Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
Pain.
"-ord Hakka-"
Darkness.
"-Hakkaku, where-"
An obnoxious ringing in his ears.
"-od Generals, where is he, where are-"
Must be time to get up, then. He had a lot of work to do, and didn't want to fall behind.
"-Please don't be dead, I'm so so-"
He opened his eyes.
Odd.
He still couldn't see anything.
He fumbled around to try and turn off his alarm clock, only to discover he couldn't move his arm. Or… Anything, really.
And his back hurt rather a lot.
What was going-
"-uka, over here, I think I found-"
Wait. He was forgetting something, something important. What was…
The scroll.
The explosion!
And Haori, he'd tried to shield her from the blast!
He started panicking. Where was she? Had he saved her? What had happened?!
"-And LIFT!"
He gasped as suddenly the immense pressure pushing down his back was removed and sunlight lanced into his eyes, causing him to flinch and cry out. He coughed, dust filling the air and catching in his throat, and it took several blinks to clear the ashes from his eyes, get acclimatized to the light, and refocus his vision to see the worried face of Fuuka Igasaki looking down on him.
"-ord Hakka…you…kay?"
He stared at her in bewilderment. The ringing in his ears made it almost impossible to understand her. "WHAT?"
She gave him a confused look, and then her eyes widened in understanding. She produced her Ichibantou sword, set a Shuriken into its hilt, and spun it, white characters filling the air as snippets of a rather loud voice started shouting at him from no apparent source.
His ears popped, and suddenly the ringing disappeared. The pain in his back vanished as well. "Are you okay?" Fuuka asked, lowering her sword, now fully audible. "Did that work?"
"Haori!" Hakkaku demanded at once. "My assistant! Is she alright?"
"I'm fine, my Lord," Haori said, staggering into view next to Luna Kokonoe, her clothes torn and her face and hair covered in ashes, but otherwise all right. "Thanks to your quick actions. You…" She stared at him, eyes glistening in wonder. "You saved my life. I will never forget it."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Hakkaku coughed and looked away. "You're one of my subjects, Haori. Your safety is my responsibility. I was merely doing my duty."
Haori smiled, and his heart started speeding up for some reason. "I know, my Lord. I know just how much your duty means to you."
Hakkaku's face felt rather warm all of a sudden. Why were both Fuuka and Luna looking at him in amusement?
Wait… There was something else he was forgetting…
Hang on, why was it so bright in here? The waiting room didn't have windows-
It was then he realized that he was lying at the edge of a massive pile of debris and smoldering wreckage, a gaping hole having been torn into the side of his castle, allowing him to see his entire village spread out before him.
It was, he had to admit, a spectacular view.
"What… Happened?!"
"We were hoping you could tell us," Fuuka said, face creased in concern.
"We heard an explosion, and saw these two giant energy dragons burst out of the castle, roar at each other, and disappear," Luna told him.
Hakkaku gave them confused looks. Dragons? What were they talking about?
"I was… I was meeting with the Diningers," he said slowly, memory coming back to him. "About my curse. And… Ms. Haori brought in the scroll that cursed me and my ancestor, and Akira Tyruga flipped out and cut it in half, and then… And then everything went insane… There was… So much darkness…"
Haori clenched her fists and bowed her head. "I should never have brought that scroll. I'm so sorry, my Lord-"
"It's not your fault, that scroll has a will of its own," Hakkaku assured her. "Well. Had a will of its own, anyway. Something tells me that scroll may no longer be a problem to anyone ever again."
Haori sighed in relief. "Well, that's good news."
Hakkaku nodded. "Indeed. The curse that has plagued my family for so long may finally be at an end, thanks to Lady Tyruga."
"Akira! Where is she?!" Fuuka demanded frantically.
"And the others," Luna added.
"Right! Them too!"
"They were…" Hakkaku froze, then slowly turned to look at the smoldering pile of rubble that had once been a waiting room. "Right… There…"
Luna gasped and Fuuka choked back a horrified sob. "No… She can't be dead. She, she just can't be…!"
Abruptly, some of the debris started shifting, and Haori gasped. Fuuka and Luna immediately reached for their swords…
Only to stare, dumbfounded at the five figures that managed to pull themselves out of the rubble.
"That," Kenji gasped, squinting in the sunlight. "Was not fun."
"That is an understatement," Sora said bluntly, blinking rapidly, unable to see anything due to his glasses having been shattered in the blast. He fumbled in his pockets, trying to find his spares.
"Weird, though, I don't hurt as much as I feel like I should?" Jiro muttered, rubbing her head. "I mean, it takes a lot to hurt me anyway, but I feel like I should be a lot more injured than I am now…"
"Guys," Mozu said in a strangled tone. "I think I might know why."
"What do you-" Kenji started, only to stop when he saw Mozu.
And the others.
And then he looked down at himself, incredulous.
"WE'RE DINOSAURS!" He, Jiro, and Mozu all screamed. (Tetsu, of course, did not, because he could not.)
"We are?" Sora put on his spare pair of glasses. He blinked. "Oh. So we are. Huh."
The five of them were indeed dinosaurs, and humanoid ones at that, their ninja uniforms somehow not only intact but having resized themselves to fit their new proportions. Kenji was about the same size, but bulkier, with Triceratops feet, a thick stubby tail growing from his rear, big thick three-fingered hands, and a ceratopsian head complete with a bony frill, three short stubby horns, and a beak, his body covered in blue scales. A spiky mane of blue hair grew from the back of his head, shaped to match his frill.
Sora was skinnier and hunched over, his legs doubled back on themselves and ending in stubby three-toed feet. His arms had been replaced with wings that looked a little too small to actually be able to carry him in flight, with claws in place of fingers. He had a surprisingly toothy beak and a crest covered in yellow plumage growing from the back of his head, his glasses somehow perfectly sized to fit on his new snout. His skin had turned yellow.
Jiro was even bulkier, spikes ripping out of her sleeves and pants, with hands and feet similar to Kenji's. She had a short beak growing from the front of her face, and the top of her head and back were covered in thick dark green armored plates with spikes growing from the sides, while the rest of her body was covered in scales of a lighter shade of green. A short thick tail ending in a club dragged on the ground behind her, and her queue was replaced by a smaller tail.
Mozu, much to her dismay, had gotten softer and plumper though she still had her curves and then some, with stubby talons and sickle claws which didn't look like they would actually be able to cut anything. The same could be said of her stubby finger claws. While she had the head of a raptor, it looked more cute than fearsome or beautiful like her hybrid form in the dream world had been, a thick plume of long pink hair interspersed with pink feathers hanging past her waist, a stubby pink tail growing from her rear. Her skin was, predictably, covered in pink scales.
Tetsu, in his own way, was the most radically different of all of them considering that all of his limbs had been replaced with flippers and he looked to be having a very difficult time standing up, his stubby tail not doing much to balance him. His muscular figure had been replaced by a soft pear-shaped body quite visible despite being swaddled in his monastic robes, and he had a long neck ending in an elongated head with a toothy mouth, all of him covered in sleek gray skin. He did not look particularly happy.
"What happened?!" Kenji cried.
"It would seem that the curse claimed a few more victims," Sora observed, not seeming particularly troubled by this turn of events.
"Why am I like this?! I'm supposed to be sexy! I was in the dream!" Mozu cried.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Akira will love you anyway," Jiro assured her.
Tetsu wiggled his flippers.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" A confused Kenji asked.
He wiggled his flippers harder.
"Tetsu, we have no idea what you're trying to tell us, use sign – oh, wait, you can't," Jiro suddenly realized. "No fingers."
Tetsu scowled.
"Well, no problem, we just have to break his horn and he'll turn back to normal," Kenji pointed out.
"Kenji?" Jiro asked.
"Yeah?"
"You and I are the only ones who have horns."
Kenji considered this. "That… Could be a problem."
Sora frowned and adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. While changing back isn't exactly a pressing issue for Akira or myself, we do need to find a way to undo the curse-"
Mozu gasped, horrified. "Wait, Akira! Where is she?!"
"… Oh shit," Jiro realized. "She must still be buried!"
"Okay, we have to act quickly, she must be around here somewhere-" Kenji started, only for some more of the rubble to shift.
"AKIRA!" Mozu shouted, rushing for the debris…
And was startled to find Fuuka had done the same thing.
They froze, staring at each other in surprise and unease.
And then, in a burst of red dinpo, the pile of rubble exploded as a red and gold figure emerged, roaring triumphantly…
And oddly squeaky.
Mozu and Fuuka stared at Akira.
The rest of the Diningers stared at Akira, except for Tetsu, who had lost his balance, fallen on his back, and was feebly wiggling his flippers in the air to try and turn himself over.
Hakkaku, Haori, and Luna stared at Akira, the kunoichi's eyes glistening with wonder. "She's… So… CUTE!"
Rather than being a humanoid dinosaur like her friends, Akira had seemingly fulfilled her dream of being a full-fledged dinosaur…
Or rather, a BABY dinosaur.
She was now a biomechanical red Tyrannosaurus with gold highlights and piping the size of an average human wearing a proportionate ninja outfit that looked more suited for a toddler. She had tiny forearms and much larger legs and a long, thick tail wagging happily in the air. Her long snout held a mouth full of very large, very sharp teeth, her eyes big and bright and gleaming with innocence. Red and gold feathers framed her face, and a mane of red and gold hair ran down her back.
Also she had breasts because of course she did.
She blinked a few times, sniffed the air, and then yawned adorably.
Luna squealed, and she wasn't the only one.
"Akira?" Mozu whispered, shocked.
"There's… There's no way… That can't be her, can it?" Kenji exclaimed in disbelief.
Akira's eyes focused on Mozu and she chirped happily. "Mozu!"
She charged forwards, tackling her girlfriend to the ground and happily rubbing her face in her breasts.
"No, wait, never mind, that's definitely her," Kenji said deadpan.
Mozu laughed as Akira continued rubbing her face in her breasts and licking her with her big, thick tongue. "Mozu! Akira loves Mozu!" She cried.
"A-a-a-and Mozu loves Akira back!" Mozu cried.
Suddenly, and much to Mozu's disappointment, Akira lifted her head, sniffing the air again, and then focused on a shocked Fuuka. "Fuuka! Akira loves Fuuka!"
She tackled the kunoichi to the ground and started licking her face and rubbing her face in her breasts.
Mozu blinked. "Wait, what?"
"You… You still-" Fuuka gasped in surprise and pleasure, and was disheartened when Akira suddenly lifted her head again.
"Luna!" The Tyrannosaurus cried. "Akira-"
"Loves Luna?" The green ninja asked hopefully.
"Likes Luna in a queerplatonic sense but still liked having sex with her!"
Luna considered this. "I'll take it, I guess."
"What is even happening right now," Jiro said, dazed.
"I… Guess Akira got the brunt of the curse?" Kenji said uncertainly.
"Akira, are you feeling okay?" Mozu asked fearfully.
Akira frowned, causing Mozu to pale. "Akira not feeling okay… Akira feeling AMAZING!" She cheered, stomping the ground hard enough to leave an imprint. "Akira DINOSAUR! Hear mighty roar! RAAAAAAR!"
Mozu, Fuuka, Luna, Jiro, and Kenji couldn't help squealing in excitement. She was just so cute!
"Lord Hakkaku, you are the expert on this curse. Do you have any idea what's happened or how we can undo it, given most of us seem to be lacking horns?" Sora asked their stunned host.
Hakkaku shook his head in bewilderment. "Yeah, I have absolutely no idea what's happening anymore. This didn't happen to me, and it certainly didn't happen to my ancestor."
"All of you were right there when whatever happened happened," Haori said vaguely. "You don't remember anything?"
Kenji frowned in thought. "Akira… Reacted badly when she saw the scroll case, cut it in half, and then there was all this… darkness."
"Tetsu tried to repel it, but it was so strong, and then Akira… I think she invoked the power of the Golden Dragon," Jiro realized.
"Then there was an explosion, and we woke up like this," Sora finished. "Akira, what happened? What did you sense?"
Akira, who had gone back to nuzzling Mozu, growled cutely. "Scroll was bad. Badbadbad. Piece of evil dragon inside. Wanted to make me bad. Called Yggdra! She saved us!"
"Yggdra? You mean Yggdragon?" Sora pressed.
Akira nodded energetically. "Uh-huh!"
"Evil dragon… The curse was part of some sort of evil dragon?" Kenji murmured.
"None of this sounds familiar to you, Lord Hakkaku?" Jiro asked the Lord.
"I told you, I have no idea what's going on anymore," he insisted. "I had no idea there was some kind of dark Dragon spirit inside that scroll!"
"You said your ancestor made a deal with some very dark powers for that scroll. Would you happen to know who they were?" Sora inquired.
Hakkaku rapidly shook his head. "I have no idea, and honestly, I don't want to know."
"It bad!" Akira insisted. "Baddest of bad!"
"Badder then the Deathbringer?" Mozu asked, horrified.
Akira nodded fervently. "Baddest of bad!"
"… Well, that's a worrying thought," Kenji murmured, shocked.
Tetsu looked as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't, much to his frustration.
"Akira, is there anything else you can tell us?" Jiro asked. "Who is this baddest of bad?"
Akira shrugged. "Baddest of bad is baddest of bad. Yggdra knows."
"Does she also know how to change us back?" Kenji asked.
"Yggdra knows everything!" Akira declared.
"How do we get in touch with her?" Sora asked.
Akira looked confused for a moment, then her eyes flashed briefly. "Tetsu can!"
Everyone looked at Tetsu in surprise. The plesiosaur looked equally surprised. "You can?" Mozu asked.
Tetsu attempted to sign something, remembered he couldn't, and growled in irritation.
"Call sensei! She help!" Akira announced.
"I don't think any of our senseis know how to fix this-" Kenji started.
"Wait, she must mean Plesiojonin," Jiro realized.
Sora tried to snap his fingers, only to realize he couldn't, because he had tiny claws. "Of course! She's a divinity in her own right with a literal portal to Yggdragon's realm in her head. Tetsu, can you contact her?"
Increasingly annoyed, Tetsu raised his flippers.
"Oh. Right," Sora murmured, embarrassed.
Tetsu looked thoughtful for a moment, then pointed one of his flippers off in the distance.
They stared at him blankly, having no idea what he was trying to tell them. Tetsu groaned.
"Home!" Akira cried. "Need go home!"
"… Oh! Of course, that's the direction the valley is in! Tetsu, can you contact Plesiojonin from home?" Jiro interpreted.
Tetsu nodded, relieved that somebody understood.
"Then we should head back right away," Kenji decided. "Sora, I know this is the culmination of a lifelong dream for you, more or less, but-"
Sora shook his head. "No, I agree with you. We need to figure out a way to reverse this as soon as possible. I'm not positive how well we will be able to fight in these forms, and Akira especially… Well, I know this is what she's always dreamed of, just like me, but…"
"Akira understand," Akira said sadly. "Need to change back. Not supposed to be like this. But we find a way to make Akira dinosaur for good someday? Way not cursed?"
"Absolutely," Mozu promised her. "Sora as well."
"Well, that should go without saying," the pterodactyl said, adjusting his glasses.
Jiro bowed to Hakkaku, or tried to, finding she had difficulty bending at the waist now. "Lord Hakkaku, we are very sorry for the mess."
"No, it's… It's fine," Hakkaku told her, sounding like he was trying to convince himself of this. "This old castle was probably long due for renovation anyway… And besides, at least you finally rid my family of that cursed scroll, so I suppose a little destruction is a fair price to pay."
"I will lead the construction efforts myself," Haori promised. "It is the least I can do for bringing this devastation upon your household in the first place."
"And as I already told you, you are not to blame," Hakkaku said firmly. "If not by your hands, that scroll would've found its way here some other way. At least now it's gone forever… I think."
"Scroll gone! Gone for good!" Akira declared, stomping the ground.
"Then I am indeed in your debt," Hakkaku said in relief. "Thank you, Diningers. You're welcome back anytime… So long as you promise to try not to cause so much havoc next time?"
"I am honestly not sure that's a promise we can make," Jiro said apologetically.
Hakkaku sighed and shrugged. "Well, it's the thought that counts."
"Igasaki, Kokonoe, thanks for trying to help," Kenji told the kunoichi. "We didn't need it in the end, but we still appreciate it all the same."
"Well, we're glad everything turned out okay, more or less, all of you getting cursed aside," Fuuka replied.
"So cute," Luna moaned, staring at Akira.
"We should probably get back to our own investigation," Fuuka continued. "But before we do… Akira, did… Do you really still love me?"
Akira licked her happily. "Akira always love Fuuka."
Fuuka turned very red, then looked away, ashamed. "… Fuuka always love Akira, too."
Unable to meet anyone's eyes, she walked away, grabbing Luna and dragging her with her, ignoring her protests that she hadn't even gotten a chance to cuddle Akira or get her face rubbed in her breasts yet.
Mozu stared after her, an unclear look in her eyes.
"Mozu jealous?" Akira asked her girlfriend, nuzzling her.
"No, I… I don't think I am," Mozu said distractedly, stroking Akira's hair and eliciting a purr. "I feel kind of bad for her, but… Also a little relieved? I mean, if the two of you had stayed together, then would we have…"
"Akira and Mozu always together," Akira insisted. "Akira always pick you! And Fuuka! And anyone else Akira loves!"
Mozu smiled at that. "I know. And that's why we all love you too."
Akira licked her happily, causing her to laugh.
"All right, let's head back to the stables-" Kenji started, only to pause, a troubling thought occurred to him. "Wait. Hang on. Can our steeds even carry us like this?"
"They are fairly strong," Jiro said, though she didn't look certain either.
"They certainly won't be able to carry Akira," the concerned Mozu pointed out.
"Akira not need Dininichus! Akira can run home all by herself!" Akira declared.
"You know, I think she just might be able to," Sora observed. "I certainly feel like I could fly all the way back to the valley under my own power."
"I do feel like I have more stamina than usual," Jiro admitted.
"Well, we can't just leave them here," Kenji pointed out. "Though I guess they are smart enough to get home on their own if we need to take the train back… Why don't we head to the stables first to see if they can carry us without being crushed by our new weight."
"Great. One question," Mozu said.
"Yeah?"
"Who will carry Tetsu?"
Everyone turned to look at Tetsu, who was rather pathetically trying to drag himself across the ground on his belly. Unable to get very far, he looked up and gave them all a pitiable look.
"Not it," everyone but Jiro immediately said like the great friends they were.
Jiro shrugged, unbothered. She had planned on volunteering anyway.
After saying their farewells to Hakkaku and Haori, the transformed Diningers headed for the stables. Much to their surprise and gratification, nobody seemed to particularly care that the six of them were now dinosaurs. Then again, considering that their own Lord had been a dinosaur for a while a few years ago, they might be used to that sort of thing.
The real surprise came when they got back to the stable and discovered their Dininichi were not only not in their stalls, but they were merrily feasting on a bloody mass of flesh, bone, and body parts that had quite clearly once been a group of living horses.
Kenji and Jiro very nearly threw up. Tetsu recoiled. Sora just blinked owlishly, while Mozu felt like she should be revolted, but instead felt rather hungry. It smelled really good.
Apparently, Akira felt the same way. "Meat!" She cried happily, rushing in to join the feast. The Dininichi raised their heads, blood dripping from their jaws, and hissed at her, only for her to roar in their faces. They blinked in surprise, and then the red one leaned forward to sniff her. She chirped in delight upon recognizing the scent of her mistress, nuzzled her, then moved aside to let her in, grunting at the others to make room. Mollified, the dinosaurs resumed their meal, accompanied by Akira.
"… Is it bad that I kind of want to join in right now?" Mozu wondered.
"No, I'm feeling the same way," Sora confessed.
"What happened?" Kenji demanded of the stable hand, who'd been leaning against the entrance, watching the carnage with a disturbingly satisfied look on his face. "We told you to feed them or they would eat the horses!"
"Yeah, I hate horses," Kato said frankly. "Your dinosaurs are much cooler. So, now that I'm out of a job, I don't suppose your clan has an opening?"
…
"I… I am… Alive?"
"You are indeed, my friend. Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Who… Who are you? I do not remember seeing ones such as you in our army."
"I am not a member of your clan, and neither is my acolyte, though I have had dealings with them in the past."
"If you are not a member of the clan… Then you may as well kill me. My loyalty is only to my master's household, and even if you did bring me back, I refuse to serve you!"
"That's fine, we don't really need you anyway."
"… Wait, what?"
"This was more of a proof of concept. I have a big plan in the works and I needed to make sure my acolyte could perform a resurrection spell that met my specifications. I am pleased to say that it was an unequivocal success, as you yourself can attest to."
"I… I was a test subject?!"
"Indeed. Don't feel too bad, though. Now that you've been revived, you have no obligation to serve me. You may do whatever you wish. You're free to go. Although… If I may make a suggestion?"
"What?"
"Before you try and get yourself killed getting revenge on the ninjas who beat you – twice, may I point out – you should know that your master is one of the many villains of the past I intend to bring back for my plan. And… The power of the Wicked Dragon has once again been unleashed upon the world, a power that has bested you twice before. How would you like a second chance to claim that power for yourself, and present it to your master as a gift upon his revival?"
Juza Yumihari, samurai Lord of the Kibaoni Army Corps, narrowed his eyes. "… Tell me more."
"You want me to become the ruler of an entire intergalactic Empire?!" Justine shrieked.
"Only for about a week," Kyukogo assured her.
"I won't be able to rule it for five minutes without screwing up!" Justine cried.
"You will have plenty of advisors, including myself," Kyukogo promised. "And we've got plenty of systems in place to make sure things will run fairly smoothly with someone else temporarily on the throne, so even if you deliberately set out to sabotage the Hegemony it's very unlikely you'd be able to do any lasting harm. After all, this happens every year, so we're well prepared for someone unaccustomed to authority being in charge for a few days."
"… Oh. So I'd be a figurehead?" Justine asked, confused and somewhat relieved and disappointed.
"Oh no, you would absolutely be supreme ruler, with all the powers, privileges, and responsibilities that entails," Kyukogo corrected her, much to her horror.
"But that's… That's insane!" Justine protested. "Why would you hand that much power over to anyone else, especially someone you've enslaved and might not exactly be happy about that?! What's to stop me from ordering you put to death the minute the transition occurs?"
"Oh, we only use the death penalty for the absolutely most heinous of crimes, you can't just order someone executed on a whim," Kyukogo informed her.
"Then what's to stop me from throwing you in the dungeons-"
"We don't have any. Well, not the kind you're thinking of," Kyukogo admitted. "Also, you would need probable cause."
Justine blinked. "I can't… I can't just do whatever I want?"
"Oh no, of course not," Kyukogo said, looking genuinely surprised. "We are a nation of laws. Checks and balances. In any event, even if you did have a legal reason to get rid of me, you can't make yourself my permanent successor, even if my children weren't next in line. When the festival ends, all of my magic will return to me, including my throne."
"The festival can't be extended indefinitely?"
"It doesn't work that way. The magic of the swap is triggered by a celestial phenomenon, the festival is just a way to celebrate it."
"Oh, right. And obviously there's no way to change that… Right?"
"Well, in theory you could if you moved the stars, but that's… Unwise," Kyukogo said vaguely, and Justine wisely did not press further.
"This still doesn't make any sense," Justine protested. "I mean, what's to stop me from calling off the invasion?"
"Nothing," Kyukogo admitted.
Justine did a double take. "Wait, really?"
"You absolutely could call off the invasion if you wanted," Kyukogo confirmed. "Have us pull up stakes and go back to the stars.
"Until the festival ends and I'm back in power, after which I will, of course, come back and pick up right back where we left off."
Justine scowled. "Of course. Remind me how I'm not a figurehead again?"
"Something you will soon learn, I'm afraid, is that the more powerful you are, the less you can actually do," Kyukogo said apologetically. "Yes, you could, in theory, call off the invasion and pass legislation declaring the planet off limits… However, by the time all the paperwork was filed and passed through the gears of bureaucracy, I would have reclaimed my office and be able to veto it. We've been doing this a very long time, Justine. I wouldn't be putting my power in the hands of someone else without every precaution being taken to ensure it won't be abused."
Much to her frustration, Justine had to admit that made sense.
"So basically, I can do whatever I want, except it won't mean anything ultimately?" Justine asked bitterly.
Kyukogo shook her head. "I never said that. Any action you take which will lead to the betterment of the Hegemony will be allowed to stand once your brief term in office is over. Anything that's not, however…"
"But basically, there's nothing I can do to save the world," Justine pressed.
"Not by your definition of saving it, anyway," Kyukogo said apologetically.
"Then why are you picking me for this job?" Justine demanded. "Why not one of your other slaves, the ones who actually adore you and like serving you and would be perfectly happy being puppets on the throne?"
"A few reasons, some political and one personal," Kyukogo admitted.
Justine blinked. "Political?"
"Much of your species is resistant to the idea of submitting to us," Kyukogo explained. "You yourself are part of a group that has more or less successfully rebelled against us. By choosing a human, specifically one of those rebels, to sit on my throne…"
"You're sending a message saying that it's possible for anyone on Earth, even someone opposing you, to get lucky and become the most powerful being in the galaxy, even if for a few days out of the year," Justine realized, stomach turning in disgust.
"Correct."
"Even though the odds of that actually happening are so slim they're practically nonexistent."
Kyukogo shrugged. "I've noticed your species seems to have a tendency to grasp at such infinitesimally small chances while denying just how low the odds really are. How much money is spent on lottery tickets and casinos again?"
"This is a blatant PR stunt," Justine continued, deciding not to answer that question. "You really think this will work? That it'll make people shut up, get the rest of my group to stop resisting?"
"Yes," Kyukogo said frankly.
Justine clenched her teeth. A part of her wanted to yell that that was bullshit… Except she wasn't sure Kyukogo was wrong. Not entirely.
"… You said there was a personal reason. What is it?" Justine asked after a moment.
Kyukogo smiled. "I told you why I chose a human, specifically, one from your group. I did not, however, explain why I chose you particularly."
"It's because I'm white and American, isn't it?" Justine asked angrily.
"No," Kyukogo said simply. "It's because I trust you."
Justine's jaw dropped incredulously. "Trust… you… You trust… ME?!"
"I do," Kyukogo reasserted.
"Why?!" Justine demanded. "I don't like what you and your people do! I understand why you do it, but I still hate it! I don't want to serve you! I don't want you on my planet! I'm basically rebelling against you! Why would you trust me with your empire?!"
"Because you upended your entire life, spending your life savings in the process, to travel halfway around the world to fulfill the last request of a dear friend," Kyukogo said calmly. "That sounds like someone I can trust to me, don't you think?"
Justine stared at her, ashen.
Yuko.
"If I say no," Justine asked after a moment. "What happens?"
"Then I will have you returned to your quarters and I will ask someone else," Kyukogo said at once.
"Then… I have a choice?"
"You do," Kyukogo promised.
A choice.
She actually had a choice.
What… What should she do?
What would Yuko want her to do?
"Okay," she said before realizing what she was doing. "You win. I'll do it."
"Splendid!" Kyukogo cried happily, a joyous expression on her beautiful features that caused Justine's heartbeat to skyrocket. "We will begin your training at once, as well as introducing you to the slaves who will serve as your staff, as well as your wife."
"Yeah, all right-"
Wait.
Hang on.
Her what?!
"NANI?!"