Chapter Twelve
"Are we heading back to your lab now?"
As they hurried across the landscape of Jurai towards the imposing structure of the Tenju tree palace, Seiryo cast his companion a quizzical look. "I'm guessing that you intend on informing Detective Makibi of your deduction as soon as possible – or are you going to attempt to track down Yugi herself?"
"I have a bad feeling that we're going to be doing both of those at the same time." Washu said grimly, her lips thinning as she contemplated what Tokimi had said.
"Yugi has been tracking Kiyone down, in search of that file. By now she must know that we have it – if she's managed to sneak around the palace as Sakuya Kumashiro, who knows what she's been able to discover?"
"You think that Yugi might even be at the lab now?" Seiryo's eyes widened with alarm and Washu nodded her head curtly.
"It occurred." She said briskly. "It's also the one place Yugi hasn't yet looked for her device. But she has been spending a lot of time in Sasami's company, and Sasami would probably have told her that Kiyone and I are friends. She may even have mentioned that I'm something of a dabbler in all things technical. Yugi's not a stupid enemy – I'm beginning to realise that leaving Kiyone on her own was a seriously bad idea on our part."
"And Lady Sasami?"
"Sasami concerns me less at the moment." Washu admitted. "If all else fails, she has a Goddess willing to rise up and protect her. Kiyone is just another officer of the law, however plucky and brave she can be. You know that as well as anyone – and her life may very well be in danger as we speak."
"Then we need to find a quicker way." A mixture of expressions crossed Seiryo's face, as he contemplated Washu's words. "I made myself a promise that I would do my best to protect her from any harm in all of this. I owe her that much if nothing else. Washu, I don't like this magic you dabble in – I have no fondness for Kii magic at all, after my experiences. But surely there's a way to use it to speed up our progress? Lady Ryoko teleports. Can you do this, also?"
"I can, but my aiming is a bit less exact than Ryoko's is, since Kihaku was destroyed." Washu looked startled. "We could end up in the right area, or some miles away, to be honest. I haven't managed to focus my coordinates quite properly yet – it'd be a calculated risk."
"One worth taking?"
"I don't know. If we failed, we'd take even longer to get to Kiyone." Washu said helplessly. "And then…"
"Washu!" Ryoko's voice cut across her mother's explanations, and the scientist stopped, turning to cast her daughter a rueful glance as the pirate ran across the grass towards them.
"Musume-chan, we were just talking about you." She said lightly. Ryoko frowned.
"Well, stop talking about me. This is more important. Listen. You were right about this Yugi girl using Ayeka as a weapon before. Haru didn't want to talk, but we prised it out of him and it turns out that when Sasami was a baby, Yugi convinced Ayeka to try and kill her. After that, Haru had Ayeka's memories wiped – but it happened then and it could happen again now."
"Where is Lady Ayeka?" Seiryo looked anxious, and Ryoko shrugged.
"I hoped you'd seen her." She admitted. "She took off on me, and I know she went looking for Sasami. But in her current state of mind – what that jerk Haru said really upset her, and she was pretty shook up. I don't think she should be flying free at the moment, but I haven't been able to find her."
She pursed her lips.
"What about you? What did Tokimi tell you?"
"Just that this girl we've been after is the child masquerading as Sakuya Kumashiro." Washu said grimly, and Ryoko's eyes narrowed.
"I knew that little bitch was up to something. I knew there was something wrong about her." She muttered, clenching her fists. "And that explains why Ayeka went for me, too. I pretty much confronted the brat about her managing to survive the Sumire massacre face to face…I guess she decided I was a threat."
"Not the most discreet mode of attack you ever chose, but at least you're strong enough to fight off a determined Princess." Washu sighed. "Ryoko, there's a pretty good possibility that Yugi might know about our work with that file, now. If she's been Sakuya, she's been with Sasami. And Sasami may have told her that I tinker with gadgetry. The lab is one place the girl hasn't yet looked for Kiyone's evidence. I may be way off base, but Kiyone is on her own there right at the moment. And if I am right, I don't like her odds. Sasami at least has Tsunami's protection. Kiyone has none of that – not even her Galaxy Police arsenal."
Ryoko's eyes glittered with anger, and she nodded her head.
"Then why are we standing around here?" She demanded. "Let's go already!"
"I have a better idea." Washu shook her head. "Ryoko, your teleportation is strong these days, isn't it?"
"Yes, but I thought you could…"
"Not as accurately as you." Washu admitted, her expression becoming rueful as she took in the surprised look on her daughter's face. "Yes, I know, but now's not the time to gloat. Kihaku's destruction meant I had to relearn a lot, and this is still something I'm struggling with getting right every time. You, on the other hand, travel almost as easily as you do breathe. Do you think you're strong enough to take Seiryo-sama and I with you, if you were to go there now?"
"Strong enough?" Ryoko echoed, then she snorted. "You are kidding me, right? Taking one person is no effort at all. Taking two is a piece of cake. You forget that since I merged with Tsunami's Dark Heart, my magic has been more powerful all around."
She held out her hands, eying Seiryo thoughtfully for a moment as he hesitated.
"Well?" She demanded. "Did you want to help or didn't you? Would've thought that you owed it Kiyone if nothing else – or are Lords of Jurai cowards as well as would-be murderers?"
"I'm neither one." Seiryo said quietly, grasping her fingers tightly and sending her a dark look. "I just wondered if you would take me, considering you told my sister to keep me away from Detective Makibi while she was here."
"Right now I don't think we can be choosy." Washu said frankly. She slipped her hand into her companion's, nodding in Ryoko's direction. "Whenever you're ready, Ryoko-chan. Whatever we're going into, it has to be better to do it than to stand around and wait."
"My sentiments exactly." Ryoko said simply, tightening her grip on both Seiryo and the scientist as she did so. "Hang on tight. I don't want to lose bits of anyone in mid-transfer."
Before either Washu or her companion could retort, the world blurred and spun around them, colours and lights flickering and dancing in a random enough way to make anyone dizzy. Almost as soon as it began, however, it was over, and as Washu opened her eyes, she realised that they had not just appeared in the middle of the computer lab.
They were in the middle of a confrontation.
For a moment nothing seemed to register, as Washu's dizzy brain struggled to make sense of the situation. Then, as her brain fug cleared, she realised that her worst fears had been realised. Kiyone was curled up on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks as she struggled against some unseen enemy. Soft whispers and murmurs came from her lips, but even though her friend was in distress, Washu found she could not focus her attention on the detective's plight. Not far from where her friend lay, Sasami was backed up against the lab wall, eyes big with terror as a dark-clad figure – stiff and purposeful in her movements but still recognisable as the Crown Princess – advanced on her, the white energy of Jurai's sacred power flickering around her like an aura. In the furthest corner of the lab was the overseer of the whole business, amusement and derision on her childlike face as she settled herself to watch the show. As she laid eyes on this interloper, Washu felt a cold, dark chill sweep through her body and at once understood Tokimi's blind terror.
"Yugi Kuroda." She murmured.
"Well, so we have more visitors, do we?" Yugi seemed more entertained than put out by their arrival. "I didn't realise so many people wanted to come and witness the demise of a divine Princess."
As she spoke, Ayeka's hands came together in a flare of white light and Sasami let out a shriek, diving beneath the computer desk and peering out with wide, uncertain eyes.
"You little worm." Ryoko's sabre flared into life between her fingers as she took a step or two towards her foe. "You were a brat when you were younger and you haven't changed a bit. Let Ayeka go – stop using her to do your dirty work for you and fight your own battles!"
"Like this, Ryoko?" Yugi raised an eyebrow, flicking her hand in the pirate's direction and a thick, sweeping wave of psychic energy flooded out across the chamber, knocking Ryoko clean off her feet. She fell heavily, but was soon scrambling up again, dusting herself down as she glowered at her enemy.
"That was a low blow." She muttered. "What do you want, anyway?"
"To kill people." Yugi said pleasantly. "Starting with Tsunami, and working my way down. You're on my list, Ryoko, but you'll have to wait your turn. And that pitiful detective – she'll be begging to die by the time I'm through with her."
"Detective Makibi!"
Seiryo hastened down onto the floor beside the struggling Detective, but Kiyone pushed him away, burying her head in her hands. Yugi chuckled, tut-tutting under her breath.
"She doesn't like you very much, Lord Tennan." She said softly, her voice eerie and echoing in the vast, high-ceilinged chamber. "Why would she want your assistance, when all she sees is you, over and over again? In her mind, she's back aboard that wretched spaceship of hers. In her mind, you're still there, taking her lifebeat away from her. She won't last very long. If her fear doesn't kill her, madness and desperation soon will."
Seiryo stared at the interloper for a moment, then rage glittered in his expression as he pulled his sword from his belt, flaring the blade into life.
"Let her go." He exclaimed. "Stop hurting her like that! She's been through enough already!"
"What do you imagine you can do with your little toy, Lord of Jurai?" Yugi smirked, raising her hand and Seiryo's weapon flitted out of his grip, wheeling around on an invisible axis until the blade pointed back at his own throat. "Do you understand what happens to people who draw swords on Yugi, now? They don't usually come out top in the encounter. Do you think that you will fare any better than the others did?"
"Seiryo!"
Washu let out an exclamation, as the nobleman attempted to duck the sword's parry. It moved more quickly than he could, however, and just as Washu thought her newest ally was about to be impaled, a chunk of electrical lab equipment came flying through the air, knocking the blade clattering across the floor. Washu swung around in surprise, her eyes widening as she realised who had thrown it.
"Kiyone?" She murmured, then. "Are you all right?"
"Just…do something…about her." Sweat beaded on the detective's brow, but she sent the scientist a determined look, flinging her arm in the direction of Yugi. "Before she…does something…to Sasami."
"Seiryo, take Kiyone and get her out of here." Ryoko's fingers were already flaring once more with lighting energy, and Seiryo opened his mouth to protest, but Kiyone gripped at his wrist.
"We can't help them." She murmured. "And I can't k…keep fighting this."
"You want my help?" Seiryo stared at her. Kiyone offered him a faint smile.
"The you in my head isn't real." She whispered. "You wanted to make amends? Do it now."
Determination crossed Seiryo's expression and as Washu threw up a forcefield between Yugi and the door, the nobleman scooped the stricken detective up in his arms, holding her tightly as he made a dash for the laboratory exit. Yugi sought to block their path, but Washu's forcefield repelled her magic and she let out a cry of annoyance as they disappeared from her range, eyes glowing with an evil aqua light as she wheeled on the cause of her frustration.
"You are some kind of demon, blocking my magic with dark arts of your own." She said blackly, bearing down on Washu as she did so. "Ayeka, finish that brat of a Princess! Then you can help me uphold Juraian law and order…you can help me dispose of a true monster in your planet's midst."
Ayeka's blank eyes glittered with an evil red light as she pulled Sasami roughly from her hiding place, holding her tightly in her grip as she put a hand towards the girl's throat. Tears flooded down Sasami's cheeks as she struggled and fought against her sister's grasp, but it was to no avail.
"Ayeka! Ayeka-oneechan, please! Please snap out of it!" She begged. "Please let me go…you don't want to do this. You don't want to hurt me!"
"I'm afraid you're mistaken. The truth is that she's always wanted to hurt you, Sasami-chan." Yugi told her cruelly. "The affection you think you share – that is the false emotion. All I am doing is making Ayeka act on her true impulses. She hated you then and she hates you now. This is her will, so you cannot break it."
"Ayeka is not a psychopath, unlike some people I could mention." Ryoko launched herself into the air, sending a glittering forcefield up around herself as she prepared for a new assault on their diminutive opponent. "You had the nerve to call me a demon when we were younger, and you've just insulted my mother with the same terminology. Did you look in a mirror yourself at all, recently? Because if you want to know what a demon really looks like, I think you'll find it there!"
"Demon? No." Yugi chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm a survivor, Ryoko. I take what I can and I make the most of it."
"How interesting." Washu said quietly. "To hear a child boast about things she really doesn't understand."
"I am not a child!" Rage flared in Yugi's eyes and her golden hair flitted out around her like a halo as she was engulfed in bluish light. "I will kill you and all those you care about – then you will see what kind of opponent I truly am!"
"Well, if we're dead, we'll have trouble doing that." Ryoko said grimly. "Make Ayeka let Sasami go and then we'll see who really does have the strongest magic. You, or us. But using someone else to fight your battles is weak. It's the actions of a coward…no wonder Washu calls you a child."
"My tactics are none of your business." Yugi's eyes narrowed until they were near slits. "Ayeka, enough of this. End it. Now."
Ayeka's fingers closed around Sasami's throat, and Ryoko let out a yell, diving towards the Princess in an attempt to stop her. A glowing white shield blocked her way, however, and she was sent flying backwards once more, helpless as Ayeka's grip grew ever firmer and Sasami's struggles began to weaken.
"Sasami is just a child!" Rage flooded Washu's heart. "You seek to kill innocents, because you are scared of what truly good people can do! Ryoko is right – you use others as your puppets instead of carrying out your convictions yourself. You are pathetic, Yugi Kuroda. Truly pathetic."
"We'll see." Yugi said softly. "Noone has yet managed to slay Tsunami-kami-sama, but noone else has realised that Tsunami has a weakness. That weakness is love. Love for a sister who never really wanted her, anyway. So many times I had to listen to Ayeka complain about the new baby, and how it had disrupted her happy, settled life. Well, I thought, why not do something about it?"
She smiled, but it was a cold, chilling smile and Washu saw a glimmer of insanity lurking in the depths of the girl's frozen eyes.
"When my mother discovered that Sasami-sama was truly the divine one born again, I knew that everything would come together. Except for one small thing – Ayeka failed. She was seen, and her meddling family took action against both mother and I for seeking to make Jurai a better place to live in. We were punished. And that creature – that so called Goddess – was allowed to grow and live."
"How exactly did you seek to make Jurai better, by making a child kill another child?" Washu demanded, her gaze flitting across to where Sasami appeared to have lost consciousness. "What, exactly, would be better about a world in which sister slays sister?"
"Jurai is a closed, evil world where nobody is allowed to breathe out of place. All because of her, the dark spirit who controls them all with her will." Yugi spat back, gesturing in Sasami's direction. "Ryoko should know what I speak of. This world hates difference. It hates innovation. My mother was killed because she sought to think beyond her boundaries as a foreign born wife and mother. And I was exiled because they did not understand. All I did was make Ayeka follow through on her true will – but a child of Tsunami's line can never be in the wrong."
There was bitterness in her tones, and Ryoko bit her lip, bringing her hands together to form a ball of light.
"If you don't like Jurai, do what I did." She said flatly. "Leave it. Make your own life. Noone has to live by Jurai's rules unless they choose to. And they certainly don't have to kill people over it. Your mother deserved to be frittered and you deserve the same thing. Let Sasami and Ayeka go, before I decide to do the honours myself."
"Sasami is dead." Yugi said simply. "There is noone there to let go. Ayeka has finally fulfilled her task, and stolen her sister's life."
"No, she hasn't." Washu said darkly. "You underestimate Tsunami, Yugi. She has put too much into Sasami to let her die so easily."
Before Yugi could respond, a bright white pulse flared out from Sasami's still form, illuminating the chamber and dazzling all of its occupants for a moment in its ray. Then, as the light faded, Washu could make out Sasami's form, floating up out of Ayeka's grasp and hovering a foot or two above the ground, still bathed in an unearthly glow. As she slowly opened her eyes, the light began to dim, and she reached out glittering, ethereal fingers to touch the still-transfixed Ayeka's cheek, placing both hands gently against her sister's skin. Ayeka let out a wild cry and then crumpled, falling to the floor in a dead faint as Sasami relinquished her grip.
"It's not possible!" Yugi's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Sasami was dead! Sasami was…"
"But Tsunami was not." Sasami turned, and Washu knew that it was not the child who spoke, but the Goddess who once more had control of her body. "And I will protect this form so long as she shields me within her. You seek to destroy what you do not understand. This world is not for you. Return to your cell…leave these people and leave Jurai in peace."
"Never." Yugi's eyes narrowed, and she flexed her fingers, her own blueish aura growing stronger with every second as venom glittered in her expression. "I've come far too far to stop now – as Sasami or Tsunami, I will destroy you. Maybe Ayeka was useless, after all. I didn't realise you had the nerve to fight those you loved. Maybe Tsunami is colder than Sasami was – either way, I shall not leave this place until I kill you. And if Ayeka will not kill you on my behalf, then I shall kill her and put the blame on your head, instead."
She held out her hands, bathing Ayeka in her magic as she forcibly lifted the prone form of the Princess upwards. Ayeka did not stir, but as she reached the highest-most point in the chamber, Yugi let go of her hold, sending the girl tumbling headlong back towards the polished stone floor below.
"Ayeka!"
Seeing her sister in such mortal danger seemed to wake Sasami and the light of the Goddess faded from around her as she let out a panicked shriek, gripping hold of the table for support as she registered Ayeka's fall. "Someone do something. Someone do something!"
"On it!" Ryoko flickered out of view, re-materialising beneath the Princess and catching her in her arms just in time. She sent Yugi a triumphant look, and Yugi narrowed her gaze, preparing herself for another flare of magic.
"You next, Ryoko…don't look so smug, you won't get away from me that easily." She said darkly, and Ryoko darted out of the way, setting Ayeka down on the floor as she sought to dodge the bevy of psychic blasts that came flying in her direction. At length one made contact with her body, and she let out a scream, falling headlong to the ground with a bump as she struggled to right herself once more. Even from where she stood, Washu could see that her daughter was dazed and disorientated by her fall, and as Yugi advanced on the stricken pirate, something inside of her snapped. She narrowed her gaze, flexing her own fingers as she summoned all of her Kii magic to the forefront of her mind.
"Enough!" She exclaimed, lifting herself off the ground as her body was illuminated by a soft, amber haze. "Leave my daughter alone, or else you'll regret it, Yugi! I mean it. Leave Ryoko alone!"
"Well, so someone was willing to claim responsibility for you after all, Ryoko." Yugi seemed amused, reaching out to touch Ryoko as the pirate flinched back away from her.
"I can't use my magic – she's stopping me somehow!" She exclaimed, and Washu nodded her head, the haze around her growing brighter and brighter as she drew more and more of her energy into one focused location. Then she turned, meeting Yugi's gaze with a black one of her own.
"You think I am a demon, but I am something else. Something older." She said softly. "Like my sister, who sees you as you really are, I see through to your black heart and I know that the true demon here is you, Yugi. And you might not know of the Kii – you might not even believe we still exist. But believe me, we do."
"I'm supposed to care?" Yugi turned away from Ryoko, facing Washu head on. "Where you come from is not my concern. It doesn't matter where someone is born, after all. They don't need anything but earth in which to bury their bodies."
"We'll see." Washu said quietly. "I've been around a long time, and more people have tried to destroy me than I care to count. None have succeeded. Do you think you can? Let's find out. How strong are you really, Yugi? What black arts can you wield against the last of the Kii Priestesses?"
"Washu?" Ryoko's eyes became big with confusion, but Washu paid her no attention, bringing her hands together to protect herself as Yugi sent a volley of blasts in her direction. She shook her head, a slight smile touching her lips.
"Try harder." She said quietly. "If you can kill me, then you win. Isn't that how it works? You've knocked back everyone else. Surely you can take out one aging scientist, Yugi? Or doesn't your power work against Kii magic?"
"I don't care about Kii magic." Yugi snapped. "You'll die just as surely as everyone else will, but I'll make it slow and nasty, just because you're starting to annoy me."
"Well, forgive me then." Washu said softly, and a strange light glittered in her green eyes. "I prefer to be swift and clean."
With that she closed her eyes, drawing on her memory of the Kii texts as she murmured something in her native tongue. As the sensation grew and swelled within her, she found herself helpless to contain it, and as she grasped her hands tightly together, wielding them in Yugi's direction, a wave of amber energy rocketed out around the room, engulfing Yugi in its haze and trapping her deep within its eerie glow. Yugi let out a shriek as her own blue aura faded, and Washu dropped to the ground, biting her lip as her surroundings swirled and span around her.
"Washu, what the hell was that?" Ryoko scrambled to her feet, grasping at her mother's hand as she did so. "Are you all right? What kind of magic have you been hiding from me, anyway?"
"The magic of the Priests of Kihaku for exorcising evil spirits." Washu managed, sending her daughter a rueful grimace. "It seems I've become a witch at last, Ryoko…who would have thought it?"
"But what do we do with her now? Now she's trapped?" Sasami asked hesitantly from her position at Ayeka's side, and Washu turned, sending the Princess a gentle smile.
"Are you all right, Sasami?"
"Yes…I think so. But Ayeka's still unconscious." Sasami nodded. "Tsunami saved me, didn't she? She protected me like she said she would?"
"She did." Washu nodded. "But Tsunami knows that using the full thrust of her power could be destructive to universes, not just single demons. This is our situation to resolve now, Sasami. You take care of Ayeka. Leave Yugi in our hands."
Slowly she advanced on the imprisoned girl, ignoring the venomous hatred that glittered in Yugi's aqua eyes as she continued to struggle and fight against the magical restraints. Gently she poked at the light, then she smiled.
"Well, and I guess I underestimated this superstitious nonsense of Father's for far too long. That's quite a useful thing to know." She observed off-handedly. "I must remember it the next time we have some unspeakable evil to fight off – it might even save us time."
"I didn't think you knew any Kii spells." Ryoko eyed her mother suspiciously. "And I didn't think you called yourself Priestess of Kihaku!"
"I don't and I'm not, not really. But all that reading and researching I did, trying to find a cure for Tokimi also unlocked various other Kii secrets and mysteries." Washu said simply. "When all is said and done, that magic is still mine to wield, isn't it? I might not have been ordained Priestess of Kihaku and there is no Kihaku to enslave my spirit. But I am a Hakubi, so these things are in my blood."
She eyed her companion pensively.
"Yours too, now I come to think of it. Your magic is a meshing of two different lines, but your assimilation with the Dark Heart seems to have biased it towards the Juraian and not towards the Kii. You were far too helpless against Yugi's magic for my liking – you need to harness all aspects of your power, rather than just relying on what comes most easily to you."
She tilted her head on one side, considering.
"Maybe I'll have to try and teach you some of these things, also. You never know when it might come in handy…you seem to know a lot more negative souls than I do."
"So what happens to her now? Back in her little box, sealed up for all eternity again?" Ryoko asked. Washu poked at the light haze once more, then frowned, shaking her head.
"And what about the next time the capsule is released?" She asked softly. "The next time she comes to Jurai, to hurt Ayeka and Sasami and terrorise innocent people? No, Ryoko…I don't think that will work. Not this time."
"Then what are you going to do with her?" Ryoko looked alarmed. "Are you going to kill her?"
Washu was silent for a moment, then she shook her head.
"No." She said quietly. "I'm going to seal her up so that she can't possibly get out without help. And then I'm going to hand her over to the Judicial system of Jurai. Let them handle her however they see fit. Angry as she made me, I'm not going to have her blood on my hands."
"She looks kind of pitiful, all locked up like that." Ryoko mused. "You know that nutcase Haru will probably jettison her into the sun, just like her mother."
"Then that will be Jurai's choice to make. Not ours." Washu offered her daughter a faint smile. "The crimes are against Jurai, after all."
"I suppose you're right." Ryoko acknowledged, turning towards Ayeka and Sasami as she did so. "And Ayeka? Will she be all right, now?"
"I think Tsunami took care of Ayeka's possession, but she'll probably be a bit battered and bruised, when she comes to." Washu said honestly. "She should probably go to the Infirmary. After all…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the doors of the lab burst open and Azaka, followed by Kamidake and a bevy of palace military flooded into the chamber, stopping dead when they registered the scene before them. Now the pressure was off, Sasami burst into tears once more, flinging herself on a startled Kamidake, who stared at her, then hugged her tightly, assuring her that everything would now be all right. As Azaka approached the still form of the Crown Princess, lifting her gently in his arms, Seiryo stepped into the room, offering Washu a droll smile.
"You've been busy, then." He remarked, nodding in the direction of the imprisoned Yugi. "Kii magic?"
"Kii magic." Washu agreed. She stifled a yawn. "And I'm beat. But I guess there are advantages to having spells dating back before common records. How can you fight something if you don't understand it? Yugi had no defence against my magic because she never knew it even existed."
"Lady Ayeka?"
"She'll be all right. Stunned, but Tsunami took care of that." Washu leant back against the remains of one of her computer units. "You know, sending the palace guard wasn't necessarily the best move. It could have been dangerous for them."
"I didn't, exactly." Seiryo pursed his lips. "I saw Detective Makibi into safe hands – once away from here, Yugi's hold over her seemed to break and she'll be fine, I think. A little shaken, but she is brave enough to overcome it."
He shrugged.
"I suppose Yugi had more on her mind than bothering about one detective's mental state. As for the military intervention, I told Azaka and Kamidake what had happened, with the intention of reporting the incident to my Emperor. However, Kamidake's reaction when he heard Lady Sasami was under threat was immediate. The next thing I knew, both Knights of Jurai had rounded up a miniature army and descended in this direction. I thought I'd better follow, just in case."
"I see." Washu smiled, casting a glance at Kamidake and the Princess who he was still gently consoling. "Yes, that does make sense."
Seiryo's eyes narrowed, following her gaze, and Washu could tell he was reasoning things out for himself. At length he returned her smile.
"Ah. Well, that makes it a little clearer." He remarked off-handedly. "And Yugi?"
"Lord Haru and Jurai's military are welcome to her." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "I've had quite enough of that particular demon for one lifetime!"
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"They never have time for me any more."
The young girl settled herself more comfortably on the expansive window seat, resting her head against the thick velveteen curtains as she let out a heavy sigh. Outside the window, the sun had only just begun its morning ascent in the Juraian sky, but even the bright colours of the early sunrise were not enough to distract the young Princess from her gloom.
"Yugi-oneechan, why do people have babies anyway? I mean, aren't I good enough on my own? Why do they need to have any more? Don't they want me any more?"
"New babies, huh?" Her companion pulled a face, scrambling up beside her. "My father wanted to have other children, when I was born. But then he died, and so Mother never did. I'm glad. I wouldn't want to share…parents aren't there to be shared, after all. Your mother and father are crazy, Ayeka-chan. Babies just cry and scream and throw up. That's what my mother said. They're no use for anything."
"Then why does everyone crowd around her so much?" Ayeka's ruby eyes glittered with tears and she bit down hard on her lip, determined not to let herself cry. "If she can't even do anything, why does everyone think she's so special?"
She frowned, folding her arms across her chest.
"It's not fair." She added bitterly. "It's just because she looks like Mother. They like her better, all because of that. Everyone always says how beautiful Mother is, and now Sasami will look like her and be beautiful and everyone will forget that I even exist. They might even want to get rid of me…they might not want me to be Princess any more!"
"Isn't that illegal, or something?" Yugi opened her aqua eyes wide with surprise, and Ayeka shrugged.
"My Grandfather makes the laws." She said flatly. "And he doesn't like me. He's a scary man who hates my father. He might like Sasami too, because she looks like Mother and he doesn't hate Mother. So they might want her to be Queen one day instead of me. What can I do about it, Yugi? I want to make her go away. How can I make her go away?"
"Maybe you could do magic on her." Yugi's eyes narrowed, a thoughtful smile touching her lips. "You know that your family have special magic. Why don't you put a spell on the baby? You could make her grow fangs or a beard or something. Then she wouldn't be pretty like Misaki-sama any more and people wouldn't like her."
"I can't do magic yet." Ayeka kicked out in frustration against the wood of the window-seat. "I'm not old enough. I don't know how."
"Are you sure?" Yugi looked doubtful. "You could try. We could go to the nursery, and you could try and see if it worked. Noone would know, if it didn't."
"What if I'm caught?"
"You said they don't notice you're there at the moment." Yugi reminded her. "But I'll come with you. Then if anyone comes, I'll distract them. I'll tell them that I'm ill, or something. Then they won't bother about what you're doing…they'll be concentrating on me."
"That is a good idea!" Ayeka's ruby eyes lit up with hope at this point. "And if Sasami doesn't look like Mother any more, then things might go back to how they were."
"So shall we go?" Yugi asked. Ayeka nodded, slipping down off the ledge and holding her hand out to her friend.
"Yes. Come on, Yugi-neechan. Let's go."
"What kind of spell are you going to put on her?" As they walked through the hallways of the royal palace, Yugi cast her companion a sidelong glance. Ayeka frowned.
"I don't know." She admitted. "Uncle doesn't seem to use spells, when he does his magic. He seems to…well, he just makes light come from his hands and stuff. So I guess I'll just try and do that…somehow."
Yugi giggled.
"You could make her look like the demon girl." She suggested, nudging her friend as she caught sight of a familiar figure curled up on the roof beams of one of the off-shooting corridors, idly flicking through a comic book. "Then noone would want to go near her."
Ayeka glanced up, attracting the child's attention as she did so, and two golden eyes glowered down at her, anger and defiance in their depths.
"Did you want something, Princess Stuck Up?" She demanded. Ayeka frowned, putting her hands on her hips.
"Go away, Ryoko." She said frankly. "We're busy. Leave us alone."
"You leave me alone! I was here first!"
"I keep telling you she's a demon, Ayeka-chan." Yugi grimaced in her friend's direction. "What kind of normal person sits on roof beams to read?"
Ayeka cast Ryoko another hesitant glance, and Ryoko raised her hand, light flickering from the ends of her fingers.
"Shut your face, Yugi Kuroda." She said darkly. "Else I'll blast you and set your hair on fire again."
Yugi sent an unpleasant glare back towards her foe.
"Just try it." She murmured, and Ayeka shot her friend an apprehensive glance.
"Don't fight with her. Father says we're to ignore her and leave her to her own devices." She said firmly, grabbing Yugi by the hand. "If she is a demon, we're not to have anything to do with her. She's too weird, anyway. And we have more important things to do."
"True." Yugi nodded her head, and Ryoko poked out her tongue in return.
"Yeah, get lost, the both of you. Stuck up, stupid idiots." She shot back.
"Why did your Uncle ever bring that thing to Jurai, anyway?" Yugi wondered, as they drew closer to the nursery. Ayeka shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. Uncle is strange, sometimes." She admitted. "But I wish he hadn't. She's strange – she scares me sometimes. And Father says she probably is some kind of demon, with all those odd things she can do. He doesn't want me to speak to her if I can help it – I think he plans on getting her sent away."
"Couldn't come soon enough." Yugi muttered. "But let's forget about Ryoko. What about Princess Sasami? Are you ready?"
"I guess so." Ayeka put a hand on the nursery door, then hesitated. "But what if I can't think of any magic when we're there?"
Yugi smiled, holding out her hand to take her friend's fingers in hers. She tilted her head, humour dancing in her aqua eyes.
"It's all right, Ayeka, because I have magic too." She murmured. "And I'm going to help you make sure that nobody ignores you for Sasami-chan ever ever again."
"Ayeka?"
As the pictures faded, Ayeka opened her eyes, blinking as she fought to bring her surroundings into focus. For a moment she could not imagine where she was, and then, as she met the concerned gaze of her husband, more recent memories overwhelmed her and she let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes once more. Suddenly her brain felt like someone had poured lead inside of it, as she struggled to put everything into its proper place.
"Ayeka, look at me. Please." There was genuine fear in Takeru's voice and despite how heavy her head felt, Ayeka forced her eyes open once more, her fingers fumbling for his across the bedcovers as if in search of comfort.
"Takeru." She whispered, then, "Where am I?"
"The Infirmary, at the palace, of course." Takeru looked surprised. "Don't you remember?"
"I…I don't know." Ayeka struggled into a more upright position. "I was just…was I dreaming? I was remembering something…Yugi. What happened to Yugi?"
"Yugi is safely in Juraian custody and she won't be able to hurt you again." Takeru squeezed her hand gently. "I promise, Ayeka, it's over. All of it. For good this time."
Ayeka sank back against her pillows, biting her lip.
"Is Sasami…?"
"Sasami is fine also."
"I didn't hurt her? In my dream…"
"No, Ayeka. Sasami is all right, I promise." Takeru shook his head. "Yugi was stopped before she could make you…and Tsunami protected you both, in the end. You and Sasami. Tsunami broke the spell over you…Washu thinks that she probably healed whatever weakness Yugi was able to use to manipulate you, when she did that. So it's really all right. You just need to rest and recover and everything will be fine."
Ayeka was silent for a moment, contemplating.
"I want to know exactly what happened." She said quietly. "Everything, Takeru. I know something did – I remember speaking to Father, and being with…with Ryoko. I remember her hugging me and telling me it didn't matter…although that seems so surreal it might have been a dream too. And then…then I don't know. A bunch of pictures. Flashes. Something. Memories, I think...but nothing coherent until I woke up here."
She swallowed hard.
"Father told me he'd had some of my memories suppressed. Memories about Sasami." She added, her voice barely above a whisper. "But maybe Tsunami healed that part of me too, Takeru. Because I think I…I think I remember other things that I didn't remember before. Things about…about not wanting a sister at all. Bad things."
Tears welled up in her eyes, and Takeru put a gentle finger to her cheek, shaking his head.
"Lord Haru has been beside himself ever since your confrontation earlier today." He said gently. "He told me what he told you – I've never seen a man more upset about a decision made so long ago. He knows that what he did was wrong, Ayeka, and he doesn't want you to doubt your feelings for Sasami because of that event. He erased Yugi's influence over you. He didn't make you love or hate your sister. You were small children and new babies often bring jealousy in older siblings, you know. It's normal. Yugi just manipulated that to make you do something you shouldn't. It wasn't your fault then, just as it isn't now."
"Maybe you're right." Ayeka acknowledged. She sighed, toying with the edges of the bedcovers as she contemplated his words. "But Takeru, honestly…I've never thought that there was a time Sasami and I weren't close. I helped her as she grew up, I taught her things…she looked up to me and I've always adored her. At least, I thought so. That there was a time when I didn't feel that way – well, having it suppressed just makes me doubt everything I do know. If I did resent her at first, then I guess I'll never know if that was me or Yugi, behind it. Instead of talking it out with me, Mother and Father locked it away where I couldn't reason it out for myself."
"Are you angry with them, Ayeka-chan?"
"Yes." Ayeka admitted. "At the moment, very angry. And hurt. But most of all, frightened. What must Sasami think of me now, Takeru? Now she knows that her big sister once tried to kill her."
She bit down hard on her lip, tasting blood.
"Even though you have avoided my question about the details, I know I threatened her again today." She added softly. "The memory isn't there, but I can tell by the look on your face. Yugi made me attack her, didn't she? Even if she didn't succeed? She made me try and take Sasami's life, just like when we were children."
Takeru sighed, dropping his gaze.
"Yes. I'm afraid she did." He agreed reluctantly. "But Sasami is unhurt from the encounter, Ayeka. Kiyone-san, Washu-sama and Ryoko-san seem to have been able to intervene in the nick of time, and Tsunami always watches over your sister."
He hesitated, then,
"I understand from Kamidake that Lord Tennan also played a role in this." He added. "It would seem his recent preoccupation and secrecy has been in the pursuit of the demon Yugi…he has been working in Jurai's favour all this time."
"He was with Washu, when we talked in her lab, before I confronted Father." Ayeka nodded. "He was worried about Lady Suki and Tokimi, and their safety while all this was going on. Like before, Takeru, I guess he acted with the protection of his family in mind."
She hesitated, then,
"Do you think we have misjudged the man, then?"
"I'm hating the thought of it, but maybe."
"Well, as it stands, I am little better than he is." Ayeka eyed her hands bitterly. "My nails scratched blood from Ryoko's skin, and who knows what I did to Sasami while under Yugi's lure. Seiryo-sama attacked you and Kiyone, whilst under the influence of dark magic. In light of that, I am a worse sinner than he is. I have attacked three people and one divine tree with a view to ending their lives."
"Ayeka…"
"No." Ayeka shook her head. "If I persist in thinking Seiryo guilty and suspicious, I must think the same of myself. And if I want forgiveness for my actions, I must be able to forgive his."
She sighed.
"And so I will do so." She added. "And hope that people will be less judgemental of me than I have been of him and his actions."
"Ayeka-chan?"
Haru's voice from the doorway of the small, brightly lit chamber prevented Takeru from responding, and both Princess and Prince Consort turned to see Azusa's right hand man watching them, guilt and anguish mingled in his expression as he surveyed his eldest child. Takeru got to his feet immediately, stepping back from the bed and Haru shot him a grateful look, faltering and then taking the seat at his daughter's side. Ayeka opened her mouth to prevent her husband from leaving, but Takeru had seen already the look in Haru's eyes and had wisely slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.
For a moment, father and daughter regarded one another in uncertain silence. Then Haru let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.
"This is my fault, isn't it?" He said at length. "Ryoko was right. By suppressing something inside of you, I've allowed history to repeat. You would never have been so vulnerable, had you known what had gone before."
Ayeka did not answer straight away, then she met her father's gaze with a sombre one of her own.
"You can't learn from your mistakes if you don't know what they are." She said levelly, fighting to keep her voice even as she did so. "Daddy, you've lied to me. You and Mother both. I…I don't know now if I can trust you on other things. Have you concealed from me other secrets? Other things you didn't want to handle in my upbringing, locked away behind closed doors?"
"No." Haru shook his head, and the pain in his expression almost made Ayeka break down and cry. "Ayeka, we did it that one time. But it was too distressing – for you and for us. Dr Kurashida advised us against repeating the procedure, and we both resolved that we wouldn't take that tack again."
"I really wanted to hurt Sasami that day, didn't I?"
"Yugi made you do things that weren't of your will."
"No…she didn't. Not entirely." Ayeka looked troubled. "Tsunami protected Sasami but she also repaired my memory for me, when she intervened today. I remember the things that you made me forget, Daddy. I was jealous of Sasami, when she was first born. I didn't understand anything about being a big sister. I had been the only child for so long – and then there she was, this intruder in my life. I did want rid of her. That wasn't Yugi – that was me."
She sighed.
"I want to believe it was Yugi who made me attack her." She added. "But because of everything, I can't be sure. And because you made those memories go away, it makes me wonder if you doubted me, too. You said you didn't, but if it wasn't my fault, why did you seek to make me forget it?"
Haru eyed his hands guiltily.
"Your mother and I have disagreed about that for so long." He admitted miserably. "Misaki has always had the ultimate faith in you, Ayeka. She blamed Yugi for it all – even for your feelings of envy as well as your outbursts and bad tempered behaviour."
"But you didn't, did you?" Ayeka stared at her father in dismay. "You wondered if I…if I could be capable!"
"Not of trying to kill your sister. That was beyond you, my child, and I always knew that." Haru folded his hands together absently as he spoke, and Ayeka could see how shaken her father really was. "But of your envy, yes. And your ability to behave like a spoiled only child...that too. I'm sorry for having harboured that suspicion, Ayeka-chan. I know that now you love your sister like nothing else. But there have been bad blood conflicts between members of Jurai's royal family in so many generations. Knowing the nature of Jurai's Princes, I did wonder about you and whether you did, secretly, wish your sister gone."
Ayeka sighed.
"I wanted to put a spell on her." She said slowly. "So that she wouldn't look like Mother, and everyone wouldn't fuss over how pretty she was."
Despite himself, a slight smile touched Haru's lips.
"Azusa once told me that he tried to send Aiko and I interstellar, when we were just tiny infants." He admitted. "He hated these tiny babies who'd replaced his mother and who spent all the time crying and demanding attention. So one day he decided he was going to send us to the colonies. He put us in one of the big transport boxes and told the guards on duty that it was a present for his pen friend. Fortunately Aiko decided to scream and yell, because otherwise we might just have been sent all that way."
Ayeka stared at him, and Haru spread his hands.
"Jealousy of younger siblings is natural." He added. "I'm sorry that by making you forget yours, I've made it out to be something more sinister. I was a very frightened man, that's the truth of it, and I took that fear out on a lot of people. My family were so precious to me that I couldn't imagine any of them having to live with the knowledge of something like that. So I took steps. They were the wrong ones – I realise that now. But I did it because I loved you. That's all."
"I suppose love does make you do funny things." Ayeka buried her head in her hands. "I am angry at you, Father. And I am angry at myself. But I am also afraid, too. What will Sasami make of all of this? Will she forgive me, after everything that's happened? We've always been so close. At least, I thought we had."
"You really have, Ayeka-chan." Haru assured her. "Without the influence of Yugi, you and your sister grew up closer to one another than you might otherwise have been. Misaki took it upon herself to involve you more and more with Sasami, so that you felt involved, not pushed aside. Your mother is very upset about all of this and she's angry at me too – she never wanted your memories erased at all. So if you want to be cross, my dear, be cross with me. This is my fault, not anyone else's."
Ayeka frowned, smoothing her bedcovers as she contemplated her father's words.
"I need time to think about it all, really." She admitted. "Father, I am angry at you for something else, too. Something else you told us, when we confronted you about Yugi and the past. About the way you made me see Ryoko, when we were both little girls."
Haru bit his lip, nodding his head.
"I thought that might come up." He admitted unwillingly. "Ryoko was always a frightening, rebellious, boisterous child. She was bad company for you, even if I was overly cautious about her nature. I did encourage you to believe her dangerous, because with her magic so out of hand, she might well have been. And she could have taught you bad habits and manners along the way, had you associated with her. Your mother once had to forcibly part you as tiny infants, fighting in the flower fields of one of our planets, and I did not want the future Queen of Jurai to grow up fist-fighting all comers."
"Perhaps." Ayeka acknowledged. "But Father, Ryoko is descended from Aunt Aiko. You loved her, and Uncle says that Ryoko is very like her. What would Aunt Aiko have wanted, if she'd known about Ryoko? Would she have been happy, that you cast her granddaughter out?"
Dismay flickered across Haru's expression, and he sighed.
"Another thing I wrestle with." He admitted. "No, probably she would not. But your Aunt was murdered and most likely at the hands of Ryoko's father. What magic that girl has in her, I don't know. I still believe that she could be dangerous, if pushed too far in the wrong direction. She has committed a multitude of crimes, Ayeka. She has shown her true nature from the start. Even if demon was too strong a word for her – she did not belong here on Jurai and Azusa should never have brought her here."
"I disagree." Ayeka said quietly, and Haru stared at her in surprise. "Are Jurai's doors always open to those who need help? Or do we only choose those people we like on sight – those people we can maybe use in the future as pawns and weapons of our own? Ryoko has many flaws, Father. And she has committed many crimes with very little remorse. But then again, I wonder, how many of those crimes might have been prevented if this planet had truly done its job and taken proper care of her when she needed it."
"Ayeka, I…"
"When I am Empress, that won't be allowed to happen." Ayeka held up her hand, determination in her gaze. "You might hate Ryoko for being a pirate, but you helped drive her to become one, Father. What you do impacts on other people's lives, not just yours. Ryoko has not always been my ally but in recent years she has done many things with Jurai's benefit in mind."
She sighed.
"And more recently, she has proven to be a true friend and confidant to me, when I needed someone to talk to." She added. "Even though I attacked her under Yugi's spell, she still defended me in front of you - and comforted me when I needed that support. We are very different people, it is true, and perhaps we would never have established such a rapport as children. But you put a deliberate rift between us…you should have let us decide for ourselves if we hated one another."
"Are you saying I should have accepted that girl as Azusa wanted, as an official ward of Jurai and effectively a Princess in all but name?" Haru looked startled. Ayeka frowned.
"Ryoko is a Princess, by bloodline, even if she is illegitimate." She said frankly. "And she will be even more of one, when she marries Lord Tenchi. So you'll have to accept her, then, and so call her, unless you wish to insult the wife of the man who has so often come to Jurai's rescue. Father, you can't control everything and everyone around you…sometimes you need to step back and let them make their own decisions. And not everyone is bad because they are low-born or have foreign blood or heritage. Yugi grew up Juraian and she turned bad. Ryoko ran away from Jurai - and now I can see good in her I never did as a child."
"Are you telling me this because you think I need the lesson, or because you intend to follow your own advice, musume-chan?" Haru asked softly, and Ayeka shrugged.
"I don't know." She admitted. "Perhaps we both need to learn it. Ryoko said I was bossy when I was in a position of power and I think I always have been controlling in some respects. But not everything is controllable, so I'm going to stop trying. I'm not going to be in the position one day when I choose to erase my child's memories because he or she does something I don't like. I don't always feel ready for the responsibilities on my head, Father, and that might be because you protected me far too much when I was young. Without my visits to the Earth and my adventures through space, I might be a completely hopeless excuse for a Princess of Jurai…you can't always protect me. Sometimes there are things I need to know, and do, and find out my own way. Otherwise I'll never make a good Empress, no matter how good my bloodline is."
She spread her hands.
"And in a sense, that goes for Sasami too, you know."
"Meaning?"
"You decide that Sasami can't visit the Council, nor speak to the Councillors on official matters such as the hearing of Lord Tennan." Ayeka said quietly. "You decide that noone will marry or even court her till she is eighteen, without even asking her opinion on the subject. And even though you know she is Tsunami, you keep it hushed up around the court, as if it's some terrible secret you hope will go away. You might make the same mistakes with her if you're not careful…and Father, when Uncle is gone, and you also, I will need my sister as a strong ally in times of crisis."
"You think that Sasami should have her own retinue, then?"
"I think that it's time you considered the official revival of the Cult of Tsunami, and also that it's time you asked Sasami to pick her own retinue." Ayeka agreed frankly. "Not picked them for her…let her decide."
"Sasami barely knows any of Jurai's Council, let alone any of the other lesser nobility at court." Haru objected. "She is thirteen, Ayeka. Not eighteen. There is time yet."
"Perhaps, but time will run out." Ayeka said gravely. "She's too much a child in some respects. Let her see more of what it's like to be an adult Princess…she's halfway there already, and you smother her too much. Just as you did me. She needs to make her own decisions. If she wants to be a child, well, let her. But if she wants to come to Council meetings, or when she chooses to court a beau, let her do it in her own time. You need to trust her, Father. And you need to trust me, too."
Haru pursed his lips, nodding his head.
"I will take that on board, my Crown Princess." He said softly, affection in his gaze. "And I am sorry, for the mistakes I have made. But all parents make them, Ayeka-chan. We all do. And we learn from them and move on – such is life."
"Speaking of which, I want to see Sasami." Ayeka said quietly. "If she'll see me, Father, I want to see her."
"But…"
"Father."
Haru closed his eyes, rubbing his temples as he contemplated what to do. At length he raised his gaze to his eldest child's.
"Sasami was shaken by this afternoon's occurances, just as you were." He said softly. "I do not seek to keep you apart, only to let you both come to terms with events before you share confidences and work out what happened between you. Sasami came within an inch of her life once more, my daughter. She was very afraid, when Kamidake brought her to me. She'd cried herself into a fit of hysteria, and I decided that until she was calm once more, I would keep you apart. Please understand...whatever your feelings may have been once where she was concerned, to Sasami you have always been the big sister she adores."
"Is she...afraid of me?" Ayeka looked distressed. Haru hesitated, then shook his head.
"No. She loves you." He said softly, resting his hand gently on hers as he sought to comfort her. "That's what made her so upset. I will let you see your sister, musume-chan, but right now I want you to rest. Sasami will come, when things are calmer. You have my word."
"All right." Ayeka sighed, biting her lip. "If she was really that upset, maybe...maybe you are right."
"Well, I hope I've been right in something." Haru said ruefully. He smiled, getting to his feet.
"Take a nap." He murmured. "I'll tell Takeru I've left you to sleep, and he won't disturb you."
"Thank you." Ayeka returned the smile with a faint one of her own, even as she settled down on her pillows. "And tell him something else, Father?"
"Yes?"
"Tell him that I was glad he was here, when I woke up. He was exactly who I needed to see and he said all the right things to comfort me."
Haru's smile broadened.
"Ah. Then yes, I see I have made one right decision where you were concerned, haven't I?"
Ayeka pinkened, nodding her head.
"I think you did." She acknowledged. "And you promise that Sasami will come later on?"
"When she is calmer and you have rested, Sasami will come." Haru agreed. Ayeka sighed, closing her eyes.
"Good." She murmured. "I must make amends with my sister as soon as possible. I do love her, and I must prove that to both of us, before I let this drive us apart."