The Lady Tsunami had truly kept her Sasami character about her, but was painfully serious when she needed to be. She ruled over Jurai as queen when Aeka was forced to renounce her throne after her marriage to Tenchi. The princess and her father had painfully part ways after then, her mother and aunt, Funaho, forbidden to even speak with the girl. Azusa moved himself and his wives to another branched planet of Jurai. A resort of sorts that the king and his wives spent the rest of their days living without responsibility.
When Ryoko and Aeka had arrived, Tsunami was meditating in a grand hall. Within a carved out tree, the goddess rest on her knees, draped in heavy robes of all the finest materials the galaxy could offer. Her headpiece hung like a veil over her face. The lengthy sleeves lay out smooth, spreading across the floor like fresh blood from a bleeding victim. her arms lay lazily at their sides and her breathing was very slow. No one dared interrupt her meditation, for that was how she communicated with the trees and the trees with her. Anxious to get out before making noise, Ryoko and Aeka turned on their heels and tip-toed out of the room.
"They say you are not happy to be here. Aren't you happy to see me?" Tsunami opened her eyes, though no one could tell with the veil draped over her face.
Ryoko sweatdropped, resting her hand behind her head and smiling sheepishly. "It's not like that at all."
"We're just... curious as to why we were summoned." Aeka clasped her hands in front of her and stepped from behind Ryoko. "We're glad to see you."
Tsunami tilted her head. "I suppose..." Waving her hand, she drew back the curtains of her hollowed refuge, and made her way towards Aeka and Ryoko. "It's good to see the both of you. Follow me."
Both women followed Tsunami through countless corridors of the palace until they reached her royal chambers. Shedding a few layers, she sat comfortably in front of Ryoko and Aeka. It wasn't until she removed her veil that the queens of Earth realized that Tsunami's face looked more worried than their own.
Sighing softly, Tsunami turned her gaze away from the two women. "It's the anniversary of Tenchi's death."
"Here we go again..." Ryoko shut her eyes and clenched her fists, trying hard to fight her emotions.
Aeka rested her hand over Ryoko's and shot a glance at her.
Tsunami's face only fell into a deeper melancholy. "His death still remains a mystery?"
Both women said nothing.
"You've done nothing to investigate the situation?" Tsunami leaned forward.
Aeka squeezed Ryoko's hand. "We've done all we possibly can to seek the truth of Tenchi's death. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to dig up even the tiniest clue as to what could have happened to him. There's nothing more we can do..." The princess lowered her head.
"I see..." The blue haired girl closed her eyes. "Are investigators still on the---"
Ryoko opened her eyes, locking onto Tsunami's with a piercing, malicious glare "Is this what you have summoned us for? To interrogate us about our lax ways of finding the truth out about Tenchi?"
Tsunami drew back. "No, that's not it at all. Ryoko..." She leaned forward, a bit more confident, "Ryoko I just want closure." She looked away, as if her troubling mind had finally taken more on that it could bear.
"The search for Tenchi's death still goes on..." The first queen closed her eyes once more. "There's nothing more to say about it."
Aeka lifted her head to keep her regal composure, steeling her gaze and speaking so boldly "Tenchi's death was a tragedy, but we have a world to maintain even though he is gone. We're doing our best, if that is not good enough, there's nothing more we can do."
It seemed as if some of the weight was lifted off of Tsunami's chest. Though heavily burdened, she still felt a bit more lighthearted than when the women first arrived. "I suppose..."
"If all is said and done..." Ryoko extended her right hand. Tsunami bowed to press the markings of her forehead against Ryoko's hand. "We'll go home now. Oh, and for the record, the holo-screen works both ways. I don't think we need to come all the way to Jurai just to engage in idle chatter about unimportant matters." Saying nothing more, she left the room.
Taken aback by Ryoko's use of "unimportant matters", both Aeka and Tsunami gasped to show their shock. Aeka's head dropped before she smiled back at her sister and hurried to catch up to Ryoko.
"Tell me, Aeka... why is it that you constantly follow in Ryoko's shadow and act as if you're beneath her?" Tsunami spoke boldly.
"She has the advantage over me, being the first queen and being the one bearing the son that I could not have." Aeka turned to face Tsunami and scoffed. "But we are equal, her and I. Goddesses of the same deity and equally as strong and powerful as the next. I'm not as flashy as her, granted. That's why it looks like I'm in her shadow. We handle our lives differently." The princess stood in the doorway. "Take care of yourself, Tsunami." She let the door close behind her.
Tsunami draped her robe over her shoulders, weary from trying to hard to not show her true emotions. "This time every year it's so hard on me... one day I'll tell them the truth..." The queen fastened her robes and left the chambers.
A secret between sisters? A dreamer never sleeps.
End of ch. 3
When Ryoko and Aeka had arrived, Tsunami was meditating in a grand hall. Within a carved out tree, the goddess rest on her knees, draped in heavy robes of all the finest materials the galaxy could offer. Her headpiece hung like a veil over her face. The lengthy sleeves lay out smooth, spreading across the floor like fresh blood from a bleeding victim. her arms lay lazily at their sides and her breathing was very slow. No one dared interrupt her meditation, for that was how she communicated with the trees and the trees with her. Anxious to get out before making noise, Ryoko and Aeka turned on their heels and tip-toed out of the room.
"They say you are not happy to be here. Aren't you happy to see me?" Tsunami opened her eyes, though no one could tell with the veil draped over her face.
Ryoko sweatdropped, resting her hand behind her head and smiling sheepishly. "It's not like that at all."
"We're just... curious as to why we were summoned." Aeka clasped her hands in front of her and stepped from behind Ryoko. "We're glad to see you."
Tsunami tilted her head. "I suppose..." Waving her hand, she drew back the curtains of her hollowed refuge, and made her way towards Aeka and Ryoko. "It's good to see the both of you. Follow me."
Both women followed Tsunami through countless corridors of the palace until they reached her royal chambers. Shedding a few layers, she sat comfortably in front of Ryoko and Aeka. It wasn't until she removed her veil that the queens of Earth realized that Tsunami's face looked more worried than their own.
Sighing softly, Tsunami turned her gaze away from the two women. "It's the anniversary of Tenchi's death."
"Here we go again..." Ryoko shut her eyes and clenched her fists, trying hard to fight her emotions.
Aeka rested her hand over Ryoko's and shot a glance at her.
Tsunami's face only fell into a deeper melancholy. "His death still remains a mystery?"
Both women said nothing.
"You've done nothing to investigate the situation?" Tsunami leaned forward.
Aeka squeezed Ryoko's hand. "We've done all we possibly can to seek the truth of Tenchi's death. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to dig up even the tiniest clue as to what could have happened to him. There's nothing more we can do..." The princess lowered her head.
"I see..." The blue haired girl closed her eyes. "Are investigators still on the---"
Ryoko opened her eyes, locking onto Tsunami's with a piercing, malicious glare "Is this what you have summoned us for? To interrogate us about our lax ways of finding the truth out about Tenchi?"
Tsunami drew back. "No, that's not it at all. Ryoko..." She leaned forward, a bit more confident, "Ryoko I just want closure." She looked away, as if her troubling mind had finally taken more on that it could bear.
"The search for Tenchi's death still goes on..." The first queen closed her eyes once more. "There's nothing more to say about it."
Aeka lifted her head to keep her regal composure, steeling her gaze and speaking so boldly "Tenchi's death was a tragedy, but we have a world to maintain even though he is gone. We're doing our best, if that is not good enough, there's nothing more we can do."
It seemed as if some of the weight was lifted off of Tsunami's chest. Though heavily burdened, she still felt a bit more lighthearted than when the women first arrived. "I suppose..."
"If all is said and done..." Ryoko extended her right hand. Tsunami bowed to press the markings of her forehead against Ryoko's hand. "We'll go home now. Oh, and for the record, the holo-screen works both ways. I don't think we need to come all the way to Jurai just to engage in idle chatter about unimportant matters." Saying nothing more, she left the room.
Taken aback by Ryoko's use of "unimportant matters", both Aeka and Tsunami gasped to show their shock. Aeka's head dropped before she smiled back at her sister and hurried to catch up to Ryoko.
"Tell me, Aeka... why is it that you constantly follow in Ryoko's shadow and act as if you're beneath her?" Tsunami spoke boldly.
"She has the advantage over me, being the first queen and being the one bearing the son that I could not have." Aeka turned to face Tsunami and scoffed. "But we are equal, her and I. Goddesses of the same deity and equally as strong and powerful as the next. I'm not as flashy as her, granted. That's why it looks like I'm in her shadow. We handle our lives differently." The princess stood in the doorway. "Take care of yourself, Tsunami." She let the door close behind her.
Tsunami draped her robe over her shoulders, weary from trying to hard to not show her true emotions. "This time every year it's so hard on me... one day I'll tell them the truth..." The queen fastened her robes and left the chambers.
A secret between sisters? A dreamer never sleeps.
End of ch. 3