No Need for a Castaway!
Ayeka sputtered and immediately woke out of her unconscious state when she realized that she had filled her lungs with water. With a cough that lasted at least a full two minutes, Ayeka cleared her lungs and found herself drifting out in the open ocean. Terror, the likes of which she had never known before, filled her soul. The storm was getting progressively worse, as was the sinking J. S. S. Shangri-La, and her situation was equally rotten.
Spewing out the last of the saltwater in her mouth, Ayeka began paddling to stay afloat. Her royal princess garments, which she had been wearing that day, were as wet as they could be; the briny sea and the pounding rain didn't do any help. But now was not the time to think about wet clothes; the ship was gone, and all the other lifeboats were out of sight. The terror that Ayeka had felt earlier was multiplied tenfold as she realized that she was alone.
Ayeka took about a minute to run things through in her mind. Number one, the ship has sank. The storm that was reported a little while earlier had came, and it was a brute of one, so terrible it even blanched veteran seamen. Ferocious ripping winds, great heaving buckets of stinging rain, dark sky, crashing lightning, and waves on the sea that tossed and turned like the world had come to an end… what a disaster! Ayeka, unhappily, was alone in the midst of it all, trying to just stay afloat.
Number two, the storm was still going strong. The crashing waves and biting wind was evidence enough. Thankfully these waters were warm--if they had been frigid, no doubt that the princess would be an icicle by now. That was the only bit of comfort she was allowed; everything else seemed gloomy and downright bleak. To make matters worse, it was pitch-black at night, and the Jurai princess couldn't see for the life of her.
Number three, she was all alone. Perhaps somewhere, many miles away, there might have been somebody else, but the last crewmember had boarded a lifeboat--every passenger, save for perhaps one or two, was safe and sound. There was NOBODY around, and even if Ayeka's voice could have been heard over the roaring waves and pounding rain, nobody was around to listen.
Number four, her body was becoming weary. Ayeka had eaten and drank well several hours ago, and she had been rested before any of this mess began. But even the healthiest person alive could not stay afloat in the water forever. Ayeka had to find land, or at least a flotation device, or she would sink and drown and nobody would know about it.
Number five, there was no land, there were no flotation devices, and the princess' hopes of survival were becoming dimmer.
Finally, after reasoning through things, Ayeka began to swim. As a princess under the Jurai royal family, she had been taught the sport at a very young age, just in case she would need it. Ayeka thought of every blessing in the world as she praised her teachers, and hoped that they were being rewarded for their efforts. She was a champion swimmer, and could have paddled laps around most pools for hours on end.
Having a fairly bad sense of direction, Ayeka didn't have the first idea as to where she was going. She only knew that she needed to swim, or she would sink under the cruel, battering waves. SINK OR SWIM--a sickening ultimatum, one that would test every fiber of strength and mettle she had. She was a princess, so she had skills by the bushel, but even the greatest champions ran out of steam sometime…
No, I must not think about that. I must continue to have hope, I must continue fighting, even in this storm, even against the waves, even as my clothes drag me further down into the warm hands of mother ocean… No, I must keep fighting. I WILL NOT DIE. And if I must, if I must die, I will not go down without a fight. I refuse!!
Clenching her teeth and summoning more energy, Ayeka burst forth and put a great distance between herself and the ship. Her arms dove forward into the water, her legs propelled her like a boat, and the air in her lungs kept her afloat. When she could fight no more, she would inhale deeply and merely allow herself to sink and rest her weary limbs. Ayeka could hold her breath for one minute before tiring.
After each brief rest, Ayeka would resurface and continue fighting, a little more stamina added to her resolve. Sometimes, when she felt the waves had grown a little calmer, she would take multiple breaks and really let her aching limbs rest. Of course, this was bad for her lungs…
Nature, it seemed, wanted to see Ayeka die. It wanted to laugh, wanted to see such a silly girl fight against the raging ocean. It would allow her to gain a few yards, then a fierce wave would bat her back into the wide open. She would growl, and would only increase her efforts. The sea allowed her some more space, then thrust her back as if playing with a yo-yo. Sometimes, when it felt kinder, a wave would crash in on the opposite side and propel the princess in the direction she desired. This did not happen often.
Still, the eldest Jurai princess fought on, plowing through waves and water and wind. The wind seemed fiercest, stinging her eyes and blinding her vision. The wind made her lose sight and swim in circles, or sometimes the wind and waves would team up and launch her far back into the sea, but she would only growl and continue swimming.
I must not surrender… Must not surrender… Must endure, for the sake of Jurai. I must find land, then I must find means of rescue, or civilization… I must fight onward, for Sasami and Tenchi, and for mother and father, for aunt and uncle, for cousin and friend. I must fight for Azaka and Kamidake, for Kiyone and Mihoshi, for father Noboyuki and honorable grandfather. But above all, I must fight so that I may exact justice on that evil wretch Ryoko!
Fueled by her inner speech, Ayeka summoned up all of her energy and burst forward at a speed that not even nature could contend with. For what seemed like minutes on end, the brave princess sped through the water like a dolphin, submerging sometimes to avoid a wave. Again and again she taunted nature, paddling straight through waves that previously bullied her back. Again and again, onward and onward, forward and forward, until the waves calmed, and the wind died, and the rain stopped, and the sky pacified, and once again Ayeka was alone in the middle of the ocean.
As far as she could see, Ayeka observed… water. Hydrogen, oxygen, salt, air, sky, Ayeka. The storm, thankfully, had passed like a nightmare, leaving only one spot in its destructive wake (the ship). Now, as the night sky continued growing darker (for it had been well into evening by the time Ayeka was tossed overboard), the princess took several small breathers from her exercise and sank into the sea.
While resting her beaten limbs (and torturing her lungs), Ayeka started to cry. Why has this fate been dealt to me? Why did I have to escape the beauty of the lifeboats and end up here, in the stomach of the sea, with nothing but myself and the waves? Why? I am the royal princess of Jurai! I am of noble blood! I am heir to the universe!! And yet, here I am… sinking… in the ocean…
Ayeka shook herself out of despair and resurfaced, getting a breath of sweet sea air back into her lungs. Her shredded limbs continued paddling, although her approach was much slower than before. She had expended nearly all of her energy just getting through the storm, and now here she was, in the middle of nowhere, nearly worn out.
For all she knew, Ayeka could have been right back where she started. The storm was so terrible, and the sky was so dark, she may have been swimming in circles and she wouldn't have known it. The odds of that happening were frighteningly good. But she decided not to think about that. No! That is wrong! Yes, I have that chance, but I also have the chance of surviving! I may very well be near my destination, wherever that may be. Right now I do not care. As long as I can eat, sleep, and drink in safety, I do not care where I am headed or who may be there to greet me.
With her spirits up, Ayeka paddled onward, into the dark horizon.
It was well past midnight now, and Ayeka was nearly exhausted. She was practically dead in terms of physical conditions; emotionally, she was a shell; spiritually, she was dark; socially, she was alone to the world. Her face was already wet from the sea and the storm, though, so she had no need for tears. Just keep swimming. Keep swimming. I can make it. I can make it. Just keep swimming…
Stroke.
That's it… Just keep on paddling…
Stroke.
I can't fail now…
Stroke.
Not without a fight.
Stroke.
But…
Stroke.
But… I wonder…
Stroke.
I've been swimming forever.
Stroke.
Hours.
Stroke.
Days perhaps?
Stroke…
I cannot go on for much longer.
Stroke…
I will tire out soon.
Stroke…
Soon. Very, very soon I'm afraid.
Stroke.
I can feel it. I can feel it.
Stroke.
There is no question about it.
Stroke.
I can feel it.
Stroke.
I'm… afraid…
Stroke…
Stop… please, stop… Let me see land…
Str… oke…
Let me see… a beach… a rock… a lighthouse…
S… troke…
A tree, a mountain, a person, a ship…
S… tr… o… ke…
Weary… so weary… I can't…
S… t… r… o… ke…
I cannot… Must rest soon… sleep… so tired…
St…… r…… oke……
Just one more…
Stroke.
I'll quit soon… I'll rest soon…
St………
I'm sinking… This is the end… Sorry, but I cannot go on…
……
Please forgive me, Sasami…
…
Lord Tenchi… please don't mourn my passing…
…
I would hate to see such a fine man cry over me…
…
Quin, Farrah, I hope you are safe…
…
Name your first daughter after me, please.
…
Ah… the bottom…
……………
BOTTOM?!?!!?!?
……sand. I feel… sand… under my feet…
How long was I sinking? An hour? A day?
No. I did not sink long.
I FEEL SAND UNDER MY FEET.
La… la…
Say it. Dare to say it!!!!!!!
Lllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddd…
Again!!
LAND!!!!!!
Now…
STROKE!
FIGHT!
LIVE!!!!!
Ayeka clenched her teeth and resurfaced. Ignoring the sweltering pains in her arms and legs, ignoring the fire in her lungs, ignoring her soaking clothes and waterlogged body, she swam like one stricken with insanity. She continued paddling, and screamed out loud as her flailing arms brushed up against sand. Carefully, she sank a little and began crawling on the wet, crumbly ground. The sound of crashing waves against a beach was just audible. Seashells began squeezing between her fingers.
With a cry of triumph no louder than the squeal of a mouse, Ayeka stumbled forward on the beach, the tide licking at her feet as her hand clasped hold of the crumbly sand. Land. She had found dry land. And she was alive. Laughing so weakly she nearly choked, Ayeka began crying for joy and passed out from exhaustion. She had earned the right to fall asleep, after all.