Author's note: I must ask all readers to be patient with the story. I have a definite plan for our two heroines, but for now you'll just have to read and see. On a side note, I'd like to start a poll--or, to be more precise, a vote. This ballot will consist of answers to the three-most frequently asked questions I've been getting. 1) Should Ayeka and Ryoko be rescued? 2) If they are rescued, how? 3) What will the girls' reaction be if they reunite with Tenchi? If you would like to participate, please email me at FirewallZ21@aol.com. If you must put your opinions in a review, go ahead, but I'd prefer this be a private poll. Again, preferably via email, if you'd like to express your opinions on the three questions, do so. It might give me ideas!! Anyway…

Please Forgive Me

Chuckling wickedly, Ryoko snuck out of their house while Ayeka was still asleep. On some occasions, such as that day, the wild card of a woman preferred partaking in her morning rituals in solitude. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy Ayeka's company, and the two were certainly not at odds like it had been in the old days. Like most couples, friendly or romantic, Ryoko just needed her space every now and then.

The past year or so had more or less been good on the former space pirate. Sure, there were moments of pain, suffering, and lots of hardship, but more often than not, Ryoko had been living a good and wholesome life ever since she arrived on the island. She had learned of how desperately Akeya had prayed for her safety when she first arrived, and ever since, the two were slowly--very, very, very slowly--growing closer together.

There had been several unique moments that made Ryoko truly glad to be on the island. One of the best, was, of course, the moment where she and Ayeka traded those "Good quality/Bad quality" papers, but the defining moment in their friendship was around the time Ayeka had broken her leg. This had forced the snobbish princess to kill off her pride and depend on an enemy for survival. Soon after that, they became friends.

Then there was the time that the savages attacked. Ayeka pulled through big-time for Ryoko that day, and even went as far as flattering the woman by declaring herself a space pirate. The girls' friendship became unshakable after that day, and their true natures started growing out--Ayeka's one of wild freedom, Ryoko's one of compassion and love. True, there had been battles even after that day, including the horrible St. Valentine's Day conflict, but the two girls had weathered through everything both Nature and Pride had to throw at them.

Ayeka considered Ryoko her very closest friend now; the former pirate, whom a year ago would have been flattered anyway, now considered the same. The change that had occurred in Ayeka in the past year was almost shocking. She had gone from laughing over Ryoko's near-death experience to apologizing and even crying over a fight she probably didn't even start. The princess had learned compassion, and at the very least, tolerance for others, and Ryoko couldn't be happier.

Smiling just faintly, Ryoko plucked a crab from the ground and decided it would make a great meal for her friend. Ryoko had learned how to cook well during her stay, and by now she could've held her own against even Sasami. Ayeka's skills had increased as well, and not just in culinary fields. She could sew, catch fish, hunt wild game, build a house, make fire, and could even construct her own tools from scratch. The girls would not just be bringing an impressive tan with them should they ever be rescued.

Ryoko tossed a few more crabs into a pouch she carried, and stretched her arms out wide. With the morning slowly giving way to afternoon, the temperature climbed up and the sun smiled merrily. Ryoko, who was wearing something akin to a bikini, smiled out of the sake of smiling. Life, she considered, could not get much better than hunting crabs in the morning on a beach in the early part of May while wearing little other than the necessities. In short, she found herself desiring to return home less and less, even though she would have jumped if given an opportunity.

Ryoko tied the bag that held her crabs up, and decided to save them for Ayeka to kill. The tigress (as Ryoko fondly addressed her as) found some kind of perverse glee in killing game, though at times Ryoko would be "mean" and deny her this "pleasure". Today was different, though, and Ryoko felt like doing nothing but absorbing the day and relaxing. Technically, this was all the two really did all day, except for light chores. Their teamwork had ensured them that living on an island would be easy.

The former space pirate yawned, and set her bag down on the sand. With Ayeka nowhere around, she smiled coyly and stripped down until she was wearing nothing but the necklace of shells that the princess had made. Though the two were now good friends, Ayeka still insisted that a degree of civility be made on Ryoko's part--in other words, it wasn't bad to strut around with only a necklace on, but Ayeka did find some shame in it. T'was only through the respect of her friend did Ryoko even bother wearing anything, so it was quite understandable that, with the princess nowhere around, she could truly be "free".

Suddenly, as Ryoko twirled her bare body around, a haunting sound came to her sensitive ears. Pricking them up slightly, she held her breath as the sound increased. No… she thought. It couldn't be!! But it was: the whirring sound, the break in the silence, the faint smell of exhaust… Ryoko's heart ceased to beat briefly as the pirate froze, and she swallowed as she recognized the sound.

"A plane," she mumbled quietly. She smiled a very weak smile and shook her head in disbelief. "Ha. …It's a plane. A real-live genuine airplane." Smiling, Ryoko gazed into the sky, and her face exploded in wonder as a small dot slowly streaked across the sky. It was!! It was!! It was an airplane!! A real-live-genuine-grade-A airplane!! And it was right over the island!

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ryoko screamed louder than she thought she could, and her hands waved in the semaphore fashion that Ayeka had taught her. Ryoko spelled out SOS several times with her arms, and with her clothes still off, she danced around the nearest SOS signal, a bonfire, and waved smoke like a crazed witch.

Suddenly, she realized that, without Ayeka present, she couldn't get the plane's attention. Cursing mildly over the girl's laziness, Ryoko dressed and expended some energy to teleport directly to the single small bed they both shared, and with a fierce shake, she managed to stir Ayeka.

"GET UP, YOU LAZY PIG!!!!!" shouted the former pirate. She would have time to apologize for such insults later--now, she needed to grab her friend's attention. Mumbling weakly, Ayeka rolled over, and with blurry vision, coughed as she saw Ryoko.

"Ugggghhnnn… Ry… oko?"

"GEEEEEEEEET UUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!" yelled the other woman. Ayeka moaned out in pain, and coughed several more times.

"What… is it, Ryoko?" she mumbled weakly.

"There's a plane here, there's a plane here!!!!" screamed Ryoko. Ayeka's weak eyes only opened slightly.

"Ughn… That… is good news… Please, dear Ryoko, go ahead and board that plane. I… can't seem to move…" Ryoko's face suddenly paled, and she nearly became as sick as Ayeka looked.

"What…? What's wrong?" Ayeka suddenly dove into a violent coughing fit, and in between hacking, she moaned out in agony.

"…I'm not feeling so good," muttered the princess. "I… (cough, cough!)… think I caught something nasty. I… (cough, cough!!)… don't have the strength to even stand. But… just leave me here and I'll be okay. You… (COUGH, COUGH!!!)… you… get on that plane and… tell Lord Tenchi where we are…" Ayeka coughed a few more times, and Ryoko, poor noble Ryoko, couldn't decide to be angry or sad.

"Just perfect," she spat. Snarling, Ryoko let out a violent word as she heard the sound of the airplane vanish, and a single hot tear emerged from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko," whispered the ill tigress. "Please… please forgive me… for being so ill. I've…… ruined everything…" Sighing, Ryoko's anger steadily left her, and the former pirate turned her focus back to Ayeka. Quietly, she kneeled by the bedside, and began stroking the long locks of purple hair.

"…It's… okay, Ayeka. …Really. …There's no need to ask for forgiveness. You know… you know that…… I would never leave you here like that. You know that… I would never let you stay here by yourself, sick or otherwise. So… it's okay…" She smiled, and as weak as she was, Ayeka tried her best to smile back.

"Thank you, dear Ryoko," she managed. "You are… far too kind." Shushing her friend, Ryoko stood up and began to take care of the sick lady.

Princess Ryoko's Diary

May 7th (finally that brat Ayeka told me what day it was!!! Yeesh!!)

Well, Nurse Ryoko to the rescue again! Jeez, how many times do I have to take care of this woman, huh? The kid gets sick, like, every month or so! If I weren't so nice, she'd probably be in the morgue already!!

Sorry, I just had to vent out something. I don't hate Ayeka at all--I love her a lot (hard to believe, isn't it?), and right about now, I'd be willing to do anything for her, even sacrificing the chance to get off this place. Well, I guess we'll just have to be stuck on here for a little while longer. Reminds me of an old episode of "Gilligan's Island" I saw while flipping through the TV, except Ayeka didn't eat the coconut-turned-radio.

Yet. Seriously, though, I like taking care of that girl, and she likes taking care of me. I've been sick enough times myself, so it's not like I don't owe her anything. Anyway, I'd say that, with my knowledge, it won't take too terribly long to cure her. Ick, I'm starting to sound like Ayeka, but what do you expect? I've lived on this same stupid island with her for a year, so we're bound to rub off on each other.

With love, Princess Ryoko of Ayeoko Island

Ryoko 3 Tenchi