The characters in this piece of fan fiction are owned by AIC pioneer. I am
only using them for my own amusement and do not get anything but satisfaction
from my writing. This work of fiction has absolutely nothing to do with OVA 3. Disregard this series completely, as it should be. Take into account that only OVA1, 2 are applicable.
Every Princess Needs a Knight.
Chapter one...Guardian, My Guardian
The royal bedchamber was dark; the only light to enter the room came from
the enormous window that completely filled one of the walls. The light of the
stars spilled in through that window and if you stood looking out the glass you
could see the endless stretches of green trees that made up most of the
topography of the planet known as Jurai.
The room was large, austere, and largely devoid of furniture, save for the
enormous bed beneath the equally enormous window that proclaimed, without a
doubt, what the intended purpose of this chamber was.
In the large bed three figures could be seen beneath the rich bedclothes,
outlined by the wan light pouring through the lone window. Soft snores and
mutters occasionally were heard as the three royal personages slept in relative
harmony on their tree-filled planet. The snores generally came from the form in
the middle, which was slightly larger than the other two, and the mutters came
from the Queen Misaki, who tossed and turned, fitfully fighting the covers on
the left side of the bed. The Queen Funaho slept on the other side of her
husband, peacefully enough, over the millennia she had learned to tune out the
night noises of her bedmates.
In the corner of the massive room, where the shadows lay the thickest, a
soft light began to form. A hazy blue, the color of still water beneath a crisp
blue sky, it grew, and took on the form of a woman dressed in the ceremonial
robes of Jurai royalty. Through the light of her own power, her eyes were a
delicate pink and her long turquoise hair flowed like a calm stretch of river
down her back. Tsunami had come to pay a call on the royal family of Jurai. Her
light filled the room, turning the scenery outside the window to shadowy
blackness.
Queen Misaki slept fitfully. She had never been a deep sleeper; she just
had too much energy to be able to use it all in the course of a single day. She
turned on her side then her stomach and punched the pillow. She heard a muffled
grunt and opened her hazy eyes to make sure she had not just tried to fluff King
Azusa, he had often awoken with unexplained bruises and she deemed it
unnecessary to tell him how he had acquired them.
Through the mist of unrequited sleepiness, she saw light, a strange blue
light, filling the room. She frowned and turned over in bed, wondering, muzzily,
if someone had forgotten to extinguish one of the lamps. She saw the figure
standing in one corner of the room, and, still muzzily, speculated on who had
bought the strange light. The woman coughed politely, and Misaki was suddenly
wide-awake. She looked around the room, somewhat frantically, where were the
guards she had had posted? She tossed aside her covers, leapt out of bed and
assumed the Jurian standard fighting stance, her eyes narrowed.
The goddess looked somewhat taken aback at the queen's reaction. "Queen
Misaki." she started to say, and broke off as the queen advanced purposely
forward, her face assuming the 'Evil Misaki' look. "Queen Misaki," the woman
continued quickly, backing up a few steps. "It is I, Tsunami."
The queen straightened and, much to the goddess's relief, her menacing
stalking ceased. The Second Queen of Jurai, director of the royal guards, of
the Jurai royal council questioned. "Tsunami?" Her face was baffled. She peered
closely at the goddess, "Did anyone tell you that you look a lot like my little
Sasami?"
Tsunami sighed; it was going to be a long night.
Earlier, on planet Earth
The Princess Sasami sat listlessly staring out of the bank of windows that
lined one wall of the Masaki house, her rose colored eyes sad. Soon, it would be
soon, she thought, her mind tumbling over itself. Listlessness was not a
characterization that usually colored the princess's make up. But she had to
admit to herself that it was a true description. Sasami was now nearly 718 years
old, but she had the appearance of an eighteen year old, thanks to the metabolic
stasis that she was kept in during the search for her brother, Yosho. She
sighed, her eyes on the dim day before her. It reflected her mood, stormy, the
ash colored clouds tumbling over each other before the wind.
It was not that Sasami liked herself like that, of course. She was
normally a happy and energetic girl. But recently, she found herself thinking
thoughts that were not her own. She could almost feel herself changing, becoming
Tsunami. She was thankful, of course, that Tsunami had allowed her to have a
normal childhood, to grow up and go through the tumultuous teen years, but now,
she could sense that it was almost time, and she would soon feel what it was
like to be the goddess. The thing that bothered her was not that Tsunami had
saved her life so many years ago, or the fact that they would become one. Her
major concern was how it would affect her, the girl that was Sasami, her
personality, her soul. She wouldn't really be Sasami anymore. She sighed again,
and two tears trickled down her face. Soon, now...it would be soon.
Within Sasami, the spirit of Tsunami was upset, not only because the one
with whom she was so intimately entwined was so anguished, but also because she
was not sure what to do about it. And unsure was definitely not one of the
goddess's favorite positions. In reality, Sasami's strangeness with herself was
only a part of growing up and an increasing awareness of the future. Her merging
with Sasami was natural and it was nearly complete. Sasami was just using their
assimilation as a scapegoat for her own uneasiness.
A distraction. What Sasami needed, she mused, was a distraction, something
to take her mind off of the changes within herself. Like a boy, or man rather.
Tenchi was out of the question, of course, he had his hands full with both Ayeka
and Ryoko. She smiled, remembering their wedding day. At least those two had
discovered that they were friends before they became sister-wives.
What she needed was to look back over the bloodlines of Jurai; perhaps she
could find a suitable young man. She wouldn't force Sasami to love him, but,
just in case that should happen, maybe her son, she smiled, or daughter, would
be another prodigy with the ability that she had so carefully cultivated, the
ability to summon the light hawk wings. And if they didn't get along, Sasami
would be so busy disliking him that she wouldn't have time to fight with
herself. Tsunami was satisfied, what her other self needed, she concluded, was a
knight. With that thought, she decided to pay a visit to the royal palace.
Hopefully Funaho would be up.
Later, on planet Jurai
Her hopes...were in vain. Tsunami looked longingly over at the bed where
Azusa and Funaho still peacefully slept. Then she looked back at the pink-eyed
woman who was, sort of, her mother. Misaki was standing there with a confused
expression on her animated face. "Queen Misaki, I need you to do something for
me and for your daughter, Princess Sasami." The goddess said softly.
Misaki settled herself more comfortably, cocking out one hip and tilting
her head to the side. "Yes, Tsunami. Tell me what I can do for you."
Tsunami looked thoughtfully out the shimmering window. "Sasami is having a
hard time adjusting to her new status as an adult. What she needs is a
distraction." She smiled faintly. "I had hoped that Tenchi would be the one, but
fate has something else in store for him, as you no doubt know."
The queen nodded. Tenchi was currently staying at the royal palace with
his two wives. They were gradually introducing him to the politics and
government of Jurai. This was the main reason for Azusa's nighttime mutterings.
No matter how hard any of them tried, he just could not seem to warm up to his
great-grandson. Misaki suspected that he was just being stubborn but, of course,
she was ever the optimist.
"I have come to you tonight to select a champion for your daughter. I
already have Tenchi, but he is going to be busy for quite a while with his new
wives and she needs someone who will always be close by."
"Um, Tsunami." Misaki questioned. "What does your having a champion have
to do with Sasami?"
Tsunami sighed, she had explained this to the queen, Sasami had explained
this to the queen, as had Ayeka, Funaho, Yosho, and Tenchi. Even Washu had had a
go at it. But it seemed that she still did not get the concept that her daughter
and Tsunami were one and the same entity. She steeled herself and explained it
to the queen, again.
"Oh, my poor little princess," the queen wailed as Tsunami got to the part
where Sasami fell, just as she always did.
Tsunami kept talking until she reached the end of her tale. When she was
done she asked Misaki, "Do you understand?"
"Um, yeah. But what does Tenchi have to do with this again?" The queen's
face shone with sincerity.
Tsunami groaned, defeated. "He just does, Misaki."
"Oh, all right then." She paused, "what is it that you want me to do?"
"I need you to pull up your computer files on all the men in the empire, I
want to look through them." The goddess said.
"Okay that's easy." The queen said brightly.
"Thank god." Tsunami muttered, then laughed softly.
Misaki walked over to the blank wall on the left side of the room and
touched it. Light began to emanate from a formerly blank patch on the wall,
Jurai characters blinked on. "Silent mode." Misaki told it. "User, Queen Misaki
36 beta 2 4 1, password, 'So long, and thanks for all the fish'." The computer
blinked in acknowledgement. Her eyes glued to the computer screen the queen
said, "I'll start with my own troops, they are the best of the lot." Tsunami
nodded. "Computer, personnel files, Jurai Royal Elite Guards." Names and
pictures began to scroll down the wall. After a few seconds Misaki stopped it.
"I assume you want someone young?" The goddess nodded again. "Age limit less
than or equal to, 300." The computer started scrolling again, this time more
slowly. "Pause." Misaki turned to the goddess, who stepped forward to get a
better look at the screen.
"These are my top ten guards," the queen told her, "Loyal, chivalrous,
best marks in the academy."
Tsunami pointed a delicate finger at the first knight on the screen.
"Could you show me a detailed description of that one?" She questioned.
"Of, course." Misaki turned again to the screen and tapped on the man's
picture.
He had long red hair and golden eyes, his face reflected kindness and
gentility in its heart shape and gentle curves. "Royal Elite Guard number 01392,
graduated top of his class. Expert in both hand to hand and weapons combat." The
queen paused, looking at Tsunami. "I remember that they said he was the best to
come through the academy since Yosho." She turned back to the interface and
continued reading. "Shows limited ability with the light hawk wings. Has led
forces in three suppressions of coups across the empire, and quite well too,
nearly no bloodshed." She peered closely at the screen. "He is currently serving
as patrol duty in sector 453-122 with his ship the Ryu-tai."
Tsunami leaned back, crossing her arms. "Could you show me his lineage?"
Misaki nodded and tapped the screen again. She started to read it, but
Tsunami waved her to silence, her eyes quickly scanning over the list of names.
"Yes, I think this one will do quite nicely." She finally said, satisfied.
"How soon can he be on Earth?"
"A manner of days, My Lady." Misaki told her.
"Good," Tsunami said. "Tell him that with the incidents with Dr. Clay and
Kagato, you have decided that the princess needs her own guardian."
"I will, Tsunami." Misaki bowed slightly.
The light that had filled the room during this discussion grew fainter and
seemed to absorb back into the form of the goddess, until she was merely the
form of a woman etched in blue light. Then she was gone and the now darkened
chamber rang with the chime of a tiny bell-like sound.
Misaki stood for a few moments looking at the spot that the goddess had so
recently occupied, and then she turned back to the bed and the two, still
sleeping, figures.
She trotted over and shook the lump that was Funaho. "Sister, sister, wake
up." Funaho murmured sleepily, something that vaguely sounded like 'go away'.
"Sister." Misaki hissed, and then pulled back the covers that the queen had
pulled up around her ears. She pinched the sleeping woman's nose. Funaho
sputtered and thrashed around, then she opened one eye and fixed her sister-
queen with a venomous, cycloptic, stare.
"It is the middle of the night, Misaki, what do you want?" Her brown eye
narrowed even further as she stared out from among her comfortable nest of
pillows.
"I just had a visitation." Misaki told her proudly.
"Now, Misaki," Funaho yawned hugely, "Remember what I told you about the
differences between sleeping and awake."
Misaki scowled. "It wasn't a dream, sister." She sat down beside the
sleepy queen and smiled broadly. "Tsunami came to see me. She was looking for a
guardian for Sasami."
Funaho sat up. "Oh?" She stared off into the recesses of their darkened
chamber.
"Yep, and we found one too. Tsunami just stole my best knight." She looked
thoughtful, "I'm glad Sasami will get him, though."
"You mean...?" Funaho asked incredulously.
"Yes, Sasami's guardian will be Kamidake." Misaki yawned. "I think I'm
going to go back to sleep, Goodnight Funaho."
"Goodnight, dear." Funaho said absently. She heard Misaki as she got on
the other side of the bed and arranged the covers to her liking. The First Queen
of Jurai, director of information of the Jurai royal council, stared at the
ceiling long after Misaki began to snore.
Sector 453-122 of the empire of Jurai
Sir Kamidake was bored, really, really bored; there were no battles to be
fought, no wars to be won, no one needed his protection. Kamidake was a man who
loved his work; he loved to be in on the action. Above all he loved his empire.
Since the time that he was a young boy, he would beg his grandmother to
take him to the practice grounds to watch the knights train. He could watch them
for hours, learning their moves, admiring their deft handling of their weapons.
Most of all he watched his grandfather and his father, thrilled each time they
stopped for a moment to give him a wave and a smile across the green grass. And
he knew, even from when he was a toddler, that that was what he wanted to be, a
knight. He had started training himself from a young age, sparring with saplings
and the other boys from his school. He soon outstripped all of them, much to the
delight of his grandfather and father. They would tell him stories of battles
and glories, and he would listen, his eyes wide, hanging on every word. One day,
they told him that they were going away; there was a war on another planet in a
small galaxy not too far from Jurai. His grandfather never came back. His father
was still a knight through and through but there were times when he would tell
the boy of the things he had left out of the stories. His eyes haunted, he would
tell about the dying, the cries of agony of the wounded, and the horrors of the
battlefield. Young Kamidake would listen seriously to the gruesome tales, then,
when he was alone, he would ponder what he could do to make it different. How he
could avoid the horrors his father spoke of.
He would talk of these thoughts with his grandmother, and she would
listen, with tears in her golden eyes, of the big dreams of a little boy. Then
she would hold him close and tell him that if anyone could do it, he could. He
would hug her back and wipe the tears off her face. "Don't cry grandma." He
whispered; his eyes locked on the starry universe spread before him. He had
vowed to be the best knight ever, to serve his king faithfully, just as his
family had done for many, many generations.
The knight tried to keep his thoughts on the stars before him. When it was
quiet and the only sounds were those of his own heart and the rustle of Ryu-
tai's branches, he found himself drawn back to his childhood, the innocence of
youth. It was difficult to keep and hard to let go of. He sighed, and leaned
back in his chair. "Ryu-tai, any activity?" The silence was negative. He sighed
again and looked up at the dome of his ship. Ryu-tai had been in his family for
many generations, a gift from the king of Jurai for a service rendered by one of
his ancestors. It was now passed on to him; his father retired when Kamidake
graduated from the academy and had given the bonding of the royal tree over to
him. He stood up, walked over and placed a hand affectionately on her silvery
trunk. "Well, I guess we're in for some more peace and quiet, old girl." Ryu-tai
responded by pinging a few tiny beams of light off of the water that surrounded
her.
He took up his key, which was a large, twisting staff with a red jewel
imbedded in the end, and toyed with it as he paced around the main deck of his
ship. He wasn't sure why he was patrolling this remote sector instead of the
areas of main activity. The knight sighed and flopped into his chair, idly
twirling the staff between his fingers.
Suddenly an alarm bell went off and a large view-screen popped up directly
in front of him, 'urgent message' it flashed. The knight hurriedly stood up and
straightened his uniform. "Play message." He told the ship. It was queen Misaki
herself, no less. He stood straighter and saluted. "My queen."
"Hiya, Kamidake." The queen exclaimed perkily. The queen was always perky.
"How goes the patrol?"
"Quiet, your majesty." Kamidake said smartly.
"Good, good." The queen paused for a moment. "The reason that I am calling
is that you are to be given a new assignment." She grinned. "Given recent events
that have taken place on planet earth in the Sol system, you are to be given the
assignment of assuming personal protection of the princess Sasami."
"Yes, your majesty." Kamidake said.
"You are to proceed to your new station with all possible haste." She
tapped a few buttons on her side of the screen. "Here are the coordinates."
The coordinates appeared on the screen. "Ryu-tai set new heading." Kamidake
commanded.
"All right then, have a good trip. Tell Sasami her mommy says hi." The
queen waved cheerfully at the screen. "Bye, now." The screen disappeared.
"What have I done?" Kamidake mused aloud. "First, patrol, now guard duty.
It just isn't my year." He had no idea.
...
Sasami woke from a troubled sleep, full of shadowy images and half formed
nightmares. Outside the window of her room the sun was just beginning to rise,
although it was difficult to tell, it seemed that with its arrival the clouds
that stained the sky just turned imperceptibly lighter. Sasami stretched,
shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, and sat up on her futon. She looked
around the room. It seemed so much emptier, now that Ayeka was gone. She had
moved out right after the wedding and into, of course, Tenchi's room. But she
was at least where Sasami could find her and talk to her. Now that she, Tenchi,
and Ryoko had gone to Jurai for an extended visit, the house just seemed so
empty. Of course, there was Ryo-Ohki and Grandfather, Noboyuki, and Washu, but
it wasn't exactly the same. Mihoshi had also been gone for some time, she had
been summoned to the headquarters of Jurai to make a report in person, at the
request of her own grandfather, the grand marshal of the galaxy police force.
Sasami had opted to stay behind, Noboyuki had contracted a cold right before his
son left, and Sasami had stayed to take care of him. They all knew that it was
an excuse, though. Washu could have easily and quickly fixed him up, but they
had accepted Sasami's decision.
Sasami had various reasons for wanting to stay behind. First and foremost
was her mother's desire to marry her off to some Jurai noble or another, second
was her mother herself, she just didn't feel up to visiting her in her present
mood, and finally, she didn't want Noboyuki to be lonely, the princess was
tender-hearted like that. The princess rose, and as she was dressing, Ryo-Ohki
entered through the door, she had disappeared at some point during the night.
"Good morning, Ryo-Ohki." She told the little cabbit-girl cheerfully. Ryo-
Ohki usually was able to cheer the princess up.
"Miya." Ryo-Ohki said, running up and wrapping her arms around the
princess' waist.
Sasami laughed and smoothed the girl's hair. She reached down and took her
hand, "Come on, let's go make breakfast." She led the girl down the stairs and
into the kitchen. Sometime later, when the remaining members of her unusual
family were polishing off their breakfast, Sasami had an unusual chat with her
brother, Yosho.
"Sasami," He asked over his miso soup, "have you heard from your mother
lately?"
Sasami shook her head negatively.
"Ah," He said, and that was all he said.
Unbeknownst to Sasami, Yosho had received a message the night before.
Apparently his mother, after an extended period of ceiling watching, had
decided that her son needed to know what had transpired between Misaki and the
goddess. She had told him that they would be getting a new addition to the
household. After filling him in on the details, she had asked what he thought of
it, he had replied. "I think our little goddess is up to something." After she
had indicated her agreement, he had told her that they would just wait and see
what Tsunami had in mind. Assuring her that he would keep in contact, they broke
off the transmission. Two people that night, several thousand light years away
from each other, had both taken up ceiling watching.
Yosho nodded to himself. So, Misaki had neglected to inform the princess
of her new acquisition. This should be interesting, things had been a little
placid recently. His teacup hid his smile as he sipped Sasami's wonderful brew.
Ryo-Ohki tagged along with Sasami as the princess went out into the
blustery morning to visit the guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, and to retrieve the
mail that the 42nd new postal carrier in two months had delivered. "You really
need to stop scaring them," she told the guardians as Azaka dispensed the mail
to her outstretched hand.
"I assure you that it is not intentional, your highness," Azaka said in
his deep voice.
"We merely try to be friendly." Kamidake added.
Sasami laughed helplessly, talking logs were just not on par with the dogs
that postal workers generally had to deal with. Sasami was not sure why they had
remained behind when Ayeka had left, but she suspected that her sister had given
them instructions to watch after her. She smiled and laid an affectionate hand
on Azaka's smooth bore, then walked over and did the same to Kamidake. "You two
are hopeless." The logs somehow managed to look bewildered. As she turned back
to walk down the smoothly worn path to the house, she heard a soft footstep
behind her, and swung around.
"Who goes there?" Kamidake demanded.
It had not taken Sir Kamidake long to arrive at his destination. He
touched his ship down in a secluded location somewhere in the mountains near a
tranquil waterfall; he figured Ryu-tai would like that until he found where he
could dock her. He took his time walking towards the house that he had seen on
his screen. He breathed in the sweetly scented air of the planet known as earth
and, looking around at the turning leaves and the hardy flowers of the autumnal
season, decided that this was indeed a beautiful planet. The wind tore at his
clothing as he walked, ripping the leaves off of the trees lining the path that
he had taken and scattering them across the ground. Even though the sky was a
hazy gray, he still could feel the warmth of the sun on his ruby hair. He slowed
his footsteps as he approached the house, through the trees he could now see the
occasional glint of windows and a large lake. He approached what he imagined was
the front entry of the house for he could now make out two large pillars at the
edges of the fence. They looked like guardians. He got closer to the edge of the
trees and stopped, feeling the sudden pain that gripped his chest. They were
guardians, the two originals, Kamidake, his namesake, and Azaka. It was the
sight of Azaka that caused him such agony. Azaka was his grandfather, named
after the guardians, just as he was the latest in a long line of those who had
carried on the tradition. He could feel the memories welling up at the sight of
the progeny of his great-great-great grandmother. He could once again feel his
grandfather's strong hands gripping his own as he corrected the boy's hold on
his bokken. He could see the intense blue of his gaze when Kamidake had made him
especially proud, the twinkle in his eyes, the smile on his face. Kamidake was
assaulted by his past. He struggled against the sudden feeling that his
grandfather was still alive, that one day he would come back and tell his
grandson how proud he had made him. Kamidake gasped brokenly. He could feel the
tears welling up in his eyes, all from the sight of the guardian.
As he struggled to regain his composure, he noticed that a slight figure
had emerged from the house, followed by an even slighter one. He watched them as
they approached the source of his pain. One was a girl; probably eighteen, and
her hair flowed like the waterfall in the valley where he had left Ryu-tai, a
cascade of silken turquoise. As she drew closer Kamidake was able to make out
her features more clearly, her pale flawless skin, and pink eyes, just like her
mother's. The smaller figure was also a girl but younger, perhaps twelve, with
somewhat spiky brown hair crowning her head and shorter fur covering her body.
She had large golden eyes and was wearing a pink dress covered in carrots. 'That
must be Ryo-Ohki,' he thought, recalling the description in his files.
The two girls approached the guardians at the gate and stood talking to
them for a few moments, obviously about happy things, he surmised from the
laughter that floated back to him. It was beautiful and silvery, like the
chiming of a chorus of tiny bells. The knight stood frozen for a few moments
until, seeing that the princess was about to return to the house, he shook
himself out of his reverie and approached, walking softly across the gravel. The
princess must have had very keen senses, for she heard him approach even before
the guardians had time to react and twirled to face him. Kamidake (the log)
hailed him as he stood there in stunned reverence. He ignored his namesake as he
saw his charge close up for the first time. He had seen pictures of her before,
but there was no comparison between seeing the wavy holographic images and the
real thing now standing before him. He fell instantly and irrevocably in love
with her.
Sasami regarded the man closely, taking in the loose tunic and pants that
were caught closely at the knee. His rich red hair was braided back from his
face in a rather intricate way. Over the loose tunic the man wore a long
embroidered vest of bright colors, and in his hand he held a staff embedded with
a red jewel at its end. He was Jurian, she knew instantly, probably one of her
mother's elite guards. She stiffened slightly, her mother didn't think she could
take care of herself, that was also obvious.
"What is your name, soldier?" She asked abruptly.
The man seemed startled, his eyes filled with chagrin. He dropped down on
one knee in the dust before her, his eyes on the ground, his key thrust out at
an angle before him. "I am Sir Kamidake, your highness. I was sent to take over
the task of your personal protection."
At the mention of the knight's name, Sasami turned to the guardian who
shared it. The log also turned slightly to look at her.
"Kamidake?" The princess asked. "How odd."
The knight looked up at her, his golden eyes respectful but also, somehow,
she could see the sadness lurking in their amber depths. "Not really, your
highness. My grandmother, several generations removed, created the two guardians
that stand before us. She named them after her two sons, Azaka and Kamidake. We
have held to the tradition of naming each in the order of his birth, my father
is Azaka, my uncle Kamidake."
"Rise, sir knight," the princess smiled, "you're going to get your clothes
dirty."
Kamidake rose gracefully, with the trained skill of one who was raised in
court.
Upon standing he found that he had to look down at her, she was really not
very tall with her eyes only level with his chin, but the sheer force of her
presence made her seem taller. He smiled slightly, even had he not been ordered
to, he would have gladly protected this princess with his life.
The princess seemed distracted as she gave a few words of farewell to the
two guardians, and then walked off towards the house, pulling a staring Ryo-Ohki
behind her.
Kamidake hesitated a startled instance and then started after her. She
entered the house and stopped briefly to remove her shoes, Kamidake did
likewise.
"Grandfather!" the princess called, a note of iron in her voice. Ryo-Ohki
prudently disappeared at that point.
Another voice called faintly from another section of the house. "In here,
Sasami."
Kamidake trailed after the purposeful little princess as she started in
the direction of the voice, looking around him at the interior of the structure.
It was well built, but seemed a bit rustic, somewhat like the cabin his family
had in the low hills of Jurai. But the lovely thing about the house was the
light, windows were everywhere, spilling in and somehow amplifying the wan
radiance from the muted sun. He followed as she led him into what appeared to be
the common room, with a wall filled with more floor to ceiling windows
overlooking the glassy lake he had seen earlier. Also in the room was a small
dining area, at which sat an elderly gentleman reading a newspaper and
thoughtfully sipping a cup of fragrant tea. Kamidake was staggered at the amount
of power that he felt emanating from the man. Also there was an air of nobility
that surrounded him like an aura, as well as a tinge of humor. Kamidake felt
that he was looking at a mighty knight, the likes of which he had rarely met
before. Being a man of likeable nature, Kamidake liked him.
Yosho looked up over his paper, seeing the man that his mother had
identified as Kamidake for the first time. He seemed to be a good sort, noble
and all. He reminded him of Azaka, Kamidake's father, and his grandfather as
well, who was also named Azaka.
They had all been good friends and allies. He hoped that his initial
assumption about this man was correct. There was no one he trusted more than A1
and A2, as he had nicknamed them. The prince set down his teacup and paper and
rose gracefully, also as one who had been raised at court. He walked over to the
stunned young knight and took his hand in a firm grip. "Kamidake, it is nice to
meet you, my boy. I knew your grandfather, and your father well." He said
heartily.
Kamidake returned the handshake, 'He knows father and grandfather?' he
thought.
Sasami, meanwhile, was watching the exchange through narrowed pink eyes.
This confirmed her suspicions. "You knew!" She addressed the old man, "You knew
what my mother was doing and you didn't tell me."
Yosho sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Brother!" She told him in exasperation, and then retreated into the
kitchen.
Kamidake looked at the old man, wondering if his face was going to settle
into a permanent expression of wonderment. "Prince Yosho?"
Yosho continued looking sheepish.
Sasami was chopping furiously, which reflected the way she was feeling. It
seemed that everyone was trying to make her seem foolish, and she didn't like
that one bit. She sighed heavily as she moved from the cutting board to the
stovetop to test the progress of the meal she was preparing. She sipped the
simmering soup after blowing on it to cool it. Almost done. She picked up her
hot pads and slipped them on, then carefully moved the pot to the back burner.
After she set it down and covered it, she turned to go back to her chopping,
only to find that the job had been taken over. Kamidake stood, his back to her,
now dressed in clothing that she recognized as belonging to her brother,
chopping busily at the carrots that she had been preparing for Ryo-Ohki.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Kamidake carefully set the knife down on the counter and turned to face
her, his face stoic. Sasami couldn't help herself as she burst into delighted
laughter.
"It was the only one I could find." Kamidake said. He was wearing one of
Sasami's aprons, which wouldn't have been bad in and of itself, unfortunately
the one he had found was pink, with little cabbits and carrots chasing their way
across it, it was also way too small.
Sasami clasped one hand across her mouth in an effort to contain her
giggles, the other was clutched about her middle. She couldn't remember the last
time she had laughed so hard. Eventually she recovered herself, and, still
chuckling, opened a cabinet and retrieved one of Noboyuki's aprons. She tossed
it to him and he removed the pink apron and handed it to her, then put on the
plain one. "Thank you, your highness." He said, bowing slightly.
She made a gesture of dismissal, and then turned back to her cooking,
listening as he retrieved the knife and began chopping again.
Kamidake followed the princess around for the rest of the day, much to her
obvious dismay. She thought that he thought she couldn't do anything herself. It
seemed that every time she turned around, he was there, taking the wash from her
and hanging it up, carefully pulling up the carrots that made up the little
cabbit's diet, his golden eyes respectful and his face calm.
Kamidake followed her in order to get a feel for her schedule and her habits; it
seemed to him that she spent an inordinate amount of time cooking. In between
mealtimes she did the wash, harvested the carrots, and still had time to play
with Ryo-Ohki, who followed her everywhere as well. After a few days, this would
no longer be necessary and he could give her some space, but until then.
As the sun was setting over the western hills, painting everything with
golden light, they sat at the dinner table, eating one of her fabulous meals.
Kamidake's mouth watered with the aromas and the taste, a rare treat for those
whose taste buds were used to soldiers rations. Her looked out the window as he
ate, watching the sun set on this planet, so beautiful, with the last rays of
sunlight painting over the trees, mountains, and lake.
'This might not be as bad as I thought' he mused silently. His head was
snapped around as he heard the sound of a door opening. He saw the broom closet?
door had opened and a yawning young girl, perhaps twelve, emerged. She wore an
ancient science academy uniform, and her pink hair was styled in such a way to
remind him of a crab, for some reason. 'Washu' he thought, 'Well, that's about
everyone.'
Washu strolled over and plunked herself down at the table beside Noboyuki.
"Good morning everyone." She said.
Sasami looked a little confused. "Washu, it's past sunset."
Washu's eyes narrowed as she looked uncomprehendingly out the window.
"Hmm, well it is isn't it? Guess I got my days and nights turned around.
That's easy enough to fix. You see, what happened was..." She was about to go
off on some long-winded explanation when she noticed that someone new was seated
at the dining table.
"Hello, I'm little Washu." She said cutely.
Kamidake bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet an esteemed genius such
as yourself, little Washu." He straightened, "I am Kamidake, Sasami's new
guard."
Washu was extremely pleased, not only did he call her little Washu with no
prompting, a rarity, he also recognized her scientific genius. She smiled
hugely. "I like you. Would you like to be a guinea pig for my experiments?"
"Uh," Kamidake searched frantically for a polite way to refuse. "I think
I'm going to be busy for a while, little Washu."
"I can wait." Washu said firmly. Sasami sighed and Washu looked at her
sharply, then back at the knight, who was pointedly not looking back. She
finally shrugged and began to eat.
During the meal they made polite conversation, varying on topics from the
weather to inter-stellar politics. Kamidake joined in on the conversations most
heartily, commenting on the beauty of the planet and such. He made it a point to
ask Washu, whom he assumed arranged such things, where he could dock Ryu-tai.
"Ah, I can make a sub-space pocket for her," Washu replied, "A simple
matter really. I will do it first thing tomorrow."
"So, you have Ryu-tai now." Yosho commented, "She is a beautiful ship."
Kamidake grinned. "Yes, she is."
"And how is your family?" Yosho asked. "It has been a very long time since
I have seen anyone from Jurai, aside from my family." He nodded at Sasami, who
smiled at him.
Kamidake swallowed, "My father and grandmother are well."
Yosho looked concerned at the omission, "And your grandfather, Azaka?"
Yosho noticed the look of pain that crossed over Kamidake's face and immediately
wished that he had not asked. "Perhaps this is better not discussed at the
dinner table." He said hastily. Kamidake nodded in relief. "But perhaps you
would talk to me about it later." He added. The knight nodded his head in
agreement.
Later, after the supper table was cleared and Kamidake washed the dishes,
Washu retreated into her lab muttering something about a timed experiment,
Noboyuki went up to his room, presumably to work on his latest project, and
Sasami was curled up on the couch watching a television program, Kamidake
joined Yosho on the deck of the house.
Kamidake settled down next to the prince, who was looking reflectively out
at the lake. They sat there for a few long moments in silence.
"My grandfather," Kamidake said finally. "Was a good man, a great warrior,
as I am sure you know." Yosho nodded, not taking his eyes off of the night
before him. "When I was young, perhaps six years old, a war broke out on the
planet Kabairo. My father and grandfather were the first into the fray. They
were located where the battle was the thickest, and somehow, they were
separated. When the battle was over my father went to look for grandfather, but
he never found him. He did find his key though, and..." He trailed off.
"He would never have surrendered it, or left it. Unless he was killed."
Yosho said. Kamidake nodded. "Yes, your grandfather was a good man, and a great
warrior."
If either of the men had looked behind them, they would have seen a small,
blue-haired shadow slip back into the house.
Deep in space dimensions collide, the improbable and the inevitable mix. A
twist of space and time resides in a place of impossible reality. If some lost
soul were to stumble across it, which no one ever does, they would rub their
eyes and wonder what in the universe they ate for supper, then gladly travel on.
The door to the goddess. A trail of her toys, the amusement of an immortal soul,
scattered along the path. Planets and odd architecture, all brought into an
impossible place. If one were to follow that path, which has known the passage
of a few unfortunate souls, they would come to a place where the fabric of the
universe had worn thin. The home of a goddess.
She had been staring at the image for a very long time, but a moment in
her infinite life, ten years to be fairly exact. Not a very interesting image,
but very, very, important to her and to her plans. The goddess, who was as
impossible to existence as the place that surrounded her, was pensive. Her
costume flew back in the non-existent wind, her cold rainbow eyes fastened on
the object of her examination. The image was of a young man with spiked hair,
standing, his arms folded, seeming to stare back up at the goddess defiantly. He
was backed by an image of five ethereally white wings. The goddess stirred.
Immediately a large face, his hair and beard purely white and a red gem in the
middle of his forehead, appeared.
"My Lady Tokimi." He said respectfully.
The goddess did not deign to look down at him. "What is it about this
boy?" She murmured. "D3, have you had any success in contacting my sister,
Washu?"
"No My Lady. She has some force blocking our efforts." D3 was not very
pleased about having to report this.
"I am not pleased, D3" The goddess pulled her eyes off of the image before
her, and stared into space, her face immobile. "If I cannot speak with her I
shall have to speak with Tsunami." She looked back down at the image. "This is
her doing, I know it. D3, summon Ryoushi." One of the shadows that flanked the
goddess's throne room gave a shudder, then shrunk back in on itself. At the same
time a figure started to appear on the dais that held the image of the man with
the lighthawk wings. It was dark, cloaked in hooded robes, all unrelieved black.
Its face was obscured until D3 gave a sharp command and the figure looked up. It
was a face filled with undisguised contempt and loathing, though all you could
see was an eye, a fierce, unrelenting blue gaze. The other eye was concealed
with a patch, out from under which ran a wicked looking scar.
"My lady summoned me." The man spoke with thinly veiled sarcasm.
"Yes, Ryoushi." The goddess replied, unruffled. "I wish for you to do a
task for me. I want you to bring me my sister. Dr. Clay was so good as to find
her location for me, the only reason we didn't kill him."
"As my lady commands." Ryoushi replied with a mocking bow.
"Do not hurt her, however."
"And if anyone tries to stop me?"
"Use your own judgment. Any other does not matter, the boy is not with
her."
"Yes, my lady." With that, the huntsman vanished.
"That man disturbs me." The goddess commented to D3. "He makes me think
that I should sleep with a knife under my pillow. But he is the best."
"You have a pillow, My Lady?" D3 asked.
The goddess turned a cold eye upon her servant. "It was meant to be
humorous."
D3 saw his opening. He had been waiting eons and now his time had come.
"It was very funny Lady Tokimi. I have a good one. Would you like me to share it
with you?"
"Proceed."
The demi-god proceeded to tell a long and complicated joke involving a
textile merchant, two weasels, a very confused frog and a large wooden badger.
By the time he made it halfway through the masterpiece the floor was shaking as
the very stones laughed, the entire fabric of the surrounding space convulsed
and thrashed around as this, the Joke, unfolded. D3 used sheer artistry in his
telling, sending shockwave ripples of hilarity through the universe. Every
sentence and every word, contributed to the laughter quotient of the Joke. When
he finally reached the punch line, the whole of time stopped, anticipating.
"...And every time he sat down it croaked." The universe collapsed in
helpless laughter, the planets wobbled in their orbits, the stars flickered in
stattaco bursts, wars stopped as their participants were overcome with laughter.
The force of the Joke spread in ripples of laughter throughout the universe,
touching all corners.
After the first effect of the Joke passed, D3 looked up at the Lady
Tokimi. She had not moved, had not said one word. "My Lady?"
Lady Tokimi was silent for a moment...a very long moment. Empires rose and fell
while she contemplated the Joke. Of course, those empires where on a planet
called Arrogantis, where a new empire rose and fell about every ten minutes.
Finally the goddess turned her very unamused eyes on her suddenly cringing
servant.
"You're lucky I don't kill you."
"Yes, Lady Tokimi."
D3 phased quietly out, while Tokimi turned her attention back to the image
she had contemplated for so long.
About a week later, the shockwave of the Joke rippled through the Sol
system.
Sasami was in the kitchen with Ryo-Ohki, per usual. Yosho was meditating on the
porch, while surreptitiously watching Kamidake practice a new sword technique.
Noboyuki was at work, while Washu was holed up in her lab. Suddenly, it hit.
Sasami collapsed on the floor holding her sides, as did Ryo-Ohki, who, in the
shock, reverted to her cabbit form, laughing uproariously. Yosho fell off of the
porch, and Kamidake dropped his sword as he fell on the ground laughing.
Noboyuki's entire office shook with the combined laughter of everyone in the
city. Washu was in her aquarium when all her aquatic creatures started going
mad, and she only had time to take two steps before she, too felt the effect of
the Joke. After the ripple passed, they all rushed to the living room. Once
there they all stopped and looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to
whatever they were doing before the Joke hit.
For the past week, Kamidake had followed his charge around, and he now
knew her usual schedule and habits by heart. This being so, he could now back
off and give the harried little princess some space. However, he found that he
still did it, albeit in moderation. This was because, in following Sasami
around, he had become more and more enamored of the kind young woman he saw.
Sasami had noted that her new guardian had toned down his vigil and was
extremely grateful. There had been a few instances when she had been on the
verge of screaming at him, which was totally unlike her. This usually happened
when Kamidake, though nimble, was unable to get out of the way in time when she
made sudden moves and she had walloped him unintentionally. These instances she
was usually angry both with herself and with her knight, who looked sheepish and
apologized profusely every time. She was angry with herself because, despite all
her intentions of disliking him, she grew to like him more and more each day.
There had been tests of her patience though, especially after one
instance, which she still shuddered over when she thought about it. It had been
a few days after the knight's arrival at the Masaki household, when the two of
them were still feeling each other out. Sasami had joined her brother Yosho for
a round of sake. He had become used to having Ayeka and Ryoko as drinking
partners and was now quite lonely without them.
The prince's first thought had been of Washu, but she was holed up in her
lab, as usual. Noboyuki was pulling an all-nighter at work, saying something
about a collapsing hrung. This really didn't explain much as no one, except
possibly Washu, and as mentioned, she was in her lab, knew what a hrung was or
why it was collapsing. He had asked Kamidake to join him but the knight had
declined, claiming he needed to have his wits about him in order to be an
effective guardian. So Sasami had volunteered.
She had had a few drinks; she didn't really care for alcohol, in order to
placate her brother. Then excused herself and went up to her room, a bit
unsteadily, the sound of ancient Jurian drinking songs echoing in the darkened
air of the hallway. In truth, Sasami had noticed a disapproving look on
Kamidake's face as she had sipped her sake and she had drunken a bit more than
she had planned in response to a somewhat childish urge to make him angry. She
stumbled a bit as she went up the stairs and opened the door to her lonely room,
hanging upon it for a while in an effort to quell the unusual rocking movement
of the floorboards. She then went in and undressed slowly, binding her hair and
slipping on her nightdress when she was done. She lay down on her bed and pulled
the covers up close around her neck in an effort to keep out the chill of the
autumn air coming in her open window. The princess fell asleep.
A few hours later, when the moon was shining chill and bright through her
window, she awoke. She lay staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments,
wondering what had woken her up. Then she knew, she had to go to the bathroom,
urgently. Sasami tossed her covers off and jumped carefully out of bed, then
quickly padded to the door.
She pushed it open and rushed out, then tripped over something large and
dark lying along the floor outside of her door. Sasami nearly fell right onto
her face when two strong hands reached out and caught her, and she found herself
staring at the floorboards, which were now about two inches away from her nose.
"Your highness! Are you all right?" She was pulled to her feet and saw
before her Kamidake's worried face peering out of the shadows.
The princess gritted her teeth. "You...stay...right...here! Do not move."
She started walking backwards down the hall, a warning finger pointed at
the knight. She kept walking, more quickly now, until she reached the door of
the women's bathroom, where she turned quickly and vanished inside. A few
moments later the vastly relieved princess emerged, having gotten one thing over
with she was prepared to deal with the other. She found Kamidake standing
exactly where she had left him. She strode up to the man and stood in front of
him, her hands placed on her hips, murder in her heart. "What exactly did you
think you were doing?" She demanded.
"Er...um...er...well I..." The knight stammered.
"Are you saying that you do this every night?" The princess asked
incredulously.
"Well. I ...it's for your."
"Don't give me that 'for my own safety' stuff. You have your own room sir,
use it." She pointed imperiously down the hall at Tenchi's room, and the knight
sheepishly retreated with a murmured, 'yes, ma'am'. She watched him until he had
disappeared through the door, then finally turned and went back to bed.
"What a queen she would have made!" Kamidake chuckled into the darkness of
Tenchi's room.
The two intervening weeks had progressed rather smoothly, Sasami was
ashamed of her outburst and was careful to be nice to her protector. Kamidake
spent the time watching Sasami and dodging Washu, who seemed to be everywhere,
insisting that she needed a "sample" and the tone of voice and look on her face
when she said it was enough to make the knight very, very cautious. Yosho
usually watched them all with an amused look on his face.
At dinner the night that the Joke had hit the Earth, Washu was eager to
tell of her findings about the event. "It originated at one point, I am certain.
Apparently the force was so titanic that it did not dissipate with the passage
of time and distance. With that power, one could rule the universe." Everyone
else just looked at her cautiously around his or her chopsticks. "If I knew when
it hit Jurai, I could find the precise location using..." She continued along on
that vein for a while.
"I will be sure to ask mother about it the next time I speak to her."
Yosho assured her.
After dinner had been cleared away and the dished were washed and dried,
Sasami decided that now would be a good time to visit the onsen and take a long
relaxing bath. She left Ryo-Ohki snoozing on the couch and Washu badgering Yosho
about contacting Funaho and went out to the lake, where the onsen hovered
silently above the moon-drenched waters. She walked up to the teleport pad and
was instantly transported to the haven. I was like a jungle paradise, with cold
and warm rushing waterfalls and tranquil pools, greenery bloomed all around and
the floorboards were as smooth as silk under her bare feet. For a few moments
Sasami thought about the creator of the onsen, her own sister-in-law Ryoko. The
instant Sasami had stepped inside the floating bath for the first time she had
known that Ryoko was more than a pirate; she had the soul of one who had known
no beauty in her life and craved it above almost anything else. She had loved
her as a sister ever since that moment.
Sasami breathed in the warm, moist air surrounding her and undressed.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she moved over to one of the pools and sat down
next to it, trailing her finger in the water, watching the ripples move through
her reflection. She paused and lifted her hand, allowing the water to still. No,
it was Tsunami's reflection now, the face of the goddess staring back at her.
With a mournful sigh she shattered the reflection and stepped down into the
pool.
Kamidake had followed the princess outside and was standing looking at the
onsen. Until now he had always used the small shower inside the Masaki house,
and he had never seen the inside of the onsen. He did not like it. When Sasami
was in the onsen he could not see or hear her, it made him nervous. He had a bad
feeling this night and because of that, he decided to go up there as well and
stay in the men's side of the structure. He walked slowly up to the pier and
stood in the spot where Sasami had, he gulped as a feeling of vertigo overtook
him and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the entry of the bathhouse.
He looked around at the marvelous interior and regretted that he had not gone
there before. After carefully examining the writing on the doors, he opened the
one that led to the men's part of the bath and stepped in. Kamidake undressed
quickly and wrapped a towel around his hips, then walked into a steaming pool.
He closed his eyes as the warmth of the water enveloped him and settled down
next to the edge, his arms propped along the deck.
He was just relaxing when he heard a cry. 'Sasami!' he thought, as he
quickly leapt out of the water and ran to the other side of the bath. At first
he only saw Sasami, clutching her towel around herself and staring fearfully out
at the shadows beneath the trees. Kamidake followed her gaze and saw...nothing,
nothing but shadow. "Your highness." He called.
She turned her eyes briefly upon him, terrified and wide, and then lifted
a delicate arm to point into the shadows. "There...there's someone over there,
Kamidake."
Kamidake peered into the deep shadows, and thought he saw a snatch of
movement. He twisted the ring on his finger and was immediately in his Jurai
uniform, his key appeared in his hand. Not taking his eyes off of the shadows,
he told Sasami, "Run, your highness. Run quickly to the house, your brother is
there." Her startled pink eyes wide, she turned and waded out of the pool and,
still clutching her towel, ran to the port and disappeared. When she had gone,
Kamidake shouted, "Show yourself, coward!"
A figure dislodged itself from the shadows. And Kamidake could immediately
see why he had escaped his notice at first, the figure was draped all in
unrelieved black, from his head to the tips of his boots, the only part that was
not black was one, startling blue eye that peered out of the face of the shadow.
"Leave now, and you will not be harmed, I am only after the girl." The deep
voice issued from somewhere amidst the cloak.
"Not a chance." Kamidake sneered, his golden eyes narrowed. "I am Sir
Kamidake, knight of Jurai." He thought he saw the figure flinch. "And what is
your name?"
"I am...Ryoushi." The figure said. "And I will allow you to delay me no
longer."
With that the man turned and with a single word, the glass burst outward
and he vanished. Kamidake cursed and leaped after him.
Sasami ran the moment her feet hit the dock, she ran wildly towards the
comforting lights of the house. Her feet slapped loudly on the board beneath her
as she panted loudly with each step. She was almost there. Suddenly a shadow
appeared before her. The princess slid to a stop and screamed, hoping someone
would hear her.
The shadow seemed to smile behind his veils. "No one will hear you," he
said almost kindly, his eyes flicking back to the house. "My mistress, Lady
Tokimi, wishes to speak to you, Lady Tsunami."
Sasami gasped, Lady Tokimi, she had heard that name before, she knew who
that was. She also knew she definitely did not want to see her. "No!" she cried,
turned and sped off into the night.
"How quickly she runs." The shadow murmured in appreciation, then started
after her.
Kamidake arrived a moment later and burst into the house, no one was
there.
"Princess Sasami! Yosho? Washu? Anyone." No one answered. Almost
panicking, Kamidake ran back outside and scanned the ground. "That way." He
muttered to himself. And raced off in the direction that Sasami and Ryoushi had
taken.
Sasami ran until her legs were shaking and she could not run another foot.
She collapsed to the ground, in the middle of a field, the dewy grass bathed in
the light of the moon, trying to catch her breath. A moment later she heard a
voice.
"You led me on a merry chase, Lady Tsunami." She looked up, her face pale
and scared in the moonlight, her hair wild and tangled, still clad only in her
pink towel.
"I'm Sasami." She gasped, looking wildly around for help.
The man chuckled "I know who you are." He offered her a hand to help her
stand and she recoiled.
"Why don't you leave me alone!" she cried.
"I can't do that, Lady Tsunami," He seemed to grimace behind his veils. "I
have my orders." His hand was still outstretched, and the princess tried to
scramble away. "I would rather not have to force you," The man of shadow said
gravely.
Kamidake ran through the forest, his eyes locked upon the trail beneath
him. He stopped suddenly. Voices. He began to run again. Sasami's back was
turned to him as he ran into the moonlight, but he could see her turquoise hair
lying along the ground behind her. " Princess Sasami!" He bellowed.
Ryoushi turned to look at him, then turned his single blue eye back down
at the princess. "I have orders not to hurt you, but that does not stand for
anyone else."
"No, don't hurt him." Sasami said desperately. "Kamidake, stay back!"
But the knight didn't hear her; he was too intent on the man threatening
his princess. He barreled past her and slammed into Ryoushi. The two men
grappled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand, Kamidake fought with
fury, but the other man stayed calm. They both struggled up and tried to bring
their weapons into play. Kamidake swung his key at the man, which was deflected,
but barely. It caught at the material of the man's veil and it was ripped off.
Kamidake stopped, for an instant, for a heartbeat, "Grandfather." He whispered.
Sasami did not hear this whisper, neither did the man who was once Azaka and he
took advantage of Kamidake's momentary hesitation. His silver blade came
whistling in and caught the knight across the side, biting deep.
All was silent. Kamidake stopped and placed a shaking hand on the wound.
He spun about slowly to face Sasami. "Your highness, I have failed you." Sasami
stared up at her knight, his uniform drenched in blood, his golden eyes glowing
as he looked at her, his hair flowing down his back, the red glistening in the
moonlight. Then he stiffened, and then he fell, a crumpled heap beneath the
moonlight.
Sasami stared at him for a long moment, her eyes burning with tears.
"NOOO!" She wailed, as a feeling of despair welled up from the bottom of her
soul. "No!" She scrambled forward and clutched him to her. She rocked him for a
while, weeping uncontrollably.
"I am sorry, Lady Tsunami. It was necessary." Ryoushi said from the
shadows behind her.
Sasami grew still, and she clutched Kamidake to her for another long
moment then gently laid him on the ground. She smoothed his hair and then picked
up his key and laid it against his chest. Her eyes shadowed, she stood, her face
streaked with the tracks of her tears. She could feel rage, boiling up, and
power, immense incredible power. She turned to face Ryoushi, her eyes still
fixed on the ground. She felt as though the universe were collapsing around her.
She looked up at the man before her, who was staring at the form of Kamidake
with self-loathing. He turned to her, to see her rose-colored eyes blazing with
a power she had never felt before. A glow started to form around her, like a
soft blue haze, and her towel disappeared, replaced with flowing ceremonial
robes of Jurai. There was an infinite wisdom in her depthless eyes.
"You cannot go unpunished," Sasami said sadly, her voice strong and
melodious. "I wish that it had not come to this, but I see that there is not a
choice." She raised her delicate arm and pointed at the man. The soft blue light
that surrounded her began to coalesce at the tip of her finger, forming a ball
of light. She opened her hand and the light flew to Ryoushi, touching his chest
gently. He stood there with what looked like a grateful smile on his face, and
then almost in an identical way as his grandson, he fell.
Sasami wept for the second time that night.
"Your highness." Came a voice behind her, a familiar voice. Kamidake was
struggling up, his hand clutched to his side, trying to reach her.
Sasami rushed to him. She could see that his wound was causing him much
pain, and she could heal him, but there was something that would hurt even more
if it were left undone. She supported him and they made their way over to where
Azaka lay.
"He will not remain much longer." She said sadly.
She let Kamidake back down gently, and knelt beside him, then held her
hands over Azaka's chest. "Azaka, my child, it is time to say farewell." The
hazy mist that had remained on Azaka's chest began to spread and became the form
of a man, strong and vital, in a Jurian uniform.
"Grandfather." Kamidake cried, and tried to reach out to him.
"No, Kamidake," the spirit of Azaka said. "I was not your grandfather."
"What do you mean?" The knight asked, as tears ran down his face.
"Do you remember, that war on Kabairo?" Kamidake nodded. "Well, when I was
separated from your father, I found myself overmatched and was cut down quickly.
I lay there, dying, on the battlefield, when a woman approached. She healed me
and took me away, only after making sure I left my key on the field." The shade
of Azaka shuddered.
"She possessed me completely. I was forced to do her bidding. I did so
many horrible things for her. Her name was Tokimi." His mouth twisted in hatred.
"I could not fight her, except for short periods." He looked down at Kamidake,
his eye shining. "When I saw you, with the Lady Tsunami, I knew this was my
chance. I could see that she loved you and you her." Kamidake looked at Sasami
and she blushed. "So when I fought you I checked my blow, to make sure that it
was not a mortal injury, but would appear to be. I knew that then, Lady Tsunami
would set me free."
Kamidake looked from the shade of his grandfather to Sasami. "But...but, I
mean, couldn't she have just broken the possession?"
Sasami spoke, her eyes downcast, her voice throbbing with unshed tears.
"No, Tokimi is stronger than I. I knew that all I could do was set his soul
free."
Azaka sighed. "I only wish that I could join the light."
"Of course you will." Sasami snapped.
Azaka jumped, then smiled, "you forgive me, My Lady?"
"There is absolutely nothing to forgive." She said firmly. "Besides, I
should be thanking you, my fear was holding me back from my true self, you
helped me to become whole." She leaned over and pressed her forehead to Azaka's.
"I must go now, my time is short." Azaka looked over at his grandson, his
eye sparkling. "I am proud of you, Kamidake." He reached out and placed his
insubstantial hand on his head. "Try not to remember me too harshly, and don't
blame My Lady Tsunami."
"Never, grandfather." Kamidake gasped.
The blue light that made up Azaka's form began to dissipate as his shade
settled back into his body. When he was completely joined, the light
disappeared, and he lay in repose, a small smile on his face.
Sasami touched her hands to the body's chest and spoke. "Your journey will
be long, and your resting place far, but there you will have eternal joy."
Beneath her hands, the body dissolved and became a form etched in twinkling
lights. "Go, now." The goddess said softly, and she removed her hands. Azaka
streaked off into the sky, heading towards the light. Sasami watched him go,
with tears in her eyes.
"Your Highness." Came a soft voice beside her. Her jaw clenched as she
thought of when he might have been dead. She moved over to him and held him,
healing him, as he wrapped his arms around her. She stared at him, his pale
skin, his heart shaped face, his large gentle golden eyes, his mouth twisting as
he tried to hold back his grief.
"Kamidake." She said softly. "Call me Sasami."
Author's notes:
Well, this is my third fan fic and I hope that they are getting better. This fic
was set in the OVA, but I felt that Kamidake from the TV series had a great deal
of potential. So I brought him in, changed some things around, but maintained a
connection to the guardians. So anyway, until I write again. Kyokki
Questions, comments and complaints can be sent to kyokki21@yahoo.com I will
answer back promptly, I promise.
only using them for my own amusement and do not get anything but satisfaction
from my writing. This work of fiction has absolutely nothing to do with OVA 3. Disregard this series completely, as it should be. Take into account that only OVA1, 2 are applicable.
Every Princess Needs a Knight.
Chapter one...Guardian, My Guardian
The royal bedchamber was dark; the only light to enter the room came from
the enormous window that completely filled one of the walls. The light of the
stars spilled in through that window and if you stood looking out the glass you
could see the endless stretches of green trees that made up most of the
topography of the planet known as Jurai.
The room was large, austere, and largely devoid of furniture, save for the
enormous bed beneath the equally enormous window that proclaimed, without a
doubt, what the intended purpose of this chamber was.
In the large bed three figures could be seen beneath the rich bedclothes,
outlined by the wan light pouring through the lone window. Soft snores and
mutters occasionally were heard as the three royal personages slept in relative
harmony on their tree-filled planet. The snores generally came from the form in
the middle, which was slightly larger than the other two, and the mutters came
from the Queen Misaki, who tossed and turned, fitfully fighting the covers on
the left side of the bed. The Queen Funaho slept on the other side of her
husband, peacefully enough, over the millennia she had learned to tune out the
night noises of her bedmates.
In the corner of the massive room, where the shadows lay the thickest, a
soft light began to form. A hazy blue, the color of still water beneath a crisp
blue sky, it grew, and took on the form of a woman dressed in the ceremonial
robes of Jurai royalty. Through the light of her own power, her eyes were a
delicate pink and her long turquoise hair flowed like a calm stretch of river
down her back. Tsunami had come to pay a call on the royal family of Jurai. Her
light filled the room, turning the scenery outside the window to shadowy
blackness.
Queen Misaki slept fitfully. She had never been a deep sleeper; she just
had too much energy to be able to use it all in the course of a single day. She
turned on her side then her stomach and punched the pillow. She heard a muffled
grunt and opened her hazy eyes to make sure she had not just tried to fluff King
Azusa, he had often awoken with unexplained bruises and she deemed it
unnecessary to tell him how he had acquired them.
Through the mist of unrequited sleepiness, she saw light, a strange blue
light, filling the room. She frowned and turned over in bed, wondering, muzzily,
if someone had forgotten to extinguish one of the lamps. She saw the figure
standing in one corner of the room, and, still muzzily, speculated on who had
bought the strange light. The woman coughed politely, and Misaki was suddenly
wide-awake. She looked around the room, somewhat frantically, where were the
guards she had had posted? She tossed aside her covers, leapt out of bed and
assumed the Jurian standard fighting stance, her eyes narrowed.
The goddess looked somewhat taken aback at the queen's reaction. "Queen
Misaki." she started to say, and broke off as the queen advanced purposely
forward, her face assuming the 'Evil Misaki' look. "Queen Misaki," the woman
continued quickly, backing up a few steps. "It is I, Tsunami."
The queen straightened and, much to the goddess's relief, her menacing
stalking ceased. The Second Queen of Jurai, director of the royal guards, of
the Jurai royal council questioned. "Tsunami?" Her face was baffled. She peered
closely at the goddess, "Did anyone tell you that you look a lot like my little
Sasami?"
Tsunami sighed; it was going to be a long night.
Earlier, on planet Earth
The Princess Sasami sat listlessly staring out of the bank of windows that
lined one wall of the Masaki house, her rose colored eyes sad. Soon, it would be
soon, she thought, her mind tumbling over itself. Listlessness was not a
characterization that usually colored the princess's make up. But she had to
admit to herself that it was a true description. Sasami was now nearly 718 years
old, but she had the appearance of an eighteen year old, thanks to the metabolic
stasis that she was kept in during the search for her brother, Yosho. She
sighed, her eyes on the dim day before her. It reflected her mood, stormy, the
ash colored clouds tumbling over each other before the wind.
It was not that Sasami liked herself like that, of course. She was
normally a happy and energetic girl. But recently, she found herself thinking
thoughts that were not her own. She could almost feel herself changing, becoming
Tsunami. She was thankful, of course, that Tsunami had allowed her to have a
normal childhood, to grow up and go through the tumultuous teen years, but now,
she could sense that it was almost time, and she would soon feel what it was
like to be the goddess. The thing that bothered her was not that Tsunami had
saved her life so many years ago, or the fact that they would become one. Her
major concern was how it would affect her, the girl that was Sasami, her
personality, her soul. She wouldn't really be Sasami anymore. She sighed again,
and two tears trickled down her face. Soon, now...it would be soon.
Within Sasami, the spirit of Tsunami was upset, not only because the one
with whom she was so intimately entwined was so anguished, but also because she
was not sure what to do about it. And unsure was definitely not one of the
goddess's favorite positions. In reality, Sasami's strangeness with herself was
only a part of growing up and an increasing awareness of the future. Her merging
with Sasami was natural and it was nearly complete. Sasami was just using their
assimilation as a scapegoat for her own uneasiness.
A distraction. What Sasami needed, she mused, was a distraction, something
to take her mind off of the changes within herself. Like a boy, or man rather.
Tenchi was out of the question, of course, he had his hands full with both Ayeka
and Ryoko. She smiled, remembering their wedding day. At least those two had
discovered that they were friends before they became sister-wives.
What she needed was to look back over the bloodlines of Jurai; perhaps she
could find a suitable young man. She wouldn't force Sasami to love him, but,
just in case that should happen, maybe her son, she smiled, or daughter, would
be another prodigy with the ability that she had so carefully cultivated, the
ability to summon the light hawk wings. And if they didn't get along, Sasami
would be so busy disliking him that she wouldn't have time to fight with
herself. Tsunami was satisfied, what her other self needed, she concluded, was a
knight. With that thought, she decided to pay a visit to the royal palace.
Hopefully Funaho would be up.
Later, on planet Jurai
Her hopes...were in vain. Tsunami looked longingly over at the bed where
Azusa and Funaho still peacefully slept. Then she looked back at the pink-eyed
woman who was, sort of, her mother. Misaki was standing there with a confused
expression on her animated face. "Queen Misaki, I need you to do something for
me and for your daughter, Princess Sasami." The goddess said softly.
Misaki settled herself more comfortably, cocking out one hip and tilting
her head to the side. "Yes, Tsunami. Tell me what I can do for you."
Tsunami looked thoughtfully out the shimmering window. "Sasami is having a
hard time adjusting to her new status as an adult. What she needs is a
distraction." She smiled faintly. "I had hoped that Tenchi would be the one, but
fate has something else in store for him, as you no doubt know."
The queen nodded. Tenchi was currently staying at the royal palace with
his two wives. They were gradually introducing him to the politics and
government of Jurai. This was the main reason for Azusa's nighttime mutterings.
No matter how hard any of them tried, he just could not seem to warm up to his
great-grandson. Misaki suspected that he was just being stubborn but, of course,
she was ever the optimist.
"I have come to you tonight to select a champion for your daughter. I
already have Tenchi, but he is going to be busy for quite a while with his new
wives and she needs someone who will always be close by."
"Um, Tsunami." Misaki questioned. "What does your having a champion have
to do with Sasami?"
Tsunami sighed, she had explained this to the queen, Sasami had explained
this to the queen, as had Ayeka, Funaho, Yosho, and Tenchi. Even Washu had had a
go at it. But it seemed that she still did not get the concept that her daughter
and Tsunami were one and the same entity. She steeled herself and explained it
to the queen, again.
"Oh, my poor little princess," the queen wailed as Tsunami got to the part
where Sasami fell, just as she always did.
Tsunami kept talking until she reached the end of her tale. When she was
done she asked Misaki, "Do you understand?"
"Um, yeah. But what does Tenchi have to do with this again?" The queen's
face shone with sincerity.
Tsunami groaned, defeated. "He just does, Misaki."
"Oh, all right then." She paused, "what is it that you want me to do?"
"I need you to pull up your computer files on all the men in the empire, I
want to look through them." The goddess said.
"Okay that's easy." The queen said brightly.
"Thank god." Tsunami muttered, then laughed softly.
Misaki walked over to the blank wall on the left side of the room and
touched it. Light began to emanate from a formerly blank patch on the wall,
Jurai characters blinked on. "Silent mode." Misaki told it. "User, Queen Misaki
36 beta 2 4 1, password, 'So long, and thanks for all the fish'." The computer
blinked in acknowledgement. Her eyes glued to the computer screen the queen
said, "I'll start with my own troops, they are the best of the lot." Tsunami
nodded. "Computer, personnel files, Jurai Royal Elite Guards." Names and
pictures began to scroll down the wall. After a few seconds Misaki stopped it.
"I assume you want someone young?" The goddess nodded again. "Age limit less
than or equal to, 300." The computer started scrolling again, this time more
slowly. "Pause." Misaki turned to the goddess, who stepped forward to get a
better look at the screen.
"These are my top ten guards," the queen told her, "Loyal, chivalrous,
best marks in the academy."
Tsunami pointed a delicate finger at the first knight on the screen.
"Could you show me a detailed description of that one?" She questioned.
"Of, course." Misaki turned again to the screen and tapped on the man's
picture.
He had long red hair and golden eyes, his face reflected kindness and
gentility in its heart shape and gentle curves. "Royal Elite Guard number 01392,
graduated top of his class. Expert in both hand to hand and weapons combat." The
queen paused, looking at Tsunami. "I remember that they said he was the best to
come through the academy since Yosho." She turned back to the interface and
continued reading. "Shows limited ability with the light hawk wings. Has led
forces in three suppressions of coups across the empire, and quite well too,
nearly no bloodshed." She peered closely at the screen. "He is currently serving
as patrol duty in sector 453-122 with his ship the Ryu-tai."
Tsunami leaned back, crossing her arms. "Could you show me his lineage?"
Misaki nodded and tapped the screen again. She started to read it, but
Tsunami waved her to silence, her eyes quickly scanning over the list of names.
"Yes, I think this one will do quite nicely." She finally said, satisfied.
"How soon can he be on Earth?"
"A manner of days, My Lady." Misaki told her.
"Good," Tsunami said. "Tell him that with the incidents with Dr. Clay and
Kagato, you have decided that the princess needs her own guardian."
"I will, Tsunami." Misaki bowed slightly.
The light that had filled the room during this discussion grew fainter and
seemed to absorb back into the form of the goddess, until she was merely the
form of a woman etched in blue light. Then she was gone and the now darkened
chamber rang with the chime of a tiny bell-like sound.
Misaki stood for a few moments looking at the spot that the goddess had so
recently occupied, and then she turned back to the bed and the two, still
sleeping, figures.
She trotted over and shook the lump that was Funaho. "Sister, sister, wake
up." Funaho murmured sleepily, something that vaguely sounded like 'go away'.
"Sister." Misaki hissed, and then pulled back the covers that the queen had
pulled up around her ears. She pinched the sleeping woman's nose. Funaho
sputtered and thrashed around, then she opened one eye and fixed her sister-
queen with a venomous, cycloptic, stare.
"It is the middle of the night, Misaki, what do you want?" Her brown eye
narrowed even further as she stared out from among her comfortable nest of
pillows.
"I just had a visitation." Misaki told her proudly.
"Now, Misaki," Funaho yawned hugely, "Remember what I told you about the
differences between sleeping and awake."
Misaki scowled. "It wasn't a dream, sister." She sat down beside the
sleepy queen and smiled broadly. "Tsunami came to see me. She was looking for a
guardian for Sasami."
Funaho sat up. "Oh?" She stared off into the recesses of their darkened
chamber.
"Yep, and we found one too. Tsunami just stole my best knight." She looked
thoughtful, "I'm glad Sasami will get him, though."
"You mean...?" Funaho asked incredulously.
"Yes, Sasami's guardian will be Kamidake." Misaki yawned. "I think I'm
going to go back to sleep, Goodnight Funaho."
"Goodnight, dear." Funaho said absently. She heard Misaki as she got on
the other side of the bed and arranged the covers to her liking. The First Queen
of Jurai, director of information of the Jurai royal council, stared at the
ceiling long after Misaki began to snore.
Sector 453-122 of the empire of Jurai
Sir Kamidake was bored, really, really bored; there were no battles to be
fought, no wars to be won, no one needed his protection. Kamidake was a man who
loved his work; he loved to be in on the action. Above all he loved his empire.
Since the time that he was a young boy, he would beg his grandmother to
take him to the practice grounds to watch the knights train. He could watch them
for hours, learning their moves, admiring their deft handling of their weapons.
Most of all he watched his grandfather and his father, thrilled each time they
stopped for a moment to give him a wave and a smile across the green grass. And
he knew, even from when he was a toddler, that that was what he wanted to be, a
knight. He had started training himself from a young age, sparring with saplings
and the other boys from his school. He soon outstripped all of them, much to the
delight of his grandfather and father. They would tell him stories of battles
and glories, and he would listen, his eyes wide, hanging on every word. One day,
they told him that they were going away; there was a war on another planet in a
small galaxy not too far from Jurai. His grandfather never came back. His father
was still a knight through and through but there were times when he would tell
the boy of the things he had left out of the stories. His eyes haunted, he would
tell about the dying, the cries of agony of the wounded, and the horrors of the
battlefield. Young Kamidake would listen seriously to the gruesome tales, then,
when he was alone, he would ponder what he could do to make it different. How he
could avoid the horrors his father spoke of.
He would talk of these thoughts with his grandmother, and she would
listen, with tears in her golden eyes, of the big dreams of a little boy. Then
she would hold him close and tell him that if anyone could do it, he could. He
would hug her back and wipe the tears off her face. "Don't cry grandma." He
whispered; his eyes locked on the starry universe spread before him. He had
vowed to be the best knight ever, to serve his king faithfully, just as his
family had done for many, many generations.
The knight tried to keep his thoughts on the stars before him. When it was
quiet and the only sounds were those of his own heart and the rustle of Ryu-
tai's branches, he found himself drawn back to his childhood, the innocence of
youth. It was difficult to keep and hard to let go of. He sighed, and leaned
back in his chair. "Ryu-tai, any activity?" The silence was negative. He sighed
again and looked up at the dome of his ship. Ryu-tai had been in his family for
many generations, a gift from the king of Jurai for a service rendered by one of
his ancestors. It was now passed on to him; his father retired when Kamidake
graduated from the academy and had given the bonding of the royal tree over to
him. He stood up, walked over and placed a hand affectionately on her silvery
trunk. "Well, I guess we're in for some more peace and quiet, old girl." Ryu-tai
responded by pinging a few tiny beams of light off of the water that surrounded
her.
He took up his key, which was a large, twisting staff with a red jewel
imbedded in the end, and toyed with it as he paced around the main deck of his
ship. He wasn't sure why he was patrolling this remote sector instead of the
areas of main activity. The knight sighed and flopped into his chair, idly
twirling the staff between his fingers.
Suddenly an alarm bell went off and a large view-screen popped up directly
in front of him, 'urgent message' it flashed. The knight hurriedly stood up and
straightened his uniform. "Play message." He told the ship. It was queen Misaki
herself, no less. He stood straighter and saluted. "My queen."
"Hiya, Kamidake." The queen exclaimed perkily. The queen was always perky.
"How goes the patrol?"
"Quiet, your majesty." Kamidake said smartly.
"Good, good." The queen paused for a moment. "The reason that I am calling
is that you are to be given a new assignment." She grinned. "Given recent events
that have taken place on planet earth in the Sol system, you are to be given the
assignment of assuming personal protection of the princess Sasami."
"Yes, your majesty." Kamidake said.
"You are to proceed to your new station with all possible haste." She
tapped a few buttons on her side of the screen. "Here are the coordinates."
The coordinates appeared on the screen. "Ryu-tai set new heading." Kamidake
commanded.
"All right then, have a good trip. Tell Sasami her mommy says hi." The
queen waved cheerfully at the screen. "Bye, now." The screen disappeared.
"What have I done?" Kamidake mused aloud. "First, patrol, now guard duty.
It just isn't my year." He had no idea.
...
Sasami woke from a troubled sleep, full of shadowy images and half formed
nightmares. Outside the window of her room the sun was just beginning to rise,
although it was difficult to tell, it seemed that with its arrival the clouds
that stained the sky just turned imperceptibly lighter. Sasami stretched,
shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, and sat up on her futon. She looked
around the room. It seemed so much emptier, now that Ayeka was gone. She had
moved out right after the wedding and into, of course, Tenchi's room. But she
was at least where Sasami could find her and talk to her. Now that she, Tenchi,
and Ryoko had gone to Jurai for an extended visit, the house just seemed so
empty. Of course, there was Ryo-Ohki and Grandfather, Noboyuki, and Washu, but
it wasn't exactly the same. Mihoshi had also been gone for some time, she had
been summoned to the headquarters of Jurai to make a report in person, at the
request of her own grandfather, the grand marshal of the galaxy police force.
Sasami had opted to stay behind, Noboyuki had contracted a cold right before his
son left, and Sasami had stayed to take care of him. They all knew that it was
an excuse, though. Washu could have easily and quickly fixed him up, but they
had accepted Sasami's decision.
Sasami had various reasons for wanting to stay behind. First and foremost
was her mother's desire to marry her off to some Jurai noble or another, second
was her mother herself, she just didn't feel up to visiting her in her present
mood, and finally, she didn't want Noboyuki to be lonely, the princess was
tender-hearted like that. The princess rose, and as she was dressing, Ryo-Ohki
entered through the door, she had disappeared at some point during the night.
"Good morning, Ryo-Ohki." She told the little cabbit-girl cheerfully. Ryo-
Ohki usually was able to cheer the princess up.
"Miya." Ryo-Ohki said, running up and wrapping her arms around the
princess' waist.
Sasami laughed and smoothed the girl's hair. She reached down and took her
hand, "Come on, let's go make breakfast." She led the girl down the stairs and
into the kitchen. Sometime later, when the remaining members of her unusual
family were polishing off their breakfast, Sasami had an unusual chat with her
brother, Yosho.
"Sasami," He asked over his miso soup, "have you heard from your mother
lately?"
Sasami shook her head negatively.
"Ah," He said, and that was all he said.
Unbeknownst to Sasami, Yosho had received a message the night before.
Apparently his mother, after an extended period of ceiling watching, had
decided that her son needed to know what had transpired between Misaki and the
goddess. She had told him that they would be getting a new addition to the
household. After filling him in on the details, she had asked what he thought of
it, he had replied. "I think our little goddess is up to something." After she
had indicated her agreement, he had told her that they would just wait and see
what Tsunami had in mind. Assuring her that he would keep in contact, they broke
off the transmission. Two people that night, several thousand light years away
from each other, had both taken up ceiling watching.
Yosho nodded to himself. So, Misaki had neglected to inform the princess
of her new acquisition. This should be interesting, things had been a little
placid recently. His teacup hid his smile as he sipped Sasami's wonderful brew.
Ryo-Ohki tagged along with Sasami as the princess went out into the
blustery morning to visit the guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, and to retrieve the
mail that the 42nd new postal carrier in two months had delivered. "You really
need to stop scaring them," she told the guardians as Azaka dispensed the mail
to her outstretched hand.
"I assure you that it is not intentional, your highness," Azaka said in
his deep voice.
"We merely try to be friendly." Kamidake added.
Sasami laughed helplessly, talking logs were just not on par with the dogs
that postal workers generally had to deal with. Sasami was not sure why they had
remained behind when Ayeka had left, but she suspected that her sister had given
them instructions to watch after her. She smiled and laid an affectionate hand
on Azaka's smooth bore, then walked over and did the same to Kamidake. "You two
are hopeless." The logs somehow managed to look bewildered. As she turned back
to walk down the smoothly worn path to the house, she heard a soft footstep
behind her, and swung around.
"Who goes there?" Kamidake demanded.
It had not taken Sir Kamidake long to arrive at his destination. He
touched his ship down in a secluded location somewhere in the mountains near a
tranquil waterfall; he figured Ryu-tai would like that until he found where he
could dock her. He took his time walking towards the house that he had seen on
his screen. He breathed in the sweetly scented air of the planet known as earth
and, looking around at the turning leaves and the hardy flowers of the autumnal
season, decided that this was indeed a beautiful planet. The wind tore at his
clothing as he walked, ripping the leaves off of the trees lining the path that
he had taken and scattering them across the ground. Even though the sky was a
hazy gray, he still could feel the warmth of the sun on his ruby hair. He slowed
his footsteps as he approached the house, through the trees he could now see the
occasional glint of windows and a large lake. He approached what he imagined was
the front entry of the house for he could now make out two large pillars at the
edges of the fence. They looked like guardians. He got closer to the edge of the
trees and stopped, feeling the sudden pain that gripped his chest. They were
guardians, the two originals, Kamidake, his namesake, and Azaka. It was the
sight of Azaka that caused him such agony. Azaka was his grandfather, named
after the guardians, just as he was the latest in a long line of those who had
carried on the tradition. He could feel the memories welling up at the sight of
the progeny of his great-great-great grandmother. He could once again feel his
grandfather's strong hands gripping his own as he corrected the boy's hold on
his bokken. He could see the intense blue of his gaze when Kamidake had made him
especially proud, the twinkle in his eyes, the smile on his face. Kamidake was
assaulted by his past. He struggled against the sudden feeling that his
grandfather was still alive, that one day he would come back and tell his
grandson how proud he had made him. Kamidake gasped brokenly. He could feel the
tears welling up in his eyes, all from the sight of the guardian.
As he struggled to regain his composure, he noticed that a slight figure
had emerged from the house, followed by an even slighter one. He watched them as
they approached the source of his pain. One was a girl; probably eighteen, and
her hair flowed like the waterfall in the valley where he had left Ryu-tai, a
cascade of silken turquoise. As she drew closer Kamidake was able to make out
her features more clearly, her pale flawless skin, and pink eyes, just like her
mother's. The smaller figure was also a girl but younger, perhaps twelve, with
somewhat spiky brown hair crowning her head and shorter fur covering her body.
She had large golden eyes and was wearing a pink dress covered in carrots. 'That
must be Ryo-Ohki,' he thought, recalling the description in his files.
The two girls approached the guardians at the gate and stood talking to
them for a few moments, obviously about happy things, he surmised from the
laughter that floated back to him. It was beautiful and silvery, like the
chiming of a chorus of tiny bells. The knight stood frozen for a few moments
until, seeing that the princess was about to return to the house, he shook
himself out of his reverie and approached, walking softly across the gravel. The
princess must have had very keen senses, for she heard him approach even before
the guardians had time to react and twirled to face him. Kamidake (the log)
hailed him as he stood there in stunned reverence. He ignored his namesake as he
saw his charge close up for the first time. He had seen pictures of her before,
but there was no comparison between seeing the wavy holographic images and the
real thing now standing before him. He fell instantly and irrevocably in love
with her.
Sasami regarded the man closely, taking in the loose tunic and pants that
were caught closely at the knee. His rich red hair was braided back from his
face in a rather intricate way. Over the loose tunic the man wore a long
embroidered vest of bright colors, and in his hand he held a staff embedded with
a red jewel at its end. He was Jurian, she knew instantly, probably one of her
mother's elite guards. She stiffened slightly, her mother didn't think she could
take care of herself, that was also obvious.
"What is your name, soldier?" She asked abruptly.
The man seemed startled, his eyes filled with chagrin. He dropped down on
one knee in the dust before her, his eyes on the ground, his key thrust out at
an angle before him. "I am Sir Kamidake, your highness. I was sent to take over
the task of your personal protection."
At the mention of the knight's name, Sasami turned to the guardian who
shared it. The log also turned slightly to look at her.
"Kamidake?" The princess asked. "How odd."
The knight looked up at her, his golden eyes respectful but also, somehow,
she could see the sadness lurking in their amber depths. "Not really, your
highness. My grandmother, several generations removed, created the two guardians
that stand before us. She named them after her two sons, Azaka and Kamidake. We
have held to the tradition of naming each in the order of his birth, my father
is Azaka, my uncle Kamidake."
"Rise, sir knight," the princess smiled, "you're going to get your clothes
dirty."
Kamidake rose gracefully, with the trained skill of one who was raised in
court.
Upon standing he found that he had to look down at her, she was really not
very tall with her eyes only level with his chin, but the sheer force of her
presence made her seem taller. He smiled slightly, even had he not been ordered
to, he would have gladly protected this princess with his life.
The princess seemed distracted as she gave a few words of farewell to the
two guardians, and then walked off towards the house, pulling a staring Ryo-Ohki
behind her.
Kamidake hesitated a startled instance and then started after her. She
entered the house and stopped briefly to remove her shoes, Kamidake did
likewise.
"Grandfather!" the princess called, a note of iron in her voice. Ryo-Ohki
prudently disappeared at that point.
Another voice called faintly from another section of the house. "In here,
Sasami."
Kamidake trailed after the purposeful little princess as she started in
the direction of the voice, looking around him at the interior of the structure.
It was well built, but seemed a bit rustic, somewhat like the cabin his family
had in the low hills of Jurai. But the lovely thing about the house was the
light, windows were everywhere, spilling in and somehow amplifying the wan
radiance from the muted sun. He followed as she led him into what appeared to be
the common room, with a wall filled with more floor to ceiling windows
overlooking the glassy lake he had seen earlier. Also in the room was a small
dining area, at which sat an elderly gentleman reading a newspaper and
thoughtfully sipping a cup of fragrant tea. Kamidake was staggered at the amount
of power that he felt emanating from the man. Also there was an air of nobility
that surrounded him like an aura, as well as a tinge of humor. Kamidake felt
that he was looking at a mighty knight, the likes of which he had rarely met
before. Being a man of likeable nature, Kamidake liked him.
Yosho looked up over his paper, seeing the man that his mother had
identified as Kamidake for the first time. He seemed to be a good sort, noble
and all. He reminded him of Azaka, Kamidake's father, and his grandfather as
well, who was also named Azaka.
They had all been good friends and allies. He hoped that his initial
assumption about this man was correct. There was no one he trusted more than A1
and A2, as he had nicknamed them. The prince set down his teacup and paper and
rose gracefully, also as one who had been raised at court. He walked over to the
stunned young knight and took his hand in a firm grip. "Kamidake, it is nice to
meet you, my boy. I knew your grandfather, and your father well." He said
heartily.
Kamidake returned the handshake, 'He knows father and grandfather?' he
thought.
Sasami, meanwhile, was watching the exchange through narrowed pink eyes.
This confirmed her suspicions. "You knew!" She addressed the old man, "You knew
what my mother was doing and you didn't tell me."
Yosho sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Brother!" She told him in exasperation, and then retreated into the
kitchen.
Kamidake looked at the old man, wondering if his face was going to settle
into a permanent expression of wonderment. "Prince Yosho?"
Yosho continued looking sheepish.
Sasami was chopping furiously, which reflected the way she was feeling. It
seemed that everyone was trying to make her seem foolish, and she didn't like
that one bit. She sighed heavily as she moved from the cutting board to the
stovetop to test the progress of the meal she was preparing. She sipped the
simmering soup after blowing on it to cool it. Almost done. She picked up her
hot pads and slipped them on, then carefully moved the pot to the back burner.
After she set it down and covered it, she turned to go back to her chopping,
only to find that the job had been taken over. Kamidake stood, his back to her,
now dressed in clothing that she recognized as belonging to her brother,
chopping busily at the carrots that she had been preparing for Ryo-Ohki.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Kamidake carefully set the knife down on the counter and turned to face
her, his face stoic. Sasami couldn't help herself as she burst into delighted
laughter.
"It was the only one I could find." Kamidake said. He was wearing one of
Sasami's aprons, which wouldn't have been bad in and of itself, unfortunately
the one he had found was pink, with little cabbits and carrots chasing their way
across it, it was also way too small.
Sasami clasped one hand across her mouth in an effort to contain her
giggles, the other was clutched about her middle. She couldn't remember the last
time she had laughed so hard. Eventually she recovered herself, and, still
chuckling, opened a cabinet and retrieved one of Noboyuki's aprons. She tossed
it to him and he removed the pink apron and handed it to her, then put on the
plain one. "Thank you, your highness." He said, bowing slightly.
She made a gesture of dismissal, and then turned back to her cooking,
listening as he retrieved the knife and began chopping again.
Kamidake followed the princess around for the rest of the day, much to her
obvious dismay. She thought that he thought she couldn't do anything herself. It
seemed that every time she turned around, he was there, taking the wash from her
and hanging it up, carefully pulling up the carrots that made up the little
cabbit's diet, his golden eyes respectful and his face calm.
Kamidake followed her in order to get a feel for her schedule and her habits; it
seemed to him that she spent an inordinate amount of time cooking. In between
mealtimes she did the wash, harvested the carrots, and still had time to play
with Ryo-Ohki, who followed her everywhere as well. After a few days, this would
no longer be necessary and he could give her some space, but until then.
As the sun was setting over the western hills, painting everything with
golden light, they sat at the dinner table, eating one of her fabulous meals.
Kamidake's mouth watered with the aromas and the taste, a rare treat for those
whose taste buds were used to soldiers rations. Her looked out the window as he
ate, watching the sun set on this planet, so beautiful, with the last rays of
sunlight painting over the trees, mountains, and lake.
'This might not be as bad as I thought' he mused silently. His head was
snapped around as he heard the sound of a door opening. He saw the broom closet?
door had opened and a yawning young girl, perhaps twelve, emerged. She wore an
ancient science academy uniform, and her pink hair was styled in such a way to
remind him of a crab, for some reason. 'Washu' he thought, 'Well, that's about
everyone.'
Washu strolled over and plunked herself down at the table beside Noboyuki.
"Good morning everyone." She said.
Sasami looked a little confused. "Washu, it's past sunset."
Washu's eyes narrowed as she looked uncomprehendingly out the window.
"Hmm, well it is isn't it? Guess I got my days and nights turned around.
That's easy enough to fix. You see, what happened was..." She was about to go
off on some long-winded explanation when she noticed that someone new was seated
at the dining table.
"Hello, I'm little Washu." She said cutely.
Kamidake bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet an esteemed genius such
as yourself, little Washu." He straightened, "I am Kamidake, Sasami's new
guard."
Washu was extremely pleased, not only did he call her little Washu with no
prompting, a rarity, he also recognized her scientific genius. She smiled
hugely. "I like you. Would you like to be a guinea pig for my experiments?"
"Uh," Kamidake searched frantically for a polite way to refuse. "I think
I'm going to be busy for a while, little Washu."
"I can wait." Washu said firmly. Sasami sighed and Washu looked at her
sharply, then back at the knight, who was pointedly not looking back. She
finally shrugged and began to eat.
During the meal they made polite conversation, varying on topics from the
weather to inter-stellar politics. Kamidake joined in on the conversations most
heartily, commenting on the beauty of the planet and such. He made it a point to
ask Washu, whom he assumed arranged such things, where he could dock Ryu-tai.
"Ah, I can make a sub-space pocket for her," Washu replied, "A simple
matter really. I will do it first thing tomorrow."
"So, you have Ryu-tai now." Yosho commented, "She is a beautiful ship."
Kamidake grinned. "Yes, she is."
"And how is your family?" Yosho asked. "It has been a very long time since
I have seen anyone from Jurai, aside from my family." He nodded at Sasami, who
smiled at him.
Kamidake swallowed, "My father and grandmother are well."
Yosho looked concerned at the omission, "And your grandfather, Azaka?"
Yosho noticed the look of pain that crossed over Kamidake's face and immediately
wished that he had not asked. "Perhaps this is better not discussed at the
dinner table." He said hastily. Kamidake nodded in relief. "But perhaps you
would talk to me about it later." He added. The knight nodded his head in
agreement.
Later, after the supper table was cleared and Kamidake washed the dishes,
Washu retreated into her lab muttering something about a timed experiment,
Noboyuki went up to his room, presumably to work on his latest project, and
Sasami was curled up on the couch watching a television program, Kamidake
joined Yosho on the deck of the house.
Kamidake settled down next to the prince, who was looking reflectively out
at the lake. They sat there for a few long moments in silence.
"My grandfather," Kamidake said finally. "Was a good man, a great warrior,
as I am sure you know." Yosho nodded, not taking his eyes off of the night
before him. "When I was young, perhaps six years old, a war broke out on the
planet Kabairo. My father and grandfather were the first into the fray. They
were located where the battle was the thickest, and somehow, they were
separated. When the battle was over my father went to look for grandfather, but
he never found him. He did find his key though, and..." He trailed off.
"He would never have surrendered it, or left it. Unless he was killed."
Yosho said. Kamidake nodded. "Yes, your grandfather was a good man, and a great
warrior."
If either of the men had looked behind them, they would have seen a small,
blue-haired shadow slip back into the house.
Deep in space dimensions collide, the improbable and the inevitable mix. A
twist of space and time resides in a place of impossible reality. If some lost
soul were to stumble across it, which no one ever does, they would rub their
eyes and wonder what in the universe they ate for supper, then gladly travel on.
The door to the goddess. A trail of her toys, the amusement of an immortal soul,
scattered along the path. Planets and odd architecture, all brought into an
impossible place. If one were to follow that path, which has known the passage
of a few unfortunate souls, they would come to a place where the fabric of the
universe had worn thin. The home of a goddess.
She had been staring at the image for a very long time, but a moment in
her infinite life, ten years to be fairly exact. Not a very interesting image,
but very, very, important to her and to her plans. The goddess, who was as
impossible to existence as the place that surrounded her, was pensive. Her
costume flew back in the non-existent wind, her cold rainbow eyes fastened on
the object of her examination. The image was of a young man with spiked hair,
standing, his arms folded, seeming to stare back up at the goddess defiantly. He
was backed by an image of five ethereally white wings. The goddess stirred.
Immediately a large face, his hair and beard purely white and a red gem in the
middle of his forehead, appeared.
"My Lady Tokimi." He said respectfully.
The goddess did not deign to look down at him. "What is it about this
boy?" She murmured. "D3, have you had any success in contacting my sister,
Washu?"
"No My Lady. She has some force blocking our efforts." D3 was not very
pleased about having to report this.
"I am not pleased, D3" The goddess pulled her eyes off of the image before
her, and stared into space, her face immobile. "If I cannot speak with her I
shall have to speak with Tsunami." She looked back down at the image. "This is
her doing, I know it. D3, summon Ryoushi." One of the shadows that flanked the
goddess's throne room gave a shudder, then shrunk back in on itself. At the same
time a figure started to appear on the dais that held the image of the man with
the lighthawk wings. It was dark, cloaked in hooded robes, all unrelieved black.
Its face was obscured until D3 gave a sharp command and the figure looked up. It
was a face filled with undisguised contempt and loathing, though all you could
see was an eye, a fierce, unrelenting blue gaze. The other eye was concealed
with a patch, out from under which ran a wicked looking scar.
"My lady summoned me." The man spoke with thinly veiled sarcasm.
"Yes, Ryoushi." The goddess replied, unruffled. "I wish for you to do a
task for me. I want you to bring me my sister. Dr. Clay was so good as to find
her location for me, the only reason we didn't kill him."
"As my lady commands." Ryoushi replied with a mocking bow.
"Do not hurt her, however."
"And if anyone tries to stop me?"
"Use your own judgment. Any other does not matter, the boy is not with
her."
"Yes, my lady." With that, the huntsman vanished.
"That man disturbs me." The goddess commented to D3. "He makes me think
that I should sleep with a knife under my pillow. But he is the best."
"You have a pillow, My Lady?" D3 asked.
The goddess turned a cold eye upon her servant. "It was meant to be
humorous."
D3 saw his opening. He had been waiting eons and now his time had come.
"It was very funny Lady Tokimi. I have a good one. Would you like me to share it
with you?"
"Proceed."
The demi-god proceeded to tell a long and complicated joke involving a
textile merchant, two weasels, a very confused frog and a large wooden badger.
By the time he made it halfway through the masterpiece the floor was shaking as
the very stones laughed, the entire fabric of the surrounding space convulsed
and thrashed around as this, the Joke, unfolded. D3 used sheer artistry in his
telling, sending shockwave ripples of hilarity through the universe. Every
sentence and every word, contributed to the laughter quotient of the Joke. When
he finally reached the punch line, the whole of time stopped, anticipating.
"...And every time he sat down it croaked." The universe collapsed in
helpless laughter, the planets wobbled in their orbits, the stars flickered in
stattaco bursts, wars stopped as their participants were overcome with laughter.
The force of the Joke spread in ripples of laughter throughout the universe,
touching all corners.
After the first effect of the Joke passed, D3 looked up at the Lady
Tokimi. She had not moved, had not said one word. "My Lady?"
Lady Tokimi was silent for a moment...a very long moment. Empires rose and fell
while she contemplated the Joke. Of course, those empires where on a planet
called Arrogantis, where a new empire rose and fell about every ten minutes.
Finally the goddess turned her very unamused eyes on her suddenly cringing
servant.
"You're lucky I don't kill you."
"Yes, Lady Tokimi."
D3 phased quietly out, while Tokimi turned her attention back to the image
she had contemplated for so long.
About a week later, the shockwave of the Joke rippled through the Sol
system.
Sasami was in the kitchen with Ryo-Ohki, per usual. Yosho was meditating on the
porch, while surreptitiously watching Kamidake practice a new sword technique.
Noboyuki was at work, while Washu was holed up in her lab. Suddenly, it hit.
Sasami collapsed on the floor holding her sides, as did Ryo-Ohki, who, in the
shock, reverted to her cabbit form, laughing uproariously. Yosho fell off of the
porch, and Kamidake dropped his sword as he fell on the ground laughing.
Noboyuki's entire office shook with the combined laughter of everyone in the
city. Washu was in her aquarium when all her aquatic creatures started going
mad, and she only had time to take two steps before she, too felt the effect of
the Joke. After the ripple passed, they all rushed to the living room. Once
there they all stopped and looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to
whatever they were doing before the Joke hit.
For the past week, Kamidake had followed his charge around, and he now
knew her usual schedule and habits by heart. This being so, he could now back
off and give the harried little princess some space. However, he found that he
still did it, albeit in moderation. This was because, in following Sasami
around, he had become more and more enamored of the kind young woman he saw.
Sasami had noted that her new guardian had toned down his vigil and was
extremely grateful. There had been a few instances when she had been on the
verge of screaming at him, which was totally unlike her. This usually happened
when Kamidake, though nimble, was unable to get out of the way in time when she
made sudden moves and she had walloped him unintentionally. These instances she
was usually angry both with herself and with her knight, who looked sheepish and
apologized profusely every time. She was angry with herself because, despite all
her intentions of disliking him, she grew to like him more and more each day.
There had been tests of her patience though, especially after one
instance, which she still shuddered over when she thought about it. It had been
a few days after the knight's arrival at the Masaki household, when the two of
them were still feeling each other out. Sasami had joined her brother Yosho for
a round of sake. He had become used to having Ayeka and Ryoko as drinking
partners and was now quite lonely without them.
The prince's first thought had been of Washu, but she was holed up in her
lab, as usual. Noboyuki was pulling an all-nighter at work, saying something
about a collapsing hrung. This really didn't explain much as no one, except
possibly Washu, and as mentioned, she was in her lab, knew what a hrung was or
why it was collapsing. He had asked Kamidake to join him but the knight had
declined, claiming he needed to have his wits about him in order to be an
effective guardian. So Sasami had volunteered.
She had had a few drinks; she didn't really care for alcohol, in order to
placate her brother. Then excused herself and went up to her room, a bit
unsteadily, the sound of ancient Jurian drinking songs echoing in the darkened
air of the hallway. In truth, Sasami had noticed a disapproving look on
Kamidake's face as she had sipped her sake and she had drunken a bit more than
she had planned in response to a somewhat childish urge to make him angry. She
stumbled a bit as she went up the stairs and opened the door to her lonely room,
hanging upon it for a while in an effort to quell the unusual rocking movement
of the floorboards. She then went in and undressed slowly, binding her hair and
slipping on her nightdress when she was done. She lay down on her bed and pulled
the covers up close around her neck in an effort to keep out the chill of the
autumn air coming in her open window. The princess fell asleep.
A few hours later, when the moon was shining chill and bright through her
window, she awoke. She lay staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments,
wondering what had woken her up. Then she knew, she had to go to the bathroom,
urgently. Sasami tossed her covers off and jumped carefully out of bed, then
quickly padded to the door.
She pushed it open and rushed out, then tripped over something large and
dark lying along the floor outside of her door. Sasami nearly fell right onto
her face when two strong hands reached out and caught her, and she found herself
staring at the floorboards, which were now about two inches away from her nose.
"Your highness! Are you all right?" She was pulled to her feet and saw
before her Kamidake's worried face peering out of the shadows.
The princess gritted her teeth. "You...stay...right...here! Do not move."
She started walking backwards down the hall, a warning finger pointed at
the knight. She kept walking, more quickly now, until she reached the door of
the women's bathroom, where she turned quickly and vanished inside. A few
moments later the vastly relieved princess emerged, having gotten one thing over
with she was prepared to deal with the other. She found Kamidake standing
exactly where she had left him. She strode up to the man and stood in front of
him, her hands placed on her hips, murder in her heart. "What exactly did you
think you were doing?" She demanded.
"Er...um...er...well I..." The knight stammered.
"Are you saying that you do this every night?" The princess asked
incredulously.
"Well. I ...it's for your."
"Don't give me that 'for my own safety' stuff. You have your own room sir,
use it." She pointed imperiously down the hall at Tenchi's room, and the knight
sheepishly retreated with a murmured, 'yes, ma'am'. She watched him until he had
disappeared through the door, then finally turned and went back to bed.
"What a queen she would have made!" Kamidake chuckled into the darkness of
Tenchi's room.
The two intervening weeks had progressed rather smoothly, Sasami was
ashamed of her outburst and was careful to be nice to her protector. Kamidake
spent the time watching Sasami and dodging Washu, who seemed to be everywhere,
insisting that she needed a "sample" and the tone of voice and look on her face
when she said it was enough to make the knight very, very cautious. Yosho
usually watched them all with an amused look on his face.
At dinner the night that the Joke had hit the Earth, Washu was eager to
tell of her findings about the event. "It originated at one point, I am certain.
Apparently the force was so titanic that it did not dissipate with the passage
of time and distance. With that power, one could rule the universe." Everyone
else just looked at her cautiously around his or her chopsticks. "If I knew when
it hit Jurai, I could find the precise location using..." She continued along on
that vein for a while.
"I will be sure to ask mother about it the next time I speak to her."
Yosho assured her.
After dinner had been cleared away and the dished were washed and dried,
Sasami decided that now would be a good time to visit the onsen and take a long
relaxing bath. She left Ryo-Ohki snoozing on the couch and Washu badgering Yosho
about contacting Funaho and went out to the lake, where the onsen hovered
silently above the moon-drenched waters. She walked up to the teleport pad and
was instantly transported to the haven. I was like a jungle paradise, with cold
and warm rushing waterfalls and tranquil pools, greenery bloomed all around and
the floorboards were as smooth as silk under her bare feet. For a few moments
Sasami thought about the creator of the onsen, her own sister-in-law Ryoko. The
instant Sasami had stepped inside the floating bath for the first time she had
known that Ryoko was more than a pirate; she had the soul of one who had known
no beauty in her life and craved it above almost anything else. She had loved
her as a sister ever since that moment.
Sasami breathed in the warm, moist air surrounding her and undressed.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she moved over to one of the pools and sat down
next to it, trailing her finger in the water, watching the ripples move through
her reflection. She paused and lifted her hand, allowing the water to still. No,
it was Tsunami's reflection now, the face of the goddess staring back at her.
With a mournful sigh she shattered the reflection and stepped down into the
pool.
Kamidake had followed the princess outside and was standing looking at the
onsen. Until now he had always used the small shower inside the Masaki house,
and he had never seen the inside of the onsen. He did not like it. When Sasami
was in the onsen he could not see or hear her, it made him nervous. He had a bad
feeling this night and because of that, he decided to go up there as well and
stay in the men's side of the structure. He walked slowly up to the pier and
stood in the spot where Sasami had, he gulped as a feeling of vertigo overtook
him and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the entry of the bathhouse.
He looked around at the marvelous interior and regretted that he had not gone
there before. After carefully examining the writing on the doors, he opened the
one that led to the men's part of the bath and stepped in. Kamidake undressed
quickly and wrapped a towel around his hips, then walked into a steaming pool.
He closed his eyes as the warmth of the water enveloped him and settled down
next to the edge, his arms propped along the deck.
He was just relaxing when he heard a cry. 'Sasami!' he thought, as he
quickly leapt out of the water and ran to the other side of the bath. At first
he only saw Sasami, clutching her towel around herself and staring fearfully out
at the shadows beneath the trees. Kamidake followed her gaze and saw...nothing,
nothing but shadow. "Your highness." He called.
She turned her eyes briefly upon him, terrified and wide, and then lifted
a delicate arm to point into the shadows. "There...there's someone over there,
Kamidake."
Kamidake peered into the deep shadows, and thought he saw a snatch of
movement. He twisted the ring on his finger and was immediately in his Jurai
uniform, his key appeared in his hand. Not taking his eyes off of the shadows,
he told Sasami, "Run, your highness. Run quickly to the house, your brother is
there." Her startled pink eyes wide, she turned and waded out of the pool and,
still clutching her towel, ran to the port and disappeared. When she had gone,
Kamidake shouted, "Show yourself, coward!"
A figure dislodged itself from the shadows. And Kamidake could immediately
see why he had escaped his notice at first, the figure was draped all in
unrelieved black, from his head to the tips of his boots, the only part that was
not black was one, startling blue eye that peered out of the face of the shadow.
"Leave now, and you will not be harmed, I am only after the girl." The deep
voice issued from somewhere amidst the cloak.
"Not a chance." Kamidake sneered, his golden eyes narrowed. "I am Sir
Kamidake, knight of Jurai." He thought he saw the figure flinch. "And what is
your name?"
"I am...Ryoushi." The figure said. "And I will allow you to delay me no
longer."
With that the man turned and with a single word, the glass burst outward
and he vanished. Kamidake cursed and leaped after him.
Sasami ran the moment her feet hit the dock, she ran wildly towards the
comforting lights of the house. Her feet slapped loudly on the board beneath her
as she panted loudly with each step. She was almost there. Suddenly a shadow
appeared before her. The princess slid to a stop and screamed, hoping someone
would hear her.
The shadow seemed to smile behind his veils. "No one will hear you," he
said almost kindly, his eyes flicking back to the house. "My mistress, Lady
Tokimi, wishes to speak to you, Lady Tsunami."
Sasami gasped, Lady Tokimi, she had heard that name before, she knew who
that was. She also knew she definitely did not want to see her. "No!" she cried,
turned and sped off into the night.
"How quickly she runs." The shadow murmured in appreciation, then started
after her.
Kamidake arrived a moment later and burst into the house, no one was
there.
"Princess Sasami! Yosho? Washu? Anyone." No one answered. Almost
panicking, Kamidake ran back outside and scanned the ground. "That way." He
muttered to himself. And raced off in the direction that Sasami and Ryoushi had
taken.
Sasami ran until her legs were shaking and she could not run another foot.
She collapsed to the ground, in the middle of a field, the dewy grass bathed in
the light of the moon, trying to catch her breath. A moment later she heard a
voice.
"You led me on a merry chase, Lady Tsunami." She looked up, her face pale
and scared in the moonlight, her hair wild and tangled, still clad only in her
pink towel.
"I'm Sasami." She gasped, looking wildly around for help.
The man chuckled "I know who you are." He offered her a hand to help her
stand and she recoiled.
"Why don't you leave me alone!" she cried.
"I can't do that, Lady Tsunami," He seemed to grimace behind his veils. "I
have my orders." His hand was still outstretched, and the princess tried to
scramble away. "I would rather not have to force you," The man of shadow said
gravely.
Kamidake ran through the forest, his eyes locked upon the trail beneath
him. He stopped suddenly. Voices. He began to run again. Sasami's back was
turned to him as he ran into the moonlight, but he could see her turquoise hair
lying along the ground behind her. " Princess Sasami!" He bellowed.
Ryoushi turned to look at him, then turned his single blue eye back down
at the princess. "I have orders not to hurt you, but that does not stand for
anyone else."
"No, don't hurt him." Sasami said desperately. "Kamidake, stay back!"
But the knight didn't hear her; he was too intent on the man threatening
his princess. He barreled past her and slammed into Ryoushi. The two men
grappled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand, Kamidake fought with
fury, but the other man stayed calm. They both struggled up and tried to bring
their weapons into play. Kamidake swung his key at the man, which was deflected,
but barely. It caught at the material of the man's veil and it was ripped off.
Kamidake stopped, for an instant, for a heartbeat, "Grandfather." He whispered.
Sasami did not hear this whisper, neither did the man who was once Azaka and he
took advantage of Kamidake's momentary hesitation. His silver blade came
whistling in and caught the knight across the side, biting deep.
All was silent. Kamidake stopped and placed a shaking hand on the wound.
He spun about slowly to face Sasami. "Your highness, I have failed you." Sasami
stared up at her knight, his uniform drenched in blood, his golden eyes glowing
as he looked at her, his hair flowing down his back, the red glistening in the
moonlight. Then he stiffened, and then he fell, a crumpled heap beneath the
moonlight.
Sasami stared at him for a long moment, her eyes burning with tears.
"NOOO!" She wailed, as a feeling of despair welled up from the bottom of her
soul. "No!" She scrambled forward and clutched him to her. She rocked him for a
while, weeping uncontrollably.
"I am sorry, Lady Tsunami. It was necessary." Ryoushi said from the
shadows behind her.
Sasami grew still, and she clutched Kamidake to her for another long
moment then gently laid him on the ground. She smoothed his hair and then picked
up his key and laid it against his chest. Her eyes shadowed, she stood, her face
streaked with the tracks of her tears. She could feel rage, boiling up, and
power, immense incredible power. She turned to face Ryoushi, her eyes still
fixed on the ground. She felt as though the universe were collapsing around her.
She looked up at the man before her, who was staring at the form of Kamidake
with self-loathing. He turned to her, to see her rose-colored eyes blazing with
a power she had never felt before. A glow started to form around her, like a
soft blue haze, and her towel disappeared, replaced with flowing ceremonial
robes of Jurai. There was an infinite wisdom in her depthless eyes.
"You cannot go unpunished," Sasami said sadly, her voice strong and
melodious. "I wish that it had not come to this, but I see that there is not a
choice." She raised her delicate arm and pointed at the man. The soft blue light
that surrounded her began to coalesce at the tip of her finger, forming a ball
of light. She opened her hand and the light flew to Ryoushi, touching his chest
gently. He stood there with what looked like a grateful smile on his face, and
then almost in an identical way as his grandson, he fell.
Sasami wept for the second time that night.
"Your highness." Came a voice behind her, a familiar voice. Kamidake was
struggling up, his hand clutched to his side, trying to reach her.
Sasami rushed to him. She could see that his wound was causing him much
pain, and she could heal him, but there was something that would hurt even more
if it were left undone. She supported him and they made their way over to where
Azaka lay.
"He will not remain much longer." She said sadly.
She let Kamidake back down gently, and knelt beside him, then held her
hands over Azaka's chest. "Azaka, my child, it is time to say farewell." The
hazy mist that had remained on Azaka's chest began to spread and became the form
of a man, strong and vital, in a Jurian uniform.
"Grandfather." Kamidake cried, and tried to reach out to him.
"No, Kamidake," the spirit of Azaka said. "I was not your grandfather."
"What do you mean?" The knight asked, as tears ran down his face.
"Do you remember, that war on Kabairo?" Kamidake nodded. "Well, when I was
separated from your father, I found myself overmatched and was cut down quickly.
I lay there, dying, on the battlefield, when a woman approached. She healed me
and took me away, only after making sure I left my key on the field." The shade
of Azaka shuddered.
"She possessed me completely. I was forced to do her bidding. I did so
many horrible things for her. Her name was Tokimi." His mouth twisted in hatred.
"I could not fight her, except for short periods." He looked down at Kamidake,
his eye shining. "When I saw you, with the Lady Tsunami, I knew this was my
chance. I could see that she loved you and you her." Kamidake looked at Sasami
and she blushed. "So when I fought you I checked my blow, to make sure that it
was not a mortal injury, but would appear to be. I knew that then, Lady Tsunami
would set me free."
Kamidake looked from the shade of his grandfather to Sasami. "But...but, I
mean, couldn't she have just broken the possession?"
Sasami spoke, her eyes downcast, her voice throbbing with unshed tears.
"No, Tokimi is stronger than I. I knew that all I could do was set his soul
free."
Azaka sighed. "I only wish that I could join the light."
"Of course you will." Sasami snapped.
Azaka jumped, then smiled, "you forgive me, My Lady?"
"There is absolutely nothing to forgive." She said firmly. "Besides, I
should be thanking you, my fear was holding me back from my true self, you
helped me to become whole." She leaned over and pressed her forehead to Azaka's.
"I must go now, my time is short." Azaka looked over at his grandson, his
eye sparkling. "I am proud of you, Kamidake." He reached out and placed his
insubstantial hand on his head. "Try not to remember me too harshly, and don't
blame My Lady Tsunami."
"Never, grandfather." Kamidake gasped.
The blue light that made up Azaka's form began to dissipate as his shade
settled back into his body. When he was completely joined, the light
disappeared, and he lay in repose, a small smile on his face.
Sasami touched her hands to the body's chest and spoke. "Your journey will
be long, and your resting place far, but there you will have eternal joy."
Beneath her hands, the body dissolved and became a form etched in twinkling
lights. "Go, now." The goddess said softly, and she removed her hands. Azaka
streaked off into the sky, heading towards the light. Sasami watched him go,
with tears in her eyes.
"Your Highness." Came a soft voice beside her. Her jaw clenched as she
thought of when he might have been dead. She moved over to him and held him,
healing him, as he wrapped his arms around her. She stared at him, his pale
skin, his heart shaped face, his large gentle golden eyes, his mouth twisting as
he tried to hold back his grief.
"Kamidake." She said softly. "Call me Sasami."
Author's notes:
Well, this is my third fan fic and I hope that they are getting better. This fic
was set in the OVA, but I felt that Kamidake from the TV series had a great deal
of potential. So I brought him in, changed some things around, but maintained a
connection to the guardians. So anyway, until I write again. Kyokki
Questions, comments and complaints can be sent to kyokki21@yahoo.com I will
answer back promptly, I promise.