Episode 2: "The Journey"

Episode 2: "The Journey."

When humans left for space, societies branched out; forming new and stranger cultures than before. The Chinese are certainly no exception to this fact. In fact, the Chinese pose as an immense majority in Terran population statistics. Despite numerous cultural separations, all of the Chinese cultures of space believe in relatively the same values and ideals. These include training the young for their future, treating the elderly with great respect, and countless other beliefs. And, in certain monarchies/dynasties of the Chinese, there is the strong belief in tutoring and preparing young heirs for their future throne. Sometimes, the ultimate test in these lessons taught to royal heirs is for them to leave their home world on a quest of self-discovery and to learn their place in the universe. Though many princes and princesses have despised this belief in the past, none have failed this task to this date. However, there is always a first time for everything...

"So, where to next, o' fearless leader?" Miyumi asked Jutubyra sarcastically. They were at the Space Port's access terminal, and Jutubyra was at the computer, typing away.

"Have patience, o' weary peasant." Jutubyra retorted. Miyumi's face glowed color that would make a tomato look pale. Jutubyra knew what he had just done, but didn't realize what the consequences were until Miyumi whacked him upside his face with her bokken, as if she were playing tee-ball with Jutubyra's head.

"HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME WITH A LOWLY COMMONER!!!!!!!" Miyumi shrieked at Jutubyra from the top of her lungs. When Jutubyra got off the ground, rubbing

his face's side where Miyumi hit him, he suddenly wished he didn't have super-hearing, because he heard Miyumi's shriek like it was an explosion in his shattered eardrums.

"Geeze! Isn't it rude to yell at all if you're royalty?" Jutubyra snarled at his tormentor, who lifted her nose into the air and turned her head away from Jutubyra, giving him a "Humph!" Jutubyra resumed typing until he found what he was looking for.

"Well?" Miyumi asked impatiently, wondering what Jutubyra found.

"I've got our next ride: a class C trade ship. It's caring tons of food products, so we won't get hungry. It's-"

"What?! You mean we have to take a low-class ride and take their stuff without their permission? Are you crazy? No princess should have to-"

"Are you going to come onboard or not?" Jutubyra yelled from 20 yards away to the ranting princess. "The flight leaves in about 15 minutes." Miyumi growled at Jutubyra's direction. Well, she growled the best way a refined and

snobby princess like her could do. Anyway, she stomped off toward Jutubyra and (attemptedly) scowled at him for walking off again. Jutubyra gave her a passive look that made her back off from him a little. She sighed and followed him to

the spaceship. Around halfway towards the ship, Miyumi sat down.

"Ow..." Miyumi rubbed her stomach's side in pain. "Hey, wait up." She called to Jutubyra. Jutubyra stopped and grumbled something about a royal pain in the ass.

"It's called a walking cramp, kid." He snorted. " Might as well get used to it, 'cause it'll happen allot." Jutubyra looked at how far they were from the shuttle. They were at least a mile away. Jutubyra sighed and walked over to the princess. "Listen, we've got a mile to go before we get to the

ship. So, get up and-"

"My side hurts really bad; could you carry me, pwee-ese?" Miyumi asked in a tone that denoted seduction. 'This is embarrassing,' she thought to herself. 'I'm resorting to THIS method to convince him...' Miyumi looked at Jutubyra

rolling on the ground in laughter. "Grrrr...HEY! WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!" Miyumi demanded.

"YOU- HAHAHAHA- want ME- Heh-heh- to CARRY you?" Jutubyra practically wet his pants from laughter. He continued laughing and hitting the ground with his fists until Miyumi swung at Jutubyra's head with her bokken, as if she was playing golf. Jutubyra recoiled in pain and got up rubbing his head. "I was laughing 'cause- ow- YOU'RE the one who's supposed to be doing ME the favors. Well, am I right?" he asked.

"True, but I can't go anywhere with this cramp, and you said the shuttle leaves in less than fifteen minutes. So, I doubt you'll want to miss it and be stuck with ME and my bokken..." Miyumi rubbed her weapon in a menacing way that

made Jutubyra back off about ten feet.

"OK, fine..." Jutubyra grumbled as he helped Miyumi up and onto his back. She clasped her hands around his neck while Jutubyra held onto her legs. He got up, and started walking again, noticing that the girl wasn't that heavy. He then realized where his hands were, and tried to resist what his male hormones were telling him to do.

'C'mon, man. Do it! Ain't nothin' she can do to you.'

'Uh, yeah.' Jutubyra thought in his head. 'She still has her bokken. I WON'T-' but before he could finish, a surge of testosterone in his body caused his right hand to move out and squeeze the underside of Miyumi's right thigh. Miyumi jumped in place as Jutubyra withdrew his possessed hand and tried to apologize, but was being strangled, yelled at, and beaten with a wooden sword by the furious Miyumi.

"YOU PERVERT!! HOW DARE YOU!? I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!!!" Miyumi kept terrorizing Jutubyra, who broke into a run towards the space shuttle. 'Man, I TOLD you this would happen!' Jutubyra yelled in his head at his hormones.

'Geez, why didn't you warn us about this?! At the rate she's going, she's gonna beat you into sterility in about five seconds.' Jutubyra was wandering HOW he could be having a conversation with his hormones. He stopped thinking when he arrived at the shuttle. He dropped Miyumi

and took out his blaster, aiming it at Miyumi to make her stop, which she did reluctantly.

"Listen," he began. " I'm SORRY for that. I wasn't thinking, and-"

"DAMN RIGHT YOU WEREN'T!!!" Miyumi yelled at him in rage. "NOBODY EVER WILL VIOLATE ME AND LIVE!"

"Wrong answer...." Jutubyra mumbled to her. He nudged his blaster to the side and fired, missing Miyumi's head by an inch. Miyumi didn't budge before or AFTER the blast. Jutubyra blew the smoke from his gun and looked at Miyumi with one pissed-off expression. "Let's try this again," he began with an angry tone.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, but I apologize. Oh, and sorry about the gun thing." He put his gun back in his coat and blushed in total embarrassment. Miyumi looked down and mumbled something. "What?" Jutubyra asked her.

Miyumi kicked a pebble off to the side and spoke a little louder.

"And... I'm sorry for the beating down on you part. I was just a little shocked, and-" Miyumi was interrupted by a voice over an intercom.

"Shuttle NCS- 4826, you have permission to launch in five minutes, repeat,

five minutes."

"Let's go." Jutubyra suggested as he and Miyumi jumped into the cargo hold. After the y sat down, Jutubyra decided to break their silence. "What was it you were going to say?"

Miyumi snapped out of her thought and responded. "What? No-nothing. Never mind." The ship began to vibrate as it started to take off. Then it went through a sudden jerk as it launched into space. Sensing that this would be

another long trip, Jutubyra got out a shiny metal object from his back pocket. He put up to his mouth and started to play it. It gave off a smooth, sweet, metallic melody. It was a harmonica. Miyumi listened to the sound of the sad

music and was pretty impressed. Jutubyra stopped and looked at Miyumi staring at him.

"What?" He asked her impatiently.

"I can sense some sadness in you." Miyumi said almost in a pity.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, it's JUST a special ability the royal family possesses..." Miyumi began to boast. "We of the royal families can sense other peoples' emotions-"

"Like dogs can?" Jutubyra interrupted with a smile.

"Grr! Well, actually, you're not to far off from the truth. And, one last thing: why did you blow up that vehicle that almost hit me?"

"It was a transporter of cybernetic men from the guys who are after me."

"Which are....?" Miyumi gave him a quizzical look.

"The Mjolnier Corporation. I'm one of their flunkies that escaped about thirteen years ago. I was one of their guinea pigs and I've been on the run from them ever since. Satisfied? Now, let me ask YOU something: Why were you out at

this time of the night?"

"Well..." Miyumi slowly began. "I'm on a quest of self-discovery, it's a tradition for the first-borne heirs of the royal families to go on a quest to learn our place in the universe. This is usually done at the age of 15, but I decided to go earlier to prove that I'm more than an adequate heir." Miyumi lied.

"So, HOW old are you?" Jutubyra cocked an eyebrow at Miyumi.

"What? I'm 13, of course. Just how old are YOU?" Miyumi glared at Jutubyra.

"16," he retorted. "Give or take a few months. And you said you left early because you felt you could be better than your pre-cursers or something?"

"Well of course." Miyumi lied again. "What do you think my parents threw me off of the planet because I was being too snobby? Or, being too selfish? Or...or.." Miyumi's head bent down and she started to sniffle a bit. Jutubyra looked at her,

almost concerned. "I'm not THAT bad, *sniff*. I just... didn't want to have such huge responsibilities." Miyumi turned away from Jutubyra and lay against the cargo bay's wall.

"Hey, Miyumi?" Jutubyra asked, now COMPLETELY concerned. "Listen, I'm sorry. I'M not accusing you of anything. And, actually, I think that was wrong for your

parents to do that."

"*Sniff* Really?" Miyumi wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry about what I said earlier, the part about you being a drunkee and stuff. I guess I shouldn't pre-judge people so easily......"

"Better get some sleep, I found out that this trip's about ten hours long." Jutubyra and Miyumi each positioned themselves in laid-back, comfortable positions. 'Well, I've managed to get on her GOOD side. I think that'll make up for a lousy day.....' he thought to himself as he got some sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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