Chapter Nine
Well, so it was finally here.
Ayeka gazed at her reflection in the mirror pool, reaching a self conscious hand up to touch the crown of flowers that decorated her brow. The gown she wore was of the finest Jurai silk, and the veil of a fabric so delicate that she was almost afraid to touch it lest it came away in her hands. She took one long look at herself, then turned away, moving towards the balcony of the big Jurai chamber.
"My last moments as an unmarried woman are slipping away from me." She murmured. "But so many people depend on me this day. I won't let them down. Most of all, I won't let Mother or Father down."
Her expression became one of resolution, though as she cast a glance around the room she caught sight of a book, half covered by a towel on the seat beside the bed. She frowned, then crossed the room, lifting the towel and pulling it more firmly over the top of the book. That she had taken the volume from the library without her father's knowledge or permission was bad enough - but if he should discover it today, it would cast a shadow over the whole wedding celebrations.
"And once I am Crown Princess, I will outrank him and mother at court." She murmured. "He will not be able to call me to account for things like visiting the palace library and researching stories on the Goddess Tsunami."
She sighed.
"I just wish that all of this wasn't happening at the same time as my wedding."
"Ayeka-onechan? Can I come in?"
Sasami's voice outside the door startled her and she cast another glance at the covered book, ensuring that it was really hidden from view.
"Yes, Sasami, come on in." She raised her voice, and the door slid back to reveal the princess, dressed in equally glittering robes of state and with her thick waves of hair braided and styled in a way that somehow gave age to her young years. Ayeka smiled.
"Well, today is a very big day." She murmured. "And you look very pretty, Sasami, I must say. Someone must have spent a lot of time on your hair."
"Yes...they did." Sasami nodded. She reached up to touch it self consciously, then shrugged. "It was really boring, sitting there while they tweaked away at me. But at least Father has stopped treating me like a mad person and started treating me like I'm his daughter again. He told me he'd never been prouder of me than he was this morning, so I guess I look okay."
"More than okay." Ayeka dimpled, reaching out to take her sister's hand. "You'll be outshining me if you're not careful, you know!"
"No, Ayeka. Not today." Sasami shook her head. "Everyone will be staring at you, I promise they will. Especially Takeru-san. He's a really lucky guy, you know."
"Perhaps he is." Ayeka pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. "Or perhaps it is I who am the lucky one, Sasami. What do you think? To have all of my closest friends attending my wedding celebrations, when I thought so many of them were so far afield."
"Yes, that is nice." Sasami agreed. "Although...Ayeka, Father has stopped me speaking to Washu now, as well as Ryoko. The other day Mother found us at Souja's tree and he didn't take it very well. Not well at all, in fact. He was pretty cross."
"Why were you there?" Ayeka frowned. "I would have thought that's the last place you'd want to be, Sasami."
"I can't really explain it." Sasami shrugged her shoulders. "But Washu and Ryoko are my friends, just like Tenchi and Mihoshi and Kiyone are. And if Tenchi is going to marry Ryoko, then Father won't want me to see him either and it's not very fair."
"Tenchi...marry...Ryoko?" Ayeka repeated the words almost numbly, sitting down heavily on the end of her bed. Sasami looked stricken, shaking her head.
"Oh! No, Ayeka, I don't mean that they're going to! I mean, Tenchi hasn't asked Ryoko or anything like that and well, you know, they're just..."
She faltered, coming to sit beside her sister and gripping her hand tightly.
"I'm sorry, Ayeka. I didn't mean to say something like that on your wedding day." She said contritely. Ayeka sighed.
"No, it's something I must get used to." She said matter-of-factly. "Tenchi will be with Ryoko and I've made it clear to him that I'm happy with that. I must be happy with it, since there's nothing I can do about it."
She glanced at her hands, running a finger over the ornate rings that littered them.
"Meantime, I have my own marriage to prepare for." She added. "And Tenchi must be the least of my thoughts. I will not give the people of Jurai cause to doubt my commitment, because you know, Sasami, I will never be untrue to Takeru."
"Yes, I know that." Sasami agreed. "I really am sorry, Ayeka. I spoke without thinking."
"Never mind." Ayeka rallied her spirits, offering the young girl a smile. "Forget about it. It's not important. Very soon, we will be expected downstairs in the Great Hall."
"Yes, we will." Sasami put her fingers to her hair once more. "Do I really look all right, Ayeka? Father said that if I wanted to be grown up it was time I looked like a young lady instead of a little girl. But..."
She faltered, shaking her head.
"They fussed over me so much that I didn't really have a chance to look at myself." She admitted. "Are you sure it looks okay?"
"You look perfect, I promise." Ayeka got to her feet, pulling her sister up with her. "But if you don't believe me, Sasami, I'll show you. Come on. This way. Then you can see how beautiful we both look this morning."
"All right." Sasami dimpled. "Ayeka, we will still spend time together as sisters after you marry Takeru-san, won't we? Because I know you'll be Crown Princess and important and all of those things...and you'll have Takeru. But I don't want to lose you, you know."
"I already told you that that won't happen." Ayeka promised, squeezing Sasami's hand tightly. "You'll always be my honoured sister and you will always be welcome to come call on me just as you have this morning. I promise - nothing will ever come between us. You have my word."
"Good." Relief flickered in Sasami's expression. "I'm glad, Ayeka. It would have been horrible otherwise."
Ayeka grinned, leading her small sister across the floor and towards the mirror pool.
"Now you can see how pretty we both look today." She said softly. "A bride fit for a prince and a princess fit to become Jurai's most eligible match...at least in time to come. What do you think?"
"I think it will be a long time before I get married." Sasami said decidedly. "A very, very long time, Ayeka. I want to explore so much more of the universe first."
She sighed.
"And then there's Tsunami...people might not want to marry me if they think I'm hearing voices."
"Tsunami is honoured all over Jurai." Ayeka reminded her. "It is not madness, Sasami...so stop talking of it as if it were."
Sasami turned to respond, but as she did so, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror pool and despite herself, she faltered, colour draining from her face. She gripped Ayeka's hand tighter, raising startled crimson eyes to her sister's rich reddish ones. Ayeka frowned.
"What is it, Sasami? What's wrong?" She asked gently. Sasami swallowed hard, turning back with some hesitation to the mirror. She seemed to relax, letting out her breath in one go.
"I'm sorry. I guess it's nothing. Just my imagination." She said. "Only I thought I saw someone else in the mirror. Not me, but another face. That's all."
"Another face?" Ayeka's brows drew together in confusion. "What do you mean? What kind of face?"
"She was as tall as you are, and she had very long hair. It was tied back from her face and she looked pretty. Gentle." Sasami chewed absently on her nail. "But I didn't see me, Ayeka. I mean, she looked a little bit like me - or like Mother, actually. She had Mother's eyes and there was something like that about her. But it wasn't my reflection. That's why it startled me."
"I see." Ayeka pursed her lips, inwardly as confused as she had been moments before. "And now?"
"Now I see me." Sasami shrugged her shoulders. "So I guess all these silly dreams are making me jumpy."
She grinned, glancing up at her companion. "Or excitement about your big day, of course."
"Of course." Ayeka's expression became thoughtful, but she nodded her head. "You're probably right, Sasami. It probably is just imagination."
"I do look pretty." Sasami turned to admire the delicate hairstyle, reaching down to adjust her dress slightly. "But not as pretty as you, and that's how it should be. Mother said I looked so much like her this morning, and Father said I reminded him of the first time he met Mother, when he knew he wanted to marry her."
She giggled.
"Maybe I'll meet my future husband at your wedding." She said playfully. "What do you think? Father met Mother at Aunt Aiko's wedding, after all."
"They do say that a love found at a wedding is a charmed love." Ayeka acknowledged. "Though I thought you wanted to explore space, Sasami-chan? What about that?"
"Oh, I do, but you never know. I might take him with me." Sasami laughed.
"Lady Ayeka, Lady Sasami, everyone is awaiting you." At that moment Kamadake appeared in the doorway, bowing to both princesses and offering them a smile.
"And we are not going to keep anyone waiting." Ayeka said decidedly. "Come, Sasami. We have a wedding to attend and I will not be rude to Takeru-san. Not today of all days."
With that she swept out of the room, hearing her sister's steps behind her alongside those of the knight. Their merry chatter seemed to blur together in her head as she ran through the random mix of emotions that had seized her on Kamadake's entrance. Fear, hope, dismay, despair, and anxiety all flooded through her, and she set her teeth, forcing each of them back into their proper places.
"I am Crown Princess of Jurai." She said to herself under her breath. "And that is all that matters this morning. I am Crown Princess and I shall be Takeru's loyal bride...from now until the day we both die. That is my duty to Jurai and that is what I will do."
She sighed, shaking her head slightly at her own sense of melancholy.
"I must snap out of this. It is my wedding, not my funeral." She scolded herself sharply.
From behind her in the corridor, she heard a peal of laughter from her young sister, and she chewed on her lip, refusing to turn around. Even with the ghosts haunting her, Sasami seemed somehow so young and carefree, and for an instant Ayeka begrudged the younger girl her freedom. After all, she mused bitterly, as eldest child, the burden of dynasty had always been on her head.
Then, as she reached the door of the Great Hall, Kamadake hurrying to open it before her, she berated herself firmly for her jealous thoughts.
"After all, it is good to hear Sasami laughing." She murmured, as she prepared to make the entrance of her life. "After all this strange business with Tsunami, how can I even begin to think otherwise? Still, with all the stress of the wedding and my kidnapping dying down, maybe this will die down for her also. At least today she has a distraction - and I will do my best to ensure it remains that way."
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"God, I thought we'd never get away."
Ryoko stood on the deck of Ryo Ohki, gazing up at the darkening Juraian skyline with a sigh of contentment. "I don't know about you, Tenchi, but even for me twenty four hours of parties and celebrations is a bit of overkill. Especially when you're expected to remember your manners while drinking yourself under the table...I swear it's not possible, but somehow they all seem to manage it."
"I still don't quite see why we have to leave quite so soon." Tenchi came to join her, and Ryoko felt a warm glow settle inside of her as he slipped his arm casually around her shoulders. "I mean, Ayeka only married Takeru yesterday morning. They've not even left on their wedding progress across Jurai yet, and there are many more official celebrations to come. Isn't it a bit rude, taking off in the middle of it all?"
"Yes, but I don't have a lot of choice." Ryoko rested her hands casually on Ryo Ohki's controls, turning to face him. "Let's just say being given the frosty treatment by Lord Haru was enough to tell me I wasn't really welcome at his daughter's big occasion. Plus, I almost thought he was going to have me arrested, when I said hello to Sasami. All I did was tell her that she'd have all the guys after her, dressed up like that. For some reason he didn't take it so good."
She sighed.
"And you'd think he'd be glad, having two daughters who don't take after his sourpuss self, but there's no accounting for taste." She said pensively. "Either way, he wished me well on my trip away from Jurai in a quiet moment after dinner. The subtext was about as obvious as it could be - get out or find yourself kicked out."
"I see." Tenchi chewed down on his lip, looking thoughtful. "But was it really necessary to come into my bedroom and teleport me here when I was about to get changed? I know you like to play around, Ryoko, but I haven't had a chance to speak to Ayeka or anything. I'd like to at least wish her well once more before I go."
"Tenchi, you already did that enough times yesterday." Ryoko looked impatient. "Look. Stop being a man and look at it from the woman's perspective for once, will you? Ayeka is in love with you. She's married Takeru, but she's in love with you. How is it going to help her to have you constantly flitting in and out of her newlywed world, wishing her the best and constantly reminding her of what she's not getting? Whatever you think about the situation, that's how it is,"
She held up her hands as he opened his mouth to speak.
"I understand how that girl thinks better than you do, you know. Takeru is a nice bit of goods but he's not her first choice. If she's given the chance to spend time with him, away from you, she'll get over it all a lot more quickly. Maybe she'll even fall in love with him, in the end. Staying here would only be cruel - at least at the moment. She knows you wish her good luck. Like I said, you already told her. No point in hanging around any longer. Besides, she overheard a lot of what Haru said to me at the dinner party last night. I think she'll work out that I've taken the hint, and you along with me."
"I suppose you're right." Tenchi sighed. "I don't want to cause her upset, Ryoko. That's never been my intention. Ayeka is one of the best friends I have, and it seems funny to go without saying a proper goodbye. But I do see your reason. I mean, if she really does feel that way..."
"Ayeka is proud." Ryoko said quietly. "I know, because I'd be the same way. She's made her decision and stepped out of the ring. Now the best thing we can do is stop pushing it on her at every juncture. Besides, she'll have plenty to do now without worrying about us. I'm not saying we'll never come back to Jurai - just that it's too soon and the wound is too fresh." She grinned mischievously. "Besides, leaving is a good thing. It means we get some time alone, and it means you finally get that trip I promised you ages ago."
"Yes, I suppose it does." Tenchi nodded his head, offering her a smile. "All right. I'll go with you on this one. Though it is late. Is it a good idea to go right now?"
"I think it's better, while everyone else is occupied and while noone is likely to be flying into our pathway." Ryoko nodded. "After all, Tenchi, all of space is dark. Right? It's not like it will make it more difficult for us to plot our course. And besides, Ryo Ohki is competent. She can handle it...can't you, girl?"
The ship gave an answering yowl and, as Ryoko ran her hands over the spherical controls, the ship began to surge upwards, leaving the land below them far behind.
As they broke through to the upper echelons of Jurai's atmosphere, Ryoko let out a sigh of contentment.
"At long last, we're on our way." She mused. "You know, I really wondered if we'd ever get to this point, Tenchi. I really did. What with all the problems we've had, and me being imprisoned, and then everything with Haki. It seems like I have no luck, sometimes. And yet lately I've had all the luck. I guess it has to come round to me sooner or later."
"Where exactly are we heading to first?" Tenchi asked. "Did you have a particular route in mind or are we just going to fly around and see what comes into view?"
"First rule of spaceship navigation." Ryoko looked amused. "Always know where you are. It all looks alike up there, so you have to pay attention. It's fine to wander and drift, so long as you know where you're wandering or drifting. Otherwise you can get lost...and being lost in space is not a nice sensation."
"No, I can imagine not." Tenchi gazed up at the stars as the ship pulled further and further away from Jurai, leaving the planet little more than another speck in the blackness, it's protective crystal rings a smudge across the surface as they gained momentum. "I never imagined how beautiful it all was up here though. When I was a little boy, sometimes I'd sit and just watch the stars. I'd come home from school and Grandpa would be busy in the shrine and I'd wait for my training to begin...it would be a clear sky and the moon would be bright. I'd try to paint together stars into pictures, because Grandpa always said there were things in the stars that we couldn't always see. But I didn't imagine this."
"I love stars." Ryoko agreed. "I always have. There are no two the same, you know. And stars mean life. Planets. People. Adventure. All kinds of different things waiting for you to try them out. I can't imagine a freer place to be than up here, flying through the stars. I've missed it some, I'll tell you that. I didn't realise how much until Kiyone took me aboard Yagami and dragged me into the hunt for Haki."
She shot him a sidelong glance.
"You're starting to enjoy this space travel thing, aren't you?"
"My horizons are definitely opening up." Tenchi grinned. "I don't say I want to leave the Earth permanently, Ryoko - that's my home, and it will take a lot to change that. But to know there are so many other beautiful places to visit - yes, I think I am starting to enjoy it more and more. I suppose it's more fun when you know the police aren't about to pull you over or shoot you down over something trivial."
"Yes, that helps. Though honestly, there's the thrill of the chase." Ryoko looked thoughtful. "I never minded being pursued by police patrols. I only minded if they came close to catching me - which, to be honest, they never did. Mihoshi came the closest, that day I crashed to the Earth. And that was only because she caught me after a particularly wild night and I was driving like a maniac. I wasn't focused at all on where I was going - that's what happens when you get yourself lost in space. I hadn't a clue where I was."
"But you landed right at my feet." Tenchi said playfully. "Doesn't that count for something?"
"Yes." Ryoko admitted.
"And Mihoshi is your friend, too."
"True." Ryoko pursed her lips. "All right. But still. It's not a good habit to have."
She grinned.
"Flying Ryo Ohki is something I can do in my sleep. Literally, in fact." She added. "I didn't think there was any area of space that I hadn't been to at one point...but I was sure proven wrong when I hit your solar system. Talk about out in the middle of nowhere. No fuel stations, no space stations...a few really old style satellites and very little through transport. I swear, I thought I'd left existance."
"Well, the Earth isn't quite like everywhere else. Space travel has had to take a backseat to other things." Tenchi told her. "One day, I guess it will be the same there. But you know, every planet is different."
"True enough." Ryoko nodded. "And I like the Earth. It has charm."
She steered the craft deftly around a floating chunk of space rock, then turned to meet his gaze.
"I think we'll be out of Juraian jurisdiction by the end of the night." She added. "I'm hoping we can avoid the checkpoint on the way out, since they're never quite so strict on people leaving the planet as they are entering. Besides, word might not have spread about my pardon as yet, and well, I don't really want to be held up. Not this time."
"Isn't it against some law or other to skip out on a checkpoint?" Tenchi looked startled. Ryoko shrugged.
"Depends which route you take." She said simply. "That's why I looked so carefully at Azusa's map. There is a way out around the back of Yubisu that completely falls shy of the checkpoint area. It's a bit rocky, but I know Ryo Ohki can get through it. She's been through worse with me at faster speeds and come out with barely a scratch...so I think we'll make for that instead. There are Galaxy Police cameras there, but they should know that I'm no longer on the wanted list. It's unlikely they'll take any notice of us. Their memory of Ryo Ohki's ident will have been erased."
"All of that was almost a foreign language to me." Tenchi laughed ruefully. "But I'll take your word for it."
"If only it was so easy to convince you always." Ryoko smiled impishly. Tenchi shook his head slowly.
"You're always in such a rush." He teased. "Can't you slow down and be patient, just for once? We're flying through space at God knows what speeds...your mind should be on that, not on other things. You'll confuse Ryo Ohki."
"Ryo Ohki is well used to how my mind works. Believe me." Ryoko pursed her lips, taking one hand off the controls and taking his hand in hers. "Am I being pushy? Because I'm trying not to be. I'm just...well..."
She faltered, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't know what I am." She admitted wryly. "But it's too cruel, having you right there in front of me and not being able to take full advantage of you."
Tenchi stared at her for a moment. Then he burst out laughing, hugging her tightly.
"You say the most outrageous things." He said through his chuckles. "And three, maybe four years ago, I'd have run a mile when you said them. But now they're just making me laugh instead. No, Ryoko. You're not being pushy. And I'm touched that you're thinking of that, because this is a really new venture for the both of us. The truth is, though, that we're different in that way. I like to take my time. Enjoy things as they come to me, not rush to grab them all right away. Does that make sense? We have all the time in the world and I'm not going to suddenly decide I've gone off you the moment we set down on Earth. You've no need to hurry."
Ryoko's cheeks pinkened, and she glanced down at the floor beneath her feet.
"Am I that transparent?" She asked. "Maybe you have a psychic link to me as well as Ryo Ohki. That was scary, Tenchi...I guess that is what I'm afraid of. That somehow all this charmed good luck I've had lately will end and you'll realise you don't want me after all. I don't know if I could handle that. After coming so close to having you as mine - well, the truth is, I know that only I can screw it up and lose you now. It's not about Ayeka or anyone else any more. It's about me and you, and that is scary. I want it more than anything, but I'm also afraid to break the spell."
"When you say things like that, I realise that you're not all tough under all that electricity you pump out." Tenchi reflected. "Ryoko, I'm very serious about a lot of things and one of the things I'm most serious about is honesty. I would not have told you the things I did if I didn't mean them. I am sorry if you felt I led you and Ayeka a merry dance, but I was young and I didn't know what had hit me. Two beautiful women suddenly knocking each other's guts out over me - that takes some getting used to, you know."
He touched her cheek.
"And you see, I'm not as old or as experienced in the world as sometimes you'd like me to be." He added softly. "I know Jurai years are longer than Earth ones and I know that you're at least half Juraian, so your lifespan has already been longer than mine has. That means you've seen and done a lot of things, Ryoko. Things I have yet to experience."
Surprise glittered in Ryoko's eyes as she took this in, then she glanced down. Slowly she nodded her head.
"I understand that." She said quietly. "I've sometimes tried to push you into my way of seeing things instead of seeing it your way as well. So I'm not an expert on any of this either, you know. Space pirates don't usually have time for things like falling in love. Well, you met Haki. You saw what drove him."
She sighed, spreading her hands.
"Space piracy is a cold, empty, lonely life at times." She admitted. "No roots, no place to call home, noone to come back to when your work is done. Completely alone and drifting through life, that's what it's really like. I just never knew it until I fell on the Earth and met you, that's all. My world changed completely then and I've never seen things quite the same way since."
"I don't think Ryo Ohki would agree that you were always alone." Tenchi said gently, and Ryo Ohki let out a miaow, as if in agreement to his words. Ryoko looked sheepish.
"Well, that's true. I always had Ryo Ohki and she's been the best friend to me anyone ever could." She agreed. "But that's different. And in some ways..."
She faltered, shaking her head.
"In some ways I forced Ryo Ohki down my path instead of letting her choose her own." She said pensively. "Being bonded how we are, someone had to give way. I think she made more sacrifices than I did, when we first decided to go to space together. She's never seemed to mind too much, though. At least, I hope she doesn't."
"As far as I can tell, she seems pretty fond of you." Tenchi admitted. "How did you two wind up together, anyway? Does Ryo Ohki come from Jurai?"
"No." Ryoko shook her head. "At least, I don't think so."
She pursed her lips.
"I was just a girl - I was living wild, trying to keep myself fed and out of the way of Juraian authorities when we met." She added. "It was strange, really. One night it rained, and I hid out in an old building. I thought it was abandoned, but it wasn't...it was being used to store things for some scientific research. Ryo Ohki was there. They were caged up...lots of them. But Ryo Ohki was the only one who wasn't dead. She was thin and pitiful, Tenchi. She mewed at me and pawed at the cage and I knew I had to get her out of there. It was like she was as much of a waif as I was - so I burnt open the cage door and I set her free. We ran from the place...we seemed to be running for such a long time and in the end I got tired. I tripped and fell and cut my leg. It wasn't broken, but it was a nasty wound and it bled a lot. I was only a girl, after all."
She paused, remeniscing, and Ryo Ohki mewed nostalgically as she relived the memory alongside her mistress.
"We were wet and miserable, but eventually the rain stopped and we managed to find shelter in a niche in the hillside." Ryoko continued at length. "I think I fell asleep. I certainly couldn't run any more and I was hurt and exhausted. Ryo Ohki didn't leave me...she stayed with me and I knew that I'd found a friend. I didn't know she was a spaceship then. I think that the science people did something to her - her and her fellows - and it made her the way that she is. I don't know where her kind originally came from, Tenchi, but they'd experimented on her so much that I doubt she'd have been recogniseable to them even if I had known where to take her. Besides, she didn't want to leave me. The more time we spent together, the closer our bond got. I don't remember exactly when I began speaking to her without really talking, or when she started telling me how she felt without me confusing her meaning. But it happened, nonetheless."
"So Ken Ohki was also experimented on."
"I guess so. I think there must have been others, too." Ryoko nodded. "The procedure, whatever it was, didn't kill the other cabbits. They'd been abandoned. Starvation and cold killed them. Whatever technology they were working on, they got fed up with Ryo Ohki and discarded her...just like the Royal House of Jurai discarded me. We made a good pair, she and me."
"It makes sense, then, that you two are so close." Tenchi mused. "All those poor little cabbits. No wonder Ryo Ohki likes her carrots so much!"
"Well, we've both of us been hungry." Ryoko smiled sheepishly. "So we both occasionally eat like we're preparing for a famine. It's a bad habit but a good survival technique. It just doesn't go down well in polite society."
"I'm not sure I'm much for polite society anyway." Tenchi reflected. "Jurai is nice, but there are so many rules and conventions and expectations placed on you. Even since I told them I didn't want to be Emperor, they still treat me like a Prince of Jurai with all the trappings, just because it's the status level I was born into. I wasn't born on Jurai and I knew nothing about it all - but they still see me as a direct descendant of Azusa and therefore an honoured prince of the planet, no matter what."
"It's like them shoving me in that big room because I'm Kagato's daughter." Ryoko snorted. "They all hate me and they think my father was the devil. But he was the son of Azusa's sister Aiko and so I have to be treated like some lady even if they are all hating me behind my back. You know, I heard at least three people mention the fact that Kagato might not have even been the son of Aiko's husband, after all? For all they know, he was as legitimate a prince as I am a princess - though I must say, if Princess Aiko managed to get a bit on the side while she was trapped in all of that mad butt kissing, I take my hat off to her. I can't see how she'd have managed it."
"Haki called him the bastard Prince of Jurai." Tenchi remembered. "But I never heard anyone on Jurai talk about it. I guess it's what you said. Aiko was Azusa's sister...and such a thing would have been a major disgrace to the family. Right?"
"Yeah. Right." Ryoko rolled her eyes. "As if Kagato wasn't enough of a disgrace to the family name, but whatever. We're well away from it now."
She shrugged, taking his hand gently and resting it on Ryo Ohki's controls, placing her own on top of it.
"Now we're flying the ship together." She said playfully. "Sooner or later you'll have to learn this, you know - after all, I don't want to do all the driving if we decide to take a trip."
"You have an unfair advantage. You can read Ryo Ohki's mind." Tenchi objected. Ryoko shrugged.
"True, but so long as she knows I'm okay about it, she won't mind you messing around." She responded. "After all, you guys will be like family now, won't you? I mean, since you're taking me home, and all of that."
"I suppose so." Tenchi's eyes twinkled. "I wonder what Grandpa and Dad will make of it, when we get there and they see that you're here to stay."
"I should think they'll run a mile."
A fresh voice interrupted the conversation and Ryoko turned, surprise morphing into anger as she registered the speaker.
"Washu!" She exclaimed, launching herself up from the control panel and glaring down on the stowaway. A ball of light began to flicker and grow between her fingers, and below her, Tenchi was speechless, staring at the scientist in confusion.
"What are you doing aboard my ship?" Ryoko spoke in low tones, her eyes glittering with anger. "You have no right to be here! Explain yourself!"
"Well, you should pay better attention to who you bring aboard, Ryoko-chan." Washu folded her arms, meeting the pirate's glare with a calm one of her own. "Your security is shocking. Anyone with a interspace gateway can walk right in."
"I suggest you take a little walk back along your interspace gateway and leave us alone." Ryoko's eyes narrowed, and sparks shot out from her hands. "Else you'll find yourself decorating the inside of the drive room, and that will make Ryo Ohki more than a little bit twitchy."
"Ryoko, stop it." Tenchi put up his hands. "Washu, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I thought you kind souls could give me a lift." Washu shrugged her shoulders, settling down on the floor of the drive room and crossing her legs, resting her chin in her hands. "As you were leaving this planet tonight, and all."
"You thought wrong." Ryoko snapped. "How long have you been there, listening to our conversation?"
"Really, your conversation wasn't all that interesting. Don't flatter yourself." Washu pretended to stifle a yawn. "And almost as long as you've been airborne. See, it's a funny thing with this gateway of mine. It works perfectly, but it's range is annoyingly limited...not to mention the fact I left the main console back on Jurai. Unfortunately it means I can't reverse the process, so I can't get back there now. We're too far from the planet in any case, Ryoko. Are you sure you're not speeding?"
Ryoko let out a growl of rage, sending a barrage of energy beams in Washu's direction, but the flares merely bounced away, as the scientist raised her hands, erecting a forcefield around herself. She tut-tutted, shaking her head.
"You really need to work more on your temper, Ryoko. I mean it. You'll do someone an injury."
"Wait a minute." Tenchi reached up to grab Ryoko's arm, pulling her back down onto the deck beside him, and sending her a pointed look. "Ryoko, it's Ryo Ohki you're going to hurt if you keep doing that. Calm down a moment, okay? Washu might not have been invited aboard, but she's here now and I guess there's not much we can do about it."
"I can think of a few things." Ryoko muttered, but she obediently lowered her hands, the flickers of light fading into nothing. "Including ejecting her into Deep Space. If she's so clever, she can find her own way back to Jurai. I wanted this trip to be you and I on our own, Tenchi. I should have known someone would try and ruin it."
At this, Washu's expression became serious and she shook her head.
"No, Ryoko. That isn't why I'm here." She said quietly. "But I needed to speak to you, away from Jurai and in a place where noone else would overhear."
"Tenchi's here." Ryoko objected. Washu shrugged.
"I'm accepting the fact that he's a trustworthy witness." She admitted. "Considering that he's fought this battle once already, I think we can trust him not to be on the side of evil."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that things are very strange on Jurai right now, Ryoko." Washu's expression darkened. "Much stranger than I'd like and the Royal Family are in a flap. You're not the only one who was made to feel very unwelcome at the gathering last night. Haru-dono had already made it clear to me that he wanted me to leave Jurai. When I got back to my chamber and found it had been searched, I decided that my departure should not be put off. When I saw Ryo Ohki preparing to leave, I just took my chance to come aboard."
"You could at least have asked." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Dammit, Washu! Do you have to interfere? You're smart, you know that this is the last place I want you or anyone else right now!"
"Yes, I know, but this is important." Washu responded. "More important than your little solo voyage with Lord Tenchi, and I assure you I have no desire to be anywhere near that. No. All I ask is two small things. One, that you drop me back at my laboratory on your way to the planet Earth. And two, you listen to me and hear what else I have to say."
Ryoko closed her eyes briefly, inwardly struggling against her rising indignation.
"I don't seem to have a lot of choice." She said flatly. "You're already here. Much as I'm mad at you, I'm not going to throw you out of the spaceship. Call me soft, but I'm just not like that. However, you are so going to owe me for this, Washu. I mean it. This isn't even remotely funny. If I wanted a chaperone, I'd have asked for one. That's the honest truth."
"What's happening on Jurai, Washu-chan?" Tenchi asked. "And why did they search your room - what do they think you've done?"
"Well, they didn't like me taking Sasami to see Souja." Washu pursed her lips. "On reflection, I'm a touch annoyed that they even found out about that. But Haru has been doing research...well, all of that isn't really important. Just long and boring and full of the suspicions of a frightened man. The truth is, he doesn't want to face what's really happening. What's been happening since before we even arrived on Jurai."
"You've lost me somewhere." Tenchi admitted. "Souja? As in Kagato's tree? The one you were taking readings from?"
"That's right." Washu inclined her head. "The very same. Apparently it's off limits to anyone and everyone who happens to walk near there. Especially Princesses of the Jurai Royal Family. Apparently."
"Why did you take the kid to see a dead tree anyway?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a pretty creepy sort of a trip to me, Washu. What were you trying to do, scare her to death?"
"Sasami doesn't scare very easily. Not considering everything that's going on." Washu shook her head. "And you're wrong, Ryoko. Souja isn't dead. Not even a little bit."
"He is too. He has to be." Despite herself, Ryoko found her anger dissipating in light of this new information. "Kagato is, so so is Souja. Isn't that how it works?"
"Ah, but Kagato isn't dead, Ryoko." Washu said softly. "That's where everyone is falling down. They all think he is. My data and Sasami's evidence beg to differ."
"I don't understand. What has this to do with Sasami?" Ryoko put her hands on her hips. "Your gadgets don't always work, you know...and Tenchi killed Kagato."
"At least, I'm pretty sure I did." Tenchi looked mystified. "They buried his body and all that. Besides, Washu, I thought your data wasn't consistant with a Juraian prince."
"It isn't." Washu agreed. "Although your conversation actually did make me consider another possibility. Ryoko, you're only half Juraiain. Well, perhaps you're less than that - if Kagato isn't really the son of Aiko-denka's husband, but the product of an affair instead. I did hear the rumour, after his death, but I thought it was just the smearing of his name in the aftermath. A way of making sure he was properly disgraced. Now I wonder. His aptitude for the Jurai Power was forced, not native to himself. He became a slave to it, obsessed and trapped by everything it could do. He survived even after Yosho slew him, and then returned to exact his revenge. And elements of his magic - teleportation. Even flight - are not Juraian techniques or traits. Perhaps Kagato wasn't just the ambitious son of two upper class Juraian nobles. Maybe there was something else in him all along. Something that made him struggle to control his Juraian attributes so well as his playmate."
"This is all very fascinating, but I still don't see why it buys you a ride on my ship." Ryoko said flatly. "I don't really care what Kagato was. Juraian, whatever. My heritage isn't important to me...it's never been. And if Kagato were alive, you'd think we'd know about it. I mean, he'd be seriously ticked off, for one thing. He'd want his revenge. And I don't see him taking it."
Washu was silent for a moment, as if debating what to say. Then she shrugged her shoulders.
"Perhaps you're right." She agreed. "Right now, it's difficult to know anything for sure, Ryoko. But Sasami has had visions - dreams and messages which in some cases have proven to be entirely accurate. We think - she and I and Ayeka also - that she's been communicating with the Tree of Life, Tsunami - or more specifically, the Goddess from the legend. I don't know if it's a story either of you are familiar with, but Tsunami is sworn to protect all of Jurai. It's said she will rise up in one of her family's descendants if Jurai ever needs her help. And now she is speaking to Sasami. Even as a scientist, I can't fault the evidence. It's beyond my understanding, but it's real all the same."
"Poor Sasami." Tenchi looked concerned. "She's going through all of that and we've just left her there?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not with any of this." Ryoko held up her hands. "I believe in magic, sure enough. I'm not going to deny Sasami has some kind of weird magic about her these days, because she brought me back from the dead and I know that was to do with this Tree of Life and Tsunami. But what has that to do with Kagato, and most of all, what has it to do with me and you being on my damn ship?"
Washu slid her hand into the pocket of her gown, extracting something and holding it out. She did not speak, and a cold chill touched Ryoko's heart as she recognised what it was.
"What the hell do you have those for?" She demanded. "They're the last thing I want near me - keep them away from me!"
"Ryoko?" In the background she was aware of Tenchi's hand on her shoulder, and the concern in his voice. "What's wrong? What is that?"
"The gems. The Dark Heart of Jurai and it's sisters." Washu said solemnly. "Ryoko's destiny."
"I'm sorry, but no part of them is any part of my destiny." Ryoko's voice shook, and with a sweeping gesture she knocked the capsule from Washu's grip, sending it skidding across the floor of the drive room. "I want them off my ship, Washu. I mean it. I don't want them near me ever again. You have no idea what they did to me the last time I was stupid enough to get close to them. I won't make that mistake twice. Those are diseased Juraian artefacts, they're nothing to do with me."
"On the contrary, they're everything to do with you." Washu retrieved the capsule, glancing at it's scuffed edges, then putting it back in her pocket. "Are you so much a coward that you don't even see that?"
"I'm not a coward!" Rage flared up inside Ryoko at this. "How dare you call me such a thing when you know it's not true!"
"Well, you seem afraid to me." Washu said plainly. "Why do you suppose you're the one who the gems chose, Ryoko? Do you think that was coincidence? Do you think it was a fluke that, in a spaceship full of Juraian blood, the Dark Heart chose to bond to you? Not Tenchi. Not Ayeka. Not Sasami. You. Does that not strike you as strange?"
"Quite frankly, I don't care why it did." Ryoko's voice shook. "I am deadly serious about this, Washu. I don't want those gems and I won't have them on my ship. If you want a ride to your space station, then that's fine. We'll ditch you there with pleasure. But you'll take those things with you and you won't bother me with them again. Whether they bonded to me in that battle or not, I won't touch them again. They killed me once. They won't be getting a second chance."
Washu gazed at her long and hard for a moment, and her eyes were like flint. Despite herself, Ryoko felt a chill run down a spine at their coldness. Then, very slowly, Washu nodded her head.
"Some people accept their destiny. They follow it wherever it leads them, even to death." She said quietly. "They are the heroes, Ryoko. Others, they run from theirs - kicking and screaming until the world engulfs them and it's too late to turn back. They are the villains. It's your decision which one you'd rather be."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Enough of this, both of you." Tenchi stepped between them as energy flickered across Ryoko's palms once more. "This is pointless. Washu, Ryoko doesn't want the gems. It doesn't make her a coward and we both know she's not that. But they hurt her and in truth, I don't want them near her either. There's something evil in them. Something dark and sinister. I don't know what information you're acting on, but nothing good can come of her having them back again. They're not true Juraian magic...they're warped. And they're more likely to do someone harm."
Washu looked sad, her green eyes unusually shadowed.
"Then that is your final decision?" She asked, glancing at Ryoko. Ryoko nodded her head.
"I'm not a coward." She said quietly. "But whatever my destiny is, Washu, it's not controlled by you or those gems or any strange ghosts Sasami sees in her dreams. Jurai's problems are nothing to do with me. I've left there now and I never belonged there anyway. So we'll give you your ride, but that subject is closed. Any more on it and we'll drop you at the first planet we find, all right?"
"All right." Washu sighed. "I tried, if nothing else. I just hope that you won't live to regret it, that's all."
She glanced at her hands, and despite herself Ryoko felt a strange sense of unease wash over her at Washu's final words.
"Or at least, that someone else won't live to regret it for you."
