Foul Fowl

Sighing very slightly, Ryoko opened her eyes to a beautiful morning. Outside of the cabin that she had helped build, birds were singing merrily, the sun was shining brightly, and animals were crying out for breakfast or mates. She sighed comfortably, having no desire to wake for at least seventeen hours more.

Upon stirring slightly, she felt a slight weight had been impressed on her stomach. Raising her head somewhat, she smiled a half-wicked, half-warm grin as she saw that Ayeka had somehow flung hr arm around the woman's body during sleep. The princess of Jurai, without even knowing it, had her arm over the most vicious space pirate in the known galaxy.

Ryoko, of course, savored every moment of it. Already she was running scenarios through her head--scenarios of what the princess' response would be to such a rude awakening. She imagined that Ayeka would probably have at least two heart attacks, if not more, and her gorgeous violet hair would instantly blanch into a milky white. Ryoko giggled maliciously as she had these thoughts, and wished very much for the princess to wake so she could see the look on her face.

Ayeka must have heard the chuckle, for she stirred slightly and made a soft moaning sound. Ryoko nearly squealed out of sick glee, hardly able to bear the suspense. Softly, almost mockingly, Ayeka's eyes opened and she let out another sigh.

Three, two, one… thought Ryoko. Now! Ayeka's eyes flew open……

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Even though Ayeka's scream pierced Ryoko's skull, and even though the princess shouted so loud that it deafened the pirate, and even though Ryoko was violently shoved out of the bed, it was all worth it to see Ayeka freak out. Ryoko treasured every moment of it, and cursed herself for not stealing a waterproof camera instead of a canteen. Oh well, she sighed.

"Hey, I said that it wasn't my fault!" Ryoko smiled impishly as Ayeka huffed away, stuffing a few grapes into her mouth as she followed the monarch. "Besides, weren't you the one who had your arm around me?"

"PLEASE DO NOT EVER MENTION THIS AGAIN!!!" screamed the other girl, her eyes bloodshot and weary. She began to mope, faux tears falling out of her eyes. "Oh, if you only knew the horror! The absolute horror of waking up next to you, only to find that… that… AUGH!!!! How revolting!!!"

"Well sorry for existing," snorted the pirate, chugging down some water. "I can't help it if you found a small bed, now can I?" The princess roared louder than any lion ever could, and was angry enough to bite through a coconut. She continued to scream and cuss, but most of her speech was lost on the pirate.

"Hey, weren't you saying something about how we need to get along the other day?" pointed Ryoko. Ayeka fumed, as Ryoko knew she would, and tried not to lose what was left of her temper. Ryoko enjoyed nothing more than making the high-class princess follow her own advice.

"Don't get so mad about it," sniffed the pirate, sensing Ayeka's fury. "What, did you think that those rules applied to me only? Or are you just mad that I'm using your own weapons against you?"

"JUST SHUT UP!!!" yelled Ayeka, nearly biting the other woman's face off. "SHUT UP!!!" Ryoko couldn't help but smile, and wisely decided to leave the monarch alone. Ayeka noticed her departure, and asked in no kind terms where she was going.

"Yeesh," huffed the spacer. "Do I need to tell you what I'm doing all the time? Come on, I know you want to be alone."

"Indeed! I would like nothing better!" spat the princess.

"So we're agreed, then? I leave you here to cool off, and you can do whatever while I look around?" Ayeka took in a deep, angry breath, and calmed down just enough to give out a measure of civility.

"Just let me be alone for awhile," she insisted. Ryoko smiled and performed a false salute, and flew outside the cabin's window and down the tree before a protest could be made.

"Finally!" she moaned. "I thought that I'd never get away from that beast!" Ryoko sighed with relief, and began hovering as soon as she was a good distance away from the tree. As she sailed over the canopy of trees and forest, her mind began to slip into relaxation mode and the irritation she had felt earlier was gone.

Last night was perhaps the closest that the two rivals had ever gotten to each other, but this moment of peace and civility did not last long. Still, it was a very enjoyable experience, and Ryoko had even considered the bratty girl her friend. Of course, it all had to be ruined, as all their time spent together usually was. Poor dumb Ayeka had a gigantic mouth, and an even bigger ego, and both had become rather violent recently.

Of course, Ryoko was also half the problem. She knew that she could be a whole lot more civil if she really wanted to (as if that would really happen), and sometimes her efforts really did pay off. She knew very well that she needed Ayeka's company while they were stuck there--there was no question about it. The princess had been right; they needed to cooperate or else they would fail.

Ryoko sighed as she sailed over the lush jungle beneath her. Her voice giggled as she noticed the watery falls she had discovered, and she was tempted to bathe there. Of course, that was their drinking water, and Ayeka would be rightfully mad if she saw Ryoko dipping her body into the cool rivers. The ocean, though a poor substitute, would have to serve as bath for the time being.

Flying past the fountain, Ryoko spotted the volcanic mountain that had given them their stairs. It was quite large, though it hardly dominated the entire island. Ryoko made it a note of hers to explore it one day, perhaps with a whining and crying Ayeka in tow (she secretly loved to see the princess mope, even though it usually got annoying). The mountain would have to wait for another day, though.

Ryoko sighed, halting in midair. She kicked her feet up and rested her hands behind her head, and let her mind wander into the infinite. She thought of many things as she laid there in the open air: she thought about Tenchi, of course, and what he and the other girls were doing. She thought of life as a space pirate, and how this new existence of hers was often better and more fun than that. She dreamed of the cruise they had all gone on, and the fateful storm that brought her here.

She even thought of Ayeka.

"Crazy wench," she muttered to herself. She chuckled to herself, unsure as to what to make of her companion. Perhaps, somewhere down the road, the two girls might grow into friendship and maybe more, but that would only be possible if Ryoko lost her biting edge and Ayeka lost her swelling pride.

Sighing, Ryoko became earthbound an hour later, and decided to do the rest of her exploration on foot. Slipping in between the leaves of several palm tress, she descended into the forest and snagged an apricot on the way down. Her conscience bit at her mind a little, and a second fruit came into her hands. Ryoko smiled as she held the twins, and wondered how Ayeka would receive her generosity.

Her sharp ears picked up a very strange and foreign sound. Perking up her senses, Ryoko quieted her breathing and strained to listen. For awhile, silence--but then, the sound returned; only now, Ryoko could hear it clearly. She gasped with boundless joy as she recognized the sweet melody, and rushed back to the tree as fast as she knew how.

Diary of Ayeka

Seventeenth day of June

We… are not getting along well, Ryoko and I. Yes, I realize how much I have begged for her health, and how much I desired her company. And yes, I know that my wish has been granted--what a very strange turn of events this has become.

Do I hate Ryoko? I cannot say. Perhaps not. To be perfectly honest, she has done more work than I have, which is a surprising change from her usual LAZY ways. Sorry. She really has pulled her own weight, and as much as I detest admitting it, I must admire her spirit. Emphasis on must, mind you.

Do I like her? Heavens, no! I could never stand the sight of her, and although I am glad I have some means of company and assistance, I do not think we will ever move beyond what has happened last night. I will admit that that one moment was the best thing that has ever happened to me since I arrived, and…… well, I might welcome it if it happens again.

Curses, I can hear her shouting something. Obviously drunk as a hog and probably reeking of one, too. Must finish fast so she won't see this. At least she's good at not sneaking peeks at this thing while I'm away--at least, I hope so.

Yours,

A.

"Ayeka!!!" The princess closed her diary up tight the minute she heard Ryoko call her name, and blanched only slightly as the pirate poked her head in. By now, the bad mood she had been in was almost completely gone, so she received the spacer with a grain of civility.

"What are you babbling about now, Ryoko?" An apricot sailed through the air, and deft royal hands caught it. The princess gave Ryoko a puzzling look, not sure of what to make of the fruit. "What's this?" she asked. Ryoko gave her a particularly doubtful look.

"It's an apricot, dummy!" she pointed. "You eat'em!"

"I know what it is," hissed the princess through clenched teeth. "What I'd like to know is why you threw it to me."

"Because I have one too," said the pirate, displaying her own fruit. Ayeka paused, still somewhat confused over the matter. In her rage, she had almost forgotten about the agreement they had on food rationing.

"Oh. Well, ah, thank you very much." Ryoko smiled, glad that the royal nuisance's temper was whittled down a notch by her generous offer. She entered the house, and tried her best to not ask about the diary.

"You won't believe what I found," she sang, her broad smile as obvious as the sky. Ayeka's curiosity was piqued almost instantly.

"Perhaps I won't," she retorted smartly. "What is it this time?"

"It's a surprise!" cackled the pirate, leaning forward to grab the other woman's arm. "Come on!"

"All right, all right! No need to pull my arm out of its socket!" Ayeka snorted, and stood out of her own powers. Muttering something along the lines of "this better be worth it," she followed her companion to the surface.

"(Get down,)" whispered the pirate, gently lowering the purple top of Ayeka's head. "(And be quiet.)"

"(Don't touch me!)" hissed the princess. Ryoko stuck out her tongue but said nothing. Carefully, she parted the bushes that led to her prize, and let Ayeka piece together the rest.

"Chickens!"

"Ssh!"

"Oh!" Ayeka covered her mouth with her hands, and breathed a sigh of relief as the beautiful flock of wild fowl continued pecking. She smiled hungrily, and tapped Ryoko's shoulder in an almost-friendly matter. "(Good work!)"

"Hehehehehe… heeeheeeheee…" Ryoko chuckled to herself as the two girls spied on the chickens, and Ayeka couldn't help but become concerned.

"(And just what is so funny?)" she asked. Ryoko pursed her lips together in a vain effort to control her laugh.

"(I just had a wicked idea,)" she boasted.

"(And no champagne around to celebrate,)" countered the princess icily. She received a sharp pinch in return, and would have declared war on the spot if she wasn't so hungry for meat.

"(Anyway,)" coughed Ryoko, "(I say that we make a contest out of this!)"

"(What do you mean, a contest?)" Ryoko chuckled again, unable to believe how easily she had snagged the princess' attention.

"(We go in there and grab as many chickens as we can,)" she whispered. "(And we keep all the ones we catch for ourselves. In other words, whoever catches the most chickens wins!)"

"Humph!" snorted Ayeka. "(A disgraceful competition, but what can I expect from you? Very well, I accept your challenge, but don't come whining to me when you're starving!)"

"(Same to you, cow face,)" spat Ryoko playfully. Ayeka growled, but only received a rude raspberry in return. While the royal one gagged and wiped the spittle from her clothes, Ryoko blazed out from the bushes and began scooping up chickens like they were coins scattered about the floor.

Ayeka screamed as she realized that she had been tricked (though she was hardly surprised), and rushed off into the clearing to give chase to the chickens. The few that remained scattered about like they had gone insane, and Ryoko stopped her collection just long enough to laugh at Ayeka's antics.

The princess, partially oblivious to the woman mocking her, ran circles around the clearing, her arms stuck out in front of her like a zombie. Every once in a while she would dive down and attempt to catch the dashing poultry, but it would always wriggle out of her grasp or else dart around in another direction.

"Whoops, almost had that one!" cackled Ryoko. Ayeka made a roaring sound but continued to pursue the hens despite the heckling. The chickens continued rushing around the clearing, some escaping into the thick forests, others being caught by the spacer. The chase lasted at least ten minutes before Ayeka collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. By that time, every fowl in the area was either claimed by Ryoko or else lost in the woods.

"Darn… you…" wheezed the princess, grasping a handful of grass in irritation. Ryoko cackled madly, her hands full of clucking chickens.

"Aw, don't feel bad, highnessness!" she sang. "There's plenty more out there… somewhere!" With a growl, Ayeka attempted to tackle the woman for her comments, but only met up with failure as the pirate flew away into the sky.

Night fell, and the sounds of the jungle at night dominated the island once again. Gorgeous stars came out to smile on the world, and the moon gave off its usual ethereal glow. A merry fire had been started, and one poultry was already rotating on the spittle. Ryoko felt happier then than she had in a long time; on the other hand, Ayeka knew only misery.

As the delicious smell of chicken snuck into her nose, her belly wept along with her as the succulent meat was devoured by Ryoko. Unfortunately, an agreement was an agreement: Ryoko got to keep twelve whole chickens all to herself, while the princess had nothing to show for it except hunger.

Perhaps, she thought sadly, this is my punishment for being so cruel to Ryoko. If I had only been nicer to her, perish the thought, she might have the heart to share some with me. I… do not think I deserve such kindness after the way I have been treating her…

"Hey, cow face!" Sadly, Ayeka broke out of her thoughts and paid the pirate audience. The woman smiled kindly, and extended an uneaten leg in Ayeka's direction. "Here," she offered, and no sooner was the word out of her mouth did Ayeka tackle the meal and devour it maniacally. She would have wept for joy if she wasn't so hungry.

Ryoko stared at the feasting princess in wonder. After a few seconds of observing the lady devour the chicken, she began to chuckle softly. Ayeka noticed this, and stopped eating just long enough to comment.

"What is so funny?" she demanded. Ryoko kept her warm smile.

"You took the chicken."

"Well, yes, I was quite hungry!"

"No, I don't mean that. I mean… you took it. You didn't accuse me of poisoning it or getting germs on it or anything. You just took it without a moment's hesitation." Ayeka paused at this revelation, and glanced at the chicken she had been eating. In all her hunger, she had never thought about any of that.

"Are you starting to trust me or something?" asked the pirate.

"No, it's nothing like that," replied the princess. "I just used common sense. Number one, if this was poisoned, you would have been affected as well. Number two, I don't see how you could have access to poison, since there is nothing of that kind on this island and there certainly wasn't any on the ship. And Number three, you know that if I become ill or suffered worse, then you'd have to bear all the work and responsibility yourself. Knowing that you wouldn't want that, I just deducted that you gave me this out of the limited kindness of your heart." The princess smiled after her speech, and nodded her head with respect. Ryoko mirrored her smile as well, and for the rest of the night, the two women ate in relative peace and friendship.