I do not own InuYasha or Magic Knight Rayearth in any way, shape or form!
Speech Key:
"The" – Oral/Normal Speech
'The' – Thoughts
PLEASE READ BEFORE BEGINNING CHAPTER!
AN: Okay, so this chapter definitely turned out shorter than the one before, but I guess its because neither Tata nor Tatra needed anything added to them.
In the anime, there's the running gag about Tata being chided by Tatra for her Osaka accent, but try as I might, I couldn't fit it in. Whenever I did, the sentence just ended up making no sense or very little sense however much I tweaked and rewrote, so I just cut it out completely …
Let's see, the chapter is going to have more dialogue in it, for one thing. There wasn't a lot I could think of to add to the characters of Tata and Tatra. Tata is a headstrong princess with a short fuse, but cares a lot about her kingdom. Tatra acts like an airhead more often than not, but is wiser than she seems.
Anyway, I hope you all like this and please remember to review, but if you've nothing polite to say then don't bother saying anything at all!
~A Match of Two Souls~
oO-The Determination of Twin Princesses-Oo
"How dare he?!" Princess Tata of Chizeta raged. "Who does he think he is? Does he think we will leave because he told us to? We promised mother and father that we would be victorious in claiming territory for Chizeta! We will go to Cephiro, and that's final!"
"At the risk of being labeled as invaders?" Princess Tatra interjected softly.
Tata flinched and turned away from her sister with a huff.
"Such resolve! Why I've never seen you so excited! Not even during lessons!" Tatra sipped her tea with a clam smile. "Shall I explore your thoughts, Baby Sister?"
"Even if we do as the Commander asks, they will still invade," the older princess spoke. "With such a polluted atmosphere, Autozam is in a dire situation and Cephiro, for them, may be its only hope. Whether they want the power of Cephiro's Pillar or the land itself, either way this world will be plunged into war."
Tata looked over her shoulder at her sister.
"The world of Cephiro is a world of magic where the strength of Will rules," the elder sister said grimly. "But having lived in peace, safe from all who would harm their world, they have no army. Now more than ever, as this world continues to crumble a little more each day. Even with the help of the Magic Knights, their victory would be uncertain."
"So," Tatra concluded, "You have decided that you will fight Autozam in their stead."
The younger princess flushed bright red, realizing her sister saw through her. She opened her mouth, presumably to let loose a scathing retort, only to release a strangled sort of squeak instead.
Mortified, Tata's face cycled through every shade of red known and unknown.
Tatra giggled.
"I know you, my dear Tata," she told her younger sister. "Your heart is much bigger than most assume. If you had the choice, you would speak with the people of Cephiro. If they refused our wish to expand our territory…then you would let the matter rest."
It was true, Tata inwardly agreed. To fight when there was no need to…nothing was worth that.
Tatra's face turned grim. "But Autozam…they are not like that, Tata. Blood may be shed."
Tata's face mirrored her sister's, knowing the statement to be true. "But what about Mother and Father? Our promise?"
Before they'd left for Cephiro, the twin princesses had promised their parents they would try to secure territory for Chizeta. Tata wanted nothing more than to fulfill that promise, to make their parents and their people happy. She knew her sister felt the same, but then, with Tatra, nothing was ever as clear as it was unclear.
Tatra was calm as she sipped her tea.
"Tata, do you remember what the Magic Knight, Umi, told us in the little time she had been here?" she asked finally.
Tata nodded.
"She had no wish to fight, only to know why we were advancing into Cephiro," Tatra reminded her.
"She didn't want to fight unless there was a reason for her to," Tata realized. "She said she didn't want to cause anymore grief…what did she mean by that?"
"Cephiro has always been shrouded in mystery, even in texts," Tatra explained. "We know of how this world functions, but very little was ever said about the Mashin. The Mashin were only spoken of as protectors, nothing more, nothing less. But what were they protecting?"
Tata was silent.
"Could they have been protecting the Pillar? The people?" the elder princess continued. "Or perhaps were they meant to protect Cephiro from itself? Umi told us the previous Pillar had to die, because she fell in love."
The younger princess caught the dark tone her sister's voice took on. Her eyes widened in realization. "You don't mean—?"
"Umi," Tata said quietly. "She looked much younger than I expected of a Magic Knight…"
"The disappearance of the previous Pillar was never discussed," Tatra frowned. "It is possible that they…"
Both sisters fell into a tense silence.
"Tatra-neesama?" Tata finally asked after a few moments. "What do you want to do?"
Tatra smiled as she pulled her sister into a hug. "You're a very good girl, Tata! I only want my darling little sister to be happy! As for our promise, we promised to try and we did, now we will do what we can to help." She pulled back and beckoned the guards stationed around the room. "Take your positions and be ready! The Bravada will engage with the NSX of Autozam!"
With a quick salute and bow, the guards went off to prepare for the coming battle.
"Tatra-neesama…"
"We must be cautious," the elder princess warned, "Autozam's Commander is formidable."
Tata agreed. "He had the mental strength and will to pierce not only our road, but that of Fahren's…"
"That isn't all, Tata," Tatra shook her head. "Listen well and remember this, little sister: One who is willing to die is strong. And the only one who can prevail against such a person, is one who knows their own worth."
Adieu,
TsukiyoTenshi
