"Iffy's Gift"

[Zigra]

Forward note: This is a semi-sequel to my last story, "Heart and Soul". It involves characters from the anime "Mamotte Shugogetten". If any of you are familiar with that anime, I should note that this story picks up where the next-to-last episode leaves off and ignores the final episode. With that out of the way, on with the story.....


Ifurita was puzzled as she looked at the small box before her. After her reunion with Sasami and everybody else, Sasami had given Ifurita this as a gift to celebrate. After giving Ifurita the box, Sasami told everybody else that they should give Ifurita some alone time to look over whatever was inside, which only made Ifurita extremely curious as to what the item was.
Deciding that sitting there and pondering it wasn't going to do any good, she finally opened the box. Inside was a small purple circlet. It was very nice looking, though Ifurita still wondered why Sasami wanted her to have some alone time with this item. She then picked up a note from Sasami which was inside the box. Written in the language that Ifurita learned was Japanese, Sasami explained that the item was a special artifact called the Shitenrin of which only the purest of heart could summon the power of and how she knows Ifurita will cherish what the Shitenrin brings her.
Made all the more curious, Ifurita picked up the circlet. Before she knew it, something that looked like an inky cloud formed inside of the circlet, and then a beam of light shot up from it, causing her to drop the circlet in surprise. As she watched on, a shape began to rise up from the circlet in the beam of light. The light faded, and Ifurita now gazed in silence at what stood before her. A young (or young looking) girl. The girl had long light purple hair with a pair of twin bangs that stood upright in the middle. Her face was very soft and delicate looking, giving Ifurita an impression vaguely similar to what she gets when she sees Sasami. The girl wore an unusual multi-colored dress and sandals which Ifurita's look into Sasami and Makoto's memories identified as Chinese in style. The girl held her hands together and had her eyes closed as if she was in a state of prayer. Then eyes opened to reveal a brilliant pair of baby blues that Ifurita found oddly familiar. Comparing her again to Sasami/Tsunami, this girl was all in all the cutest girl Ifurita had seen since she first met Tsunami.
"I'm am glad to meet you, Master." the girl said with a soft voice and and a smile, though Ifurita detected a hint of sadness behind it all.
A sudden realization about what this girl said hit Ifurita, and she remembered her own experiences with people she herself called "Master".
"No, no," Ifurita said, "I'm nobody's master. Please, whoever you are, call me Ifurita."
"Ifurita." the girl replied, "Such a pretty name."
The girl then walked over to Ifurita and then clasped her hands with Ifurita's own.
"My name is Shaorin. I am a Shugogetten. Please, call me Shao."
"Shaorin? Shugogetten?"
"Yes, I am a moon goddess."
The girl then walked over to the window and looked up at the moon showing in the evening sky.
"Like the moon in the sky, I will never leave your side."
Shao then looked back at Ifurita with a cheerful smile.
"I am here to protect you." she explained.
Ifurita was stunned. This girl was for Ifurita's protection? Why would she need protection when she was already powerful enough to destroy an entire countryside? There must have been some other reason Sasami was trying to introduce this girl to her, though Ifurita couldn't figure out what.
Before Ifurita could inquire about Shao's purpose further, they heard a knock at the front door.....

                                                          * * *

Amane Kaunaq had reached her destination.
"So, this is the Masaki residence?" she said to herself.
Amane was here to give a Galaxy Police application to the boy known as Tenchi Masaki. Tenchi was reputed to have some special power that enabled him to defeat the notorious space pirate Kagato, and the GP was very interested in recruiting him.
Amane knocked on the front door....

                                                       * * *

Before Ifurita could say anything, Shao was in front of her.
"Don't worry, I will see who is at the door!" Shao announced.
Ifurita wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let this strange girl answer the door, but Shao was insistent.
When Shao opened the door, the sight before her horrified her. Standing at the door was some hideous yellow haired ape monster. The grotesque creature was obviously here to harm Shao's new master, Shao realized.
"Umm, hello?" Amane said to the girl giving her an unusual look.
Shao raised her hands in the air.
"Heaven, reveal thineself! Stars, come unto me!" the goddess called out.
The Shitenrin appeared before Shao, and she held it out in front of her.
"Rairai! Shaki!"
A light appeared from the Shitenrin, and before Amane could react, a bunch of tiny people came out of it. Some of them were piloting these weird tank-like vehicles with satellite dish-like protections at the end of them. Amane then heard what sounded like a rousing military march somewhere in the background which confused her further.
"Shaki, protect our master!" Shao called out to the little people.
From the weird tanks the little people fired some sort of blue laser beams. Amane reeled in pain as the beams hit her. They pummeled her repeatedly. Having no way to defend herself, Amane tried to run for it, with the Shaki following her close behind in their maser tanks. Having nowhere to go, Amane tried to dive into the nearby lake, not realizing that more of the little people had already been ahead of her, planting charges in the water. When Amane hit the surface she got a nasty surprise as a massive amount of electricity coursed through her body. Then it was over, and she lie limp on the water surface.
Ifurita came to the doorway to see what the commotion was about. When she got there, Shaorin then ran to her and gave her a hug.
"Oh, I'm so glad!" Shao cried out, "You are safe now! I will never let anything harm you!"
Ifurita wasn't sure what the moon goddess was talking about, but a feeling of warmth came over her as she felt Shao's embrace.
"Come on, Shao, let me take you aboard Tsunami so I can get to know you better."

                                                                 * * *

Amane continued to lie limp on the lake surface, having no idea what just hit her.
"Don't.....mind.....me...."

                                                            * * *

"So, when are you going to tell them?" Tenchi asked Sasami as the two of them sat in the bath.
"Well, I kinda wanted them to get to know each other first before I revealed the surprise."
Sasami then took a more serious tone.
"Bron and I have been very worried about Little Shao lately. She's been very down. Something happened between her and her latest master, and she won't open up about it, even to me. I haven't seen her this sad since the time that little girl she was trying to protect was killed. I think that finally meeting Ifurita will be just the thing to get her spirits up again, as she's been wanting to see her for so long."
"I hope you're right." Tenchi said, "Shao is such a sweet girl. It's something that she gets from her mother."
Sasami smiled as she moved closer to Tenchi and rested her head on his shoulders.

                                                              * * *

Ifurita wanted to guide Shaorin to the teleportation pad that beams people to Tsunami, but Shao already knew her way there, oddly enough. Even stranger, when they got aboard Tsunami, Shao knew her way around there better than Ifurita did. Apparently the moon goddess was no stranger to the place.
As they came to Ifurita's room, Ifurita stepped in first when Shao opened the door for her (though Ifurita felt that Shao didn't really need to do that sort of thing for her). When Ifurita went in, Shao caught a glimpse of something from Ifurita's backside that struck her like a brick.
'Could she be?' Shao thought to herself, 'Could she really be the one?'
Ifurita sat down on her bed, and motioned for Shao to sit down with her.
"So, tell me, Shao, how do you know this place so well?"
Shao paused for a moment. Ifurita noticed that Shao had suddenly become more nervous, though she couldn't guess at why.
"Well, ummm," the goddess tried to spit out, "my.....my mother lives here."
This took Ifurita by surprise.
"Your mother lives here? Could she be.....one of Sasami's wives?"
"Not exactly." Shao answered.
Shao thought about how she should proceed, and then the answer came to her. She stood up and then looked out the window.
"When.....when I was born, I had the powers of a goddess." Shao explained, "I always wanted to be a goddess just like my birth mother. You see, I actually have two mothers. I've wanted to meet my second mother for so long. When I decided to fill the role of a goddess, I decided to become a Shugogetten, a moon goddess. Would you like to know why?"
"Why is that?" Ifurita asked, not sure where this was going.
"Because my birth mother told me that my second mother had the greatest moon in the multiverse."
Ifurita's eyes widened with realization.
"You mean you're....?"
Tears swelled up in Shao's eyes as she ran towards Ifurita and embraced her.
"Welcome home, Mommy!" Shao cried out.
Tears then began to swell up in Ifurita's eyes as she put her arms around her newly found daughter.
Sasami, able to see all that goes on in Tsunami-fune smiled.
"I guess I won't have to tell them after all." she said.

                                            * * *

For what seemed like a blissful eternity, Ifurita held lie on the bed with her daughter in her arms. For a long time they were silent, simply enjoying one another's embrace. Ifurita marveled at just how soft this small girl was, much like her birth mother was all those years ago.
For the second time in a day Ifurita learned that she was a mother to a child she had not known.
First, she was introduced to Anata, a daughter she conceived during her brief time with Alielle. And now she discovered that this adorable goddess who was presented like a gift to her was her daughter with Sasami from the time she spent with Sasami during her brief awakening all those years ago. Seeing how she was intimate with other women, Ifurita wondered if there were more surprises in store for her. Did Tsunami and Misaki also bear her children after that night?
Then, Ifurita took notice of something. Shaorin was quietly crying, and Ifurita sensed that they weren't tears of joy.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?"
"Mama, I....I don't know how much longer I can stay with you."
"What do you mean?"
"It is my duty as a Shugogetten to protect my master. But, I must never get close to my master, because my time with them is always fleeting to an immortal goddess like me, and I'm worried that I'll have to part ways with you just like....."
"Go on, sweetie, tell me what happened."
"During my time as a Shugogetten, I performed my duties on the Earth of an alternate universe. While only a couple decades have passed on this world since my birth, my time of service in that other Earth lasted for over a thousand years. I served many masters over the centuries, but last one was different. His name was Tasuke. At first he was like any other master of mine, but as I began to spend more time with him, I began to have.....feelings. Feelings I didn't understand."
'So,' Ifurita thought, 'she fell in love'
"However," Shao went on, "my guardian, the star god Nankyuko-Jusei, intervened and told me that these feelings were forbidden to a Shugogetten. He then had me leave Tasuke-sama, and I've been feeling sad ever since."
"So that's it." came a familar voice from another corner of the room
Ifurita and Shao weren't too surprised to see Sasami appear before them, knowing that she could hear all within Tsunami-fune.
"I'm very sorry that you went through that, Shao." Sasami said, "But I want you to know that we all stand by you no matter what happens, and we'll always be there to help you through any trouble."
"Now," Sasami went on, "I've got a bone to pick with a certain somebody....."
Sasami put out both her hands, and the Shitenrin appeared before her.
"Come out here right now!" she yelled into it, "You've got some explaining to do!"
A beam of light appeared from the circlet, and up from the light came a dwarfish old man with a long white beard carrying a cane and dressed like somebody's garden gnome.
"Tsunami, umm, this is a pleasant surp...." the old man tried to spit out.
"For now you will address me as Sasami, Shao's mother. As you can probably guess, I'm very displeased with you right now. I didn't entrust my little girl into your care so she could be your slave or so you could stifle her feelings. I wanted her to grow into her role as a goddess."
"But, you see, my Lady, a love between a goddess and a mortal would never work because...." Jusei tried to explain.
"Because an immortal like her will outlive him." Ifurita answered, "We've heard that excuse before, and it's ridiculous. My own dealings with deities have told me that they can easily grant immortality to a mortal. And even if they didn't, that mortal's spirit can be with the deity in whatever afterlife they provide."
"So, in other words..." Sasami added.
Sasami and Ifurita then proceeded to grab Jusei by his collar
"DON'T BE A MEANIE TO OUR LITTLE SHAO!!!" the two women shouted at the old man in a scene that would make Misaki very proud.
Shaorin was stunned. For most of her existence, she had been the one to protect and fight on the behalf of others. But now she was the one who was being protected and fought for. An overwhelming feeling took her, a feeling much like what she felt for Tasuke, only greater. And, for the first time, she believed that she understood it.
"Now, Shao," Ifurita said as she and Sasami dropped Jusei to the floor, "Sasami and I have the power to visit other universes. Would you like us to take you to Tasuke?"
Shaorin thought about it for a moment.
"Yes," the moon goddess answered, "I would like to see Tasuke. I have something to tell him."
Ifurita and Sasami nodded at each other, and the preparations were made.

                                                           * * *

Ifurita was pleasantly surprised. From what she knew of the Earth in Sasami's universe, this alternate Earth didn't seem that different. Sasami explained to her that there are countless alternate realities like these, and although many of them seem alike, they can also be very different in unexpected ways (Sasami then promised to someday take Ifurita to some place called the "Pretty Sammy" universe just to see what she means about those differences).
Shaorin took her mothers on a ride on the back of a cute dragon creature named Kenen before they arrived at Tasuke's house. It was a pretty normal looking house like any you'd see in a Japanese suburb and did not give any hint at the craziness that abounded during the time Shao spent there.
Shaorin knocked on the door, and it wasn't long before there was an answer. The boy was very handsome, both Ifurita and Sasami thought, and reminded them both a little bit of a brown-haired Makoto. For the first few seconds after he opened the door, they saw sadness in his eyes, but that completely left him upon the sight of Shaorin.
"Hello, Tasuke-sama." the moon goddess greeted the boy.
Before saying anything, Tasuke ran over and put his arms around Shaorin.
"Shao! I've missed you so much!"
Tasuke then caught sight of the two women standing behind Shaorin.
"Tasuke-sama, I would like you to meet Sasami and Ifurita. They are my mothers."
For a moment Tasuke was confused about Shao having two mothers, but the strangeness that Shao had previously brought into his life combined with his happiness to see her again, he took it in stride.
"Can we come in?" Sasami asked with a smile, and Tasuke obliged.

                                               * * *

They all had a seat in the living room after Sasami made everybody tea (leading Tasuke to realize where Shao got her food and drink prep skills from). Shao was uncertain for a few moments before speaking up.
"Tasuke-sama, there is something I wish to say."
"You can tell me anything you want, Shao." he replied.
"When it was my duty to protect you, I began having feelings whenever I was around you. I didn't know what these feelings were. My heart would beat faster, and I would get a queasy feeling in my stomach. But yet somehow I liked it. I think I understand what this emotion was now."
She paused for a moment before she thought of what to say next.
"But, I also understand now that you were not the first to give me these feelings. I had them long ago when I was younger. I would feel them when I was with my birth mother, Sasami, and I would feel them whenever I thought about my second mother, Ifurita, when I anticipated the day I would get to meet her. So, you see, while I felt something for you, Tasuke-sama, the ones I really loved were my mothers and they are the ones I want to be with for the rest of eternity."
Sasami and Ifurita looked at their daughter with wide eyes while Tasuke took in what Shao told him.
"I understand, Shao." Tasuke told her, which further surprised Sasami and Ifurita, "You see, all this time you had been looking out for me, I always wished I could do the same for you. Really, I just want to see you happy, and I was never sure that I could make you happy. If your mothers can do that for you, then I'm glad. It would be my greatest wish to see you taken care of the way you took care of me for so long."
Shao and Tasuke stood up, and she gave him a big hug.
"Taskue-sama, I will always treasure the time I spent with you and everybody else in this world."
Shaorin then handed Tasuke the Shitenrin.
"If you ever need me," she said, "you can summon me anytime you like."
"Thank you for everything, Shao." Tasuke said.
  Tasuke then looked at Ifurita and Sasami.
"Please take good care of her. She deserves the best." he told them
They looked at each other and smiled, though Ifurita did so with a bit of uncertainty.

                                                     * * *

The three women returned to their universe and to Tsunami-fune. They relaxed on one of the many beaches inside Tsunami's pocket dimension and discussed what had just unfolded.
"So, was this all for nothing?" Ifurita asked Sasami.
"No. She needed to have that talk with Tasuke to let him, and us, know how she really felt."
"Besides," Sasami went on with a sly smile, "you can't tell me that you don't feel the same way about her in return."
Ifurita blushed a bit as Shaorin approached them both.
"Mama-Ifurita, Mama-Sasami, I....." Shao tried to say, her face bright red.
"What is it, Sweetie?" Sasami asked.
"I.....I still don't know much about how love works. But, I want....I want you both to show me love the way you showed each other love. And......I want....I want you both to give me a child some day, just like how you both brought me into the world."
The two women gestured for Shao to come to them, and when she did so they each put their arms around her and each gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Someday," Ifurita said, "someday soon".

                                                            EN......

"HOLD ON!" Ruuan shouted, breaking through the END sign.
"The story can't end like this!" she declared, "You can't leave me in the dust! If Shaorin isn't going to take Ta-sama, then why can't I have him instead?"
"Oh, you poor thing!" came a voice from behind her.
Ruuan turned around to see a young girl with long dark purple hair and stunning beauty giving her a damnable smile.
"Who are you?" Ruuan asked the girl impatiently.
"Somebody who cares." Mikako explained, "And I certainly feel your agony over not getting to be with one you love. And you aren't alone. There is a guy I know who has been searching tirelessly for the right woman to love, and I think you would be the perfect match for him."
"Who...who is this individual?" Ruuan asked nervously, sensing something wrong.
"Meow! She is beautiful!" a voice cried out.
Ruuan turned around again. Her jaw dropped as she saw what stood before her- a gigantic white cat that stood taller than the average human
"Wha....what is this??!!" Ruuan cried out.
"This will be your new fiance'." Mikako said, never breaking her smile "Seeing as you are back to liking cats again, I thought Maomolin here would be the perfect man for you."
"That's not the way that I like cats!" Ruuan yelled, "And what does a stranger like you even know about that incident anyway!"
Before Ruuan could say anything else, Maomolin picked her up and began to carry her off.
"We need to get to the church right away, meow! We'll be late for our wedding, meow!"
As the ghost cat carried a protesting Ruuan away, a tear appeared in Mikako's eye.
"I love happy endings!"


                                                        END