One Year
One year passed since Ayeka first washed up on the shores of the island. It was now May 3rd, year 1, the exact day that the former princess first arrived. All traces of her past life were almost gone--indeed, the only true remnant was her physical image and the memories she clung stubbornly to, and of course, her diary.
Her diary… One day, Ayeka decided to look over past entries of her diary, just for fun. Though some entries she enjoyed reading, others--such as her early entries concerning Ryoko--made her shiver in horror. Ayeka became disgusted at her early works, even to the point of breaking into tears.
How could she have ever been so cruel? How could she have ever been so conceited and self-righteous? She hated herself for even having the strength to be able to write such blasphemous things, not to mention the thought necessary for such deeds. In the past year, the former princess and the former pirate had grown incredibly close as friends. They now trusted each other with their very souls, and often relied on each other for every daily need.
True, they still had arguments every now and then, but they were more along the line of debates than fights. The arguments would usually favor Ayeka, what with her political upbringing, but sometimes Ryoko's simple and stark reasoning won her through. Still, the girls had grown very attached to each other--hence Ayeka's misery over her past darkness.
----------
Diary of Ayeka, Princess of Jurai
May 23rd
Well, with our SOS system up, I suppose we can get about to doing other things. Ugh, I know that I have brought all this on myself--after all, I did wish for Ryoko to get better, but for the sake of the Creator of this universe, why does she have to make such an annoyance of herself?? Yesterday, a crab pinched me and she just laughed and laughed. What an inconsiderate beast! (I gave her a good pinch in return)
Getting along with this beast will be much harder than I thought. At least she's good at retrieving food, but I must confess that I trust her about as much as I trust a porcupine with a balloon. Secretly, though, I hope that as time weathers on (God forbid we should be on here for very long), we can at least be civil. I think we have fared quite well in these past few days.
Sincerely,
Ayeka, Princess of Jurai
----------
Diary of Ayeka
Twenty-fifth of June
I must confess, Ryoko can be so scatterbrained at times. Yes, she has thankfully forgotten our little "pact" about the chickens, and for that I am grateful, but sometimes… This woman can be so annoying! Example: aside from all the jokes about my physical image, she often finds plenty of opportunities to have an "accident". Usually, the end result of this "mistake" is me getting injured by some object, i.e. a branch of a tree of a rock.
Maybe I shouldn't have rescued her during that hurricane. Well, it's too late now. Besides, we really have gone too far to start having mutinies. Like it or not, we must work together. I seem to lean towards the "not" part, and here is where even Ryoko agrees with me. I can't help but detest that witch.
Sincerely,
Ayeka, Princess of Jurai
----------
Diary of Ayeka, Esteemed Princess of the Royal Family of Jurai,
Mightiest of All Empires under the loving watch of the Divine Creator.
On this fourth day of July--
I'm in an unusually good mood today! You can tell because of my opening title! I'm really feeling quite well today! Oh, before any assumptions can be made, Ryoko was working on the house, so I snuck out to enjoy the day. I have never made a wiser decision! This day has thus been perfect--the lack of Ryoko alone proves it--and in fact, it was so perfect, I decided to write about it!
I first started the day by going down the zip line. Ryoko doesn't know this, but I no longer fear the trip down that horrid thing. How could I? It's so fun! Anyway, once I was on the surface, I decided to have breakfast and speared a fish. Yes! I speared a fish all by myself! I cleaned it, cooked it, ate it all by myself! Delicious!!!
I then proceeded to take a quiet walk on the beach, just to look at my new home. The sand and surf were too divine for words, and the cawing of gulls above made me sing out loud (I'm not making this up). I also took a walk in the forest, and DID NOT trip over anything, thank you very much! PS--nothing is quite as good as an unadulterated peach to the emptiness of the stomach. Yum!
My day ended in peace; I drank from the fountain, and took a swim in the ocean. At dusk, I returned home to an exhausted Ryoko, who thankfully had a mind to wash up herself. I would not be pleased to spend the night next to a smelly old warthog (but then again, this actually sounds more appealing than spending it with Ryoko). Anyway, I decided to be nice to her for awhile, since she had labored all day.
………
At least, I think she labored all day. ?????
Sincerely yours, forever more and beyond,
The Lady Ayeka of the Esteemed Family of the Monarchy of Jurai,
Princess of the Universe and solemn protector of justice and tranquility, etc.
----------
Diary of the Burning Tiger,
July 31
I never knew I could fight like that! Who would have guessed that there truly was a tigress hidden beneath me?? Not even I knew this, and of course I know myself best. Well, it certainly was a magnificent rush, running and screaming like a savage beast… but, for the first time in a very long time, I really and truly felt free. My heart soared and the cares of the universe faded as I donned that skin, and I truly felt the "old" Ayeka die away.
Now, and forever more, there is the Burning Tiger, the fierce warrior Ayeka, protector and co-ruler of the island (curses, I should definitely give it a name. Well, we'll see). I can safely say that I prefer "this" Ayeka better than the old one; indeed, now I know how a snake feels when it sheds its skin… or a caterpillar, after metamorphosis.
Love,
Warrior Ayeka, co-ruler of Island
PS--I should definitely give it a name!
----------
Diary of Warrior Princess Ayeka,
First of October
Shame on me! I haven't written in this stinking log since we named the island! What has come over me?! Well, I can assure all that Ryoko has kept a good record in her diary, and the dear thing has even allowed me to read some entries. Of course, her writing is considerably more crude--I mean, more "free" than my own, but blame our backgrounds for that. I could be a savage forever and never change my style of writing.
Anyway, what should I record in this day's entry? Shall I tell how Ryoko and I busied ourselves with the recreational exploration of Mt. Tenchi? Yes, we finally set about climbing that infernal thing, and what a decision! A year ago, I would have been wiped out from the journey to the foothills; now, after X number of days on Ayeoko Island, I almost made it midway to the top before losing my breath.
The view from the top was a sight to see. Pity neither of us can draw well--I would have loved to preserve that memory on the top for when we return to the Masaki residence. Tenchi would have loved it--hence why we named the mountain after him.
I should stop writing about all that, because I am starting to cry. My tears may get these pages soggy, so I'll have to desist for awhile. Expect more journal entries.
Lots of love,
Ayeka of Ayeoko Island
----------
Diary of Ayeka
October 31st
Happy Halloween!
Love, Ayeka the Tigress
(and yes, that IS the entire entry! Hahahahahahahaaaaaa!!!!!!)
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
November 4th
It's getting a lot chillier on Ayeoko Island. I'm being driven like a slave, making all those furs for our poor cold bodies. Though we appear to live in a tropical zone, there is still enough cold to chill us. Ryoko is mainly responsible for gathering food in case of a frost; I have been given the task of making more animal skins. Thank God for blankets. And please don't have any ecchi thoughts if you start thinking about those cold nights, when we must rely on the heat of each other's bodies for warmth. Ryoko and I are solid friends, and I daresay we shall keep it at that! She is quite nice to bunk up with, I will admit that. Brrrrr!!! I must be desperate!! :o) Just kidding, I really like that girl. We've saved each other's lives so many times that even what's-her-name would have lost count.
Shivering madly,
A very cold Ayeka
PS--WASHU!!! How could I forget?!
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
December 12th
Another cold day. All we can really do is stay in our house bundled up under our sheets. The temperature of this island surprises me. I thought it would stay warm all year round, or at least reasonably cool. I was wrong!! It's freezing outside! All our food is safely stored in here, and whatever's left of our chickens with them. Everything outside is under a blanket of light frost. I saw some snow, too!
Unfortunately, we cannot build a fire inside, for the smoke might suffocate us. There are windows, but no matter where we place the fire, we cannot put it anywhere where it will be able to vent. A spark might catch onto the floor, then the whole house might burn down! What a terrible thing that would be! At least we're not in that dank cave!!!
Freezing my you-know-what off,
Ayeka
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
December 25th, Christmas
What a wonderful day! We both gave each other gifts! I made a very special outfit for Ryoko that she swore to wear the first day she was free from this tropical prison (it was actually my old royal gown, sewn up into a new suit that looks SO adorable on her!). I got a little kiss on the cheek--ahem, might I add, a rather unexpected occurrence, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I suppose… with Ryoko, it's okay. She is, after all, my best friend.
Oh, what did I get? A rock, as I thought. Just kidding. Actually, Ryoko had carved a lifelike statue of me from a tree, and although I couldn't see it because of the storm (it was outside), she told me that she had spent countless hours chipping away at a tree, until a very accurate image of yours truly was forever etched into wood. First thing I can, I shall go outside and look at this marvel. Here's to hoping that I can take it with me!
Sincerely yours and with a Merry Christmas,
Ayeka, co-ruler of Ayeoko Island
PS--and yes, for your information, I did give my friend a little kiss on the cheek. She really is a wonderful girl.
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
December 31st, approximately 11:58 p.m.
Happy New Year!!! …Almost, anyway!! Haha!!
Happy times and fond wishes for a brighter year,
Yours, faithfully, now and forever more,
Tigress ;)
PS--Ryoko is so much more fun to be around when she's not passed out on the floor. Poor dear never did stay up long enough to see midnight (oh, it's 12:01 right now, I think. Who knows???). Oh, well. As her best friend, I shall revive her and make sure to gloat heavily when asked about the festivities! Seriously, though, I like her very much… and, perhaps in time, I might grow to love her. Not like THAT, pervert!!!!!
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
February 14th, Valentine's Day
Ryoko and I had a very vicious fight today. We… even resolved to fist-fighting, like in the old days. I cannot even remember what started the fight, but whatever it was, there was lots of screaming and name-calling, and… oh, it was so terrible. I actually struck my best friend! I hit her on her precious face! I didn't mean to, I love her to death, but… things got so…
I ran away, and cried myself to sleep. Unable to snooze for long, I woke up in the middle of the night, and could not find my friend. I resolved to writing in my dear journal, but it is no substitute for her company. Ryoko, please, wherever you are, I hope you can forgive me. Whatever we were fighting over, I shall assume full responsibility, even if you started everything. Please, please forgive me.
Crestfallen,
Ayeka
----------
Diary of Ayeka,
Sixteenth of February
Still no sign of my friend. I have literally searched the entire island for her, and nothing has shown up. I screamed out her name until my voice died, and then I began to bang rocks together in an effort to attract her attention. I feel so absolutely miserable for our stupid fight that I could die. I have not eaten or even slept since the argument, yet I will continue to search even to the very ends of the Earth. I hope I find her soon, and I hope that she can forgive me.
Until then,
Yours always,
Mistress Ayeka, Tigress of Ayeoko Island
----------
Diary of the Tigress,
Eighteenth of February
I AM HAPPY.
To elaborate, yes I finally found Ryoko, huddled miserably on the very top of Mt. Tenchi. When I approached her, she was… well, crying. And very hungry. We… had a very long talk on that mountain, and in the span of only a few minutes, we apologized for the terrible war we put ourselves through and made up. Descending down the mountain, our friendship grew stronger still.
And here I was, thinking it could not get any better.
Thankful,
Your Tigress forever,
Ayeka
----------
Diary of the Tigress,
May 3rd, Year One
Today, one year has passed since I first arrived on the island. Many things have happened to me--some good, like finding such a wonderful companion like Ryoko, other bad, like… well, our fights. In the span of a year, I have learned so much, and I have experienced enough to truly say that I am a Woman now. The child-Ayeka is no more.
I have learned compassion for a former enemy, and I have learned patience and kindness and care and yes, even love. I have learned how to survive on my own, and kill for food, and make clothes out of living creatures. I learned how to climb a mountain, and how to build a house, and how to weather a hurricane.
I have also learned to admit when I am wrong, and to keep my pride at a reasonable level. I learned I am not as perfect as I thought I was, and I learned to accept people for what they are. I have learned the true meaning and value of friendship, and I have learned of the true spirit that lies within me. I am a Tigress, and Ryoko a noble woman with more kindness than I thought.
I cannot imagine a life before this island, where I was a princess and she a pirate. Now, I am the Tigress, and she the Lady of the Isle, and I daresay that I am slowly losing the desire to return home. Ah, but if a ship came, I would probably be the second one on--after Ryoko, of course!!
So, here's to the past year spent. I've lost a lot of weight and got a killer tan! I'm much stronger and (I feel) wiser than before, and all in all, a much better person than I ever was. If only Tenchi and the others could see me now! (though they might freak if they saw how close Ryoko and I are)
So, yours sincerely as always,
The Great Tigress of Ayeoko Island!