Chapter Three

It was early the next morning when Tenchi awoke, a frown crossing his face as he realised the balcony curtains were still drawn across. Shards of bright Juraian sunlight flickered at their corners, and rubbing his eyes sleepily he stumbled out of bed, padding across the floor and pulling the curtains back.

"Ryoko!" He bit back the urge to shout her name, as memory flooded back to him of their conversation the night before. She was curled up on the balcony seat, still fast asleep and for a moment he just stood over her, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she dreamed. She seemed peaceful, he decided. It was almost a shame to disturb her.

"But if we're caught, it might be tricky to explain." He told himself aloud, crouching at her side and reaching over a gentle hand to shake her awake. Her beautiful golden eyes fluttered open almost at once, blinking and staring at him in drowsy confusion.

"Morning." He said softly, touching her cheek with the tip of his finger. "It's early, and we need to get you out of here before someone wonders why you were making house calls last night."

"Oh, of course." Ryoko sat up, stretching and stifling a yawn. "You know, I haven't had such a good night's sleep since we came to Jurai. Most of my dreams have been bogged down with memories or flashbacks and they give you a headache after a while. But I feel fresh this morning. Is it a nice day? It feels like a day to go flying."

"You can't fly." Tenchi reminded her, pulling her to her feet. "But yes, it is a nice day. Not that I've seen any other kind of day on Jurai. It always seems to be sunny."

"It depends entirely on the kind of weather the Emperor wants to see." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "Obviously he's in a good mood. I hope that bodes well for me."

She yawned again, running her fingers through her hair. "You know, we could stop here for breakfast. I'm sure it would be nice and peaceful, just the two of us."

"Ryoko, remember what we said last night?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. "You know how they feel about that kind of thing on this planet. We can't take the risk - remember your parole!"

"Oh yeah." Ryoko sighed, looping her arms around his neck. "But it's so tempting anyway, Tenchi. You look good first thing in the morning."

"Stop it." Tenchi scolded, disentangling himself from her embrace. "Not here and not now. I'm serious, Ryoko. I don't want there to be any risk of you getting sent back to prison. Have patience, huh? We'll have plenty of time together once we leave Jurai...for now can you just behave yourself? You know, just a little bit?"

"I guess." Ryoko looked pensive. "All right. Guess I'm leaving then. I could do with a nice morning bath anyway, just to wake me up and get me in the spirit of the day. The palace onsen is amazing, and if I go down there now, well, there won't be many nasty court types to stare at me and whisper unpleasant things. That kind of thing can really put you off your bath."

They made their way back into the bedroom, Ryoko pausing to examine her reflection in the mirror pool as she did so. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, you can tell I fell off a ledge last night." She said resignedly. "That kind of thing really isn't good for the appearance, Tenchi. I hope you remember that."

"Since I'm not likely to do anything as crazy as jump off a ledge, I don't think you need to worry." Tenchi said dryly. "It takes you to do that, Ryoko. I'm just glad you're not badly hurt."

"Well, my bones don't break so easily." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "But I admit it wasn't the best idea I'd ever had."

Tenchi opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment there was a sharp knock on the chamber door, and the two inhabitants exchanged looks of surprise and dismay.

"Tenchi-dono, the Honoured Emperor Azusa has sent me with a message." The voice was that of Kamadake, one of the Princesses' royal guardians. "May I enter and convey to you his full wishes?"

"Um..." Tenchi faltered, glancing at Ryoko who's golden eyes took on a look of amusement.

"Can't teleport." She said with a shrug. "Can't phase out of the wall. Pretty sure I can't fit under the bed...that's the thing about Juraian chambers. There aren't many places to hide."

"Tenchi-dono?" Kamadake knocked again, and Tenchi came to his senses, grabbing Ryoko by the arm and pulling her back towards the balcony.

"You'll have to go down the way you came up." He said frantically. "And just hope that noone down there sees you climbing. It's the only way...I can't keep Kamadake away if he has a message for me from the Emperor."

There was another knock at the door, and Ryoko pouted, glancing over the edge of the balcony.

"I feel like a naughty school girl escaping out the window before Mom and Dad come up and find us." She teased.

"Ryoko!"

"All right, I'm going." Ryoko rolled her eyes, lifting herself carefully over the barrier and reaching a hand out for the vine. Her first attempt missed, but her second proved successful, and she turned to offer him a wink.

"Tenchi-dono? Are you all right?"

The sound of the door being slid back made Tenchi turn, hurrying into the main bedroom in time to greet the Knight's entrance.

"Yes. Yes, I'm sorry, Kamadake." He said hastily. "I was...I wasn't quite awake when you knocked."

"My apologies for disturbing you, Lord Tenchi." Kamadake made his bow. "But the Emperor Azusa wishes you to spend breakfast with him and his lady wife this morning. He is anxious for news of Yosho-dono. Can I tell him that you accept such a request?"

"Well, I can't really refuse the Emperor, can I?" Tenchi laughed nervously, absently scratching his head as he did so. "Yes, Kamadake. I'll wash and dress and be ready as soon as possible. Tell him I accept with thanks."

"Yes, Lord Tenchi." Kamadake nodded, bowing once more, then withdrawing from the bedroom.

Once he was alone, Tenchi ran back out onto the balcony, glancing over the edge to the ground below. The vine still hung there, swaying slightly in the breeze, but Ryoko was nowhere to be seen. Inwardly he thanked his lucky stars.

"That was close." he muttered. "It would have been a lot of awkward questions, if someone had seen her in my room!"

------------------------

The bath was empty when Ryoko arrived, and, relieved to see it, the space pirate was quick to change, dipping into the gentle warm water with a sigh of contentment. Though she did not like Jurai, the onsen was somewhere she felt completely at home, for it was light and airy and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.

She ran her mind over her conversation with Tenchi, laughing when she remembered his panicked expression.

"He worries far too much about silly things." She decided, ducking beneath the water for a moment, and then resurfacing. "If Azusa doesn't already hate me enough to forget my pardon, well, I doubt a little bit of scandal in the royal chambers would matter too much. Tenchi isn't in line for the throne any more, not since he denounced his claim in favour of Ayeka. It's not like it would matter, if people saw us together...but he's such a worrier. It's almost cute."

"Hello, Ryoko."

A voice startled her and she glanced up, a frown crossing her face as she registered her companion. The Crown Princess of Jurai stood before her, her thick long hair bunched up out of her face and a delicate pink towel wrapped around her body. Faint bruising still marked the princess's brow, as a reminder of all they had so recently gone through, but otherwise, Ryoko could hardly imagine this girl fighting for her life aboard a pirate's space ship.

As the silence threatened to become overwhelming, Ryoko offered a hesitant smile.

"Hello, Ayeka." She said quietly. "Or should it be Ayeka-denka, now? This is your perch, after all...I wouldn't want to upset the apple cart any by being impolite."

Ayeka stared at her for a moment, then sank down into the water opposite, running slender, delicate fingers through the water.

"Ayeka is just fine." She responded with a shrug. "And I'm surprised to see you here this early. I did think the bath would be empty."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"No, it's all right." Ayeka sighed, glancing up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I just came to think, that's all. To be honest, I was surprised to find you were still on planet Jurai. I thought that with my uncle's pressure on the Galaxy Police, you'd have found a reason to leave by now."

"I didn't realise it was official."

"Oh, it will be." Ayeka shrugged her shoulders. "My uncle has a way with the Galaxy Police."

"So I've observed."

"So how come you are still here?" Ayeka wondered. "If it isn't a rude question. I thought you hated Jurai."

"I do, but I don't have much choice." Ryoko sighed. "I'm grounded."

"Grounded?"

"Yes. My magic is dead. I can't communicate with Ryo Ohki which means that half the time I can't find her, and even if I can find her, I can't speak to her. I can't control my ship properly without that connection...so I'm grounded. For now, anyway."

"I see." Ayeka pursed her lips. "I had wondered if it was because Tenchi has stayed...he promised to come to my wedding, after all."

"That too." Ryoko eyed the princess keenly. "That's not a surprise to you, is it?"

Ayeka shook her head.

"I'm almost surprised you're speaking to me, then. Considering."

"Well, you know how it is when you're a Princess of Jurai." Ayeka dismissed it with a flick of her hand, though Ryoko was sharp enough to read the true emotions in the depths of the Princess's deep red eyes. "It's fun to play games for a while, but then you have to grow up and do what's right for your planet and Tenchi understands this. He knows I had to make the choice I did based on the needs of my people, and that's all there is to it. It's simple, really. This is how it was always going to be for us and he understood that in the end."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then she raised her head, understanding flickering in her amber eyes.

"Well, it's a good thing he has me to fall back on, now that you're a taken woman." She said lightly. "I'll take good care of him, Ayeka...you know that, don't you?"

Gratitude flashed into Ayeka's expression and she nodded her head, reaching out a hand for her companion's and after a moment, Ryoko took it, squeezing it tightly.

"I'm counting on you to do that, Ryoko-san." The princess said gravely. "After all, we both know how helpless and naive he can be sometimes."

"Yes." Ryoko looked contemplative. "He seems excited about your wedding, you know."

"I know. I'm glad he will be a part of it, in truth."

"Seems like a lot of fuss and bother to me, all of this formality and all the arrangements. I hope this Takeru guy is worth the effort."

"He will be." A wistful look touched Ayeka's expression at this. "He's a good man, Ryoko, and he cares for me. He will be a good husband and a good Emperor for Jurai, when it is our time. I have no complaints about it. And of course there must be effort involved. I am the Crown Princess, or I will be when all of this is over. It's important for my people to see me accepting such a position with all seriousness and solemnity. Our adventures across space cast doubt in the minds of a few. I want to show them that my heart is on Jurai, wherever I might travel...and that I will never abandon them the way Yosho-dono did."

"But if Yosho-san hadn't left Jurai, we wouldn't have Tenchi, now would we?" Ryoko pointed out. Ayeka spread her hands.

"I suppose that's true." She agreed. "So there is some good in everything."

"I guess I owe you a thanks, by the way. For pushing this pardon with the Emperor." Ryoko glanced at her hands. Ayeka laughed.

"Don't thank me." She said firmly. "It was a debt that needed to be repaid. I have to admit I misjudged your gamble with Haki - when you exchanged yourself for me, I thought the gems had turned your mind. I was wrong, Ryoko...and I don't say that very often. But considering that it's largely thanks to you Haki was stopped, I think that a pardon is the only fair result. Just don't waste your clean slate...Tenchi's too good a man to be dragged down into a life of crime."

"Right now, I'm not likely to get myself into any trouble." Ryoko said ruefully. "I didn't realise how much I relied on my magic."

"It's really gone?"

"Seems that way. Washu doesn't know if it's permanent or not. Tenchi thinks it will come back, but he's even more clueless than she is, really." Ryoko sighed. "It's a pain. I miss flying like you wouldn't believe, and I miss Ryo Ohki, too."

"But your magic is Jurai magic, isn't it?"

"Well, in some respects." Ryoko bit her lip. "Stunted and bastardised is how Washu described it. I don't know, Ayeka. I have my doubts. Everyone seems to believe without question that Kagato was my father and therefore my magic came from him. But that doesn't make complete sense with me. Kagato may have had the ability to teleport and my sword may be a poor imitation of the one he wielded against Yosho. I might be able to fire blasts of energy in the way he attacked me when we met at the Old Palace of Jurai. But I can fly and phase through walls, and I remember very clearly being singled out for those things when I was a small girl. They're not Juraian traits, so how can my magic be Juraian?"

"Teleportation isn't Juraian either." Ayeka remembered thoughtfully. "Yet Kagato mastered it. I remember when you were small, Ryoko...you used to frighten us when you would disappear and reappear like you did. None of us really understood it. It was strange to us that someone could do magic like that...but if Kagato learnt it later, perhaps those things are also a part of Jurai's magic. A part we don't know about fully."

"I've been able to teleport since before I came to Jurai. Since my mother was alive." Ryoko shook her head. "It's how your uncle first found me."

She sighed.

"Not that it matters anyway. My magic is gone so I shouldn't be bothered about it."

"I don't think magic just goes away, Ryoko." Ayeka shook her head. "You were strong enough to draw energy from those gems...and that means you must be related to Jurai's royal house somehow. Haki is probably right, you know...and Sasami seems convinced that you are Kagato's daughter, also. Juraian magic doesn't just fade away. It's there always, until the person..."

She faltered, and Ryoko nodded her head.

"Till they die." She finished the sentence. "Which, according to you, Tenchi and Sasami, I did aboard Karasu."

"Yes, you did." Ayeka sighed. "But I still can't believe it would be gone quite so easily. There must be a way to get it back."

"Are you wanting to help me, Ayeka? Or are you just hoping to be rid of me?" Ryoko's tone was teasing, and Ayeka blushed.

"No, I'm not wanting to be rid of you." She said slowly. "After everything we've been through together, I think I'm strong enough to bear your company in pretty heavy doses these days, don't you agree?"

"The feeling is mutual." Ryoko grinned. "But if you have any ideas about my magic, please. I'd love to hear them."

"Well, when someone is sick on Jurai, the remedy is usually sap from a strong Jurai tree." Ayeka spread her hands. "I don't know if you qualify as sick - I mean, you seem well enough...but..."

"Trust me - if I can't fly, that's sick enough for me." Ryoko grimaced. "Tree sap, huh?"

"Yes." Ayeka nodded. "It's an old Jurai remedy, but it works better than any technology scientists here have tried to create."

"Well, I guess I'm willing to try anything." Ryoko sank back against the side of the bath. "What do you do? Poke a stick into it and then catch what runs out?"

"Ryoko!" Ayeka's expression became one of shock. "That would be cruel! You can't stab the tree - that won't do anything except cause it pain! Trees are living creatures, you know. You can't just force it to relinquish something to you. Would you like it if someone just poked you with a stick and expected you to help them?"

"You don't want an answer to that." Ryoko said dryly. "All right then. So sue me, I don't understand the whole tree-person relationship deal as well as I could do."

"Well, would you jab Ryo Ohki with a stick and expect her to fly for you?"

"No, she'd probably bite me." Ryoko admitted. "Okay. I get you. So what? You ask it nicely?"

"Yes." Ayeka nodded. Then she sighed. "Oh, but with your manners, you'll probably find a way to offend. I suppose I had better come wth you. My tree is trapped on planet Earth, but my mother's tree and my father's tree are still here. We can speak to one of them, I'm sure. They like me, even if they're not so enamoured of you."

Ryoko laughed.

"Well, your folks have never exactly loved me." She said dryly. "All right. I'm game to give it a shot. Thank you, Ayeka...I guess there's nothing to lose by trying."