I have not created the Tenchi Muyo! characters in this story. They are property of AIC, Pioneer and Masaki Kajishima.

Chapter 3 - Consequences of an Action

The curtains of the small window were open, yet the lighting was dim in the small room. Dark clouds still covered the sky and not a single ray of sun mixed under the raindrops pouring to the ground. Kiris couldn't bear to watch the gloomy scene any longer. She lowered her head, fixing her eyes on the little flower she had kept her fingers occupied with for quite some time now. The petals had already lost some of their vitality and it only increased the melancholy look. Soon it would be withered.

Another tear rolled down her cheek.

Kiris was sitting on her bed, a bag with the things she cared for standing beside her feed.

A lot of thoughts and emotions had crossed her mind since Sanara had visited her. Although knowing that it would come that way, she had found herself lying on her bed crying after the other woman had left. Then defiance had stirred within her. She had been about to go to Azusa, tell him that she wanted to stay with him, that he mustn't make her leave. But this mood had also vanished quickly, leaving only numb resignation. There was no future for her in the royal palace. Of course Sanara had been right. She had to leave. Driven by that realization, Kiris had packed her things.

A knock on the door brought her mind back to reality. The door was opened and the slim figure of Sanara stepped inside.

"Are you prepared," she asked, not even trying to hide her nervousness.

Kiris nodded, dried her eyes in a quick movement and stood up. Slowly she turned around to face Sanara.

Seeing that Kiris had taken the advice and was wearing an inconspicuous dark coat, Sanara nodded her approval.

"We are not going to use the direct route, there are too many people and we don't want to draw too much attention."

The chamber maid nodded automatically not really listening to the words.

"Well then, come on."

"Miss Sanara," Kiris' voice was weak. "I've looked for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere."

Sanara's expression became unreadable. "I've already told you, maybe it's better not to see him again."

"But I don't want to leave without saying goodbye," Kiris whispered lowering her eyes on the flower she still held in her hand.

"I'm sure he will understand. So come on now, there's no time to loose."

Kiris obeyed. She grabbed her bag and stepped out onto the floor. As she heard the sound of the closing door behind her, the weight of her heart seemed to increase even more. How she wished for Azusa to show up now and tell her that she didn't have to leave. But that was just a dream. One that would never come true. He wanted her to leave. It was the only way. And she understood.

Yarasho didn't know why, yet he hesitated. Outwardly relaxed as usual he was leaning on a wall not too far from the audience chamber. However, thanks to the slight bend of the corridor, he remained invisible for the knight guarding the entrance.

Sanara had told him to wait a little longer, but she had no idea of exactly how dangerous the whole situation was. Obviously Azusa was blinded by love and in that state of mind Yarasho believed him capable of arranging the transfer of the mighty Kirito into the prepared ship behind the emperor's back. Without the ceremony the ship wouldn't be perfectly synchronized with the tree, but it would probably still provide enough power to leave the planet.

Yarasho sighed. He wondered how Sanara was doing. Hopefully she had taken Kiris out of the royal palace by now. When Azusa was told that she had left with the intention to spare him trouble, maybe he wouldn't look for her in the city. And maybe he would become reasonable again.

But then again, it was also possible that everything would turn out completely different. Yarasho shook his head. What he was about to do was right. The emperor had to be informed. Since Azusa wasn't capable of rational thought at the moment, he had to take on the task.

"Good afternoon, Master," he was greeted by a beautiful female who walked by carrying a pile of clothes. Nodding in response, Yarasho wondered what the girl must think, spotting him there, waiting behind a corner, as if he was scared to approach the audience chamber.

Wiping all remaining doubts away, Yarasho walked towards the huge doors. He wasn't going to turn his friend in, he was going to help maintain the stability within the first house of Jurai.

As the knight noticed the young man, he smiled in recognition. "Welcome Master Yarasho. What is your desire?"

"Oh..." Yarasho smiled in return. "I wanted to talk to the emperor. Right now, if that's possible." He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, almost like he had only come by to say hello to the head of Jurai.

"You're lucky, Master. The next scheduled audience will be in half an hour. I will announce you then."

Yarasho agreed and the man walked over to the com terminal to the left of the entrance. He activated the device and spoke a few words in a low voice. After a short wait, the door swung open and Yarasho stepped into the audience chamber.

Without paying attention to the knights flanking the carpeted pathway he walked straight to the throne. There he bowed briefly and as he lifted his head again, the emperor met his gaze with a smile.

"It's rare for you to ask an audience, Yarasho. We are going to use this opportunity to ask you about your opinion concerning..." he exchanged a glance with his wife sitting beside him, "... a private matter. But first, tell us what led you here."

Yarasho was slightly taken aback by the emperor's friendly words. But there was no turning back now.

"Your majesty, I'm obliged to your son through deep friendship, as you may know," he took notice of the emperor and the empress nodding in approval. "Today I consult you not only as his friend but also as a member of the royal family who is concerned about your son."

The Emperor watched him with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "You are concerned about Azusa? Why is this?"

Yarasho took a deep breath and told them everything. He started from Azusa's first meeting with Kiris in the nursery, went about their secret meetings in the wood and finished with the current situation. The emperor didn't interrupt him even once, but after Yarasho had finished his story, he stood from his seat and made a step towards him.

"Did I got you right, Azusa impregnated this chamber maid?" His voice was threatening and Yarasho had to force himself not to step back. He just nodded and saw the empress rising as well.

"You heard this?" He wasn't addressing Yarasho anymore. "I told you he isn't ready to take responsibility yet."

"Obviously he isn't." The empress stepped beside her husband. "But tell me, Yarasho...," her bright eyes sparkled, "... why didn't Azusa tell us by himself?"

Yarasho recalled the answer he had prepared for such a question and voiced it.

"Neither is Azusa ashamed of what has happened nor afraid of your judgment. As you may have guessed, he didn't ask me to consult you." He lowered his head.

The emperor growled. "What to do with such a brat?"

"We will deal with him later. There's a more urgent business to attend to." The empress still stared at Yarasho, who had raised his head again, making him feel very uncomfortable. "So this chamber maid is still in the palace?"

The strange undertone of her voice made Yarasho realize that his answer was going to be very important.

"I guess so," he nodded, not really knowing why he was lying.

"Well...," the emperor moved back to his throne. "... at least some good news."

Slowly Yarasho got the feeling that he might have made a terrible mistake. He bowed deeply.

"May I leave now?"

The emperor nodded, but the empress held him back. "We still want to hear your opinion." She looked at her husband and he continued.

"It is said that you possess a lot of knowledge about...," he cleared his throat. "... the daughters of the royal houses of Jurai."

Yarasho tried to cover up his surprise by smiling impishly. "Well, people got it right, I guess."

"Then tell me, what do you think about the youngest daughter of the fourth house?"

Yarasho's confused gaze wandered from the emperor to his wife but even in her eyes he could see the same curiosity the emperor was showing.

"The youngest daughter? So you mean Achika? She's a kind and intelligent person but still a girl... she...," he interrupted himself, not really knowing what kind of information the emperor was expecting from him. "What do you want me to tell?"

Instead of the emperor the empress replied. "Azusa's future wife has to be chosen. We wondered whether it should be Sanara or the young Achika. As Azusa's friend and an expert concerning woman, you should be able to help us in that decision."

Yarasho felt his heart beating faster. Did they really expect him to decide unbiased? Although he sometimes didn't act like Sanara was his girlfriend and kept denying any thoughts of marriage, he would never give her away, not even to Azusa.

"Both are kind and trustful persons. As for Sanara, she might not have enough of an interest in actual politics to be fit for the role of the future empress. Achika on the other hand seemed to be interested in a lot of things, including everything concerning the Juraian empire. So I suppose Achika might be the better choice."

The empress fixed him with her terrible piercing gaze for a moment, then she turned around and went back to her throne.

"Thank you, Yarasho. You may leave," the emperor spoke.

Yarasho bowed one more time and hurried out of the chamber. After the door had closed behind him the empress addressed her husband in a low voice.

"What are you going to do?"

"What has to be done," he responded with a voice cold as ice. "Azusa has to learn that there are consequences to bear for everything he does."

He stood up and waved close one of the knights. The man obeyed and kneeled in front of the emperor.

"Call your men. Tell them to search for a chamber maid of the first house by the name of Kiris. Take her into custody as soon as you find her."

"Understood, your majesty." The knight turned around and left.

"You're serious then?" the empress stated a proud smile on her face.

The emperor didn't look at his wife but his voice was firm. "I condemn such cruel procedure. But a bastard mustn't be allowed to be born."

The sky was still dark but the rain had lost much of its fury. Only a few drops were splashing the river now. Though Azusa was staring at the water's surface, he didn't see them as they hit the river. He didn't even think.

Leaning on a tree that had provided him with a little shelter from the rain he was more asleep than awake. Sometimes his eyes closed and strange thoughts crossed his mind. He saw Kiris crying for his help or Yarasho waylaying her with dishonest intention. Then he opened his eyes again and the unpleasant images vanished.

Azusa wondered why he was having such disturbing dreams. Maybe he felt a threat subconsciously. A threat... . He closed his eyes. The beautiful figure of Kiris appeared. She gave him a warm smile making him feel at ease. Suddenly her smile distorted into a silent scream. A dark blue blade had pierced her lower body. Azusa's eyes popped open.

He ran his hand over his face. The best thing to do would be to head back to the warm and comforting palace right away. He had been well aware of that fact the whole time. But something made him stay. Maybe it was the vain hope in waiting things out.

A movement on the other side of the river caught his attention. Tired to death he tried to make identify the figure that moved through the forest obviously searching for something. Surprise chased a lot of the tiredness away as Azusa recognized him as a knight. It was unusual that a knight was roaming through the royal woods alone. He wondered what he could be looking for.

The thought of walking over and simply ask him never came to his mind. Instead he kept sitting and watched the knight searching the entire opposite river bank. As he was out of eyesight Azusa went back into numbness.

The mighty capital city of Jurai was unusually quiet. Only a few people were rushing through the streets trying not to spend too much time in the rain. Nobody paid attention to the young woman walking slowly along a wide street.

She had covered her head with a hood but the coat was wet through and through, so water was running down her face almost freely. Carrying a bag she might have passed as a tourist, coming from outside the town.

However, Kiris didn't feel like a guest, but like a refugee. The streets she was walking were the ones of her hometown, but she had spent most of her lifetime in the royal palace, so she didn't belong here anymore.

She held her step and turned around for the first time since she had left royal ground. The magnificent palace rose up into the sky, fascinating and frightening at the same time. She couldn't explain, but it felt as if the whole area was covered by an incredible aura of power. A shiver ran down her spine and she turned away quickly.

Huge buildings merged with the enormous trees of the forest to either side of the street as it lead towards one of the city's many market places. During her first years in royal service she had sometimes been sent out here to acquire some items which usually were as worthless as they were rare. The daughter of the third house, who she had served under at that time had developed an interest in such accessories. But after the activity of smuggler gangs and other suspicious characters had increased in the city, it had become rare for servants to be allowed to leave royal ground. She had been told that the security risk would be too high. Probably they wanted to decrease the risk of infiltration

So the last time Kiris had experienced the bustling life of the city had been two years ago. The sun had been bright at the sky all day back then. Now it was raining.

She felt the cold drops on her face merging with her warm tears. Never had she wanted to leave the palace, to leave Azusa. She gulped trying to suppress the sorrow but it didn't work. Even more tears ran down her cheeks as she recalled her desperate situation.

He hadn't told it himself, but she knew, had always known that leaving was the only choice left. But where was she supposed to head now? Her parents had sent her to the palace to give her a chance at a better life. How could she return home like this?

The marked place came into sight. The few traders who had sold their goods without paying heed to the weather were closing their stalls, making Kiris aware that evening was going to break soon. She grabbed her bag tightly and moved to one of the stands. Its keeper obviously didn't belong to the Juraian race but his face was friendly.

"Good evening," he said as Kiris stopped in front of him. "What can I offer you?"

She glanced at the various fruits lying neatly and tidily sorted by color, then she met his gaze.

"I just have a question," she whispered.

A little friendliness vanished from the man's face but he signalled her to go on with a nod.

"I need a dry place to rest. Do you know a cheap hotel nearby?"

A strange sound escaped the man's throat. "Sorry lady," he laughed. "This is the capital city of Jurai, the hugest and most wealthy empire in universe. You understand me? For most people here money doesn't matter. So everything is sold as expensive as it comes." He made it sound like he was telling the one and only truth but there was also a cynical undertone in his voice that made Kiris realize that he wasn't quite satisfied with the situation.

"Don't get me wrong, but if you're looking for a cheap accommodation, then you might want to look elsewhere. However...," he sized her up and nodded slowly. "well... there are establishments for people like you. Maybe it's just what you are looking for. Head to the west," he gestured into the direction. "And try not to pay too much attention to the ... ... well, you will see."

The young woman nodded and walked away. For a moment he watched her heading in the direction he had showed her, then he continued putting away his goods.

He had just stowed it all away in his wooden hover craft, when he noticed a few well dressed men. They were talking to passer-by and one of them just made his way towards him. The trader tensed as he realized that it was a royal knight.

"Good evening, sir," he greeted formally. The knight nodded in reply and activated a small video log he was holding in his hand. A transparent screen appeared showing the image of a woman.

"Have you seen her?"

The trader smiled and nodded hastily, glad to be of service.

It was already getting dark and Kiris was still on her way through the city. She felt uncomfortable not knowing where to spend the night. The district the shopkeeper had pointed out to her was somewhat eerie. She hadn't found anyone to ask for quite a while but more than once she had seen shadows moving behind her.

The echo of her fast step through the rather narrow street was the only sound to be heard. Many of the houses build into the trees lining the street seemed to be lighted, so Kiris decided to give it a try and knock on a door.

She left the street and climbed a little root to a house which inspired enough confidence. She knocked but instead of someone opening the door, a shout came to her ear.

"Stop right there!"

Kiris turned around in shock. From the other end of the street, barely visible against the darkness, two knights came running towards her. First she wondered why the knights could be after her, then one of them shouted again. A wave of panic washed all of her rational thoughts away. She felt the strong urge to flee and gave into it.

Grapping her bag firmly, she jumped down and started running along trees, searching for a narrow lane to hide herself. Soon she found one which led her to a street running parallel to the first. She crossed it and was about to merge with the shadows of another alley, when someone shouted not too far behind her.

A glance over her shoulder showed her, that it was another knight, less than a hundred meters behind her. She was not going to escape him. Filled with desperation Kiris dropped her bag and increased speed.

She reached the narrow alley and was horrified to find that it was a dead end. Breathing heavily she stopped.

"Look, who we have here," a coarse male voice sounded out of the darkness.

"A little beauty," another one added.

"Probably she's here to have some ... fun."

Kiris turned. It sounded like they were all around her, yet she could see no one. Her panic threatened to overwhelm her.

"Don't be frightened little girl." A man probably only some years older than her stepped out of the darkness, a dirty smile on his face. He was wearing shabby clothes but his blond hair was neatly tied to a plait.

"We are... sociable men," he said and gazed at her in a way she didn't like at all.

Fast footsteps wiped the smile disappear from the man's face. He made a gesture to fall back and merged with the darkness again.

Kiris heaved a sigh of relief. The thought of being caught by the knights had suddenly lost most of its terror. The one who had been close behind stopped a couple of steps in front of her. He watched his surroundings in suspicion for a moment before he addressed her.

"I'm not going to harm you." His voice was warm making it difficult not to believe in what he said. "Would you please lower your hood?"

Kiris did as she was told. As soon as her head wasn't covered anymore a suggestive whistle sounded from out of the darkness. The expression of the knight hardened instantly. She didn't actually see him move, but from one second to the next the knight's posture had changed completely. He was tensed now, the stun lance in his hand ready to deal with any attack.

After a few moments of unbearable silence he relaxed a little and turned his gaze to the young woman in front of him again.

"You are a chamber maid of the first house, right," he stated. "We've been searching for you for quite a while. Please follow me now." Instead of the expected strictness there was only a compassionate undertone in his warm voice.

Kiris nodded slowly. But as she was about to do as he said another voice behind her spoke up.

"This beauty will follow you nowhere." The blond man who had shown himself earlier walked towards the knight and remained standing in a safe distance to him but only a few feet beside her. Feeling the danger emanating from him she wanted to step aside, but he simply grabbed her arm, causing her to scream in fear and surprise.

"Quiet! Other than this royal scum there isn't anybody who could hear you anyway." He grabbed her arm even tighter and her scream turned into a low whimper.

The knight who had watched the whole scene in silence reacted to the abuse.

"Who do you think you are?" His voice had lost all the warmth it held before. "I'm a knight in service of the royal family. The emperor himself gave order to arrest this woman. So if you are going to oppose me, I will interpret it as violation of Juraian law. You know the consequences."

The knight did expect the man to retreat now but he remained standing, gazing at him in a way which was hard to interpret.

"Don't waste my time any more. Let her go, now!" The knight had shouted the last words but the young man only made a few steps back, pulling Kiris with him. She begged him to let her go, but he just ignored her. He was still facing the knight who had come closer his lance ready to attack.

"I see." The knight nodded slowly and tensed. "A little fun with a girl is really more valuable to scum like you than your life." He made another step reducing the distance between them.

"You got me wrong," the blond said calmly and Kiris felt that something in his posture changed. "Raping the girl could be fun, indeed. But it wouldn't serve my purpose."

He let go of her arm but before she was able to run away he pushed her back with brute force. Unable to regain her balance Kiris staggered and hit the ground. A stabbing pain went through her stomach. Someone dragged her to the dark entrance of a building and suddenly dirty hands were all over her.

"Nobody touches her!"

The men obeyed and with great difficulty Kiris turned to see how the knight was going to end this. His combat skills exceeded those of his opponents by far, so what was he waiting for?

The fact that there were more men than the one in front of him he had to deal with didn't make the knight feel uneasy. But he became more cautious. It didn't escape his attention that the blond was moving something in his hand as he continued his interrupted speech.

"To bring one of the royal snobs down would be much more interesting."

He lifted his right arm and a black glowing blade appeared in front of him. Feeling the high amount of energy emitted by the light sword, the knight was surprised for a moment. But street scum remained scum regardless of their weaponry, so arresting this loudmouthed boy would be easy. Especially since he could already hear the footsteps of the other knights he was waiting for.

Kiris was unable to follow the scene any longer. The pain had become so bad that she had curled, wrapping her arms around her lower body. Her breath was coming in fits and the dark spots dancing in front of her eyes increased in size as another wave of pain washed through her body. She heard someone say something and a battle scream, then her surrounding went completely dark and her consciousness was wiped out by an incredible pain.

The moon was already visible through the dark clouds moving over the sky as Azusa finally decided to head back to the palace. After the rain had stopped, the wind had started to dry his clothes, but the temperature was decreasing and Azusa felt cold.

He stood up, stretched his tired limbs and moved a hand through his hair trying to cancel the wind's work. The illuminated bridge was clearly visible from his position, making him feel somewhat lonely. He started moving over the softened soil.

It had taken him quite a while but he had finally come to realize that he had to talk to Kiris. When he was going to explain his situation maybe she would understand.

He stopped in the middle of the bridge leaned onto the railing and starred at the reflection of light in the river. Yarasho had been right. Trying to escape with her wasn't such a good idea. His heart cringed at the mere thought of never seeing her smile again, but he knew that there was only one opportunity left. Azusa continued his way, trying to think of appropriate words to make Kiris understand.

The evening was quiet and other than his own steps and the whistle of the trees no sound disturbed his thoughts. But the closer he came to the main alley surrounding the palace the more the peace of the night was disturbed by noise. Shadows moved along the way, what was very strange. As Azusa stepped out of the wood he noticed that they were guards and royal knights. They were moving on a path leading to the main entrance, making Azusa wonder what business they could have in town.

He reached the main alleyway and was greeted by a group of four knights walking by. He let them pass but decided to ask the next what was going on. It happened to be a single guard.

"Wait," Azusa said as the man bowed to him. "What's all this about?"

"They are searching for a suspect, sir. A female I guess." The guard bowed again. "That's all I know. The master knight is probably better informed."

"Where do I find him?"

The guard pointed in the direction he was coming from. "Over there. I saw him speaking to someone. May I excuse myself now?" He bowed again and hurried away.

Azusa walked along the pathway keeping his eyes open for the leader of the knights. Soon he spotted him standing in the distance talking with a man who neither wore the armor of a knight nor a guard's uniform. He had turned his back to Azusa so he was unable to recognize him in the faint light.

Azusa slowed down as the knight took notice of his presence. He hadn't reached them yet, but the knight bowed already making Azusa assume that he wanted the other man to become attentive of him.

The other got the hint and turned his head. Azusa stopped. Watching Yarasho's expression turning from surprise to regret a terrible presentiment came to his mind. Unable to move any further Azusa just kept standing, gazing at his friend in silent reproach.

Yarasho had the knight leave with short words and stepped up to him.

"Hey, Azusa. Finally acknowledged that the palace's interior is a much better place to stay for the night than the woods?" His voice lacked the usual challenging undertone making it obvious that he was covering up something.

"What have you done?" Azusa asked straight ahead, his voice trembling.

Yarasho was unable to stand his gaze any longer. "Let's go inside. There are too many people out here." Without waiting for Azusa to reply he started walking towards the nearest entrance to the palace.

As soon as the huge door had closed behind them Azusa grabbed Yarasho's arm, forcing his friend to look at him.

"We are alone, so talk now!" he shouted.

"Let me go and I will tell you." Yarasho said calmly, still avoiding his gaze.

"No. Tell me right now."

Yarasho starred at him and the terrible sorrow in his usually cheerful brown eyes made Azusa forget his fury. He let him go.

"I'm sorry, Azusa, really." Yarasho leaned on one of the mighty wooden columns flanking the entrance for support. "I've told your father."

Somehow Azusa had suspected something like that, so he wasn't really surprised, not even angry. All emotions were gone. It was like he was no more than an indifferent observer to the scene.

"You did what you thought to be the right thing."

"Maybe it wasn't." Yarasho gave him a sad smile. "Kiris is gone."

Azusa lowered his head and nodded slowly. "So she left the palace on her own."

"Kind of. Sanara convinced her. We thought it would be better to make her leave before you could do anything... foolish."

"I guess I have to thank you than." Azusa's voice was low and Yarasho wasn't sure if he had fully realized what it all meant. "When did she leave?"

Yarasho thought for a moment. "Shortly after noon. But...," he had wanted to say more but interrupted himself as Azusa suddenly looked at him, his face a mask of terror.

"The suspect the knights are searching for... is it..."

Yarasho nodded. "It is Kiris. The emperor ordered to arrest her. I'm really sorry, that wasn't how I wanted it to end."

"They haven't found her yet, have they?"

"They haven't. But some of them are still out there looking for her. The search will be continued tomorrow. Sorry to say that, but I doubt she can hide for long. It's only a matter of time now."

Azusa shook his head briefly. "Do you think a lifetime in prison is what she deserves?" His voice was bitter and he didn't expect an answer. So Yarasho kept starring at ground waiting for Azusa to continue. But instead of harsh words there was only the sound of leaving footsteps.

Yarasho lifted his head and saw his friend walk away. It wouldn't do any good to call him back. Everything that had to be said was said. Now it was Azusa's turn to cope with it. It would take time but Yarasho was sure he would get over it.

Azusa wandered through the corridors, a faint smile on his face. He was recalling all the pleasant hours he had spent with Kiris. There were only short images, a few words, fading emotions he could remember and yet it was enough to support him for the moment.

Never would he forget her scared face as he had jumped in his room over a year ago, or her persistent behavior in the nursery the next day. He had never told her but he had to admit that he had felt attracted to her since that conversation. So Yarasho's words in the training room had only encouraged him to do what his heart wanted to anyway.

Nevertheless it had been wrong. The time he had spent with her was probably the best in his life, he remembered their long talks on the meadow, the pleasant hours in intimacy. But it did not justify what had happened to her.

Azusa clenched his fists. Thinking of how his father cold-heartedly ordered to arrest Kiris a strong emotion flowed up inside him. He felt deceived. It must have been his mother herself who had arranged for Kiris to become his chamber maid. She must have known that he would feel attracted to a young and beautiful girl like her. Maybe she had wanted it that way. Maybe this was only another lesson the heir to the throne of Jurai had to learn. To lose things that he cared for.

Rage started to consume his mind and this time he didn't fight it. Fury was a lot easier to bear than sorrow. So Azusa walked through the corridors cursing his parents, Yarasho, the knights and finally himself. His anger even lashed out at Kiris. If she just hadn't become pregnant... Realizing his trail of thought Azusa quickly felt ashamed and a lot of his fury vanished.

A knight walked past him with a greeting. Azusa ignored him. While his thoughts were drifting he had almost reached his chamber. He felt hungry, tired and depressed but he was not about to rest in his room. After changing clothes he would pay his parents a visit.

The door opened and Azusa stepped in. He was surprised to find that his room was tidied up properly. The clothes he had thrown to ground last evening had vanished. The wardrobe he liked to leave open was closed.

Azusa walked slowly towards the window. She had been here before she had left. If he just hadn't sat in the wood, sulking all day, maybe he would have seen her one last time. He could have told her how sorry he was about all that happened.

He reached the bed and stopped. On the light blanket was lying a withering dark purple flower. It had lost some of its petals already. Azusa extended his hand and carefully took the frail flower.

Wherever Kiris was hiding at the moment, he hoped that she wouldn't be discovered. He wished that she was would be able to become as happy as during their first days again.

A single petal came lose and glided to ground slowly.

Chapter notes:

You think this a bad ending? It was planned for things to turn out like this from the beginning and of course it was the only possible way for them to turn out anyway. Nevertheless I found it rather difficult to let Azusa stay so uninvolved.

The first part of the story ends here and up from the next chapter the setting will be a more than slightly different one.

Special thanks to the ones who have reviewed the last chapter. I don't rely on reviews as much as my brother, since I write more out of fun than to get appreciation, but of course it's interesting to read what other people think of my work and what they criticize.

Negative-Z:

You pointed out that, like in many other stories, the beautiful scenery of Jurai was described too vaguely. Well, personally I use to skip long descriptions in stories when I come upon one. That's why I don't want to write descriptions of places or characters in too much detail. I'm trying to describe just enough to give an impression of the atmosphere. I hope you can go along with that.

Great thanks to Kryo again.

Yours Tamrin