Sasami's Problem
Sasami's Problem
A Tenchi fanfic by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
January 14, 2001
Tenchi doesn’t belong to me, but to Hiroki Hayashi, Masaki Kajishima, AIC and Pioneer. This fic was written to make you smile, not for commercial purposes.
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The first time it happened, Sasami was curious. The mail arrived, and in among the bills and the advertisements and the love letters the other girls in the house mailed to Tenchi every day was a small box. It was addressed to RyoOhki. She put the rest of the mail on the hall table and went in search of the cabbit.
"RyoOhki! You got mail!" The cabbit came running across the room to her. She stopped at Sasami's feet and got up on her hind legs, resting her forepaws on Sasami's kimono.
"Miya!"
Sasami knelt down and ripped the paper off of the package. She opened the small box and pulled out whatever was inside, which was well-wrapped in tissue paper. "What on earth?" she asked as she revealed a small brooch. It was a pair of carrots, totally covered in small orange rhinestones.
The cabbit looked at the brooch and miyaed happily. Then she took it in her mouth and dropped it back in Sasami's hand.
"But it's yours, RyoOhki. You can wear it when you're in human form."
The cabbit flew out of the room and came back seconds later looking less like a cabbit and more like a little girl. She smiled happily as Sasami pinned the carrot brooch to her kimono.
"You look very nice."
*****
Although Sasami asked a few discreet questions of the other residents of the Masaki household, she was unable to determine who had purchased a gift for RyoOhki. She then forgot about it.
About a week later it happened again. A package arrived addressed to RyoOhki. This time it was bigger.
The cabbit looked over Sasami's shoulder as she unpacked a tea set. The teapot was of fine china, pure white except for the carrots that decorated its edges all the way around. The handle was a carrot, and there was one small carrot on each teacup.
"How cute! Let's make tea!"
RyoOhki purred happily.
Sasami sipped her tea while watching everyone else in the room. No one seemed to notice that she was using a new tea set.
*****
Two days later several boxes arrived. Sasami unpacked a clock that immediately went into use in the kitchen. It had large numerals, and hands that were one long carrot, and one short one. There was also a quilt covered with appliqued carrots, and a couple of throw pillows that were large stuffed carrots.
"Do you want me to set up a bed for you, RyoOhki?"
"Miya!"
Sasami asked permission of Washu to set up a small bedroom downstairs in the laboratory. She carried a small futon to the room, and made it up with the carrot quilt and pillows. The cabbit jumped onto the bed, curled into a ball, and settled down for a nap.
"Do you like having your own room?"
The cabbit murmured a soft "miya" before drifting off.
[I wish she could say more than that,] thought Sasami as she walked up the stairs. [I also wish I knew what was going on.]
*****
Days passed, and as they did the packages came more and more frequently. RyoOhki's new room became inhabited by plush rabbits holding plush carrots, boxes of carrot-flavored Pocky, and even a genuine carrot-shaped Limoges jewelry box with a hinged lid.
Sasami began to regret that she hadn't told anyone else in the house what was going on. When the velvet collar with the 14-karat gold carrot suspended from it arrived, she began to worry. She took the cabbit in her arms and went to see Tenchi.
"And you see," she concluded. "I just thought it was somebody here who was sending her presents, but I don't think any of you can afford to get so many fancy things for a little cabbit."
Tenchi scratched his head. "Do you feel okay, Sasami? Or are you playing a trick on me?"
Sasami got indignant. She grabbed Tenchi's hand and dragged him downstairs, watching in satisfaction as his jaw dropped.
The room looked like a shrine to carrots. There were carrot throw rugs, and framed pictures of carrots, and boxes of carrot-shaped candies. There was even a night light plugged into the wall that shone a bright orange glow onto the room.
"You weren't kidding!" Tenchi stared at Sasami and took the cabbit out of her arms. "Where are these things coming from?"
"Miya!"
"Well, I guess that was a stupid question."
*****
Sasami couldn't sleep that night. If nobody at the house was giving RyoOhki those gifts, that meant somebody else was. Who was that somebody else? Could it be that other cabbit, KenOhki? Was he trying to take her friend away?
Sleep was impossible, so Sasami put on her bathrobe and crept downstairs. There was a chocolate cake in the pantry that was calling her name. As she walked downstairs, Sasami noticed that there was a light coming from the direction of the den, and went to investigate.
RyoOhki was in little girl form, and was seated at the computer. Her fingers tapped away at the keys, and the screen's images kept changing.
[RyoOhki can use the computer?] Sasami asked herself. [Well why not. She's pretty smart.] She approached slowly, trying not to make noise. Then she stopped and stared.
Nobody was buying RyoOhki gifts. She was getting them for herself.
"RyoOhki, how long have you been shopping on Ebay?"
"Miya!" RyoOhki gave Sasami her best "innocent" look.
"I'm not falling for it. You've been bidding on all this stuff?"
"Miya!"
That made sense. Sasami scrolled down the page, and realized that it was "page one of six". She had no idea that many carrot-related items even existed, let alone that they'd be available on Ebay. Then another thought struck her.
"RyoOhki, how are you paying for these?"
The cabbit hesitated, and then pressed a few keys. Displayed on the screen was a charge form, showing a Visa account assigned to one "RyoOhki Masaki".
Sasami thought of all the items currently downstairs in RyoOhki's room, and wondered how many more were on the way.
"Oh my goodness."