Companion

"Dguh? What?!"

Ayeka snapped out of her sleep and shook herself loose. Never having recalled falling asleep in the first place, the princess rubbed her eyes and lifted herself off of the beach. The glaring sun was beating down on her, the waves were washing at her pruned feet, and the grimy sand was stuck all over her body.

"How terrible," noted the princess, groaning as she realized where she was. "I must have fallen asleep while watching the tide. Ugh, I need some rest…" Mumbling and muttering, Ayeka stood and trudged towards her cave, barely enough energy left in her body to lift a finger.

When she entered her new home, Ayeka spotted Ryoko still there on the bed, asleep and unconscious. The princess sighed and let out a smile.

"Still sleeping, eh?" she whispered. Ayeka turned her back on the other woman, and leaned against the cave wall. "Well, I suppose I deserve all this punishment I'm getting. I mean, I've been nothing but a fiend to you, and you've been taken care of and even saved by me. Oh, I'm such a wretch…"

"You got that right." Ayeka jumped, and slowly turned around. To her horror and shock, Ryoko quickly rose out of the bed like bread from a toaster. Her face was drooping in a massive clump of sleepiness, and her eyes were crusted and bloodshot. Ryoko's lips were chapped, and her hair looked like it had lost a fight with a lawnmower. To Ayeka's surprise, Ryoko spoke again, and what she said summed up her physical condition.

"I feel terrible."

"Oh, Ryoko, you're awake…" Ayeka whispered her statement, covering her mouth with surprise. This new development was so sudden and new, all she could do was stare and gape.

"You deserve a medal for your skills of observation," grumbled Ryoko. Ayeka cringed and grew a little angrier.

"Same old Ryoko," she sighed. Ryoko moaned out softly and gingerly moved her head around.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice unreasonably low. Ayeka sighed, and gazed back at the shell of a woman with patience.

"You may want to lie down for this, Ryoko," she began. Ryoko sighed and plopped back down on the mattress. Ayeka pulled up a chair-stump she had found and began her tale.

"Ryoko, I need to be blunt with you. You're in a cave on an island that we both washed up on. The island is quite large. I have been here for about ten days, and I have since been able to survive on my own. But sometime during my stay, I discovered you washed up on the rocks of a nearby shore. I, ah… did not feel compelled to rescue you at first."

"Why am I not surprised?" muttered the pirate. Ayeka snorted, but ignored the comment.

"I came around eventually!" she argued. "And here you are, alive and well, and very much in my debt!" Ryoko groaned, and tossed slightly in the bed.

"Okay, let me get this straight," she said. "I'm stuck on a deserted island with the princess of Jurai, and I'm supposed to be grateful to her for saving my life, even though you left me out there to die. Am I right so far?"

"I, I suppose," replied Ayeka, a hint of weakness in her voice. She swallowed, and tried to regain her poise. "I am sorry for abandoning you. That was very cruel and nasty of me."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ryoko groaned and tossed in her bed again. Slowly, she raised her arm and made a fist. "Here, here's a present for you," she said, and proudly held up her middle finger. Needless to say, Ayeka got mad at the gesture.

"Grrrrr, how dare you!! I know I haven't been a perfect angel but I don't think I deserve such a rude gesture!!"

"Shut up," moaned Ryoko, tossing to her side. Ayeka growled, and suddenly all the civility and patience she had held was destroyed.

"Why you ungrateful wretch!! I take back everything good I said about you!!" Ryoko instantly rose out of bed at this remark, and grinned broadly. The tired look in her face was long gone.

"You mean you were saying good things about me?" she squealed. A faint red hue found its way to her cheeks.

"Yes, and I don't think you deserve any of it now!" spat the princess. Ryoko's upbeat spirits dropped and she resumed the façade of a demon.

"Humph!" With a snort, Ryoko turned her back on the royal pain and did her best to hide on the mattress. Ayeka sighed, took a deep breath, and held her pride down. If she was to have any hope of surviving (or escaping), she would have to bite the bullet and cooperate with the feisty one.

"Ryoko, I truly do apologize for my actions," she murmured. "I know I have done something inexcusable, and I deserve punishment for my deeds. But please, Ryoko… I need your help. I cannot survive on my own." A thick pause. Ryoko slowly tossed in her bed, and grinned at the princess with her most malicious smile.

"Care to say that again?" she sang. Ayeka fumed, but decided to hold her volcanic anger in for a little while and lick Ryoko's boots.

"I said that I'm sorry and I need your help." Ryoko instantly burst out in a riotous laughter, and almost rolled out of the bed. Her feet kicked at the empty air, and her arms pounded on the soft mattress. Unfortunately, having just woken out of her coma, Ryoko's energy dwindled and her limbs collapsed on the bed.

"Oh, I never thought I'd live to see the day," she sighed, her voice soft and joyful. She giggled again, and smiled wickedly at the princess. "Lady Ayeka of the planet Jurai is apologizing to her worst enemy--and she's even begging her for help! Ha!" Ryoko giggled again, and would have died laughing had Ayeka not stopped her.

"Enough of this!" she demanded. "Ryoko, now that you're awake…(yawn)… you cannot depend on me for very (yawn) much longer. I'll care for you until you can (yawn) until you can walk on your own, but from then on out, you'll (yawn) have to work for what you eat…"

"You tired?" asked Ryoko, almost sounding concerned. Ayeka groaned and slumped down slightly.

"Yes, I haven't gotten much sleep, no thanks to you. I've been burning the midnight oil for several days now, so that I can revive you."

"Oh…" Ryoko smiled warmly, her eyes shimmering at Ayeka's sweetness. "That's so sweet. Thank you, Ayeka. I really appreciate that. Well, I guess I can forgive you if you take care of me for one more day." Ayeka nodded, and actually mirrored Ryoko's smile.

"Do you think you'll be well by tomorrow?" she asked. The other woman grunted and stretched her arms.

"Dunno. I guess. Maybe if I get some good meals in my belly and have a nice long rest." Ayeka frowned and wished to comment that Ryoko had had both good meals and good rest, but held her tongue like a civil lady should.

"If that is what it takes," she sighed. Lazily, Ayeka reached towards the corner of her "bedroom" and pulled a woven basket out. Inside were several pieces of fruit that she had stored in.

"What's your preference?" she asked, displaying some of the food. Ryoko sighed.

"Got any peaches?" Ayeka paused briefly and pulled out a slightly beaten peach she had found. She gave it to Ryoko, who eyed it suspiciously. "Just one?"

"One is all I have," she spat through clenched teeth. Ryoko shrugged, and the peach became a seed within sixty seconds.

With Ryoko up and running again, Ayeka had taken the time to write a little more in her diary. The other woman certainly did seem fine, although a little weak from her experiences. Surely she would be back to her annoying self in no time at all, then Ayeka might actually start accomplishing things.

Diary of Ayeka

Fourteenth of May

Ryoko has revived, and seems to be all right. I don't know whether to be happy or miserable, but at least my work has paid off. Hopefully, if she becomes well enough, she can teleport me away, or fly me off, or else summon Ryo-ohki. I have had enough of this island life, and it is time to go home. I only hope that Tenchi and the others made it back safely.

Until further developments present themselves,

Ayeka, princess of Jurai

Walking into her bedroom, Ayeka first took a brief glimpse at her roommate. Ryoko was sleeping soundly, a very light and perhaps cute snoring sound coming from her nose. Ayeka snorted when she realized that the pirate looked very peaceful and defenseless in sleep. Just a well-built façade, she thought.

"I know you're awake," muttered the princess. Ryoko groaned and tossed in her sleep.

"No… Tenchi… stay here with me… Hm… hahaha…" Ayeka gagged as she overheard the pirate talking in her sleep, and sighed in defeat. Knowing the other woman's weakness, Ayeka held the basket of fruit near Ryoko's nose. Ryoko, in her usual classy-sassy fashion, swiped a piece of fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, all the while feigning sleep.

"HEY!!! Why you--!!!" Ayeka blazed forth fire, and shook Ryoko until the other woman woke.

"Ow, hey! Leggo'a me!!" The princess quickly released the pirate, snorted, and crossed her arms. It seemed as if the two of them had reverted back to "square one".

"Well, I'm sorry for awaking you," sneered the princess sarcastically, "but if you don't mind, we have a lot of work to do today!"

"Like what?" asked Ryoko, resting her head on her hand.

"Well, unless you have means of getting us off this island, we need to gather more food, find some water, build a fire, fashion a better shelter, make more tools--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Jeez, sorry I asked!" A pause. Ryoko sighed and sank further down into the mattress. "Hey, what did you mean by 'unless I had means of getting us off this island'?"

"You can fly and teleport, right?" asked the princess.

"Yeah, so?"

"So get us off this wretched island!!"

"Jeez, no need to get so bossy!" Ryoko sighed, and sat up in bed. Groaning, she fell back down. "Nope, sorry. I'm still not strong enough to get up on my own."

"And if you were?" A suspicious pause. Ryoko's golden eyes met with Ayeka's crimson orbs.

"I wouldn't have the slightest idea as to where to go. I mean, really. Do you know where we are? For all I know, we could be stuck in the middle of the ocean! I'd be flying around for days! Besides, even if I had a good idea as to where we were, I'd probably collapse from exhaustion. I mean, I'm pretty beaten now, and my energy drains a lot whenever I fly or teleport."

Ayeka sighed, and wanted to become very angry, but realized that it was all pointless. Ryoko may have been a lazy slob, but to deny herself escape from the island was a different story. She certainly would've made some sort of an effort if it was just her…

"I guess that also rules out Ryo-ohki, then?" noted Ayeka. Ryoko nodded her head grimly.

"She wouldn't know where to go, either, plus the transmission might be too weak. Looks like we're stuck here."

"Joy and rapture," muttered the princess. Now it was Ryoko's turn to grow mad.

"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do, but until we find some way of getting off this spot, we'll have to put our differences aside and work together. And trust me, Ayeka," she noted, "I'm looking forward to that as much as you are."

"Hm," was all the princess could say. A jaw-snapping yawn overcame her, and her bleary eyes grew heavy. "Sleepy…"

"Yeah, me too," groaned Ryoko. Ayeka moaned, suddenly realizing one problem that would haunt her for the rest of her life: there was only one bed.

"Oh, dear," murmured the princess. She sighed sadly, and her eyes began twitching. "Oh, my."

"What?"

"There, ah, seems to be only one bed." Ryoko frowned, shoving her naïveté away as she began to comprehend the problem set before them.

"So sleep on the floor!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!" screamed Ayeka, nearly blowing Ryoko's hair away. "Do you realize what will happen if I rest on that horrid ground?! All my muscles will ache and cramp, and I'll be so sore I won't even be able to move!!"

"Then either share the bed with me or sleep outside!" Ayeka cursed violently, and fumed so much that she put many volcanoes to shame.

"I WILL NOT SHARE A BED WITH A SCOUNDREL LIKE YOU!!!!"

"Then you can stay awake forever!!" screamed Ryoko. Both women glared hatefully at each other, either one ready to kill the other. With a burst of energy, Ryoko stood out of her bed and prepared to attack Ayeka with her energy blasts; Ayeka brought forth a fine stick of bamboo she had found, and twirled it around in her hands.

The two glared at each other, the rage bubbling hot. Their tempers and furies went beyond any charts or records, and a death or at least a dismemberment was in store. But suddenly, before any blow could be struck, both Ayeka and Ryoko collapsed on the mattress, far too weak to fight or even stand. With a groan, they righted themselves and settled on either side of the bed.

Ayeka wheezed, and decided that it was better to rest now and fight later. Ryoko felt similarly, and the two girls turned towards each other. Ryoko held her hand out and extended her pinky, and a rare moment of cooperation went between the two.

"Truce?" panted Ryoko. Ayeka nodded her head and linked her pinky finger with Ryoko's.

"Yes, a truce." The girls sighed, turned their backs on each other, and spent the next few hours asleep on a mattress that never seemed big enough for the both of them.