Tolkien's Middle Earth books. The deep tones ran
smoothly and soothingly from my throat and buzzed within my head. I
soon laid down and let Yuki lay on my chest, her little head nestled
under my chin. Surely my voice was buzzing softly through her head
as well. I don't know of anything that could have a more calming
affect.
Soon Yuki's sobbing subsided. Her tears stopped coming. Her breath
would still hitch, even after I knew her eyes had closed long ago and
began to draw long, slow breaths.
We all fell asleep together like that. At some point I was stirred
to wakefulness by Yuki shifting from me to Minagi.
And I couldn't go back to sleep.
There was a sliver in my mind. Something was bothering me. An odd
sensation, I'd almost call it a compulsion.
I went to the hold where Scooby was tied down, opened the tail gate
and pull out the sword that I had been gifted with. In the dim
light, I began to pull the blade from the sheath.
Earlier, before I had given Tenchi his sword, I had seen the steel in
the daylight. It was silvery-gray just like First Cut.
And now... it was red.
“Hinase?”
“How may I help you Garrick?”
“Turn off all the lights here in the cargo hold.”
“Ah... sure, if that's what you want.”
The lights then faded into darkness... and the blade before me glowed
with a dull red color – the same you would see on a heating element
just as it was starting to warm up.
“Hinase, contact Washu on the Mimisaka and ask that she
comes over right away. Pass on the phrase 'Code Murphy.' And make
sure Mimisaka knows that Washu is the only one to be bothered.
I need her to see this and it needs to be kept a secret... for now.”
Code Murphy.
One of several phrases Washu and I concocted as a sort of series of
safe words. In the case of Code Murphy, it was a direct opposite of
Pondstrider. Murphy meant that something fundamental had radically
changed and required immediate attention.
That said, it took Washu no more than thirty seconds to arrive by
teleportation wearing a worried expression.
“Garrick, what's going on?”
“This,” I said. “Hinase, kill the lights again.” The lights
went down and I unsheathed my blade, revealing its dull crimson glow.
“Oh... oh wow. This is unprecedented. Are you certain that you
had no genetic ties to Japan in your homeworld?”
I nodded as I sheathed the sword and the lights came back on. “The
closest I can get is my Native American ancestry, and that, at best,
makes the two lineages distant cousins. It's not genetic. Try
scanning for exotic energy and use a very low detection threshold.”
“Sounds like you have a hypothesis,” Washu chirped as she opened
a small portal to who knows where and stuck her arm through it,
rummaging around through who knew what. “Care to share?”
I nodded. “Hielzen-S doesn't react to genetics. It reacts to
energy signatures. Any blood-relation of the Royal Family can emit
this signature. In particularly, Tenchi-kun. His is so strong that
you have no idea how he's generating it. Pondstrider: Tsunami is
searching for a being of even greater power than her own. To that
end, she has nurtured the people of Jyurai because she saw the
potential in the First Emperor.”
Washu gave me a startled look. “So, she's looking for the same
thing I am... Ah! Here it is!”
She pulled out a device and activated it, causing the probe at the
head of the device to extend a set of wings with blinking lights.
“Is that a Spengler Flux meter?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Washu giggled. “Kind of. It's actually kinda scary how close that
movie was to the truth of these things.”
“Yeah, you're looking at the reason for that 'scary' right now.”
Washu snorted. “The scientific community is gonna have a field day
with you once I publish my paper on transfictionality...” She
trailed off as she took the reading of the meter and her face fell.
“There's no way.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Your energy signature... it's similar to Tenchi's! Nowhere nearly
as powerful like you thought, but it's there... different, like
you're some long-lost branch of the family line, but still close
enough that if you had enough power you could generate a Lighthawk
Wing yourself!”
I nodded. “I think I know why, Washu-chan...”
“Well don't keep me waiting here!”
I gave her my most level look. “I am a son of Elohim. As one of
his seed, I have the potential to someday become as he is.”
“Are you saying you're a god, buster!?” Washu accused.
“Not yet. It'll probably take a couple thousand years. Think of
me as a larva – utterly weak and helpless. But with time and
care...”
“Caterpillars turn into butterflies...” Washu replied
thoughtfully. “But you don't live long enough to get to that
point. How is it supposed to happen?”
I shrugged. “Heaven. A safe place for our souls to return to
after death. Judgment. God looks on the past deeds of our Earthly
life and determines how far we should progress. Resurrection. A
process to get our bodies back after death, only perfected and
immortal.”
“But that still doesn't explain how you're supposed to become a
god.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Children that do not get
enough of the proper nutrition become stunted.”
“Wait, you mean they feed you their energy?” Washu replied,
catching on right away.
“Is it so strange? Mothers breastfeed their children. And by this
perspective I am certainly an infant still.”
“But how does that explain you getting stronger?”
I blinked at Washu. “What do you mean?”
“When you first got here you could barely even make the needle on
this thing budge. Now... It's still a pretty small reading, but one
that's closer to what most Jyuraians put out. You're not quite at
the level of the main-line Royal Family, more like one of the distant
cousins – like Kiriko and her family.”
I'd actually met Kiriko Masaki a couple of times. Mostly when she
was taking care of Seina. I had managed to impress the hell out of
her when I had managed to avoid not just one or two, but three
incidences of Seina's bad luck. Kiriko was so astonished that she
pulled me aside and demanded to know all the details about me,
because no normal Earthman could avoid Seina's bad luck so
effectively. It was the most fun spilling the beans I've ever had.
I thought about what Washu had said and voiced them as I went along.
“The only way that could be would be is if someone was feeding me
energy. The only one that I could imagine doing that would be
Tsunami, but I don't quite... wait... KATHERINE!”
Washu blinked as the relays connected. “OF COURSE! It makes so
much sense! Katherine doesn't have to be bonded to you to feed you a
small supply of energy! And best of all it's all disguised as
political subterfuge! Not that I don't think Tsunami hasn't taken a
liking to you regardless,” she added with a wink and a nudge.
“Oh ha ha,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “C'mon, let's go and
see if we're right,” I said as I pulled up my C-Space app on my
C-pod.
When I arrived with Washu inside my garden, Katherine greeted us both
cheerfully with her beams of radiant rainbow light.
“I'm glad to see you too, Katherine,” I said as I began to
methodically check the small sapling for parasites. I knew that
there wouldn't be any – not in there – but it was the thought
that counted. “Katherine, sweet heart? I need to ask you an
important question.”
“What is it,
Garrick?” the tree replied,
her telepathic voice sounding like a happy and innocent five-year-old
girl.
“Have you been giving me a share of your energy?”
“Yes! I
have!” the tree cried out
joyously. “Grandmother Tsunami was so worried about you!
She thought that you would starve without it, but instead you're
getting stronger! Once she saw that, she asked me to keep on feeding
you so you can be really strong some day like Tenchi!”
“Woof!” cried out Washu. “That's no small order – Tenchi is
at least as strong as a First-Generation Tree!”
“Silly! It is
very possible! As long as they lead long lives, Tenchi and Garrick
will both become a lot stronger. Some day, Grandmother Tsunami wants
them to stand above her... Uh, I don't think I should have said
that...”
And right then Tsunami appeared as a phantom-like apparition,
standing above us with the sort of look a mother has when she catches
her children with their hands in the cookie jar.
“KYAA!”
cried out Katherine. “I'm, so sorry Grandmother! But
you said I should be nice to Garrick, and he's been so nice to me,
too, that I don't wanna hide anything from him! Please forgive me!”
Tsunami
sighed. “Don't fret, child. While this was not what I
wanted, it was inevitable with people as clever as these.”
“So,” I said. “Is now the time you spoke of, Tsunami-sama?”
Tsunami gave me a measuring look. “Yes, Garrick, I believe it
is.
“To begin
with, I know not from where you came from. You suddenly appeared in
our universe, frightened, confused, and utterly alone. A waif in the
truest sense of the word and with a sorrow so despairing that it was
palpable in the very air around you.
“Imagine my
surprise when I took a closer look at you, and saw in you a power
distantly related to my own, only immature and undeveloped. As
little Katherine said, you were so weak that I worried that you were
starving, so I asked Funaho to make a seed for you.”
“That was me!” cried out Katherine happily. “I am so
happy that Mama made me because I get to be with you, Garrick! And
because you have taken such good care of me, I promise I'm gonna take
good care of you! I'll make sure that you live long enough that you
can stand without help!”
I smiled down at the sapling and stroked her leaves gently, eliciting
a telepathic giggle from Katherine.
It was a bit of a moral quandary for me. We really aren't supposed
to gain such power until we have been deemed responsible enough to
wield them. And even then, it's not so much we were granted power by
God – more like we ask of him something and if he see that we and
the request are worthy then he will provide the way.
No, what was going on was that I was gaining my own power to use as I
saw fit... kinda scary when you thought of it. But I knew that I was
a long ways from home. God wouldn't be able to protect me, so it was
in my best interest to gain power and learn how to wield it.
In a ways, I was in a similar situation to Yuki, only this was not of
my own doing.
“Someone out there does not have my best interests in mind,” I
said at last. “Tsunami-sama, I am grateful to you for taking me
under your wing.”
“Great!” said Washu impatiently. “Now what about this business
of looking for a being of higher power?”
“You and I
simply have different methodologies, Washu. You seek to create one.
I have been attempting to nurture one. However... it seems someone
has thrown evidence of their existence right before us.”
“Oh?”
Tsunami turned to me. “Garrick. How powerful would you say
your Father is?”
I sighed at that. “All that we had on the matter are religious
texts whose original publication went back thousands of years before
the printing press was even invented on our world. What's worse is
that the details are quite vague on the matter. It is said he
created everything and made worlds without number. All blessings and
miracles are attributed to him. I can go on and on, but
unfortunately without him here to confirm any of it for us, all
evidence is circumstantial at best.”
“We have you, though, Garrick,” said Washu with a knowing smile.
“And time is on our side. I've lived for twenty-thousand years,
and I can live for many more thousands. Plenty of time for you to
grow into your own power, right Tsunami-sama?”
Tsunami nodded. “Indeed. I will continue giving you an
allotment of energy through Katherine. Washu may record your growth
and development with her help. In fact, as soon as you arrive at
Jyurai I will make sure that you are called forth for the bonding
ceremony. You will live a very long and fruitful life, Garrick, and
through it all Katherine will be at your side.”
I was shocked. So soon? Being bonded to Katherine? But then again,
Seto did say that things would be resolved as soon as I got to
Jyurai.
“I... I don't know what to say... Heh... I told Lady Funaho...
'What I wouldn't do with centuries'... now I get thousands!”
“It is that much more time that we get to have you with us,
Garrick,” Tsunami said with a gentle smile. “And more if
you become what I hope you are.”
“That reminds me,” I said. “This needs to be a secret between
us.”
“Oh?” said Washu curiously. “Do you really think it will
affect opinion of the others?”
“Probably not, but I would feel better if this was a confidential
matter. There's no need for them to know for the time being
regardless. And once I am bonded to Katherine an increase in my own
capabilities and my life span is expected anyhow.”
Tsunami looked to Washu and shrugged. “He does make a good
point. Sasami and I were terrified of being rejected until Ayeka
reminded Sasami of how much she loves her, no matter the
circumstances. Garrick just needs that affirmation himself, and he
won't get it until it happens.”
“Alright,” said Washu. “He can have his confidentiality. It
is his right, after all.”
“Thank you,” I said, and suddenly yawned. “Uugghhh... Dunno
about you two but I need to get back to sleep. Got a busy day ahead
of me tomorrow.”
“That's a sound idea,” Washu agreed, stretching out her tiny
body.
“Indeed,” said Tsunami. “Sasami rests much better
when I'm not actively manifesting myself.”
With a sigh I dropped back into bed. Minagi didn't move an inch –
weird that she was such a deep sleeper, but then again its probably
because she trusts me that much.
Same with Yuki for that matter, because once I settled in she
immediately sat up while still asleep and fell onto me, latching on
tightly. With a smile I put an arm around her and kissed her head.
And then, to my mild surprise, Minagi teleported to the other side of
the bed and snuggled up to me.
“I missed you,” she softly murmured without opening her eyes.
“Yuki helped keep me warm, but you're much better. Do you feel
better now?”
“Yes,” I replied, contemplating the answer and finding that I did
indeed feel better. “Yes I do.”
“Good,” she replied and then leaned in to kiss me.
There was passion, but no real fire. Just a heartfelt desire to
reconnect and be together. A moment after our lips parted, Minagi
opened her eyes and looked intensely into my own.
“I want to make a child with you, Garrick.”
I looked back into Minagi's lovely golden eyes. “That is a major
decision. Are you sure that you're up for it?”
Minagi nodded her head. “After this last week, I know that you'd
be a perfect father. You won't abandon your child. You'll be firm
with your child... but they won't have any doubt in their mind that
you love them. And with you... I know that your child will be
special.”
“Ahhh. But, what about...” I looked down at Yuki and Minagi
sighed.
“As much as I have come to love her over the last week, she will
have to wait her turn.” Minagi's voice then turned coy. “After
all, I saw you first, Garrick.”
“So, we'll find some time apart from Yuki?”
“Probably while we are on Jyurai. Sasami-chan will have things to
show her anyhow. I just worry about Seto.”
“Don't. I'll ask her if she'll give us some space before sicking
the nubile young bachelorettes on me. She did mention that the First
Wife will probably be a member of the Royal Family, right?”
Minagi nodded. “Don't care. As long as I have you, it won't
matter. Especially if she is someone like Ayeka.”
She kissed me once more, then we all snuggled into the covers and
went to sleep.
Well, that's it for now. My buffer is pretty much gone, so it's going to be a while before we see more here.
Soon enough we were away once more. While I had been occupied, Seto
had a brief conversation with Minagi and Yuki. The over all
impression I got from Seto afterwards was that she was quite pleased
with the two.
Right then, Minagi was helping Yuki get out of the elaborate Maiko
girl robes. I was just dozing in the bed, recovering after a
hard-fought twenty-four hours.
I wasn't surprised when Yuki thudded into the mattress, crawled over,
and snuggled into my chest.
What did surprise me was how she began crying.
“Yuki-chan?” I asked, probably sounding a bit sleepier than I
wanted to. “What's wrong my tiny little love?”
“sasami-chan... she was right.”
I carefully sat up, pulling the tiny girl into my lap and cradling
her while Minagi came up from the other side and leaned against me,
giving me her support while she gently soothed Yuki.
“Tell me what happened, love.”
Slowly, haltingly, she did with some help from Minagi. It had begun
with her being made to dance. She didn't really know any, so he made
Ayeka show her how. And afterwards he made her serve him wine. And
then the touching began and that was when she knew without a doubt
what kind of peril she was in.
When Ohsa finally felt up Yuki, Ayeka, my beautiful guardian angel of
a sister, came down on that animal with all the fury of an enraged
noble woman endowed with the power of Jyurai.
That... could have been nothing less than glorious... especially
since it was discovered that Ohsa had been struck into a stupor that
he did not come out of for hours. Minagi's roofie, it had seemed,
was no longer needed. Ayeka herself was even surprised that she had
managed to pull that off. But I knew why.
My Beloved Sister had reserves of strength even she did not know
about, and it would only come to the fore when someone she genuinely
cared for was in real danger.
In the aftermath, Sasami and Yuki had made up. Now that Yuki fully
understood what sort of dangers she could find herself in,
particularly as girl, she swore to never take our warnings for
granted.
While I was glad that Yuki had grown as a person, and had made up
with Sasami... I just wish that it hadn't come at the cost of this
part of her innocence.
After that, Minagi could only sit there, together, comforting little
Yuki.
Almost without thinking about it, I began to hum softly. The tune
was deep-toned and somber. It was Misty Mountains Cold, the
Dwarven hymn from Tolkien's Middle Earth books. The deep tones ran
smoothly and soothingly from my throat and buzzed within my head. I
soon laid down and let Yuki lay on my chest, her little head nestled
under my chin. Surely my voice was buzzing softly through her head
as well. I don't know of anything that could have a more calming
affect.
Soon Yuki's sobbing subsided. Her tears stopped coming. Her breath
would still hitch, even after I knew her eyes had closed long ago and
began to draw long, slow breaths.
We all fell asleep together like that. At some point I was stirred
to wakefulness by Yuki shifting from me to Minagi.
And I couldn't go back to sleep.
There was a sliver in my mind. Something was bothering me. An odd
sensation, I'd almost call it a compulsion.
I went to the hold where Scooby was tied down, opened the tail gate
and pull out the sword that I had been gifted with. In the dim
light, I began to pull the blade from the sheath.
Earlier, before I had given Tenchi his sword, I had seen the steel in
the daylight. It was silvery-gray just like First Cut.
And now... it was red.
“Hinase?”
“How may I help you Garrick?”
“Turn off all the lights here in the cargo hold.”
“Ah... sure, if that's what you want.”
The lights then faded into darkness... and the blade before me glowed
with a dull red color – the same you would see on a heating element
just as it was starting to warm up.
“Hinase, contact Washu on the Mimisaka and ask that she
comes over right away. Pass on the phrase 'Code Murphy.' And make
sure Mimisaka knows that Washu is the only one to be bothered.
I need her to see this and it needs to be kept a secret... for now.”
Code Murphy.
One of several phrases Washu and I concocted as a sort of series of
safe words. In the case of Code Murphy, it was a direct opposite of
Pondstrider. Murphy meant that something fundamental had radically
changed and required immediate attention.
That said, it took Washu no more than thirty seconds to arrive by
teleportation wearing a worried expression.
“Garrick, what's going on?”
“This,” I said. “Hinase, kill the lights again.” The lights
went down and I unsheathed my blade, revealing its dull crimson glow.
“Oh... oh wow. This is unprecedented. Are you certain that you
had no genetic ties to Japan in your homeworld?”
I nodded as I sheathed the sword and the lights came back on. “The
closest I can get is my Native American ancestry, and that, at best,
makes the two lineages distant cousins. It's not genetic. Try
scanning for exotic energy and use a very low detection threshold.”
“Sounds like you have a hypothesis,” Washu chirped as she opened
a small portal to who knows where and stuck her arm through it,
rummaging around through who knew what. “Care to share?”
I nodded. “Hielzen-S doesn't react to genetics. It reacts to
energy signatures. Any blood-relation of the Royal Family can emit
this signature. In particularly, Tenchi-kun. His is so strong that
you have no idea how he's generating it. Pondstrider: Tsunami is
searching for a being of even greater power than her own. To that
end, she has nurtured the people of Jyurai because she saw the
potential in the First Emperor.”
Washu gave me a startled look. “So, she's looking for the same
thing I am... Ah! Here it is!”
She pulled out a device and activated it, causing the probe at the
head of the device to extend a set of wings with blinking lights.
“Is that a Spengler Flux meter?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Washu giggled. “Kind of. It's actually kinda scary how close that
movie was to the truth of these things.”
“Yeah, you're looking at the reason for that 'scary' right now.”
Washu snorted. “The scientific community is gonna have a field day
with you once I publish my paper on transfictionality...” She
trailed off as she took the reading of the meter and her face fell.
“There's no way.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Your energy signature... it's similar to Tenchi's! Nowhere nearly
as powerful like you thought, but it's there... different, like
you're some long-lost branch of the family line, but still close
enough that if you had enough power you could generate a Lighthawk
Wing yourself!”
I nodded. “I think I know why, Washu-chan...”
“Well don't keep me waiting here!”
I gave her my most level look. “I am a son of Elohim. As one of
his seed, I have the potential to someday become as he is.”
“Are you saying you're a god, buster!?” Washu accused.
“Not yet. It'll probably take a couple thousand years. Think of
me as a larva – utterly weak and helpless. But with time and
care...”
“Caterpillars turn into butterflies...” Washu replied
thoughtfully. “But you don't live long enough to get to that
point. How is it supposed to happen?”
I shrugged. “Heaven. A safe place for our souls to return to
after death. Judgment. God looks on the past deeds of our Earthly
life and determines how far we should progress. Resurrection. A
process to get our bodies back after death, only perfected and
immortal.”
“But that still doesn't explain how you're supposed to become a
god.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Children that do not get
enough of the proper nutrition become stunted.”
“Wait, you mean they feed you their energy?” Washu replied,
catching on right away.
“Is it so strange? Mothers breastfeed their children. And by this
perspective I am certainly an infant still.”
“But how does that explain you getting stronger?”
I blinked at Washu. “What do you mean?”
“When you first got here you could barely even make the needle on
this thing budge. Now... It's still a pretty small reading, but one
that's closer to what most Jyuraians put out. You're not quite at
the level of the main-line Royal Family, more like one of the distant
cousins – like Kiriko and her family.”
I'd actually met Kiriko Masaki a couple of times. Mostly when she
was taking care of Seina. I had managed to impress the hell out of
her when I had managed to avoid not just one or two, but three
incidences of Seina's bad luck. Kiriko was so astonished that she
pulled me aside and demanded to know all the details about me,
because no normal Earthman could avoid Seina's bad luck so
effectively. It was the most fun spilling the beans I've ever had.
I thought about what Washu had said and voiced them as I went along.
“The only way that could be would be is if someone was feeding me
energy. The only one that I could imagine doing that would be
Tsunami, but I don't quite... wait... KATHERINE!”
Washu blinked as the relays connected. “OF COURSE! It makes so
much sense! Katherine doesn't have to be bonded to you to feed you a
small supply of energy! And best of all it's all disguised as
political subterfuge! Not that I don't think Tsunami hasn't taken a
liking to you regardless,” she added with a wink and a nudge.
“Oh ha ha,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “C'mon, let's go and
see if we're right,” I said as I pulled up my C-Space app on my
C-pod.
When I arrived with Washu inside my garden, Katherine greeted us both
cheerfully with her beams of radiant rainbow light.
“I'm glad to see you too, Katherine,” I said as I began to
methodically check the small sapling for parasites. I knew that
there wouldn't be any – not in there – but it was the thought
that counted. “Katherine, sweet heart? I need to ask you an
important question.”
“What is it,
Garrick?” the tree replied,
her telepathic voice sounding like a happy and innocent five-year-old
girl.
“Have you been giving me a share of your energy?”
“Yes! I
have!” the tree cried out
joyously. “Grandmother Tsunami was so worried about you!
She thought that you would starve without it, but instead you're
getting stronger! Once she saw that, she asked me to keep on feeding
you so you can be really strong some day like Tenchi!”
“Woof!” cried out Washu. “That's no small order – Tenchi is
at least as strong as a First-Generation Tree!”
“Silly! It is
very possible! As long as they lead long lives, Tenchi and Garrick
will both become a lot stronger. Some day, Grandmother Tsunami wants
them to stand above her... Uh, I don't think I should have said
that...”
And right then Tsunami appeared as a phantom-like apparition,
standing above us with the sort of look a mother has when she catches
her children with their hands in the cookie jar.
“KYAA!”
cried out Katherine. “I'm, so sorry Grandmother! But
you said I should be nice to Garrick, and he's been so nice to me,
too, that I don't wanna hide anything from him! Please forgive me!”
Tsunami
sighed. “Don't fret, child. While this was not what I
wanted, it was inevitable with people as clever as these.”
“So,” I said. “Is now the time you spoke of, Tsunami-sama?”
Tsunami gave me a measuring look. “Yes, Garrick, I believe it
is.
“To begin
with, I know not from where you came from. You suddenly appeared in
our universe, frightened, confused, and utterly alone. A waif in the
truest sense of the word and with a sorrow so despairing that it was
palpable in the very air around you.
“Imagine my
surprise when I took a closer look at you, and saw in you a power
distantly related to my own, only immature and undeveloped. As
little Katherine said, you were so weak that I worried that you were
starving, so I asked Funaho to make a seed for you.”
“That was me!” cried out Katherine happily. “I am so
happy that Mama made me because I get to be with you, Garrick! And
because you have taken such good care of me, I promise I'm gonna take
good care of you! I'll make sure that you live long enough that you
can stand without help!”
I smiled down at the sapling and stroked her leaves gently, eliciting
a telepathic giggle from Katherine.
It was a bit of a moral quandary for me. We really aren't supposed
to gain such power until we have been deemed responsible enough to
wield them. And even then, it's not so much we were granted power by
God – more like we ask of him something and if he see that we and
the request are worthy then he will provide the way.
No, what was going on was that I was gaining my own power to use as I
saw fit... kinda scary when you thought of it. But I knew that I was
a long ways from home. God wouldn't be able to protect me, so it was
in my best interest to gain power and learn how to wield it.
In a ways, I was in a similar situation to Yuki, only this was not of
my own doing.
“Someone out there does not have my best interests in mind,” I
said at last. “Tsunami-sama, I am grateful to you for taking me
under your wing.”
“Great!” said Washu impatiently. “Now what about this business
of looking for a being of higher power?”
“You and I
simply have different methodologies, Washu. You seek to create one.
I have been attempting to nurture one. However... it seems someone
has thrown evidence of their existence right before us.”
“Oh?”
Tsunami turned to me. “Garrick. How powerful would you say
your Father is?”
I sighed at that. “All that we had on the matter are religious
texts whose original publication went back thousands of years before
the printing press was even invented on our world. What's worse is
that the details are quite vague on the matter. It is said he
created everything and made worlds without number. All blessings and
miracles are attributed to him. I can go on and on, but
unfortunately without him here to confirm any of it for us, all
evidence is circumstantial at best.”
“We have you, though, Garrick,” said Washu with a knowing smile.
“And time is on our side. I've lived for twenty-thousand years,
and I can live for many more thousands. Plenty of time for you to
grow into your own power, right Tsunami-sama?”
Tsunami nodded. “Indeed. I will continue giving you an
allotment of energy through Katherine. Washu may record your growth
and development with her help. In fact, as soon as you arrive at
Jyurai I will make sure that you are called forth for the bonding
ceremony. You will live a very long and fruitful life, Garrick, and
through it all Katherine will be at your side.”
I was shocked. So soon? Being bonded to Katherine? But then again,
Seto did say that things would be resolved as soon as I got to
Jyurai.
“I... I don't know what to say... Heh... I told Lady Funaho...
'What I wouldn't do with centuries'... now I get thousands!”
“It is that much more time that we get to have you with us,
Garrick,” Tsunami said with a gentle smile. “And more if
you become what I hope you are.”
“That reminds me,” I said. “This needs to be a secret between
us.”
“Oh?” said Washu curiously. “Do you really think it will
affect opinion of the others?”
“Probably not, but I would feel better if this was a confidential
matter. There's no need for them to know for the time being
regardless. And once I am bonded to Katherine an increase in my own
capabilities and my life span is expected anyhow.”
Tsunami looked to Washu and shrugged. “He does make a good
point. Sasami and I were terrified of being rejected until Ayeka
reminded Sasami of how much she loves her, no matter the
circumstances. Garrick just needs that affirmation himself, and he
won't get it until it happens.”
“Alright,” said Washu. “He can have his confidentiality. It
is his right, after all.”
“Thank you,” I said, and suddenly yawned. “Uugghhh... Dunno
about you two but I need to get back to sleep. Got a busy day ahead
of me tomorrow.”
“That's a sound idea,” Washu agreed, stretching out her tiny
body.
“Indeed,” said Tsunami. “Sasami rests much better
when I'm not actively manifesting myself.”
With a sigh I dropped back into bed. Minagi didn't move an inch –
weird that she was such a deep sleeper, but then again its probably
because she trusts me that much.
Same with Yuki for that matter, because once I settled in she
immediately sat up while still asleep and fell onto me, latching on
tightly. With a smile I put an arm around her and kissed her head.
And then, to my mild surprise, Minagi teleported to the other side of
the bed and snuggled up to me.
“I missed you,” she softly murmured without opening her eyes.
“Yuki helped keep me warm, but you're much better. Do you feel
better now?”
“Yes,” I replied, contemplating the answer and finding that I did
indeed feel better. “Yes I do.”
“Good,” she replied and then leaned in to kiss me.
There was passion, but no real fire. Just a heartfelt desire to
reconnect and be together. A moment after our lips parted, Minagi
opened her eyes and looked intensely into my own.
“I want to make a child with you, Garrick.”
I looked back into Minagi's lovely golden eyes. “That is a major
decision. Are you sure that you're up for it?”
Minagi nodded her head. “After this last week, I know that you'd
be a perfect father. You won't abandon your child. You'll be firm
with your child... but they won't have any doubt in their mind that
you love them. And with you... I know that your child will be
special.”
“Ahhh. But, what about...” I looked down at Yuki and Minagi
sighed.
“As much as I have come to love her over the last week, she will
have to wait her turn.” Minagi's voice then turned coy. “After
all, I saw you first, Garrick.”
“So, we'll find some time apart from Yuki?”
“Probably while we are on Jyurai. Sasami-chan will have things to
show her anyhow. I just worry about Seto.”
“Don't. I'll ask her if she'll give us some space before sicking
the nubile young bachelorettes on me. She did mention that the First
Wife will probably be a member of the Royal Family, right?”
Minagi nodded. “Don't care. As long as I have you, it won't
matter. Especially if she is someone like Ayeka.”
She kissed me once more, then we all snuggled into the covers and
went to sleep.
Well, that's it for now. My buffer is pretty much gone, so it's going to be a while before we see more here.