Part Two
An Isseijin Edokko in Achika-hime's Court


	Autumn, the forty-fifth year of Shouwa (1970).

	The principal of the regional high school received a call from a woman 
looking for a position as a substitute teacher like a gift from the gods. 
Classroom 3-2's teacher was on unexpected maternity leave, and every 
other sub was at some other school.

	The high school's janitor was almost as grateful to have an applicant 
for the post of his assistant -- particularly since said applicant was a 
calm, collected young woman who reminded him of his daughter, now living 
with her husband in Matsuyama.

	That morning, Mihoshi was late to work (as was only to be expected). She 
bowed her head in genuine contrition as the principal scolded her -- 
contrition that would vanish from her mind a moment later.

	Kiyone, on the other hand, was early, and joined the janitor for a cup 
of tea.

	Achika and Nobuyuki waited separately in line. 

	Aeka and Ryohko sat in a small room by themselves, an uneasy peace 
between them. Aeka was carefully arranging how she'd explain all of this 
to her brother, and what order she'd make her points in. Ryohko, on the 
other hand, was running through all her memories of Achika. Achika, far 
too old for her years, with baby Tenchi in a carrier on her back. Achika 
in grade school, coming up to the cave's mouth to tell some of her 
favorite stories to "the Cave Dwellers." Achika at her graduation from 
middle school, looking around the cave as if searching for something... 
she hadn't come back to it for years. Achika taking Tenchi up to the 
cave, smiling as he looked at something she couldn't see; it had been 
Ryohko's astral projection, of course. Achika as a small child herself, 
being brought to see the cave by *her* mother, Sakuya. And Tenchi, 
sobbing as he tried to deal with the fact that his mother was dead; 
Ryohko had never wanted her astral body to have physical presence as much 
as she did then, wanting to hold the grieving child and murmur comforting 
words in his ear, if she'd known any.

	A knock on the door roused them from their respective musings. Aeka rose 
to her feet slowly and gracefully. It was Mihoshi, come to take them to 
class. Ryohko swung her feet off the table and jumped up.

	Class 2-C took their seats as Mihoshi entered with a smile. Aeka 
followed her, pausing for a moment, eyes modestly downcast, to allow the 
students to notice and appreciate her, before continuing to the center of 
the room. Nobuyuki, for one, drew in his breath.

	Then Ryohko sauntered into the room with an arrogant step, as if to say 
that she was totally in control of her life. The class reacted much as if 
they had received a mild electric shock. Something about her pose, or her 
hair, or her attitude seemed to scream "sukeban!"

	But the one who'd received the worst shock was Achika, and not for the 
same reasons as the others. Her mother had told her the Golden-eyed Lady 
was just a product of her vivid imagination. She'd said that Achika had 
just made up the Queen of the Cave Dwellers, Lady of the Spiky Hair who 
triumphed with glory over every foe, because she wanted someone to tell 
her favorite stories to, and that as she grew older the Golden-eyed Lady 
would disappear. On her graduation from middle school Achika had gone up 
to the cave and looked -- really *looked* -- and seen just what anyone 
might expect to see.

	And now the Golden-eyed Lady had walked in through the classroom door, 
in the guise of an ordinary high school student. As Achika stared, the 
Lady looked directly at her and grinned.



	Meanwhile, just outside the school grounds, Sasami, disguised in a black 
baseball cap, looked both ways. Satisfied that nobody was around, she 
beckoned to Tenchi, gesturing for him to come over and watch the window 
of classroom 2-C.

	"The wards are doing fine?" Tenchi asked.

	"Of course," Sasami said. "It's a really *weird* feeling, sensing how 
they all fit together."

	"I still don't understand how you do it," Tenchi said.

	"Washuu-neechan sort of introduced me before we left. I think I always 
knew they were there, but this is the first time I could interact with 
them. I can do almost as much with them as Tsunami could, but there are 
only a few I can pull out without having the whole thing come down crash. 
It's sort of like a house of taro."

	"A house of *which*?"

	"Um... cards. Anyway, Washuu-neechan said they were good work, almost as 
good as her own stuff, and it would be easier to maintain them if I used 
Tsunami's rather than Washuu-neechan controlling hers across the years."

	"I don't believe it. Washuu-chan admitting she's not perfect."

	"She just said it would take time we don't have to make ones she could 
control from there. And that the Thing from Gods-Know-Where will be able 
to come through the wards, but they'll buy us an extra day or so of 
time."

	"Four wards will buy us one day?"

	"Tenchi-niichan! Natsume is holding your timeline steady, so we'll only 
have to use Washuu's machine in emergencies. Amenouzume is covering the 
whole area and is therefore stretched pretty thin. And of the two 
covering your mother, Myshtar works best when it has *lots* of water to 
draw on, which is why it normally hangs around Funaho, while although 
Kusanagi is comparable in power to an nth-generation Koh-oh-yoku, one 
Koh-oh-yoku can't be *everywhere*."

	"Sorry... Wait a moment, Sasami-chan! Kusanagi?! *Amenouzume*?!!"

	"Tsunami named them back when," Sasami said, spreading her hands.

	Tenchi shook his head slowly, in the grip of an emotion indescribable by 
words. "Remind me to tell you the story of Amenouzume sometime."

	"What was she like?" Sasami asked.

	"Ryohko, maybe."



	Kiyone was mopping the floor outside the classroom. If there was one 
thing she was familiar with, it was *cleaning up*. For a moment she 
walked over to the door to listen.

	Inside the class, Mihoshi was teaching for all she was worth. "Today, 
class, we are going to look at "The Demon of the Rashoumon," fourth in 
the series of tales called the *Uji Shui Monogatari*. This is the story 
of a love triangle between a warrior, a demon, and a princess."

	"Ah, sensei?" Nobuyuki said, rising to his feet.

	"Yes? What is it?"

	"We did that story yesterday."

	"Ack!" Mihoshi squawked, dropping her notes and falling to her knees. 
"That's the only old Terran story I know! What'll I do?"

	"That idiot," Kiyone muttered.

	Inside the class, Mihoshi regained her feet. "Class, today we are going 
to look at a story called *Hoshi no Sensou*, which hasn't come out yet. 
This is the story of a love triangle between a princess, a warrior, and a 
smuggler. It also has lots of strange creatures and cool fight scenes.

	"See, these people are rebelling against the Evil Empire, trying to 
bring back the Old Republic. This is hard because the Evil Empire has 
just created the terrible Shiboshi, but some brave rebels have stolen a 
copy of its secret plans... "

	Kiyone shook her head, returning to her cleaning. "She *always* lands on 
her feet."



	At lunchtime (which had come during the lightsaber duel) the class broke 
up into groups, discussing sports, who was going out with whom, where the 
teacher had gotten that story from, which guy Leia-hime would end up 
with, what they were going to do in the handicrafts club that afternoon, 
and so forth. Aeka and Ryohko sat with each other, although each had 
received her share of offers to sit with one of the other groups.

	"Oi, Aeka," Ryohko began.

	"Now what is it?" Aeka asked.

	"Look over there," Ryohko said, gesturing at Nobuyuki. "That's Tenchi's 
old man. He and Tenchi look alike at this age, don't they?"

	"Well, then this is your great opportunity." Aeka said. "Otoosama is 
still available."

	For a moment, both of them pictured Masaki Nobuyuki, whose greatest 
hobby in life seemed to be making home hentai flicks.

	"Not that dirty old man that he becomes later in life," Ryohko said, 
disgusted. "I mean Tenchi's father that we see here *now*, back in the 
past." What was she talking about? 

	"What *are* you speaking of?" Aeka asked smoothly. "You know that if 
Otoosama does not marry Okaasama, Tenchi-sama will never be born."

	Ryohko treated Aeka to a look composed of equal disgust and incredulity. 
"I know THAT!

	"And while we're at it, what's with this 'otoosama' and 'okaasama' 
stuff? Since when did they become your parents?"

	"Well," Aeka said softly, "we'll just have to let the future take care 
of itself, won't we? " A little smile played about her lips. Really, 
Ryohko just seemed to *invite* these...

	"Never happen, Aeka-chan," Ryohko said, springing to her feet and 
leaning on the desk.

	"What does it have to do with you Ñ and who might you be to address me 
so familiarly, Ryohko?" Aeka copied Ryohko's position so that the two 
were glaring into each other's faces.

	"I'll call you whatever I feel like. Got that, Aeka-chaaan?"

	The sound of two sets of grinding teeth filled the air.

	At this point Aeka and Ryohko noticed that everyone in the classroom was 
staring at them. They quickly forced smiles and laughter.

	"Never mind," Aeka said in precisely the sweet 
will-the-floor-please-open-up-and-swallow-me-NOW tone of voice that Gilda 
Radner was soon to make famous on the other side of the Pacific.

	They laughed a little more as they sank back into their seats. Then they 
simultaneously shot a glare at the other and snorted, turning aside.

	Behind them, a pale-complected student suddenly crushed his milk carton 
in his hand. Ryohko turned to look at the chestnut-haired young man. She 
kept her eyes on him as he left the room. There was something... 
*familiar* about him.



	After lunch, it was gym class. Most of the girls were playing volleyball 
(which game the girls' gym uniform seems to have been designed for... for 
those who look good in it, that is) while a few, including Aeka and 
Ryohko, were standing on the sidelines.

	Although all the other girls were wearing uniforms consisting of a 
maroon leotard and white T shirt, neither Aeka or Ryohko had one. Aeka 
was wearing a winter uniform -- a maroon jumpsuit.

	"Well, at least it's different," Ryohko, in oversized white T shirt and 
heavily belted-in orange shorts, commiserated with her.

	"I did not know there would be a class like this," Aeka whispered back. 


	"Guess we all get what we deserve."

	"Why, you... at least I fit into one of Achika-sama's, unlike *someone* 
I know who had to borrow the coach's... "

	Ryohko tossed her head.

	"I hear he has a medical ailment peculiar to men," Aeka added, burning 
with humiliation and overheat (it was a warm day). "If you understand 
what I mean?"

	Automatically, Ryohko's eyes flicked to the aforementioned teacher, who 
was, in the truest Dave Barry sense of the word, a *guy*. She was just in 
time to see him shift from scratching his armpit to his groin (and really 
going at it, too).

	For a moment she froze, disgusted. Then, swiftly, she turned to Aeka.

	"Give me all your clothes!" Ryohko demanded.

	"Huh?" Aeka said intelligently.

	"Right now! Take them off!" Ryohko began to yank at Aeka's jumpsuit 
herself. Aeka screeched, and some of the other girls standing on the 
sidelines tried to interfere. The coach tried to order them to stop, but 
he might have ordered the tide to stop with more success.

	Meanwhile, the volleyball went bouncing out of bounds and over to the 
bushes. "Those two are quarreling again," Achika said to nobody in 
particular as she went trotting after the ball, which rolled until it 
came to a stop at a little girl's feet. Sasami had walked over to 
intercept it. She now picked it up and handed it to Achika.

	"Thank you," Achika said. "You're cute. What are you doing here, 
sweetie?" 

	"I'm waiting for Oneechan," Sasami told her.

	"Oh, I see."

	Tenchi, who was sitting over by a tree and staring at his mother with 
the eyes of a thirsty man who sees a lake in the middle of a desert, 
noticed her gaze roving towards him and quickly dove behind a bush. 
Achika looked at the noise and rustle for a second, but was distracted by 
one of her teammates, calling for her to come back.

	"Thanks again. See you!" she told Sasami as she hurried back to the 
game.

	"Bye-bye!" Sasami called after her.

	Tenchi poked his head out of the bushes. "Whew, that was close," he 
said.

	"I know. Washuu-neechan's going to be really angry," Sasami answered.

	"I know it was dangerous, but... this is going to sound really stupid... 
I *had* to see her again... "

	"I understand," Sasami said.

	And she did. It was her gift, understanding feelings.

	"Don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Tenchi asked.

	"I won't," Sasami promised.

	Tenchi and Sasami went back to watching Achika play volleyball. This 
Achika was not much like the images of his mother that Tenchi had carried 
in his heart... in those she was far thinner, and wore her shockingly 
grey hair in a very different style. But her wonderful eyes and smile 
were still the same. How could she have changed so much in just ten 
years?



	The priest at the Masaki Shrine also received some help that day.

	He had been sitting in the house at midday, catching up on certain 
annoying paperwork, when he heard the shoji slide aside and a quiet knock 
on its frame. "Oniisama?" a voice said.

	He whirled while still seated (no mean feat). Aeka, Crown Princess of 
Jurai, was standing in the doorway. 

	"I beg pardon for the intrusion," she said.

	His eyes widened slightly for a moment before he regained control of 
himself and prepared to divert her.

	Ryohko stuck her head through the shoji (*literally*). "We've come from 
the future and we need your help," she said.

	"Ryohhhhko.." Aeka said, teeth grinding as she bestowed the former space 
pirate with a look that would have disintegrated granite.

	"She has, at least, the virtue of being direct," Youshou said, still 
bemused (although few people could have told it from his face). "Why?"

	"Something's going to alter time by attacking your daughter," Aeka said. 
"I have the greatest distaste for something that dares to raise its hand 
to a member of Our family."

	Ryohko stepped fully through the shoji. "We'll be guarding Achika," she 
added. "If anything *tries* to mess with her... " She slammed her fist 
into her left palm as the words trailed off, the smile on her face 
showing more clearly than words just what would happen to that 
unfortunate anything.

	"So where do I come in?" Youshou asked.

	"We need someplace to stay," Ryohko said.

	"We have these," Aeka added, taking a packet from somewhere within her 
robes. Youshou opened it. Inside were excellently forged change-of-school 
forms and all other necessary papers to show that cousins Masaki Aeka and 
Ryohko were transfer students to the regional high school, presently 
staying at the house by the Masaki Shrine. 

	"Ah... make yourselves at home," Youshou said, an odd note in his voice.


	"Don't worry," Ryohko told him, misinterpreting the tone. "I'm not 
*that* mad at you any more and the princess bride here has quit chasing 
you."

	Aeka picked up the nearest object and threw it at Ryohko.



	Late that afternoon, Achika got off the bus at her stop. "School's so 
far away... " she mused. "It seems to take for *ever* to get home."

	It was a short walk from the bus stop to her house, near the Masaki 
Shrine. She slid the door open and called "I'm home!" as she slipped off 
her shoes.

	"I'm really hungry," she continued, loud enough for her father to hear 
her, "so I'll start dinner right a--"

	The words died in her mouth as she slid the shoji of the room open. 
Seated at the low table were her father and the two transfer students 
from the school, eating a snack and drinking tea.

	Both of the girls were lost in thought. Aeka was holding the memory of 
her second reunion with her brother around her in her heart. *This* one 
had gone far more like the dreams she had cherished in her seven hundred 
years of timeless sleep. 

	After he'd broken up the fight between Aeka and Ryohko, her oniisama had 
asked how many others there were.

	"Sasami-chan and Ryoh-oh-ki won't be coming to the house much," Aeka had 
said. "They have to take care of... Someone who *can't* come here -- "

	"Because it would cause a temporal paradox," Youshou'd finished.

	"Yes, precisely."

	"Mihoshi and her partner Kiyone are here also," Ryohko had chimed in. 
"They're with the Galaxy Police. Mihoshi's a brainless wonder, but she's 
a nice brainless wonder. I don't know much about Kiyone yet, Aeka's 
'mommy' only just sent her along."

	"*Misaki*?.... No, don't tell me, I don't want to know," Youshou had 
answered. He'd turned to Aeka. "It's been a long time, and there are a 
lot of things I've wanted to say, but.... Little sister, I've missed 
you."

	*I've missed you.* It was the only thing Aeka'd really needed to hear 
from her oniisama for a long time.

	By contrast, Ryohko was indulging in one of her favorite fantasies. It 
involved a luxuriously appointed tent, a large Turkish divan, and Tenchi.


	"Oh!" both girls said as Achika entered.

	"You're... you are... " Achika stammered.

	"Hi," Ryohko told her.

	"I hope we're not putting you to any trouble," Aeka said.

	"Are you all right?" Katsuhito added.

	"Ah... yes," Achika said, seating herself at the table. "I'm fine... 
just surprised."

	"Well, I can understand that," her father answered. "Your school called 
today. May I introduce Aeka and Ryohko? I agreed to let them board here; 
they will be staying at our house for a while."

	"We are? They just both transferred in today. They're both in my class," 
Achika said.

	"It seems they live so far away from the school that it would be 
impracticable for them to commute every day, so they're staying with us."


	Aeka giggled nervously. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

	"Likewise," Ryohko added.

	"My pleasure," Achika said.

	"This is quite comfortable," Katsuhito said with a perfectly straight 
face. "My poor Achika has been alone far too much ever since her dear 
mother passed away." He took a drink of his tea.



	Shortly afterwards, Aeka and Ryohko were sitting in the kitchen while 
Achika made dinner.

	"Hey, is it ready yet?" Ryohko asked.

	"In just a bit," Achika answered.

	Aeka leapt to her feet. "You might help her instead of sitting around 
complaining."

	"You should talk. I don't see *you* doing any work," Ryohko shot back. 
Granted, letting a graduate of the Kotobuki-Tendou School of Cookery 
(such as Aeka) anywhere near food preparation denoted masochism of a high 
degree, but Aeka's remark had been perfectly uncalled for.

	"What right do you have to say such things to me?!" Aeka snapped. 
Really, who did Ryohko think she was -- the child of a goddess or 
something?

	"Please don't start again," Achika said, turning from her chopping for a 
moment.

	The imminent conflict was averted by a knock at the door. All three 
girls looked in the direction of the sound. Achika spoke for all of them 
when she asked, "Who is that?"

	The door slid open.

	"Good evening," Mihoshi caroled.

	Achika stepped out into the hall as Ryohko and Aeka poked their heads 
around the frame. "Mihoshi-sensei," she said.

	"I'm, uh, conducting a home visit," Mihoshi explained brightly.

	Aeka and Ryohko groaned.

	Outside in the bushes, Tenchi echoed them. "Home visit," he said. "Who 
does that at this hour?"

	"That idiot," Kiyone said from behind him, exasperated. "I told her to 
get into the house quietly and *not arouse suspicion*!"

	"Oh, good," Tenchi said, relieved, as Sasami gestured to them. "It looks 
like she managed to get into the house anyway."

	Inside the house, everyone sitting around the table chorused 
"Itadakimasu!" They then dug in, (Mihoshi and Ryohko eating the most). 
Compliments on the food floated around the table.

	Achika put her food down for a moment. "Just what might be going on 
here?," she mused, although whether she meant the meal or the guests or 
the whole situation even she could not have said.



	That evening, everyone met on the steps of the shrine.

	"Well, I must admit," Tenchi graciously admitted, sitting on top of the 
steps and toying with the bell cord, "that you all did a great job of 
getting into the house without arousing suspicion."

	"I suppose," Aeka said with a giggle, a few steps below, "although I 
think that this dab of perfume I borrowed from Washuu-sama might have had 
something to do with it."

	Ryohko, recumbent on the porch rail, chuckled. "Being sneaky comes 
naturally to you, ne, Aeka?"

	"What do you mean by that?" Aeka snapped, leaping to her feet and 
leaning into Ryohko's face.

	"Ladies, ladies!" Mihoshi said, leaping to her feet from a cross-legged 
seated position, coming towards the two of them and waving her arms in a 
calm-down motion. "At least we've all arrived safely back here in 45 
Shouwa."

	"That's so," Kiyone said, staring out into the distance (every so often 
Mihoshi reminded one why she had been voted the cadet Most Likely To 
Succeed in GP Academy), "but how can we save Masaki-kun's mother when we 
don't even know what danger she faces?"

	In the background, Sasami gleefully chased Ryoh-oh-ki across the yard, 
laughing all the while. At least they were having fun, uncaring of the 
potential danger.

	Or maybe not. Sasami skidded to a stop at a point directly in front of 
Tenchi, about ten yards away. "Here it is!" she told Ryoh-oh-ki. She 
turned to the others. "I got a message from Washuu-neechan!" she 
announced.

	A ruler-shaped antenna extended from Sasami-chan's backpack as she 
lowered a pair of what almost, possibly, could not quite be sunglasses 
onto her nose. A blue line sparked across the middle before the picture 
came into full existence, as everyone else gathered around Sasami.



	In Washuu's subspace lab, Washuu-chan dai'ni was favoring their Prime 
and the sixth member of the interdimensional chat room with one of her 
favorite satirical songs.

	"... there's never a line in the Men's but there's *always* a Women's 
Room line," she caroled.

	At that moment, a signal prilled.

	"Drat the thing," Washuu muttered. "This compensator to slow down 
response time here so I talk to them in order has some really awkward 
delays. Remind me to fix it after this conversation, would you?"

	"Yes, Washuu-chan," the android member of the chat room said as Washuu 
slid the chat room screen to one side and activated the overhead 
time-tracker one.

	"Well, well, well, " Washuu said happily, looking at the assembled five 
people. Sasami was there since this screen would only work through her, 
and she had now confirmed the others. "I see you've all gotten there 
safely."

	"What do you mean, 'safely'?" her daughter asked.

	"Well, I must confess this time travel by fixing on one point in the 
time axis was more difficult than I thought," Washuu said cheerfully. The 
stupid machine had kept wanting to drop them in a parallel world, and she 
had had to impose on her lavender-haired friend to help hold the gateway 
steady (not to mention hold another gateway steady on her own for 
Washuu-chan dai'yon). "As a matter of fact, I wasn't one hundred percent 
sure you'd get there!" 

	Aeka was the first to react. "So you mean to say that if you had made 
even one tiny mistake, we could have been wandering around 
time-space-and-the-other forever?"

	"That would have been terrible!" Mihoshi chimed in.

	"Dammit, Washuu -- " Ryohko began.

	"Okay, okay," Washuu said, her gestures indicative of Apology mixed with 
Impatience for Minor Quibbles. "So I was only 99.9998 percent sure. I got 
you where you're supposed to be, didn't I? Certainties are boring."

	Everyone sighed. It was probably hopeless to try to convince Washuu that 
"May you live in interesting times" was a galaxy-wide-known *curse*.

	Tenchi pushed his way through the group until he was looking down at 
Sasami's face and Washuu. 

	"Washuu-chan," he said, "I'd like you to tell me exactly when and where 
my mother's going to... disappear."

	"That's a bit of a problem," Washuu said.

	The glasses-screens dissolved into static.