Introduction and Disclaimer

Part two cometh, and with it…more angst for Tokimi.

I'm feeling a little mean, actually, writing this story. She's become so sweet, somehow, I feel really bad getting her all upset. But hopefully it's all in a good cause. As with part one, this story is focused very much on Washu, Tokimi and their Kii ancestry/heritage. It's also likely to be the last Tenchi story I write for a bit – though I have two other particular ideas floating around, I'm not sure if or when I will consign them to digitalia. With Yuzuha and Mayuka used, I've run out of original Tenchi villains, and it's always best to quit while ahead ;) Though I'm in no way afraid of using OC characters or the challenge of integrating them into this continuity, I'd really rather not go too far along those lines if I can help it!!

As I said, if I get my head around the two vague ideas I have buzzing, then you'll see them uploaded also. But one at least will be different in a lot of ways, and may not be to everyone's taste. (There, don't say you weren't warned in advance…) And I won't make any guarantee of timescale...just watch this space :)
(Hopefully the ending of this fic won't drive too many people too crazy!!)

As ever, this story - like with all my others - operates on a Tenchi Universe foundation (not an OVA one). This means that any ideas included from other timelines/continuity are at my own discretion and characters imported are likewise open to my own interpretation. The butchered Jurai royal family still exists (although shall play no part in this tale, I think) and in other respects, all rules of time, law, age, space and communication are based only on what information is given us in Tenchi Universe (and it's subsequent movies) and my own developments on that theme.

Not much else to say about this story, except to spare you more of my inane ramblings about language!

Usual legal regs, etc ;)

Synopsis

Tenchi and his search party have reached the mysterious hidden planet at last, but as they land, they realise that it bears a startling, disturbing resemblance to the lost planet Kihaku. Convinced she has returned to her homeworld, Tokimi is still fighting against her memories and in a fit of panic she heads off to find her sister, leaving Seiryo frantically trying to ensure her safety as Yuzuha seeks to rid the universe of the last of the Kii.

Meanwhile, Washu has been backed into accepting the coronet of being Rikishouki's revolutionary Priestess - but the decision may cost her her life, her friendships and the life she has created for herself on planet Earth. With her father's memory looming large in her mind, Washu knows she can't abandon her people a second time - but at what cost?

EAGLE'S PRAYER: PART TWO
A Tenchi Muyo! FANFICTION

By

VRAIEESPRIT

Chapter One
The Planet Kihaku
Several Milennia Earlier

The storms still raged around Kihaku.


As the rain pelted down around her, a solitary figure stood in the dimming light of the evening, gazing at her surroundings with impassive, empty eyes. People hurried in every direction, hastening to get to shelter before the lightning racked the sky once more, and nobody noticed the cloaked, huddled figure as she leant up against the trunk of a splintered tree.

To her eyes, this world was already a dead one. Trapped in the ritual of superstition and routine, it was cold to her and somehow she knew it always had been. In her desire to know all, and learn all, she had severed her bonds with this place and its native, heathen calling.

"I would have gone long ago, if I had known how." She murmured, turning her back on the harried villagers as she made her way purposefully down the hill towards the largest and most sturdy of the Settlers' many domes. "Perhaps I should have done, in hindsight. Perhaps I should have left Kihaku, when I told Tokimi I wasn't coming back home. Then, at least, I'd never have disappointed her. Or rather, I'd never have had to have seen her disappointment."

She faltered, glancing upwards as at length the thunder came, light splitting the sky and illuminating the earth as bright as daylight.

"This is the legacy of the Hakubi, to let anger rule and rule supreme." She muttered. "Tokimi is my father's daughter more than I will ever be. We have parted ways forever now, my sister. You have made your choice, and I mine. I cannot stay on Kihaku – not now. This is no longer my home."

At this moment she reached the foot of the hill, approaching the wall of the domed structure with a mixture of caution and wary hesitation. There were guards at post all around the construction, and she frowned, narrowing her eyes as she gauged her chances of breaking in. Then, at length, she shook her head.

"I will not stoop to that. Not yet. Not until I've exhausted other methods." She murmured. "I need their goodwill – and I hope, their help. This world of theirs – this Jurai – I want to see it. It and many more places. Jurai has creations beyond my wildest imaginings, and I need to know more about the things that science can achieve. I've learnt a lot, from my own study, but it isn't enough. Not any more. I need to learn from these people – and for that, I need their trust."

"Where are you going, maiden?"


A guardsman barred her way, speaking in rough, badly pronounced Kii, and she stopped, meeting his hostile gaze with a level one of her own. She held up her hands, knowing that with her thick red hair swathed in fabric, there was nothing to distinguish her as a child of the Hakubi.

"I seek an audience with Lord Tennan, sir." She said, speaking slowly and carefully in the words of the Settler people. At her response, the man looked taken aback, staring at her with undisguised astonishment.

"You are a native, wench! Yet you speak the language of Jurai – how is this possible?"


"Appearances can be deceiving." The girl said simply. "I have forsaken this world and its suffocating ritual of superstition and myth. I wish to be of service to Lord Tennan and his people, in any way that I can."

The guard's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to be sizing her up, eying her carefully as she boldly met his gaze.

"How are you called?" He demanded abruptly. "It's no secret that my Lord Tennan has plans to leave Kihaku, and that he has extended his reach to taking with him any Kii native who can prove themselves worth his time and effort. He seeks to return to his Emperor within a few days – but I warn you, he is not an easy man to satisfy. He seeks only those who can provide him with information and service – and few of your people have even the basic skills to please a man of Jurai."

"I wish to see him anyway, if you don't mind." The woman said softly. "And they call me Washu, sir."


"Washu?"

"Yes."

"Just Washu?"

"Just Washu." Washu nodded her head. "Washu of Kihaku, if it so pleases you."

The guard's eyes narrowed, and he muttered something under his breath. Washu's sharp ears caught the end of it, clenching her fists beneath her heavy cloak as she heard the words 'savage culture". Her patience bore fruit, however, for he nodded his head, reaching out to take her abruptly by the arm.

"Then come with me to my Lord Tennan." He said brusquely. "But be aware, Washu of Kihaku, that my master does not like his time being wasted. If you should not be of use to him…"


"I am willing to take that chance." Washu said evenly. "I have nothing left here, after all. No family. No roots. No reason to stay on Kihaku."

She spread her hands, running her finger absently over the space where she had once worn sacred rings denoting her tribe.

"No identity, either." She added softly. "As you see, I bear no tribal insignia. I am one alone, sir. Therefore, I will take my chances with your honoured master – and hope that, in some small way, I might be of service to him."

"Then follow me." The man returned. "And keep up – the tunnels are long and winding and if you are found here alone, you will be killed on sight. You may not bear tribal rings, Washu of Kihaku, but you are still a native and your presence here without supervision may be misconstrued."

Washu did not respond, instead turning to glance around her at the brightly lit hallways that led deeper and deeper into what her father had called enemy territory. At length they reached a larger door, and with a sharp instruction to "stay there", the guard disappeared inside, presumably to speak to his master on a more direct basis. Now alone, Washu took the opportunity to absorb her surroundings in more detail, noting the many carvings of trees that lined the walls.

"Trees again. Always trees." She murmured. "It sits so at odds with a world like this. The Tsunami-goddess they all believe in is almost as heathen and superstitious as my father's faith in the Eagle of Kihaku. And yet…and yet…"


She faltered, taking in the bright, white-beam lights that lit the outer chamber, and she sighed.

"No torches in sconces." She acknowledged. "Technology and faith sit side by side on this world. Why could it not have been that way for us too, Father? You died because you sought to prevent it…why would you not trust these people, and learn from the things they know? They came to invade our world, true enough, but is it really invasion if they bring with them knowledge and techniques that might one day have benefited our people?"

"Woman, you may enter."


The guard's voice interrupted her musings at that juncture and she turned, offering him a respectful smile as she bowed her head.

"Yes, sir. Thank you. Your kindness is appreciated." She said softly. The guard eyed her for a moment, then pushed back the door, ushering her inside.

"Do not keep my Lord Tennan waiting, and do not waste his time." He said, in a voice which told her that it would not just be she who was punished, should she fail to impress. "My Lord is not enamoured of your people, Washu of Kihaku. You'd do well to remember that, when addressing him."

He gave her a little shove, and Washu found herself in an immense chamber, hung with tapestries and decorated with ornate, elegant carvings from floor to ceiling. On the floor a carpet of rich burgundy softened and warmed the room, and more of the white-beam lights encircled the rounded walls, gleaming as brightly as the midday sun. For a moment, Washu faltered, transfixed by this obvious statement of wealth and means. Then she gathered herself, turning her gaze instead on the figure that awaited her.

She moved forward, pausing a few feet from his seat and dropping to the floor, bowing her head in reverence towards him.

"You are the Kii?" The man's tones were soft and smooth, and Washu raised her head, nodding slowly.

"Yes, sir. I am."

"I see." The man looked thoughtful, and he extended a long, weather-beaten finger, gesturing for her to stand. She did so, and for a moment his eyes roved over her, their malachite depths filled with the same curiosity as though he were regarding an exotic zoo exhibit. Washu stood still, inwardly indignant at his arrogance, but she bit her lip, unwilling to let her sharp, unguarded tongue speak out and endanger her chances of making an ally of this man. Instead she took her chance to size up her companion also, her green eyes flickering and impassive as she registered what sort of a person sat before her.

Senichi Tennan was in the latter stages of his life, and from the reading Washu had done, she knew that in Juraian years he was well towards the end of his second century. His curly hair, long, thick and with the sheen of health despite the whiteness of age was fastened back from his face in what Washu had heard termed a 'soldier's queue', and life and intelligence glittered in his teal gaze. Though he was elderly, Washu quickly surmised that there was nothing slow or senile about this man and that she had no doubt, should he wish to challenge or put an end to an opponent, his body would not let him down. He was robed in the finest of Juraian noble attire, an ornately engraved sword hilted at his waist, and Washu could make out the curves of the Tennan family crest on the buckle of his belt. This image she had seen before, on ships that had broken through Kihaku's atmosphere, and she knew that, back home on Jurai, Senichi was a rich, influential man with the ear of the Emperor. Such a man was not someone to cross, and Washu made another mental note to watch her tongue while in his presence. And yet, despite his obvious status and arrogance, somehow Washu sensed that there was more to this man than just military victory and the desire to conquer. Now, gazing at his wizened, lined face, she wondered how many of those lines had been caused by age and how many by worry – after all, she reasoned, why would one who had so ruthlessly pursued Kii domination for so long suddenly be interested in taking natives back with him, when he chose to leave?

"You are of what age, woman?" At length Senichi spoke, his words crisp and clear, and Washu jerked back to attention, offering the man a smile.

"Five and twenty summers, my Lord."


"Five and twenty." The man paused, rubbing his beard thoughtfully, then, "How is it you can speak our language?"

"I've striven to learn it, my Lord. That's all."


"The Kii study the words of Jurai in their classrooms, then?"


"No, sir. I fear we don't." Washu shook her head. "I took it upon myself to learn them, my Lord. Your planet – your culture – everything you have brought to Kihaku interests me. I've always known that there is a world outside this one, and your people have proven it to me. The ideas you have, the things you can do – I want so much to learn more about them. That is why I wanted to understand your language, my Lord Tennan. I wanted to know about Jurai, and learn from your developments."

"I see." Senichi's eyes narrowed, then, "You are unusual among your brethren, then. You would contradict the will of your own leader, in pursuit of these goals?"

"I already have done so, my Lord." Washu held up her hands, revealing once again her bare fingers. "I have abandoned my people, and turned my back on their ways. I do not wear the mark of my tribe, because I no longer have a tribe. My Lord, I have not been educated by Juraian experts nor have I had the benefit of seeing these scientific developments at first hand. But I am keen to learn, and I have studied hard in my own time. I know that you seek to take with you any Kii that you deem worthy of your time. I seek to prove to you that I am worthy of that time, Lord Tennan. In whatever way you require."

Senichi eyed her in surprise, and for a moment there was silence between them.

"Coming to Kihaku has marked the deaths of two of my masters already." He said quietly, his tones laced with a faint sadness. "It has also stolen from me the life of my Lady wife, since the harsh climate was too much for her to bear. I am returning to my homeland because I do not wish to follow her to death in this barren, heathen place. Your people are ill-suited to the advances and benefits of Jurai's overlordship, and they are not easily educated. I will pass the guardianship to a younger man, now, because my taste for this place has abandoned me over the passage of time. Your people…your people disgrace this world, woman. And yet, among their number I have found a few who have been able to look beyond the stranglehold of tradition and fear. Very few, true enough. But that there are some people on Kihaku who are capable of being more than tribal followers…this is why I have made my will known. Already those who travel with me have taken husbands or wives from the native folk, educating them and teaching them the way of Tsunami's people. Yet you come to me alone – unfettered, unattached, and with definite ideas beyond those your world decrees. You interest me, maiden. I confess, your words intrigue me."

"You flatter me, my Lord."

"No, I think you flatter me." Senichi's lips twitched with wry humour. "You may be that rare thing – a Kii with the requisite intelligence and dedication to overthrow her background and advance. That you would take it upon yourself to learn our language – and not only that, to speak it with confidence and clarity – that is a gesture worthy of Juraian recognition in itself."

He glanced at his hands, then,

"Many women in your position would seek other ways to entice a Lord's favour." He added frankly. "And I have no respect for the courtesan who only wishes to sell her body, without considering her mind. You've provided me with something I've not seen before. You are not like your brethren – not at all. I would know your name."

"Washu, sir. My name is Washu."


"Washu?" Senichi's eyes widened, and he pursed his lips. "I see. And your tribe, Washu?"

"As I already told you, my Lord, I have turned my back on my tribe."


"Yes, I recall." Senichi's eyes glittered with something Washu could not quite interpret, then he smiled.

"So it comes to this, then." He murmured, more to himself than anything else. "That the Priest's own daughter seeks solace and freedom from her father's ideals, and a new life away from the restraints of her world."


Horror flashed across Washu's expression at this, and Senichi laughed, reaching across to pluck the shawl from around her head. Thick waves of red hair cascaded across the girl's shoulders, and Senichi nodded, seemingly satisfied by what he saw.

"Yes, you are her all right." He mused. "I met your father on several occasions, and you bear his likeness in your face. You are Washu of the Hakubi, or am I mistaken?"


Washu bit her lip, gazing up at him as she tried to assess his demeanour. Then she sighed, inclining her head slightly.

"I was. I am no more." She said frankly. "My sister Tokimi has taken my father's crown, and I do not wish it back again. I turned my back on this world before my Father died, Lord Tennan. I have never sought to inherit the burdens he wished to place on me."

"And you would truly abandon all you have grown up around, in order to further pursue the path of knowledge?" Senichi asked lightly. Washu nodded her head again, all trace of uncertainty gone as she considered his question.

"Without a second thought, my Lord."She agreed gravely. "I told you, I am Washu of the Hakubi no more. I have chosen my own path – and I have chosen this."

Senichi smiled, this time a genuine smile that lit up his features and he reached across to grasp her hand in his. He squeezed it for a moment, then released it, and Washu stared at him, uncomprehending.

"You shall have your wish, Washu." He said softly. "I will indeed take you home to Jurai with me. And in return, you can furnish me and mine with records about your people and their strange, savage culture. I must know more about these wild folk who seek to kill my Emperors and who will spill their own blood recklessly in order to spread our own. I'm an old man – I've seen many campaigns, and taken many worlds in Jurai's name. But never have I experienced a planet such as this one – never have I seen such violent, vehement hatred rise up from the core of the very population."

"The core of Kihaku is the source of that vehemence, my Lord." Washu said simply. "So long as the Priest is angry, so will the World be. It is the way of Kihaku – it always has been so."

"And Jurai cannot subjugate this people by slaying its Priest?"

"No." Washu shook her head. "The World will always exist, whether or not there is a Priest or Priestess to tame it. Such is the fate of my tribe, to be bound to this place for the whole of our lifetime. Now you know why I so wish to escape it, Lord Tennan. No matter what you and your people do, no matter how hard you fight, you will never break the will of the World. More people – many more people will die so long as the World is upset."

She sighed.

"It may already be too late." She added. "Darkness has already fallen over Kihaku…anger already dominates its core. I seek to leave here, and soon, my Lord, because I don't want to be caught up in the aftermath of its self-destruction."

"You speak plainly." Senichi acknowledged. "Very well. I am an old man, it's true, but age brings experience and judgement, and I have never yet failed to judge someone else's character aright. I believe your words, Washu, and I will keep my word to you, if you keep yours to me."

"I will do whatever is required of me, my Lord." Washu bent her head. "But sir, if you would not speak of my true roots again…"


She faltered, then,

"I will be adjudged as my father was." She murmured. "And I don't wish to be caught in such a struggle with your people. My father's foolishness cost him his life…his resistance to change and education marked him down for death sooner or later. But I don't want to share his fate. So please, Lord Tennan, I will be Washu of the Priest's Tribe no longer. I am just another Kii – seeking service and refuge from the House of Jurai."

Senichi regarded her for a moment, then he got to his feet, nodding his head as he did so.

"It is agreed." He said gravely. "You will fly with us, when we leave Kihaku. But I cannot guarantee you anything once we reach Jurai. You will have to make your own way there – regardless of whether you arrive on my ship or not."

"I would not seek any such help, Lord Tennan. I assure you, I intend to find my own path and do my own thing." Washu said soberly.

"Then there is nothing more to be said." Senichi spread his hands. "Go, tell my guard that you are to be found lodgings among the serving quarters. In three days, we shall leave, and I shall find you work aboard my ship, so as to conceal your true identity from those you travel with. You are the first of your tribe not to show me and my family hatred – and I shall show you the same respect. Hakubi you may be, Washu, but I shall not consider you a foe to the family Tennan. As a tribal princess, you have humbled yourself before me to ask for my assistance. As a man of honour, I cannot ignore such a gesture. But you may not find everyone is so willing to give trust to a Kii."

"I don't ask for it to be given. I will earn it, if need be." Washu said stolidly. "And I thank you for your kindness to me. I shall not consider the Tennan family an enemy of mine, either. I don't believe you came here to hurt my people, or that the slaying of my father was intended. Many people do things without ever seeing the paths those deeds map out for them. That is why I want to map my own path, now, while the chance exists. I would never have been a true Priestess of Kihaku. But you and your people have given me insight into something else I might be, if I work hard. And finally, maybe, I will find my own purpose – wherever in the universe it may be!"