Hurricane

It was a lovely morning on the unknown island, and Princess Ayeka wanted to experience the joys of a full day. Having just recently completed the house and guaranteed their supply of food, the girls had staked out two days to be their vacation. Today was perfect, noted Ayeka--literally perfect.

Moaning softly, she yawned as she greeted the gorgeous pre-summer day that awaited her outside. The gentlest of breezes tickled at her hair as she stepped outside, and a warm fiery orb of orange flames crept up out of the eastern sky to greet her. The unmistakable smell of the sea struck her nose, mixed in with the delicious scent of the leaves and branches of the tree she lived in.

A song came to her mind as she walked around the top of the tree, and a sprightly little step was added to her walk. There could have been a million Ryokos careening around the island and the day would not be ruined; nothing, nothing at all, would be able to spoil such glorious perfection.

A familiar spitting sound came from behind, and Ayeka turned around to greet her companion. Smiling brighter than an afternoon sky, for the beautiful morning had stirred a long-buried feeling of kindness and peace within her, the princess beamed with a light foreign to her normal face and bade Ryoko good morning.

"Ugh, what's up with you today?" moaned the pirate. Ayeka kept her blinding smile and pointed to the world around them.

"Just take a look outside, Ryoko! This day is completely perfect! Look at how gorgeous everything is! Isn't it just too divine?" Ryoko muttered something, yawned, and scratched an area of her anatomy that ladies usually didn't scratch. She smacked her lips and rubbed the crust from her eyes, and greeted the wonderful day with a mighty stretch.

"Huh… Hey, you're actually right. It is a nice day."

"Told you!" beamed the princess, ignoring the pirate's lack of enthusiasm. She sighed with joy, flinging her arms to the sky as if to hug Nature herself. Ryoko snorted and managed to smile at the eclectic princess. Chuckling softly, the pirate wisely allowed Ayeka to have her high moment and floated inside the house to make breakfast. Hopefully, the primitive coop that they had built held the hens well.

After starting a fire, Ryoko placed a smooth rock over the flames and cracked the two eggs on the stone. It would act as a crude skillet, at least until a better one was fashioned. Sighing, Ryoko quietly attended to the eggs, flipping them with a seashell when they looked cooked enough. The smell was already punishing her olfactory glands, but the number it was doing to her stomach was murder.

Ayeka literally bounced inside once she smelled breakfast. Last night had been another wonderful time for her, as Ryoko's kindness "at long last" came out (according to the princess' opinion). Despite their agreement, the pirate had allowed the princess to feast upon the chickens she had caught, and for that Ayeka was grateful. Now the agreement had been thrown out the window, as Ryoko gladly shared her prize of poultry to the princess. For the time being the girls would have to feast on eggs; the chickens themselves would have to last awhile longer.

"Ohhhh… that smell… It is so divine…" Ryoko smiled as she heard Ayeka sing, and flipped the eggs a little more. She was making a mess, sure, but the end result would be worth it. They were still too runny to eat, so the pirate had to smack Ayeka's groping hands away.

"Not yet, you pig!" she chastised. "They're not even cooked! What, you wanna catch salmonella or something?" Ayeka frowned, but couldn't help but laugh as she heard the pirate's warning. Secretly, she thanked Ryoko for her concern.

"I suppose I can wait," she sniffed. Wordlessly, Ayeka wandered outside to gather feed for the chickens, and perhaps snag an apple or two for herself while she waited. Ryoko smiled at her initiative, and could only hope that this brief moment of peace would last. There was no point in trying to survive together if the girls fussed and fought every two minutes.

After a small helping of burnt eggs and hard apples, the girls traveled down to the fountain for a drink. As always, the water was clear and cool, and even Ayeka felt tempted to throw off her clothes and go for a dive. Ryoko egged her on to do so, but the princess' levelheaded upbringing forbade it. Besides, they might have polluted such beautiful waters if they dove in.

They eventually settled for a dip in the sea. Ryoko tried very hard to not laugh at Ayeka's figure, but the princess held nothing back as she insulted the body of the spacer. Of course, Ryoko was just playing, and not even Ayeka was completely serious. Giggling somewhat, the princess picked up a fistful of slushy sand and chucked it at her adversary. The sand splattered square in her face, and Ayeka broke out in tears as it slowly dripped down Ryoko's face. Of course, this led to a friendly but vicious sand-fight that lasted quite awhile.

Drying off in the sun, the girls made comments about how their fair skin was turning a healthy copper color. Ayeka's face became red as she realized that she was acquiring a tan, but Ryoko cared not. Eventually Ayeka became proud of her new color, though did not boast of it quite as much as Ryoko.

"What a day," sighed the princess, sitting on a strong branch of a tree. Ryoko hummed to herself and wordlessly agreed. It was just slightly past noon, and with food in their bellies and a day's activities in their memories, all they could do now was sit and relax. Ryoko smiled a little as she swung around on the branches like a crazed ape, but even she calmed down after awhile.

"Hey, princess." Ayeka glanced over as she heard her name being called. "Are you, uh… enjoying your time here?"

"For the most part, I can't say that I have," she replied. "But… there are moments like today that I cherish. Last night was also great for me. I, ah…" She paused, and her tanned face took a reddened hue. "…I would very much like for more of those moments."

"Yeah, me too. Hey, you gotta admit that we're an unbeatable force whenever we get along."

"And a very dangerous one when we do not," countered Ayeka wryly. Ryoko grinned smugly and agreed. Her nose suddenly twitched as a familiar sensation struck her skin. Humming to herself, she looked up and squinted as two raindrops fell in her eyes.

"What is it?" asked Ayeka, and her question became answered as a droplet of rain smashed against her head. Feeling the drop, Ayeka looked up to see the beautiful sky turn an ashen gray color. She sighed, and a few gentle droplets fell on her face.

"I guess it's raining," shrugged Ryoko. She smiled, and a very soft downpour erupted out of the skies. She giggled, and did a little dance in the rain. Ayeka shook her head in defeat. Apparently, this was the one thing that could ruin her day. Grunting softly, she took Ryoko's wrist and dragged the delusional girl inside the treehouse.

"Hey!" whined the pirate. "I didn't ask to go back inside! I just happen to like rainy weather!"

"Well I don't!" replied Ayeka, sounding a bit snappy. "Besides, we'll be safer inside."

"Aww, yoo afwaid of da big bad wain?" cooed the pirate. Ayeka rolled her eyes, but kept her tongue and her civility. She practically pushed Ryoko inside their house, and shut the makeshift door just as the rain got more intense.

"There, see?" she pointed. "It's only getting worse!" Ryoko snorted and waved a rebellious hand at Ayeka's high-and-mighty attitude. She had to admit, though, it was nice that the princess was concerned about her. Sighing from restlessness, Ryoko plopped down on the mattress and let out a moan.

"May as well take the rest of the day easy," she said. The soothing sound of rain falling on the tree and their house was sweeter than any lullaby, and Ryoko would have fallen asleep had their only rooster not cackled violently.

"Hold on, I'm coming," sighed Ayeka. She stooped down near the coop and began throwing seed, grass, and small pebbles inside. The chickens gobbled all of it up greedily, and the rain continued to pour.

Sighing, Ayeka sat down on the mattress, content to listen to the powerful rain outside. A rumble of thunder echoed across the skies, and she shivered from the power of the coming storm. Hopefully, the shelter would withstand anything and everything that God and nature could throw at them, but there were no guarantees.

Suddenly, the storm picked up fiercely, and the wind screamed out loud. Buckets of rain, tubs of rain, oceans of rain crashed onto the tree and the house, guided by a merciless wind and angry bolts of thunder. Ryoko, as always, was fast asleep on the mattress, no doubt dreaming about Tenchi.

"How can you sleep in this weather?" asked Ayeka. It was a rhetorical question, of course, since Ryoko wouldn't have moved for anything save Tenchi once she was asleep. Ayeka sighed, and suddenly twitched as she felt a droplet of water fall on her nose. Glancing up at the ceiling, another hit her square in the eye, and still another smacked her ears. She growled, irritated that even the roof was against her.

Suddenly, the entire house lurched as the mighty tree bent under the strain of the wind. A mighty cracking sound outside could be heard, and upon examination, Ayeka let out a scream that woke even Ryoko: the wind had knocked over a coconut tree, sending its seeds scattering in the ferocious breeze. Ryoko moaned, and asked in no civilized terms what the matter was.

"It's a storm!" shouted Ayeka. Ryoko muttered a curse, and barely sat up as she looked through the door. The sudden shock of seeing the storm tear through their island snapped her awake.

"Holy shitake!" she blurted (this was the edited version of what she really said). Growling, she grabbed dear sweet Ayeka by the collar and shouted into her face. "That's not a storm, you moron! We're being attacked by a hurricane!"

"A WHAT?!?!?" The princess was understandably startled, and all but ignored Ryoko's outburst. She began shaking slightly as the thought of a full-blown hurricane attack hit her mind. Quickly, Ryoko began gathering hens in one hand and baskets of food in the other.

"And just what are you doing?!" demanded the future empress. Ryoko snarled.

"What does it look like?! I'm taking this stuff over to that cave you found--that is, unless you want it all blown away?"

"I… well, no I don't!" stammered Ayeka. "But… won't this house--"

"Against a hurricane?" interrupted Ryoko, anticipating her comrade's question. "No way, highnessness! This shack will become nothing but splinters and straw once the storm's over! Trust me, I've seen what these things can do!"

"Then what are we--" Ayeka received a rude hand over her mouth, and growled as Ryoko shut her up.

"We're going to take as many things over to that cave as we can! Grab as much as you can hold and scurry on over!" Ayeka paused briefly, somewhat paralyzed by the sudden change of fate. Ryoko roared and snapped her out of her daze, and Ayeka quickly scurried to save her tools, diary, and other miscellaneous items.

Flying down to the surface, Ryoko was fighting against wind and rain as she trudged towards the cave. Praying that she would not be caught on the hurricane (which was pretty much too late by now), the pirate had to take one single step at a time as she fought the fierce winds. Finally she arrived at the cave, and threw the chickens in a hole where they would not be able to escape. The food was stored elsewhere, and with a deep breath, Ryoko prepared to face the winds again.

Ayeka nearly screamed as she descended down the rocks that made up the stairs to her home. More than once, she feared she would slip and die on the stones, but by chance or fate she did not, and was able to make it down with her arms full of items. The wind smacked her square in the face and nearly caused her to drop several items, but stubborn Ayeka was mightier than that.

Bracing herself, she hunched down on her knees and crawled towards her cave, avoiding much of the wind by staying so low to the ground. It tickled at her hair and threatened to peek up under her dress, but other than these taunts the wind left her alone. In the distance she spotted Ryoko running with the wind, and could just barely hear her shout something.

"I'm going back for one more check!" she screamed. "You go on ahead and I'll catch up!" Ayeka managed to give a thumbs-up before Ryoko scurried away, and took a deep breath as she continued to crawl. Finally, she made it to her cave, where the wind was useless and the rain never fell. Hurling her possessions on a flat area of rock, the princess wheezed with relief.

A clap of thunder startled her, and as her vision improved, she discovered that Ryoko had not come back yet. Not too much time had passed, so perhaps she was still gathering items. Still, Ayeka felt the need to go out and check. The past two days had brought her much closer to Ryoko, so of course she was concerned.

Easily giving in to her conscience, Ayeka left the safety of the cave and ran back outside into the stormy weather. By now, the rain came down as if that day was its last chance to, and the wind screamed louder and fiercer than it had ever done before. Thankfully, Ayeka was walking with the wind, but she often had to fight to keep the breeze from pushing her down.

After a minute or so of battling the elements, Ayeka saw what looked like their tree in the distance. That mattress that she had discovered was on the ground, and so was Ryoko, although neither one of them moved. With a scream, Ayeka rushed towards the other woman, oblivious to the fact that she used to be her most hated enemy.

"Ryoko!!" Ayeka screamed out the name of her nemesis, ignorant to the danger that threatened the entire island. She saw Ryoko flat on the ground, just a few feet away from the mattress. She was groaning very softly, and was trying in vain to push the mattress. Ayeka screamed again for good measure, and Ryoko looked up. She mouthed something indecipherable, but the smile on her face was easily read.

"What is taking you so long, you worthless pile of horse manure?!" yelled the princess. She trudged towards the fallen pirate, who smiled even as she was being insulted. A ferocious stab of pain struck her, and she groaned as her body began to fail her.

"I slipped and fell!!" she screamed, pulling Ayeka's ear close to her. "I think I twisted my ankle!" Ayeka groaned, and sighed wearily. Great, just great. That's just what I needed… Muttering words unbefitting a woman of royal birth, Ayeka allowed Ryoko to put her arm around her shoulders and use the princess as a crutch. Her other arm grabbed for the mattress, and together the two girls headed for the safety of the cave.

Of course, carrying a heavy mattress and an injured woman was exceedingly difficult. The girls slipped and fell on many occasions, but thankfully had the fluffy bed to break their fall. They tried pushing the mattress, but Ryoko's injured foot would not allow for more than a few feet of distance. Pulling on it was equally tough, and leaving it outside would just be a waste. Finally, Ayeka had an idea.

"I have a plan!!" she roared, her voice just barely competing with the thunder and wind. "I need you to sit down and turn your back against me. Push backwards, and I'll pull from the front! That way, you only need one foot to move!!" Ryoko silently nodded her head, and did as the princess asked. Straining against wind and foot, Ryoko managed to sit down and push against the mattress. Together, the two girls transported the precious bed from the tree into the beautiful safety of the cave.

Heaving great gasps of exhausted breath, Ryoko crumbled onto the bed. Laughter escaped her mouth, but it was so weak Ayeka barely heard it at all. Still she smiled, and wiped her forehead free of water. By now, her beautiful purple locks were untied and free, snaking around her body and matting against her face. Ryoko's hair was equally disheveled, although a little neater since it wasn't so long. The girls took a breather before daring to speak again.

"Ryoko?"

"Hm?" A difficult pause followed.

"Thank you… for getting the mattress."

"Yeah… Hey Ayeka?"

"Hm?" A short pause followed, and the pirate smiled warmly.

"Thanks for coming back to get me. That was very selfless of you. Now I'm in your debt again." Ayeka politely laughed, and reminded herself that Ryoko owed her one again. She dismissed the praise for the time, and let out a groan as the storm grew even worse outside. Let it thrash around! snorted the princess. We're perfectly safe in here!

"Ahh, I love you," squealed Ryoko, hugging the cave walls. Ayeka couldn't help but laugh… or agree. Suddenly, a terrible clap of thunder ripped the heavens asunder, and the girls screamed as they dove towards each other. They suddenly noticed that they had grabbed each other, and screamed again before separating. Dead silence hung like a stalactite.

"Huh…" mumbled Ryoko. She shrugged, and laid back down on the bed. "Better get some rest. There really isn't anything we can do until the hurricane dies down, unless you feel like feeding the chickens or tending to my wound."

"Hm, no thanks," replied the princess. Groaning, she laid down on the other side of the mattress, but was unable to sleep. The ferocious pounding of rain would not lull her to sleep so easily, and the occasional peals of thunder didn't help at all. Another blast quaked the sky, and the girls shrieked and once again found themselves clinging to the other. They shrieked and separated again, and somehow managed to keep from grabbing each other again as they settled onto the soaking mattress.

A restless sleep, void of any dreams, covered their weary eyes, and the storm raged on…