A/N: Yippee! Ryoko fans start rejoicing, because now she's going to get some much-needed star time to herself. Now that she's awake, what kind of trouble can she possibly get herself into? Ayeka fans fear not--our loveable princess isn't going to be a pushover, either. Prepare for a lot of fights, arguments, enmity, discord, friction… the usual Tenchi fare.

Staples for Survival

A twittering sound stirred the gentle princess, and the crashing sound of waves woke her out of her peaceful nap. Ayeka stirred, moaned softly, and tossed in her bed. She had just dreamed that Ryoko had a case of amnesia, and was devoting herself to serving Ayeka and Tenchi, who were happily married. Ayeka had enjoyed the dream incredibly, and as she woke to the sound of birds and waves, she knew that there could be no wrong in this day.

As she opened her ruby eyes, Ayeka let out a sigh and smiled. Those same scarlet eyes of hers suddenly shot open to the size of dishes, and a sharp gasp could be heard as Ayeka discovered herself face-to-face with her worst enemy, space pirate Ryoko. Her reaction to waking up next to the other woman was actually pretty reasonable.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yes, pretty reasonable indeed…

The scream woke Ryoko up as well. Her golden eyes shot open to the size of manholes, and a shriek escaped her mouth as she realized who she was sleeping next to. Both girls jumped back on reflex, and found themselves falling out of the mattress, butt-first. After a SLAM and a THUD shook the room, both girls groaned.

"Oh, I almost forgot," grumbled Ryoko, nursing her poor bottom. Ayeka expressed similar disgust.

"What a hideous way to wake up in the morning!"

"Hey, seeing your cow-face wasn't exactly nice either!" spat the pirate.

"COW FACE!?!" Ayeka roared out in fury and stood to her full height. With a clenched fist, she dared challenge Ryoko. Apparently, the sleep did the girls well: Ryoko too was standing, healthy and invigorated, ready to do battle with her mortal enemy. The two girls would have ripped each other to pieces had a low growling sound not stopped them.

"Whoa," mumbled Ryoko, slumping forward in weakness, "I'm hungry!"

"Ah… yes, I too feel the need to eat," sighed Ayeka. The two women looked at each other, snorted, and managed to walk outside the cave without too much hassle. Morning had just barely begun, and yet they could tell that it was going to be a long day.

Part One: No Need for Food!

Technically, Ryoko and Ayeka walked into the jungle together, although the distance separating them hardly defined togetherness. A ten-foot pole could've hovered between the girls and there'd be plenty of space to spare. Still, they managed to keep their civility through some miracle, and Ayeka even began speaking to her adversary.

"Our first and most important task would be to gather food," she indicated. As always, Ryoko was not paying attention. "As you will soon find out, there are countless trees out there that yield a plentiful amount of fruit. All we need to do is harvest the fruit and we'll have breakfast."

"Right." Ryoko continued walking, oblivious to everything around her. Ayeka growled at the other girl's absentminded attitude, but was too hungry to begin another argument. Instead, she picked up a few stray rocks from the ground.

"You can fly," she said, "so you can hover up there and pluck the fruit. I haven't had any luck in dislodging any food, so I'll have to depend on you for this job until we have the means of eating wild game." Ryoko turned around and smirked gleefully when she heard the words I'll have to depend on you coming out of Ayeka's mouth.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that," she giggled. Ayeka growled and threw a rock in Ryoko's direction. It missed, of course, and smacked a tree instead.

"Just go up there and pick the fruit! Just remember, though, you will never eat one bite more than I. Do you understand?! You are forbidden to eat more food than I myself!"

"Sounds fair," shrugged Ryoko. "So basically, I can make a pig out of myself if you do. And if you starve, I starve. Sounds all right." Ayeka huffed, but the smile on her face emerged anyway.

"I'm glad we finally agree on something!" she beamed. Ryoko winked and floated up to the treasures contained in the tree.

"Don't let it get to your head, your highnessness," she said. "I'm going to make you eat those words. And believe me, you can have as much of that meal as you want." Before Ayeka could make a rebuttal, a small apple was launched out of the tree. It promptly smacked the princess on the forehead, leaving a tiny dent in both fruit and brow.

"OW!!! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!!!" screamed the refined lady. A chuckling sound came from high above.

"Whoops, sorry!!!! I didn't mean to!!" it sang. Ayeka nearly went insane with rage.

"Sorry my foot! That apple was specifically aimed at my head!!!"

"Be glad it wasn't a pineapple," murmured Ryoko. "Or a coconut!"

"I heard that," growled the princess. Another piece of fruit was tossed out of the tree, but Ayeka had learned her lesson. Her hand caught the apple instead of her head, and to spite the flying demon, she took a bite out of it.

It was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.

About five minutes passed before Ryoko hovered back to the ground. In her arms were a whole slew of apples, most of them in pearly condition and just begging to be eaten. Ayeka let no emotion escape her voice as she muttered a thanks. As usual, her conscience began bugging her, so under her breath, Ayeka permitted Ryoko to "have a free apple as a reward". Ryoko had two.

Part Two: No Need for Thirst!

With their arms full of fruit, Ryoko and Ayeka gradually began storing food away inside the cave. Ayeka had gone through the liberty of making several crude baskets to hold the food, so these were filled to the very brim. Every last berry from the bushes outside the cave had been plucked as well, and a few were being eaten. Ryoko, painfully true to her word, made sure that Ayeka did not eat a single bite more than she. The princess did become quite irritated, but remembered that the suggestion was hers, and kept quiet for the time being.

"Glad we've got that over with," said Ryoko, proudly holding half an orange in her hand. "So, what now?"

"Well, our main concern for the time being will be water," said Ayeka. "I haven't had any luck since arriving, so it looks like we'll be quite hard-pressed to find some."

"Aw, you've just been looking in the wrong places!" exclaimed Ryoko. Before Ayeka could argue, the sprightly spacer had materialized out from the cave and back outside. Ayeka groaned out in exasperation and ran outside, making sure that she was not left alone on the island (poor girl still had the notion that Ryoko would fly away and leave her stranded).

By the time Ayeka emerged from her home, Ryoko was long gone. A roar erupted from her mouth, and in a foolish rage, she threw her precious half of an orange onto the sandy ground. Rage gave way to grief as she realized that now she had no more hope.

"Oh, I shouldn't have trusted that wretch," she moaned. "And after all I did for her! I rescued her, I restored her, I gave her food and everything… And now, she… she…"

"Oh, stop your blubbering," came a voice from behind. Ayeka jumped and bolted around, and the unhappy look on her face quickly morphed into anger.

"DON'T EVER GO OFF LIKE THAT AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?!?!" She screamed in horror, grabbing poor Ryoko by the collar and shaking her.

"OW, hey, let GO of me!!!" Ryoko snorted and broke free of Ayeka's hold, desperately trying to keep her volcanic anger in check. "I was just going to look for water! Jeez, you really don't trust me that much?"

"I trust you as far as my tongue can reach," sneered the princess, and to demonstrate, she forked her pink tongue out for the whole island to see. Ryoko's face flew open in a rage, and Ayeka would have been reduced to ashes had not common sense taken over.

"Okay, I guess I deserve a little bit of that," spat Ryoko. "And I gotta admit, I don't trust you at all, either. But it's not like I can fly away from here and leave you alone like that. Even if I could get outta this dump, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Ryoko sighed, taking a deep breath as she allowed her anger to calm down. Ayeka, too, hid her rage, and managed a calm response.

"Hm. Well, I suppose. Anyway, we shouldn't waste our time sitting around arguing. Help me find some water, and I promise I'll make an apology." Ryoko smiled wickedly as she heard the princess' decree, and pointed her thumb off in a southeastern direction.

"Better start groveling," she sang, "because I just found the mother lode."

"WHAT!!!!!" Ayeka screamed out in disbelief, and grabbed Ryoko yet again. "You lie!" she screamed. "You lie!!! You could not have found such! It's impossible!"

"Let go of me," moaned Ryoko. By now, even her cool demeanor had melted away, and she grew tired of the monarch's antics. Ayeka frowned but released her grip. "Thanks. Now, if you don't believe me, you can follow along. I'm not strong enough to fly and carry a sack of potatoes like you at the same time--"

"HEY!! Sack of potatoes?!"

"--but I will let you follow on foot. Trust me, it's accessible to even a highbrow royal pain in the butt like you."

"Pain in the what!!"

"Never mind," groaned the pirate. "Just don't fall too far behind. Trust me, though, when you see what I've discovered, you'll want to give me a hug."

"I beg to differ," sneered the princess, and delays aside, she followed her companion as they entered the jungle…

What awaited the princess of Jurai was so magnificent and beautiful, that all the pains she had experienced up to that point were insignificant. Ayeka literally cried in delight as she came into view of the waterfall, and almost fulfilled Ryoko's prophecy of a hug.

The spring that Ryoko had found was indeed a veritable discovery. An impressive and powerful waterfall separated the bubbling waters of a clear freshwater pond from the mighty river that gushed forth water above. A series of rocks and outcropping allowed for explorers to climb to the top, and the bottom was just deep enough to swim in. Steam spewed out of the falls like a heavenly smoke, and a gorgeous rainbow complemented the scene like so much parsley on a fancy dish.

"Oh, Ryoko," sang Ayeka, "it's magnificent!!"

"Yeah, I know," grinned the pirate. She turned her focus to Ayeka, who was clasping her hands together in joy. Tears fell out of her eyes, and her voice was lost. "Well, what're you waiting for?" barked Ryoko. "Go on, drink up as much as you can!" Ayeka shivered out of her trance, nodded her head, and dove mouth-first into the cool river. The water was cold, but not too cold to drink, nor too cold to bathe in.

"Oh, Ryoko," wheezed Ayeka, desperately trying to catch her breath. "This is the most… wonderful thing… I have ever seen!"

"Ah-HEM!" Ryoko crossed her arms, glaring at the princess expectedly.

"Oh, right," she sighed. Ayeka took a breath, bowed her head, and managed a polite, "I humbly apologize for all the nasty things I have said and done. Please forgive me."

"No biggie," shrugged the pirate. Ayeka smiled, and for a very brief moment, there was peace between the girls.

At least until Ryoko pushed Ayeka in the water.

Part Three: No Need for Fire!

Drenching wet, Ayeka sneezed as she marked the path to the pool with rocks. Ryoko was laughing her head off as she saw the dripping wet princess walk through the jungle, and couldn't help but coo as she saw just how adorable Ayeka looked when irritated.

"You are a pain in the neck, Ryoko," stated Ayeka. She continued marking the path, however, and more or less ignored the space pirate. "I know I have been nothing short of a terrible person to you, but I have apologized twice already! I do not think that I deserved that last insult."

"Oh come on, you boring old hag!" pouted Ryoko. "I was just having fun!"

"At my expense!" pointed Ayeka. Ryoko shrugged and continued floating behind the princess. Thankfully, after gathering the food and finding the water, the day was halfway over--which meant that another half of this "fun" awaited the girls.

"Inside!" demanded Ayeka, pointing to the mouth of her cave. Ryoko crossed her arms and gave the royal pain a confused look.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"I don't want you making any snide comments!"

"Why would I do that?" asked Ryoko. Ayeka gave the pirate a very cold look.

"Because of your childish antics," she hissed, "I will be forced to disrobe and let my clothes dry out in the sun."

"So?" shrugged Ryoko. "I mean, it's not like there's anything to boast about underneath…"

"Grrrr… THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!"

"Fine, fine," sighed Ryoko. The sassy spacer walked inside the cave, and let Ayeka have her silly privacy. Sighing, the princess removed her wet garments and placed them on a large rock on the beach. She wished that she had a fire so that her clothes would dry faster.

Silently, Ayeka leaned up against the rugged bark of a palm tree, content to watch the waves dance to and fro the shore. Her clothes would probably be nice and toasty by now, what after the fifty-some minutes of drying out on that rock. With little more than her conservative undergarments on, Ayeka went forth to investigate her clothes. Still a little damp.

"Ugh, I was right," said a voice. "You really don't have anything to boast about." Ayeka bolted around in a fury, and demanded in no polite terms that Ryoko should return inside and/or apologize. "Jeez, sorry for living. I just came out for a quick stroll." Ayeka fumed, pursing her lips so hard that they became pale, and nearly screamed. By some great miracle, she was able to keep her composure--and her temper--in check.

"Hey, is this the way you dry clothes on Jurai?" asked Ryoko.

"No, we stick them in these things called 'washing machines'," replied Ayeka bitterly. Ryoko snorted.

"Humph, just asking. Well, when I want something dry fast, I usually build this thing called a 'fire'. I'm sure you know what one is, you make them in the kitchen all the time."

"I DO NOT!!!" retorted the refined lady, her voice a little higher than normal. She sighed, remembered her upbringing, and calmed down a little. "Besides, I haven't been able to make any fires from scratch. I just can't seem to do it."

"You're probably going about it the wrong way," said the pirate, a very serious and businesslike tone in her voice. "Here, gather together some wood and I'll teach you how."

"Yes," agreed Ayeka, "I'm sure a malevolent criminal such as yourself knows how to make fires." Ayeka smirked proudly, and Ryoko humored her by smirking back. Still, Ayeka took the time to gather together some try timber she had found, and placed it on the beach where the sparks would be harmless.

"Thanks," said the pirate. She extended her hand and pointed her palm towards the wood. "Now watch this. I know I make things look easy, but when you're me, everything's a cinch." Ryoko grinned wickedly, and fired a very weak shot from her hand. An explosion struck the logs, and before Ayeka could blink, a merry fire was consuming the wood.

The princess was now caught. She didn't know whether to feel ecstasy over having a real working fire, or irritation over Ryoko's questionable methods. She settled for a very slow and weak applause, sarcastically slapping her hands together every so often. Ryoko, knowing full well that the praise was fake, took a bow and even denied her "fans" autographs.

"Now you try," she said after bowing. Ayeka ceased her pseudo-praise and stared back at Ryoko in confusion.

"You know full well that I cannot do that!" she stated. Suddenly, two smooth stones were sent through the air, but the princess caught them both.

"So use a flint," suggested Ryoko. Her smiling face caused Ayeka to become rather irritable.

"I have tried, dear sweet Ryoko," said Ayeka, her voice bubbling with seething sweetness. "But I have had no luck. I shall have to depend on you." Ryoko snorted, practically smelling the enmity that came out of that last sentence.

"Oh, no," she said. "I can't be your crutch for everything, princess! Here, hold these." She more or less stuffed the rocks into Ayeka's hands, then left for wood and some grass.

Ryoko came back with a big load of wood in her arms, and a lot of grass stuffed in her palms. She threw the wood in a disorganized heap, and piled the grass in a clump. Ayeka stared up at her companion as she worked, a bemused look plain on her face.

"Do you really expect me to--"

"I do," interrupted Ryoko. Ayeka snorted and waited for the other woman to finish her work. After setting the firewood up, Ryoko sat down on the ground and stared at Ayeka like she had just taken some sort of hallucinogenic drug (with the wide variety of plant life available on the island, this was a highly plausible theory).

"What?"

"Go ahead, start the fire!" demanded Ryoko. Ayeka sighed, and weakly clapped the rocks together. "No, no! Huh, I knew you'd do it wrong! Here, let me show you!" With a jerk, Ryoko reached out and grabbed the rocks from Ayeka's position. She quickly struck them together, and a shower of sparks flared out.

"You gotta hit'em at an angle," instructed the pirate. "Otherwise, you'll just be smashing stones together like a two-year-old. Try again." Ayeka frowned, unwillingly accepting the stones into her possession again. Sighing, she slapped one rock against the other, and a tiny flare burped out.

"Ahh!"

"Don't be afraid, you wuss! It's not going to hurt you if you're careful!" Ayeka sneered, but realized that for perhaps the first time ever, Ryoko was trying to help her out. Reluctantly breaking her pride, Ayeka became the student and struck the rocks again. And again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and--

"G'hahh!!" She leaped back in shock as the sparks struck the grass, and instantly a small but noticeable fire had started. Ayeka shivered as she saw the blaze dance, and she quietly looked at the stones and her hands, a new sense of wonder and accomplishment dancing in her heart.

"Hey, not bad!" cheered Ryoko. "Little miss prissy here managed to make a fire after all!" With a smile, Ryoko stood out of the sand and rubbed Ayeka's head. She then proceeded to walk towards the cave for a snack and a rest, leaving Ayeka to smile at her accomplishment.

"I did it," she whispered. "I made fire by myself. Maybe, just maybe, we'll stand a chance after all."

Part Four: No Need for Protection!

"The cave is fine enough! We don't need anything else!"

"Yeah, but what about when a roving group of saber-toothed lions start prowling around?! You won't feel so safe then!"

"Saber-toothed lions?! There never was such a thing!"

"Or man-eating sharks?! I'm sure they'll like to gobble you up!"

"Man-eating sharks indeed! We don't need a shelter!"

"I say we do!"

"What if a hurricane blows it over?!"

"What if, what if! Is that all you can say?!"

"I recall you asking the same thing not ten seconds ago!!"

"Why you little--!"

"Ack!! Take that!!"

"Die, wretch!"

"Suffer, you vermin!!!"

Just another peaceful day on the island…

The argument of the hour was whether or not it would be a good idea to make a second shelter. Ryoko reasoned that, while safe from almost any element, the cave would be poor protection if some wild animal decided to barge in and snack on them while they slept. Ayeka, always one to enter a debate, retorted that making a shelter would be too time-consuming and was not important.

Ayeka, with her royal background, would have won the argument under any other normal circumstance. But after hearing a very soft and very reasonable speech by Ryoko, she did eventually give in--as long as the shelter could survive the elements, Ayeka was willing to compromise. So with the limited tools they had, the girls set about in finding a second home to live in.

After a few silent minutes of hiking through the jungle, they came across a magnificently humongous tree that rivaled the oaks of Jurai herself. Huge, imposing, and impenetrable, it was the perfect place to set up roost. It even had several acorns hanging in the branches, which would have made for good bread in time. Ryoko volunteered to fly up and scope the tree out, and promised to come back with details.

"Well?" shouted Ayeka. Ryoko descended down the tree as if she were on an invisible elevator. The smile on her face could've banished any forms of darkness.

"You will die," she snickered. "You'll just die. Ayeka, I think somebody up there likes us." The princess sighed and crossed her arms, her face emotionless.

"Is it really that perfect?" she asked.

"Perfect doesn't quite describe it," said Ryoko. She grinned, and asked the princess to hop on her shoulders so she could elevate the lady up to the top.

"I thought you were too weak to carry an old sack of potatoes like me," said Ayeka wryly. Ryoko beamed and winked at her.

"Ehh, just this once. We'll have to make some kind of rope system once we're up there, though. Here, climb on." Ayeka shrugged, and gingerly squeezed her hands through Ryoko's armpits. Being careful to not touch anything "personal", Ayeka climbed onto Ryoko's back. As she expected, the pirate began complaining the second she was on board.

"OH, HOLY CRAP, AYEKA!!!!!! IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S A HIPPO ON MY BACK!!!!"

"Don't start with that," growled the princess softly. She gently tapped Ryoko's neck, reminding the woman that her hands were very close to choking her. With a silent nod, Ryoko carefully began flying up the tree, nearly regretting inviting the princess along with her.

Once the girls had arrived at the top, the arduous journey seemed worth it. Across the wide area, branches and leaves waved in the cool breeze. The canopy of the tree was engulfed in colors of green and brown and just a hint of yellow from the sun that peeked through the leaves. There was more than enough surface area to run around on, and with the proper building arrangements, a fence could be built so that the edges would lose their fatality.

"Oh, it's breathtaking," sighed Ayeka, who was becoming very dizzy from looking around her. Above her, beneath her, within her, and without her, there were branches full of leaves just in bloom, acorns fresh for the plucking, birds twittering, and cute caterpillars crawling around. Ryoko smiled.

"Told ya," she boasted. Ayeka returned the smile, and volunteered to do whatever it took to make the tree their new home.

Diary of Ayeka

Fifteenth of May

We have made excellent progress thus far. Yes, I said "we". I do hate to admit it, but I could not have done half of this without the assistance of Ryoko. I suppose I owe her greatly, and not just for the help she has been given me. I am surprised at her willingness to cooperate, but then again, she probably realizes that if she does not work, she will not eat.

Still, I do not trust her completely. Anyway, that aside, we have already done so much to increase our chances of survival. Ryoko is a godsend when it comes to gathering food, and I fear I would starve without her. She has been instrumental in finding a stream of water, and she was even kind enough to show me how to make a fire. Yes, I, royal princess of Jurai, can now make a fire from scratch!

Believe it or not, this may be my last entry that I write while still in my old home (the cave). We have found a newer and better shelter now, and with a little bit of work and dedication, we can fashion it into a better home than the cave. Unfortunately, our sleeping arrangements will have to remain the same.

To be certain, we will seek refuge in the cave if there is an emergency, but unless we can't weather our situation, the tree will be our permanent home. Now--that is, once we have completed our shelter, our next objective will be to build a distress signal. The time spent on this island is meant to be temporary anyway, and there will probably be rescue teams sent out. That storm has doubtless left survivors, and if I am not mistaken, dear Tenchi and company are now in the process of searching for us. What joy I will feel when I finally leave this horrible place!!

Sincerely yours,

Ayeka, princess of Jurai