Tenchi Muyo! in the World

おことわり

This day, too she was crying in her bed wishing to go back home.
'- One-chan*. Hey, one-chan,' a voice came into the room.
'-Ah?' Funaho raised her head and found a little girl looking into her face.
'Hey, one-chan. Why are you crying?'
The girl having her blue hair wrapped up behind her looked similar to Funaho's young sister.
'You are - ?'
'Hey, (sigh). -Why are you crying? Does your stomach ache?' empathizing with Funaho, tears appeared in Misaki's eyes who was looking into her. Watching her, Funaho recovered her kindness and smiled at to the little girl.
This was the first meeting of Funaho and Misaki, who were to be said more close than real sisters.

'They say that I'm going to be Azusa-chan's first mate,' sitting beside Funaho, Misaki showed a cute smile and spoke to her.
'Then you should be Misaki-chan.'
'Yes.'
'My name is Funaho. Nice to meet you.'
'I know. You are going to be the first queen too, aren't you? Just the same as Misaki.'
The first and the second, that was the main point of the matter, but for Misaki it seemed that queens are all first queens. Such simple thoughts of Misaki made Funaho's heart light.
'By the way, Misaki-chan, how did you get into this room? I didn't feel the door was opened.'
'From here,' saying to Funaho, Misaki got down from the bed and walked up besides the window with her small feet and jumped on the window frame.
'Wa- wait a second, Misaki-chan?' getting worried to what she is going to try next, Funaho called for her.
'Ha!' crying out, Misaki disappeared.
'Nooooo! Misaki-chan!!' screaming in terror, Funaho rushed up to the window. As a candidate for Azusa's wife, Funaho's room was located at the top area of the Jurai imperial palace. Looking down from the window, Funaho was going to faint.
'One-chan. I'm here.' A voice was heard, and Funaho found Misaki waving her hand from the window above.
'Be careful, Misaki-chan. Don't move. I'll call for someone,' she called for her.
'It's ok.' And Misaki disappeared from the window and appeared in front of Funaho again. 'See?'
'You are like a monkey-.'
'I'm not a monkey. Ha ha ha ha.'
To Misaki's innocent laugh, Funaho herself began to laugh, too.

A few minuets later, informed by the maid who heard their laughter, Seto came to the room. 'Excuse me, Funaho-dono.'
'Oh, Mother!' Misaki showed a delightful face where Seto looked back to her in a rather strict face. Seto usually had a bit keen face, but Funaho thought she had done something wrong and tightened her self.
'Please accept my apology, Funaho-dono. I am sorry my daughter has interrupted you.'
'Er-, not at all,' not knowing how to answer, Funaho replied in a dusty answer.
'So, I know you came in from the window, didn't you!?' Seto said facing Misaki.
'Yea. One-chan said that I was like a monkey,' Misaki answered in cheerful smile.
'Mo-nkey?' Seto looked back Funaho, who blushed listening to it.
Seto didn't know exactly what the word 'monkey' meant but figured out what she wanted to say, she gave a big laugh.
'HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'
Watching Seto laugh in a similar face as Misaki, Funaho found that she must be the person whom Azusa called as a 'grimalkin' and felt at ease.
'HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'
'HmmmHAHAHAHAHA!' Misaki laughed out, too.
'HAhAhAhAhAhA, this is good………of course not!' suddenly returning to a strict face, Seto began to spank Misaki. 'You rolled up Mama** and entered someone's room who you've never met before, from a window! Oh you naughty girl!.'
'Ouch, ouch! Mother!'
'..Oh, Seto-sama please do not scold her so much. She really made me-.'
Facing Funaho, Seto found out her situation she is facing and how she was feeling. Showing a smile, Seto lay down Misaki on the floor and said,
'Out of consideration of Funaho-dono's wish, I will stop around here this time.'
'Muuu….,' Misaki looked up her mother filling her eyes with tears and turning down her mouth, but Seto neglected her and said to Funaho.
'-Oh, by the way ,this is the first time we talked like this, is it not?'
'Ye, yes. But I have heard about you from Azusa-sama.'
'…… Grimalkin.'
'What?' Funaho asked her in surprise.
'Did Azusa-chan not call me like that?
'Oh, er-. But, though he said so he looked happy in someway when he was talking about you and …. Oh!' saying so Funaho found that she admitted that Azusa had called her so.
'Phhhh..Hahahaha. You really are honest and nice,' laughing out Seto hugged Funaho.
'…. I- I am sorry,' Funaho apologized to her but this made Seto laugh more loudly.
'Ahhhhh! Mother, it's not fair! Misaki, too!' feeling kept aside, Misaki cut into Seto and Funaho.
For Funaho, this was the first time feeling comfortable since she came to Jurai, except meeting with Azusa.

Since then, Misaki began to visit Funaho very often to play.

* One-chan: Means 'elder sister' in Japanese. We call our elder sister this way always and not in names. Just like Sasami calling Aeka as 'One-sama' or Ryoko, Mihoshi, Wasyu and Tenchi as 'Ryoko one-chan', 'Mioshi one-chan', 'Washyu one-chan' and 'Tenchi oni-chan'. (oni-chan means elder brother.)
** Mama: Not French. As you all well know it is the name of the lady who also was looking after Sasami(OVA 9).