A Very Sad Tale Part 7 - Realizations and Answers
Ayeka opened her eyes just like she had in the past, but this time what here eyes told her she was seeing was different. She was standing in a vast ballroom with sunlight streaming in from several windows. Inspecting herself she discovered she wore a very elaborate and beautiful gown similar to what her mother always wore. From outside she could hear a great noise but it was unintelligible from in here. Moving to a large door she opened it and stepped out on the balcony. The skyline was that of her home world, Jurai. Lining the streets near the palace she was in, her home, was thousands of people shouting something. The shouting did not sound menacing but happy.
Listening to the crowd she finally discovered they were shouting, for her, the Empress of Jurai. Pride swelled up in her as she basked in the joy of her people. Suddenly the shouting changed and at first she was thrown off but then discovered they were shouting for the Emperor now. Looking over her right shoulder she saw Tenchi standing and looking very formal and regal. He stepped up beside her and offered her his left hand, which she took. Turning back to her people she could hear then shouting for them to have long life and happiness.
Her fingers intertwined with his and she felt something on his left hand. Moving his hand so she could see what it was she gasped at the beautiful ring that adorned his hand. Glancing quickly at her left hand she saw a ring there as well. "We're married," she breathed. It seemed impossible but she was here with him and they were the rulers of Jurai.
He turned to her, "It's time to go." And with that he led her back inside. Where he led she did not care, as long as he was here. When he stopped she finally looked to see where she was and she was standing at the door to her bedroom. Giggling happily she opened the door and went in, but she discovered that he did not. Turning back to the door she saw him standing there.
"Aren't you going to come in?"
"Not now, but maybe in the future."
"The future," she asked while looking at him strangely, "why?"
"I can't"
"Why not? You chose me and we're married? Don't you love me?" This was not looking good, but there had to be a reason.
"Yes I chose you and we are married." She looked at him quizzically and it struck her that he did not say he loved her, only that he chose her and they were married. Moving toward him with the intent of possibly pulling him in he spoke again. "I'm sorry Ayeka, but I just can't."
Anger overtook her reasoning. "Oh and why not? Why'd you choose me if you didn't love me?"
"Because," he paused for a moment, "I was bound by blood and honor. I had to."
Her entire world seemed to shatter, after he spoke. He choose her just because of her blood and not because he loved her. "Who, who do you love?"
"That is not fair to ask."
"It's not fair! You're supposed to love me!"
"I'm sorry Ayeka." She looked at him and she could see a hurt and pain in his eyes that she had seen only a few times before.
"Do you love her?" He nodded and she yelled back, "Then why don't you go back to her?"
"I can't. I am bound by honor now to be here. When I choose you she was so hurt she demanded to be put back in the cave. Don't you remember? You were the one who so happily sealed her back in there permanently."
"No! That's not possible…." Her world her everything was falling apart. He had chosen her so she won, but she still lost because he loved another.
He turned to leave and as he left he told her, "Maybe someday I can love again. Until then I cannot enter there." He left and she was alone, so terribly alone.
"It's not fair! You're supposed to love me!" She closed her eyes and cried out again, "it's not fair!"
Suddenly a male voice called to her, "Miss Ayeka!"
Opening her eyes slowly she saw Nobuyuki standing before her. She rubbed her eyes as they burned for some reason. Her voice was weak and wavering for once when she answered him, "What?"
"Washu's found them! She sent me out to get you and Mihoshi went to get dad."
She looked down at her clothes and she saw that she still wore her regular clothes, and she was still on Earth. The most important thing though was on her left hand there was no ring. She sighed of relief, as it had only been a dream. 'More like a nightmare,' she told herself.
He took her sigh to mean she was relieved they were found. "Come on, she had contact with them for a moment then she lost the contact, but she can still feel them so they are alive. Come on." He pulled her to her feet happily and she walked to Washu's door.
As she walked to the door she thought, 'Do I really want that to happen? Do I want him to choose me because of our blood or because he loves me?' She thought about that and then heard a voice in her head, 'What if he doesn't chose you? Are you gonna be happy then?' She smiled sadly; 'If he chooses me for blood only then is that truly winning?'
She reached out to grab the handle on Washu's door. 'What will you do if he chooses you?' Taking a breath she responded to the voice, 'If he chooses me for any other reason than he loves me, then I'll tell him no.' She opened the door as the voice asked again, 'Are you sure you can be happy with that?' Smiling this time because she was happy she spoke to the voice one last time, 'Yes.' With her mind made up and her spirits happy she stepped through the door into Washu's lab.
Sasami was frowning at the goddess Tsunami, "How come you can't tell me?"
"I'm sorry, but that is on thing that I am currently not allowed to say. But for not you have to trust me. Can you trust in me?"
She continued to frown, but told her, "Yes I can."
"Thank you, I can assure you though that you will leave here knowing more than you will want to." Sasami just nodded her head as the ship neared the temple. All other ships had long been past. There has been no sign of any ships as they neared the temple and now just outside it there were still no ships around. Sasami thought at first that it was pretty arrogant to leave it unguarded, but then again who would try to attack a goddess in her own domain?
When Tsunami told her it was time the little princess closed her eyes as the goddess teleported them both to the central chamber. Sasami was warned though that it might be frightening to see Tokimi, as she has not fully come into this dimension. Appearing in the central chamber she took another big breath as she saw a huge red floating gem in the center. Slowly a man's face appeared with the gem in its forehead.
"D3," Tsunami called, "I am here to see Tokimi. Your assistance is not needed as I feel she is here."
"Very well," it said, but Sasami did not notice its lips moving. It then faded from sight again.
A female voice then seemed to come from everywhere, "Hello sister."
Sasami looked up at Tsunami with a questioning look. The goddess nodded then spoke, "It has been a while, sister since you last contacted me though you have been troubling this dimension for some time."
There was quiet after the goddess spoke and when Sasami was about to ask her about it the room suddenly vanished from around them. Several dark figures rose up from the sides of where the hall had been. The figures were dark and ominous as they stared at the two on the dais. The sky turned dark and the outline of three figures appeared but the center figure soon formed into a very regal and powerful figure. Just the visage of the woman was striking and had she not been used to being around goddesses then she would have fell to her knees weeping. What surprised her though was that one of the outlines reminded her a lot of Tsunami, but the other reminded her of someone else.
"Time is irrelevant and in all of time we three remain. You refer to my servant that came to bring Washu to me." Sasami was in awe of the woman, as she seemed to know exactly what they referred to.
"Yes, but also your ships are after two that should not be bothered right now." Tsunami still remained a calm as ever but Sasami was nervous with hearing this. If Tokimi was after Washu and this other image looked like her then wouldn't that make Washu a goddess too? But she never exhibited any powers of a goddess.
"You refer to the boy and Washu's daughter. I should like to think it was my doing but they were headed here. My ships are just pushing them back. Now is not their time."
"What do you mean their time?" Both goddesses looked at Sasami after she blurted out her question.
"The child does not know, though she is connected to you?" Tokimi sounded genially surprised that she did not know, which seemed to annoy the little princess.
"Sister, you know that I am forbidden to tell them about that. I have done all I could to keep it from her."
"I see. Then know this child. Every ten thousand years Tsunami brings up a champion to battle for the fate of this dimension. Washu has until twenty thousand years ago been bored with this and has not really taken much interest as the champion became arrogant and boastful. Until his own people would turn against him." She waved her hand out gesturing to the dark figures guarding the hall and Sasami gasped as some came into focus.
Several of them look like Tenchi, though there were some differences. A few had different colored hair and some have different eyes, but they all seemed to share a number of facial traits that shared some common bond. "Washu was to create a companion for the champion one of equal strength and the two of them were to decide the fate of this dimension."
"You mean Ryoko?" Sasami looked up at Tokimi then at Tsunami for confirmation.
"Yes, but Washu's plans were thwarted and the champion was nearly destroyed. I was able to save her though through Yosho." Tsunami looked down at Sasami as she spoke.
"Your champions have started the end game early. I tried to send them back on their way but they continued deeper. So now the final battle has come."
"What do you mean the final battle?" Sasami asked all but screaming.
"Sister is it not possible to postpone it for yet some more time? They are not ready." Tsunami seemingly ignored the princesses' outburst.
"That point has long past. They were to be escorted to normal space when they escaped and destroyed one their captors' ships. Now I feel their presence on the battlegrounds, it is too late to stop it."
Sasami looked between them, "What does that mean?"
"Sister you may tell her now."
"In the beginning of this dimension we set certain rules to be followed. One of those was that a champion was to fight for the destiny of the dimension. If he were to loose then for ten thousand years war and pain would prevail. If he were to win then peace would. This is the final battle, there will be no more after this one. We agreed that after a certain number we would let the dimension decide if it were to pass away or to remain."
"So if they win then we stay, but if they loose…" She looked at them both again.
"Then this dimension will cease to exist and we shall start another. Perhaps this time it will survive," Tokimi told her in what she felt was a cold and heartless manor.
"I'm sorry Sasami, but this is how it has to be. Washu, Tokimi and myself may not interfere once they have touched the battlefield." Tsunami for one looked as if she were about to cry at having to tell the princess that everyone she knew were about to die.
She asked them softly, "Don't you think they can win?"
"I hope they can, but whoever dies on this field cannot be restored. If either of them were to die it might puss the other on to win, but it will be an empty win."
"Empty and cold it may seem little one, but this is for all of your dimension, not just your friends. Would it be better to loose one friend than to loose and entire dimension?"
Sasami could not answer this; she loved her friends more than even Jurai. She would gladly die in their place, but now she was not allowed to interfere. But if she were too loose one of her friends for billions of people could she do that? Could she live with the loss of one to save many? She did not want to think of that; instead she hoped that they could both survive. But if they both failed then all would be lost. She would loose but just them, but her sister, Mihoshi, Washu, Katsuhito, Nobuyuki and all of her family on Jurai.
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Authors Notes: I have noticed going through this that I have a number of spelling and grammar mistakes. I am gonna go through and remove a number of them before I post the next chapter.