Cooperation

Ryoko had been nice enough to let Ayeka have the bed all to herself; she, on the other hand, opted to sleep on the branches of the tree. This was not too comfortable, but in Ryoko's case, she could have slept on a rock and been all right. Every morning, of course, Ryoko would storm in and give Ayeka a rude awakening, whether the princess was actually up or not. Today was different: as Ryoko stretched out and greeted the rising sun, she let out a powerful yawn and decided to let the lady sleep.

She sighed and cozied back up on the branch. It had been a long time since Ayeka had broken her leg, so perhaps today would be the day that she was healed. Ryoko could only hope. Taking care of Ayeka was normally not the most fun thing in the world, and despite having such power at her fingertips, Ryoko also had a measure of (God forbid) responsibility as well.

Moaning as she stretched her limbs a little more, Ryoko scratched an area of her anatomy that females usually didn't scratch, and floated into the cabin. The hens, or what remained of them, were cackling madly as always, and there was a leak or two in the roof that needed to be prepared. Ryoko groaned, and slowly realized that, if she wanted to keep their house in tip-top condition, she would need Ayeka's help.

Walking towards the bedroom, Ryoko made a puzzled face as she saw that the bed was now vacant and the sheets made. The room was absolutely spotless, the first time it had been so in… well, ever. Ryoko knew for a fact that she didn't clean the room, so who…

"Excuse me!!" Ryoko nearly jumped through the ceiling as the high-pitched voice came in from behind her, and she stepped aside just to see Ayeka walk in with a makeshift broom and dustpan. Without a word of explanation, Ayeka began cleaning the room with the dedication of a perfectionist. Ryoko's mouth, needless to say, hung open like a stuffed carp's.

"Uh…" She swallowed, and tried hard to snap out of her gaping state. "Uh, Ayeka… Would you, uh, mind telling me… what you're, uh, doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm cleaning!" she replied with a smile. Ryoko's sun-kissed face turned to the color of ash, and it felt as if the world's largest question mark was over her head.

"Uh…… aren't you supposed to be, uh, in bed?" Ayeka stopped cleaning the room just long enough to put her hands on her hips in mock-offense. A coy smile ensured Ryoko that the princess was far from angry.

"Why I never! Just for your information, while you were out there snoring like the bear you are, I was recovering rather nicely!" She bent down and began rapping on her leg--in fact, on the very spot that had been broken. "You see? Solid as your head!"

"Uh, yeah…" Ryoko tried for a smile, but failed miserably. Instead, she tried to mirror Ayeka's coy face, but also fell short. "So, you're okay now?"

"Yes," sang the princess. "Now I want you to sit here in this bed! That's right, just sit right there!"

"Huh?" Personally, Ryoko was shocked. As Ayeka dragged the pirate to the bed and forced her to sit down, she couldn't help but wonder why the lady was being so… well, nice to her. This was not the Ayeka she knew on the cruise, nor even the Ayeka she knew two months ago. This was an impostor!

"But… hey, what are you doing?" insisted the pirate. Ayeka smiled brightly and gently placed both hands on Ryoko's shoulders.

"Dear sweet Ryoko," she said softly, "you have done so much for me in these past few weeks. You've made me see how much of a prig I really was--no, you made me see that I am no less of a demon than you are. You have made me realize that… perhaps, I need to start over, and let go of my selfish ways.

"You have cared for me, clothed me, bathed me, and fed me. You have saved my life twice already, and because you have been such an angel to this wicked monster, I have decided that you need a break from all your chores. Yes, Ryoko, you just lay here and rest. Sleep your heart out, you poor overworked dear, and let Ayeka take care of things for you!"

A comfortable silence separated all conversations, and Ryoko could only stare as Ayeka smiled and held her shoulders gently. The princess gave a very light slap to Ryoko's cheek, and smiled merrily as she continued to sweep the dust off the floor. Ryoko, for all her bravado and moral turpitude, could make no response, except for perhaps that same speechless smile of hers.

"Thanks… princess," she managed. Ayeka smiled her best smile and continued to work with a new enthusiasm, leaving Ryoko to sit on the bed. Shrugging to herself, the pirate sighed and reclined on the bed, content to watch the princess do the chores. After Ayeka finished sweeping the cabin, she fed the hens and even cleaned their cage, something that none of them had wanted to do since.

During the remainder of the day--indeed, during the remainder of the week, Ayeka busied herself with every single chore she could possibly think of. Her delicate hands suddenly became responsible for patching up the roof, and trimming the tree of dead leaves, and the daily sweeping process of the stone steps and the tree (after her fall, those steps had to be swept in order to rid them of any loose debris).

Ayeka even went as far as hunting for all the food and water. She happily brought back a canteen full of clean, crisp water for Ryoko to enjoy, and several pieces of fruit and even vegetables stumbled into her hands. Ryoko was most impressed when she saw Ayeka dress up in her two-piece cheetah-skin hunting clothes and come back with a small boar.

To her delight, Ryoko was given foot rubs and even massages every time she asked. Ayeka, it seemed, was more than happy to spoil the pirate, but after everything Ryoko had done, Ayeka considered it just reward. Combs were brought out to style Ryoko's silky hair, ad Ayeka crooned on how fine the strands actually were. During bath time, precious bottles of liquid soap and shampoo were opened, and Ayeka gladly washed the pirate's hair, almost as if she were now the servant and not the royalty.

Ryoko, needless to say, ate it all up.

So for a whole entire week, Ayeka spoiled Ryoko stupid and nearly wore herself out with chores. For the first time ever, Ryoko had had her deepest wishes granted: she was being treated like a princess. With the exception of eating, bathing, walking around, and the occasional light chore, Ayeka literally did everything for Ryoko. Ryoko couldn't help but smile fondly as she saw her one-time archrival scurry about with the daily routines.

Ayeka made breakfast, lunch, and dinner, often giving Ryoko the choicest portions; cleaned the entire cabin, shed, and steps; trimmed the tree; repaired all problems in and around the house; fed the chickens; hunted for food and brought back water; repaired any damage to the SOS system while managing the whole thing to herself; gathered more materials for the cabin; and basically made sure that everything was in working order.

Sure, managing the entire island herself (again) was tiresome, and often Ryoko would ask Ayeka to sit down and rest. But the kind-hearted princess stubbornly refused, and instead told Ryoko to relax. She would then work all the harder, and spoil Ryoko more, until her soft hands were becoming rough, and her fair skin was becoming copper, and her delicate hair disheveled.

Still, even as Ryoko insisted that Ayeka had done enough, the princess retorted by saying that she would have never "done enough" to measure what Ryoko had done for her, and so would continue her chores like the stubborn girl she was. At first Ryoko enjoyed the attention and lack of work, but by the time the week ended, she was genuinely growing concerned for Ayeka.

Ryoko's cruddy journal

I think it's the 27th of July but I can't be certain

Well, it seems as if former Miss Priss is turning into Miss Slave. Yup, she's treating me like a Queen and herself like a lowly servant. Basically, I'm not allowed to work at all, and she hogs all the chores while I sit around getting pampered. I LOVED this at first, believe me, but shoot… I'm starting to get bored! And…… well, Ayeka shouldn't carry the load herself. Just like her, she won't admit that she needs my help.

It's really sweet of her to do all this for me, really it is, and I'm forever grateful for it. This is quite possibly the nicest thing that she's ever done, ever! But… I know she can't keep it up forever. She's gonna expire sometime, so she'd better watch out.

Signed, Me.

After penning in another entry in her personal diary, Ryoko let out a gigantic yawn and stretched her poor legs and arms. She was literally bored stiff, and so restless she felt like screaming. Standing up, and scratching her bare tummy, Ryoko decided to see what Ayeka was up to, so she left by way of floating downward towards the surface.

As she descended, she noted that Ayeka was not in her usual scurrying mood. The princess was nowhere in sight, but then again, it was something of a large island. Ryoko sighed, crossed her arms and began to explore the beaches in hopes of running into her companion. Ryoko actually began to grow concerned when she could not find her.

Moving past the beaches and jungles, the pirate quickened her pace and soon began hovering above the air. For the first time in a long time, she was genuinely worried about Ayeka. Usually, she would have been moping around or complaining about something, or in this case, probably busy fixing something or gathering food, but now she was all but invisible.

Proceeding to the wide open plane of grass that separated the jungles from the mountains, Ryoko quickly scanned over the green fields for any signs of purple. Suddenly, she saw a familiar mass of violet hair amidst the grass, and gasped in horror as she spied Ayeka flat on the ground, very much motionless.

"Ayeka!" She screamed, and rushed to the princess' side. "Ayeka, no!!"