Homecomings: Jurai

by Will Pii

Edition 2. Following the defeat of the dark goddess on Earth, the victors search for solace in a world forever changed. This tale follows the Jurai royal family, both familiar and not, in the aftermath of this event.

1. Prologue: Return of the Princess

Prologue – Return of the Princess

On the eighth of September, 1998, no one on Earth knew of the destruction which had targeted them. However, the Jurai Empire knew well the danger looming over the young world, as well as herself.

For millennia, the Jurai Empire ruled over a large portion of the Milky Way Galaxy. Long before the Galactic Union (GU) amalgamated itself from the races outside the empire's influence, the Juraian people had established and defended their own territory centered upon their throne-world, planet Jurai. A people of ancient traditions, the Jurai were ruled by an imperial lineage dating back to a great war with the world of crystals, Ryua.

Yet, it was Jurai's royal family which has maintained the empire's strength and authority. Each member of the lineage had access to a remarkable power, said by some to surpass the power of God Himself. As such, few have opposed Jurai, and those who have tried were absorbed into their dominion.

This power also pulsed through their flora, particularly their mighty trees. The power gave the trees a voice to speak to the people, thus allowing Jurai to develop a close connection to their world. Much of their technology arose from this deep link, from buildings to their space fleet. The "tree-ships" of Jurai were especially unique, each constructed from the plants native to the world. At the heart of each was a tree acting as the central control system for the entire vessel.

But, with all this power came a great weakness. Jurai's power had an antithesis, an energy with similar properties and an antipodal disposition. The Universal Science Academy (SA) classified this energy as "non-normal variety of occurrence" or "NVO". In almost all settings, Jurai energy and NVO energy clashed when brought together, causing pair-annihilation events.

The most notable of these events preceding September 1998 was the 1896 rampage of a Super-A class criminal, codenamed "K.A.I.N." by the Galaxy Police (GP). Kain himself was a sentient manifestation of NVO energy, well-known for the white, porcelain-like mask he created. As the law enforcement arm of the GU's government, the GP attempted to restrain Kain when he ran rampant through several GU solar systems, destroying many planets, some possibly inhabited. Unfortunately, Kain swept them aside almost effortlessly.

Realizing the threat that Kain posed to Jurai, and indeed the entire galaxy, the Jurai emperor of that age, Jurai Takeru XXI, personally joined the effort to stop the monster. Using a plan devised by the SA, the emperor joined his Jurai energy to the GP subspace network to weaken and capture Kain in the pocket dimension. Alas, channeling the monumental power needed to accomplish this task cost him his life.

Since this great loss, the Juraian crown has been very careful in its handling of any incident involving type NVO energy, particularly that of September 1998. At Galactic Standard Time (GST) 0000 on September 8, sector E-255 of the Juraian border with the GU was breached near the Heliotropis system. The closest border station, commanded by Admiral Jurai Soichiro, immediately declared a Level One Emergency and sent telemetry of the event back to fleet command on Jurai's throne-world.

Initially, all the data recorded from the event read null, even through the station itself registered an alert. The crew of the station, including Admiral Soichiro watched as the border defense satellites were ripped apart. They all described an orb of black fire. When it touched the defense field, which is natively maintained by Jurai energy, crimson and azure sparks flew from the point of impact. Soon enough, the ruby light consumed and crushed the satellites, leaving a gaping hole in Jurai's border.

Within hours, the SA's main campus on Todain was tracking and analyzing the anomaly, but they too could only briefly measure the output of the orb before their instruments failed. The only reading that could not be attributed to background radiation was of type NVO, immensely more potent than Kain. Its trajectory continued, oddly enough, away from the Juraian throne-world. Most of the experts were baffled by this until they computed its course, directly for Earth.

While the GP fruitlessly attempted to halt this NVO distortion, the modern emperor of Jurai, Jurai Azusa II, took a defensive posture. He ordered the Juraian fleet back to the border with the GU, consolidating his strength in case the distortion turned toward Juraian holdings. Some could have criticized him for this choice, but admittedly, nothing could be done. No Juraian vessel, nor any GU craft, could overtake the distortion, let alone produce the energy necessary to weaken or contain it.

Luckily, while most residents of Earth, known as Terrans, were blissfully ignorant of extraterrestrial dealings, there were notable exceptions. One particular organization based in North America had negotiated a treaty with the GP in the late 1960s, allowing the Terran group jurisdiction over Earth. Not long afterward near the end of 1970, a mysterious event grasped their attention in Tokyo, Japan, involving the Tokyo Tower. On the scene, agents found a royal decree written in Juraiji, Jurai's native tongue, stating that Japan and her holdings were already under Juraian protection.

Ordinarily, the agents would have ignored this decree, except that it came from the legendary Jurai Yosho, the legitimate successor to the throne. Questions were asked, but silence fell quickly, mainly due to pressure from the Juraian throne-world. Since then, Japan has been left to her own devices and has received several extraterrestrial inhabitants, many very significant. Specifically, the exiled scientific genius Hakubi Washu had taken up residence in the Masaki household, where Yosho also lived under the alias "Masaki Katsuhito".

Both the GP and the Terran agency sent their emissaries to contact both Yosho and Washu about this coming threat. With her unique technology, she was able to track the distortion's trail back to her own home-world of Ryua, the same that warred with Jurai in antiquity. Further, she provided a means to cross the galaxy to the world of crystals within a day to investigate, and hopefully end, this threat.

However, another voice suggested a supplementary plan. While Yosho had been crown prince in his youth, his abdication of the throne shifted the lineage to another family line. The violet-tressed Jurai Ayeka was the granddaughter of the man who took Yosho's place on the seat of Jurai's authority, and many recognized her as the crown princess of the empire. The regal lady suggested that there should be two missions: one to Ryua to stop the distortion, and one to Jurai to enlist aid in case the other mission failed.

As Washu lead an investigative team to Ryua, Ayeka spearheaded a group to the Jurai throne. With her, she brought Jurai Yosho, hoping his name and wise words would sway the emperor's favor. She also brought her younger sister Sasami, planning to leave her deep within the defensive perimeter of the throne-world.

Together, these three pleaded their case to Emperor Azusa II, but their requests were turned away. Yet, others were listening. The emperor's knights, Juraiko Azaka and Juraiko Kamidake, chose to join the princess and left with her to fight on Earth.

Similarly, the team sent to Ryua also was unable to uncover any means of stopping the distortions progress. Together, those on Earth cobbled what resources they had to defend themselves against this threat in the last few hours remaining.

The GP had two resident officers in the solar system, Detectives First Class Makibi Kiyone and Kuramitsu Mihoshi, as well as a liaison officer with the Terrans, Officer Matsu Mitsuki. Between these three, the GP was represented by two patrol-ships, Yagami and Hayato, well-known for their pronounced prows and metallic finish. The Terrans retrofitted a thirty-year-old saucer-shaped starship for the combat sortie, having two of their best pilot and man its weapons. From Pentinon, a GU member world known for its strong local militia, a young bounty hunter, William Pii, piloted a sleek fighter as well.

Washu and an SA graduate student, Nerti Ro, quickly developed pseudo-Jurai energy weapons for these ships, based off of the doctor's previous work with psy-wave activity of trees and the student's work into NVO energy. Further, the genius hurriedly combined this technology with one of the GP's most powerful weapons, a dimensional cannon. Two crystalline ships from Ryua, Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki, were also among those assembled for combat, each easily recognized by their fierce spines and sharp angles.

Yet, the most surprising vessels in this little armada were two Juraian tree-ships, both thought lost years prior. Yosho's Funaho and Ayeka's Ryu-Oh both inexplicably returned in the battle for Earth, both fully repaired and functional.

Even with the eight craft involved and the "Jurai cannon", expectations of the battle were quite bleak. The citizens of Jurai watched from afar, breathlessly awaiting the outcome of the approaching battle. Azusa himself kept in constant contact with his admirals, his ears aching for news of the doomed world's inevitable fall. Similarly, the GU followed the distortion via the SA's numerous sensor arrays, all now turned toward the growing anticipation.

Then, hearts skipped a beat. The distortion vanished and reappeared within the orbit of Mars, and within an hour's time, the battle over Earth ensued. While sparks of red and green filled the skies over Manhattan Island, Azusa ordered his fleet to ready themselves. His officers also maintained constant feeds of the event, hoping to see some tactics of their enemy.

Suddenly, the ships scattered when a brilliant flash of white blinded many observing sensors. Washu had fired her Jurai cannon, ripping apart a significant portion of the black construct. Unfortunately, the mass survived and enveloped the naïve world in darkness. Fear gripped the Juraian populace, imagining this shadow falling around their own planet. Admirals relayed orders to their subordinates to ready their batteries and fighters. Azusa commanded that the planetary defenses be activated.

Minutes ticked away across the galaxy, and no signals issued from the shell around Earth. The SA could only detect the NVO energy encasing the globe, which drowned any other emanations. Mighty nations held their breath awaiting a sign from a "backwater world" at the edge of their dominion.

At once across telemetry of those watching so closely, a glimmer of radiance broke through the shadow. The sphere around Earth hemorrhaged and quaked as that one piercing force caused the shell to disintegrate. Confusion swept the SA. Gasps were followed by cheers on Jurai and all her holdings. Within moments, the looming threat for the past four days vanished from sight and was no more.

Over the course of the following day, Emperor Azusa did lower Jurai's defenses and contacted the Terran agency. Their report outlined more detail regarding the incident, but the head of state also requested a debriefing from his knights. Azaka answered his liege's call, though Kamidake was occupied with other duties.

Yet, the meeting was interrupted by a point of related interest. On the streets of Manhattan, a Ryoan national, Ryua Ryoshu, was found walking the streets. The agency sent field operatives to investigate, but shortly afterward, all communication from Earth was terminated. Once again, the SA monitored plumes of NVO energy arising from Manhattan Island, rivaling those witnessed from the distortion itself.

Within the hour, equivalent amounts of Jurai's power also burst on the strip of land. Between the two conflicting types of potential, the equipment of both the SA and Jurai was blinded by the raw essence rising from Earth. The fleet would wait no longer. Without any intelligence from Earth to extrapolate events, the admirals of Jurai besought their liege, adamantly requesting action. Reluctantly, Azusa conceded to their wishes.

A day into their journey, reports rose from Earth. Miraculously, the Darkness had been defeated on Earth by those few with their meager resources. Detective Makibi and Sir Azaka both relayed their accounts of the events, which eventually made their way to Azusa's seat of authority. Soon enough, the emperor himself joined the journey to Earth to witness the devastation and heroes for himself.

Once he arrived, the Juraian ruler debriefed his knights in private, hearing the truth of what occurred. He saw the island of Manhattan torn asunder, its foundations lacerated and its cityscape flattened. He saw Ryu-Oh buried within the rubble of a once great tower of glass and steel. The people of Earth were demanding answers of their leaders, who had none to give.

Unbeknown to the public, Azusa II and his two knights met with representatives of the Terran agency about this Manhattan incident. The emperor listened as these off-worlders spoke openly with him about some of the deepest secrets of Jurai's history, some which had been lost to time. They told him of "Tsunami" and the origin of Jurai's power, as well as "Tokimi" and her kinship to Ryua's fiery light.

Azaka and Kamidake confirmed every word. To the Juraians, these two men were akin to England's Arthurian legend. Both stood alongside their king, the first king of Jurai, during his reign millennia ago and now have returned in this age to serve anew. They knew many of these tales, even lived some of them, but several even they only knew as myth.

But, they knew her, the "Lady of Mystery", goddess and matron of Jurai.

Azusa weighed this carefully. This event had become a terrible scenario for first contact with the Terran race. As much as the Terran agency wanted to cover up the incident, it was impractical. Earth would know about extraterrestrial life now, regardless of other decisions. However, the nature of the last few days delved deeply into Juraian lore, much of it lost or classified on the throne-world. There was also the implication of dark dealings on the world of crystals. The knights were adamant that there should be no secrets, that too much wisdom and history had been lost.

Yet, a whisper tickled the back of his mind. They are soldiers, it said, not rulers.

The great man closed his eyes and stroked his violet beard, considering these words.

They are from a more naïve time. These are imperial secrets, and we must be careful with them.

Soon, the words became his own.

"All talk of this lost history should be studied thoroughly before it is divulged," he said, "even to Jurai's populace."

Azaka and Kamidake requested that he reconsider, but he disagreed.

"This began in darkness. Let it remain there."

So it did. Before the General Assembly of the United Nations of Earth, Emperor Jurai Azusa II apologized profusely for this unfortunate first contact with the Terran people. To the heads of state from the numerous countries of the world, he told a tale of how Jurai and the GP tried to stop the distortion. He attested that while most of the NVO energy was destroyed in orbit, a remnant remained, one that Lady Jurai Ayeka sought and confronted in Manhattan. Successive attempts to render that piece inert lead to the destruction of the city.

Detective Makibi Kiyone and her former partner, Kuramitsu Mihoshi, sat in the audience. Each was bore silent audience to the fable the emperor and the agents told. Kamidake stood to his emperor's left, dutiful and honorable. Beneath his mane of scarlet hair, the young man repressed a grimace at the half-truths and lies being given to these potential allies.

Azaka's lavender eyes scanned over the audience, listening to the speech given by his emperor. The warrior detested this choice but conceded to his liege's edict. He could understand covert action during war, but this was not war.

At least, not yet, he thought.

Then, he caught a glimpse of a flutter near the back of the gathered leaders. Unfortunately, from his vantage point beneath the bright lights of the room, he could not see the person's face. He could only see a paper fan held by a lady's hand over her face.

X X X

Many people in the galaxy knew the name "Jurai Ayeka". Her father, Jurai Azusa I, was the previous legitimate emperor of Jurai, making her crown princess and heir to the throne. However, three years ago, she abdicated her right of succession and left Jurai after a coup d'etat nearly took her life. Many on Jurai questioned her reasoning in relinquishing her birthright.

She did not, at the time.

Aboard her Ryu-Oh, Ayeka gazed through her viewing screen, watching the stars streak past. Her long tresses of violet hair fell behind her like a bride's train, elegantly combed and delicately smoothed. Her kimono was layered, each a darker shade of blue or indigo approaching her hair color. The embroidery of her outer robe was masterful, detailed in subtle flower motifs, mainly irises.

Beneath her bowl of dark hair, Ayeka's amethyst eyes glistened with a few tears, her thoughts reflective and confused. Many had said that there was a somber beauty in her, a quiet and gentle strength in how she carried herself. Her every motion was elegant, practiced into a very art. None ever questioned that she was bred and raised to be royalty.

Yet, deep inside, her heart laid in shattered pieces, her strength drained and weakened. Her life had radically changed several times in the last few years, and now the young woman continually questioned herself.

Where did it all go wrong? What did I do wrong?

She thought back to her life before Earth, before Masaki Tenchi. From her earliest memories, Ayeka was taught to be proper and respectful. The little princess had several private tutors from Jurai's Ministry of Education that schooled her in history, etiquette, rhetoric, and the sciences. While her education was rounded, she naturally excelled in rhetoric, though she was dedicated in whatever she chose to pursue.

Her mother, Empress Jurai Misaki, would often compare Ayeka to her father. Not only did their daughter inherit his hair color, but also his stubbornness and perfectionism. Misaki liked to dress her daughter in cute kimonos, but little Ayeka would escape her mother's sight and change into something more proper, mimicking her father's style of dress.

There was one item Ayeka always had with her, the tiara key. Composed of the intricately woven branches of a Juraian oak, the tiara key was an ancient heirloom of their family, dating back to Emperor Jurai Sho I. Crafted like a lady's tiara, its crown held a violet crest which allowed its wielder to easily focus their Jurai energy or synchronize thoughts with one of Jurai's trees. Azusa always kept the device attached to his shoulder rather than his brow.

The ruler gave her the tiara on her fifth birthday, seeing as she was such a quick learner. In a few short years, she would be old enough to start learning the use of Jurai's power, and the key would help her control and channel it, just like it did him. When she received it, the item adjusted itself for her, bringing a curiosity and interest to her eyes. She cherished it to this day and wore it proudly on her brow. As she grew, the tiara configured itself for her at each stage. In time, it seemed like a part of her. She often even slept with it on her forehead.

Unfortunately, Azusa and Misaki could not spend much time with their daughter. As emperor, Azusa was always busy with matters of state. As commander of the royal bodyguard, Misaki was likewise occupied with the daily management of security and defense. Ayeka was left to herself and her tutors, which left her often lonely. She rarely visited with those of her own age, and though she did act more mature, she was still a child. When she did play with others, she would try to impress them with her toys or clothes, which made others find her arrogant or blatantly haughty.

Shortly after receiving the tiara key, the princess was taken on a trip to a nearby planet in the Jurai Empire. There, she was carted around the planet by her tutors and guards, giving her a historical tour of the world. However, she grew bored after hours of quiet and sterile museums so she slipped away from her entourage into a field of flowers.

There, Ayeka met another young girl, different from those on Jurai. While she had met people from other worlds before, they had always been the prestigious and renowned. This girl was neither. Her clothes were pretty, but about a year old. Her manner was unrefined, even brash. Her eyes were a sly feline shape, amber in color. Her cyan hair was tied to one side, emerging like a bound set of plumes. Accounts differed as to what actually transpired between the two, but all involve an argument over a hand-made crown of flowers.

Only later did Ayeka learn this girl's name, Ryua Ryoko, daughter of a Ryoan pirate. Strangely, the destinies of these two girls would become tightly intertwined.

Since the princess had escaped her chaperons, Azusa and Misaki assigned the two Juraian guardians to protect their daughter and heir. Named Azaka and Kamidake, these two machines seemingly looked like large wooden logs with the Juraiji for their names written upon them with a skilled calligraphy. However, each was a full artificial intelligence, complete with an independent personality that was highly loyal to the current emperor. Both could easily manifest a force barrier or open a barrage of energy blasts from their single optic sensor. This pair had likewise guarded Azusa in his youth, as well as his predecessors.

Yet, Ayeka was not her father, and was much more adept at sneaking away. The princess was eight when she visited a carnival on Jurai, escorted by the guardians. She did lose her chaperons a couple times, but they found her much more easily with their sensor arrays.

And, it was this carnival where Ayeka met Ryoko a second time. Accounts varied far more for this encounter depending on the witness, some involving a cabbit doll or clay pottery. In any case, Azaka and Kamidake both reported that the young princess was so angered that Ryoko's carnival booth was left in shambles. Whether or not Ayeka had reason for her feelings was debatable since the guardians did not have constant vigil on her, and it is likely that the two girls had another altercation aside from what was witnessed.

Still, people did remark that the princess grew more haughty as she matured. Azusa and Misaki encouraged their daughter to play with some of the other royal children and make friends, but she shunned them, already feeling shunned and isolated herself. Ayeka rarely played with any of her peers for a couple years, and many did not see her publicly except for appearances at her parents' side.

However, she did open up around her tenth birthday. She befriended another daughter of the royal family, Juraihelm Ramia, a few months her junior. The two remained close friends for several years as they both came into knowledge of Jurai's power. Like most children of the royal family, Ayeka and Ramia naturally possessed Jurai's power, and signs of this mighty force usually emerge around puberty. Ramia, daughter of a military family, was trained hard in its use, both for attack and defense. However, Ayeka chose to learn only defense, at which she became most adept. By the time both girls were eleven, Ayeka could manifest a barrier before Ramia could raise her hand to strike.

As Ayeka grew stronger and more intelligent, Azusa's pride in her swelled, as did Misaki's. Yet, even with a friend like Ramia, their daughter was still very alone. Misaki had been wanting to have another child for several years, but the imperial couple had abstained due to their duties. Therefore, Misaki chose to relinquish her duties temporarily so she could give her daughter a sibling, and her husband another heir. The first few months of her pregnancy went well, and Ayeka became closer to her mother, watching how she handled the life growing within her. The young princess started to wonder about marriage and family herself, and her mother assured her that she would find her prince, just like she did.

Then, Ayeka's life turned. Misaki's pregnancy complicated, necessitating her to be bedridden in her final trimester. The violet-tressed girl remained loyally at her mother's side, running errands and helping where she could. Azusa stayed with his wife, only being torn away when his presence was absolutely needed. Unfortunately, Misaki's condition never improved, and the doctors worried that she would miscarry. Ayeka watched her father's brow furrow in frustration and anger. Rarely had she seen him this way, the ruler of the mightiest empire in the galaxy completely helpless.

Misaki did not miscarry, and with her husband at her side, she gave birth to a second daughter, Jurai Sasami. Yet, whatever twisted her pregnancy had torn at her body and left her too weak to survive the birth. Empress Jurai Misaki died a few hours after holding her second child.

Azusa was the one to tell Ayeka of her mother's death. At first, the princess did not speak, the thought of her mother's mortality the farthest notion from her mind. Shock took her for a few moments, but the grief thinly veiled in her father's face smashed any disillusion. Tears welled in her eyes. Her stomach twisted in knots. She could only cry and cling to the emperor as he too sobbed over her.

Not long afterward, Azusa and Ayeka laid Misaki to rest in the fields of royal teardrops, a purplish flower native to Jurai used for solemn occasions like this. In Ayeka's arms, she held her baby sister, a little girl tressed in azure just like her mother. Silently, the elder princess swore to care and watch over her sibling in her mother's stead, asking for patience and guidance.

As the priest spoke the last rites over Misaki's grave, Ayeka's mind was too distant to hear the coughs of her father. Soon, he too fell ill and bedridden, which struck many other royals as very odd, too odd to be a coincidence. Investigations were made while doctors tended to the fallen emperor, but Ayeka focused on tending to Sasami's cries, and her father when she could.

Soon enough, the Holy Council, Jurai's legislative branch of government, began demanding that Emperor Azusa I name a successor. His daughters, twelve years old and newborn, were far too young to take the throne or marry. Still, Azusa was adamant that his lineage would take the throne after him so the ruler made an accord with the Council. Should he die of his illness, the Holy Council would have proxy for Ayeka until she was of age to rule or marry.

While the politics flared, Azusa called his elder daughter to his side. Worried and afraid, the princess dutifully listened.

"Take care of your sister, Ayeka," he told her. "Only trust your heart, your sister, and your guardians."

Azusa knew what would likely happen. After his death, the Holy Council would try to marry Ayeka to one of their own to wrangle control of the throne. But, she was stubborn and proud. She would not be controlled if given the right nudge. He encouraged her to raise her sister well, to protect her from those who would do them harm. In so doing, he hoped she would protect herself as well. With that thought, he joined his wife in the next life during the night.

Ayeka was told of her father's death the morning after he was found. She wanted to wall herself in her bedroom and cry, to cry until she could no longer make the tears or sobs. However, the princess of Jurai took a breath and nodded in silence.

I am the crown princess of Jurai, she told herself, successor to the throne. I should act like it.

In his will, Azusa left Ayeka a young tree, Ryu-Oh. Using her key, she synchronized and bonded with the plant, which, in time, grew into her personal yacht. The tree-ship became her refuge from the rest of the planet, and her confidant when others would not listen or understand.

The next few years saw the violet-tressed princess splitting her time between her studies and the care of her younger sister. With the help of her maids and the guardians, she did find a balance between being the crown princess and an example for Sasami. Admittedly, Sasami looked up to her sister more as a mother than a sibling some times. Likewise, Ayeka fiercely protected the azure-haired girl as she grew.

Nightly, Ayeka would read Sasami stories from her collection of books, not only to spend time with her sibling, but also to study herself. The little princess listened intently as her elder sister recited elegant poetry from the Twentieth Dynasty or the "Legend of the Two Knights" from the Holy Chronicle of Jurai.

When the violet-tressed princess came of age, suitors descended upon her. Numerous Juraian nobles began to court her and vie for her affections, always in the hopes of becoming emperor. Many of these young men were the sons of current members of the Holy Council, which made her see the purpose in her father's words. Soon enough, she and the guardians began to travel the empire, meeting her potential husbands, and their usually cold and callous attempts at romance. She had to leave Sasami in the care of nannies during many of these trips, commonly for weeks at a time. Similarly, the princess drifted away from her friendship with Ramia, who was occupied with her own education in the fleet academy.

Often, the stresses would consume her, and Ayeka would vacation away from Jurai's domain to forget her royal duties for a time. Unfortunately, these were usually short as the Council would send a battleship from the fleet to escort her home.

On one of these flights from responsibility, she ran across Ryua Ryoko once again, working as a maid in her hotel. Like with their other encounters, the two clashed, although the Ryoan girl had also come into her own native power and bonded to a cabbit companion, Ryo-Ohki. Apparently, Ryoko also had followed in her father's legacy, starting down the road of theft and piracy. After a few days, the cyan-maned girl fled the planet, the Galaxy Police in hot pursuit.

"Uncivilized peasant girl", Ayeka scoffed to herself watching her crystalline ship vanish into the sky.

Even though she said this, part of her envied that freedom Ryoko had. She could go wherever she chose, do whatever she wanted. Ayeka was tied to tradition and obligation, a prisoner of her birthright. By the age of nineteen, the elder princess of Jurai had become weary of the suitors. She rarely saw Sasami, save in passing. Her younger sister was seven and darted around the skies in her own tree-ship. While Sasami was still excited to see Ayeka, the violet-tressed young woman no longer had the energy to reciprocate anymore.

As she now stood aboard Ryu-Oh's bridge, aged twenty-two years, Ayeka felt a heavier solitude crushing her. Even the calming babble of the waters between the tree-ship's deck plates and the tranquil canopy of lush leaves above her could not break the melancholy surrounding her.

"Then, I met him," she whispered to herself.

The princess clutched her hands over her chest, gathering the pieces of her heart as she turned from the stellar scenery. A glimmer sparked in the violet crest of her tiara, and soft, kind words rang in her mind. The timbre was familiar and warm to the regal lady, an old friend.

Do you want to go below? the voice asked as thin, coherent beams of light shot down from the central trees leaves. Each reflected off the water below with a crisp and harmonious chime.

Silently, she nodded, and in a moment, a gentle emerald light surrounded her. As the brilliance faded from the bridge, it emerged within the princess's private quarters below the main decks. Ayeka stepped out from the orb of light and stood over her bed.

"… I loved him…" she uttered.

I know, the voice answered.

Tears edged at the corners of her eyes while her hands clenched one another tighter. Yet, alongside the shards of her heart, another knife twists in her chest.

"… I abandoned her, Ryu-Oh…" she whispered, her voice wavering. "I left her on Earth…"

She is my Lady, mistress. She is connected to us all, always.

Ayeka knew this cutting feeling in her chest that sliced through all her layers of regal training and poise. She felt it when she drew forth Jurai's power against the usurper, Jurai Kagato, and again when she first faced the Matron of Ryua, and each hour since.

Guilt.

She fell across her bed, sobs starting to wrack her body. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as her hands clawed at the sheets around her, pulling them close. Surrounded by the elegant décor of her bedroom, Ayeka curled herself upon her bed, alone and broken.

X X X

When the NVO distortion first appeared, Emperor Azusa II had ordered the entirety of Jurai's navy back into their native territory, in case the enemy changed its target. After its defeat, most of the ships were returned to their normal duty postings, though their alert status remained elevated for some time afterward. Some vessels were temporarily reassigned to the Juraian throne-world and her nearby systems for extra security until all were sure the threat had passed.

The tree-ship Chizuru was one of the frigates which usually patrolled Jurai's skies, now lost among the many others. Like many of Jurai's fleet, her hull was carved from the sturdy trees of Ryuten, which was a hardier breed than the more elegant aspen-like trees of the throne-world. Her configuration was more practical than some of the personal yachts piloted by individual members of the royal family: crew quarters, mess hall, main bridge, brig, and central tree chamber. The hull design was similar to those of GP patrol-ships, particularly the pronounced prow. Some Juraian carvers have claimed that the GP engineers lack imagination and copied their concept.

Presently, Chizuru was moored in orbit over the planet Jurai for her yearly inspection, giving her crew some shore leave. However, today, the captain and first officer were busy with an official occupation. The inspection team wanted to run some tests on the processing speed of the central tree, particularly when used by the ship's command officers. Bridge officers were almost without exception members of the Jurai royal family, and, thus, had the ability to commune with the tree directly, unlike the rest of the crew. As the tree is the central control unit of the vessel, this speed test would give a baseline for successive tests on the other systems.

Still, Captain Jurai Sagami and his first officer, Commander Amaki Eiji, would rather be having a drink with their comrades. Sagami and Eiji had a good rapport with their crew, not just with their fellow officers, but also their enlisted men as well. There was an implicit trust between the current officers and crew that dated back three years, to the recent coup d'etat in the Jurai Empire.

At that time, the throne had been vacant for six years, pending the marriage of Princess Jurai Ayeka. While she was "vacationing" on the distant planet Earth, a man claiming to be the legendary "Jurai Yosho" appeared and assumed his rite of succession to the throne, subverting Ayeka's. Shock rippled through the Juraian chain of command at the sudden change, but many admirals and captains promised all would be well with this great man leading Jurai. Yet, shortly afterward, Ayeka and her little sister Sasami were branded enemies of the empire, traitors and terrorists to be captured and brought back to Jurai for trial.

Sagami, then a lieutenant, did not believe this story for a moment, nor did his father, Admiral Jurai Soichiro. Soichiro was a staunch loyalist to the late Emperor Jurai Azusa I and had known both Ayeka and Sasami since they were very small. He had often had Sasami visit his estate when her sister became too busy with suitors and official duties to care for her. The azure-haired princess dubbed him "Uncle", even through his family had branched away from the ruling line several generations back. Sagami knew them the ladies vicariously through his father's relationship to the sisters. Still, even though Ayeka would be understandably surprised by "Yosho's" sudden ascension, it was not in her character to attack the throne. Similarly, targeting Sasami, a child, seemed far too ruthless for the emperor of Jurai.

Soichiro and Sagami both kept their loyalties quiet under the administration of the coup, lest they vanish like so many loyalists and claimants to the throne. However, they did find comrades at their respective postings, Soichiro on his border platform and Sagami aboard Chizuru. Many of the rank-and-file soldiers were confused by the targeting of the princesses, as well as other military action to suppress claimants to the throne. Many remained silent and reluctantly followed orders. Others came to Sagami and Soichiro's attention and were supported in their confusion, and mistrust, with the current administration.

Rumors persisted for weeks that Ayeka and her entourage from Earth were headed to the Jurai throne-world, and a month before the end of the coup, there were sightings of her on the Heliotropis system. Soichiro's border platform was one of several ports between Jurai's territory and the holdings of the Galactic Union around Heliotropis, Sector E-255. Together, the father and son planned a scheme, in case Ayeka were to pass through that particular port of call.

Luckily, the captain of Chizuru at the time was loyal to Azusa I and his daughters, allowing Lt. Jurai Sagami a "leave of absence" to visit his "ailing father" on the Heliotropis border station. Upon his arrival, Soichiro secretly gave him access to many of the station's security points, letting him wander the platform freely. His officer rank also gave him the ability to send away nosey, or corrupt, soldiers.

As Fate would have it, the Masaki household did indeed pass through Soichiro's border station, disguised as a GU class on a field trip. Thanks to the technology of Dr. Hakubi Washu, initial scans of the party returned false data, corroborating their forged identification. However, Soichiro recognized Sasami, even if she was a couple years older. As per their plan, he sent Sagami to watch over Sasami while the admiral quietly monitored the security from his command post. Unfortunately, Soichiro's security chief was loyal to the coup, complicating matters.

Here, Sagami met Masaki Tenchi, dressed as a girl, and young Jurai Sasami. Humored, the lieutenant pretended to flirt with "Tenko", a pretense to keep close to the princess. Inevitably, their cover was blown due to the naivety of Kuramitsu Mihoshi, necessitating immediate flight from the station. Chasing the pirate of their group, Ryua Ryoko, Mihoshi ran through the food court of the station, where Tenchi, Sasami, and Sagami were having lunch. Feigning surprise and clumsiness, Sagami tripped the guards, allowing the four to escape. Meanwhile, Soichiro disabled the security protocols from the command hub, giving Ayeka's friends some much needed breaks.

Unfortunately, in their flight, Sasami was separated from the others by a pair of security shutters. Alone, she wandered through the station's corridors, afraid of soldiers behind each turn. However, she need not worry as Sagami was also in those hallways, quietly subduing each guard he could isolate. Alas, the security system was restored by the station's technicians under the security chief's direction, and Sasami was caught and gassed, with Sagami a few meters away. He contacted his father, and the admiral himself came down to release her. Carefully, Soichiro left Sasami where Tenchi's party could find her prior to their escape.

Sagami continued onward and found Tenchi, Ryoko, and Mihoshi besieged by a troop of guards. The young lieutenant tossed a staff to Tenchi, who, trained by the true Jurai Yosho, defeated the entire troop with a little clawed assistance from Ryoko's cabbit partner, Ryo-Ohki. While Tenchi fought and Ryoko was occupied by Mihoshi's pleas, Sagami slipped away, lest he be more directly associated to the "rebels". Thanks to Ryo-Ohki's shape-shifting ability, Ayeka's entourage broke free of the station and escaped into Jurai's territory.

Initially, the security chief held Sagami for aiding and abetting the fugitives, but he nonchalantly shrugged this off.

"A troop of Juraian soldiers to capture three women?" Sagami asked. "That's hardly sporting, or respectful."

He also could not contain a smirk at the bruises the soldiers wore after not only fighting Tenchi, but the real Yosho, known then only as a "Terran priest".

The security chief was hardly amused and kept Sagami imprisoned until the coup ended a week later. He also put in a formal inquiry into Admiral Jurai Soichiro's conduct during the affair. When the coup d'etat did end, Sagami was vindicated and released back to Chizuru.

However, much changed. Even though Princess Ayeka was generous and spared those involved in the coup, most still left their positions. There were also rumors that many of them may have even fallen on their own swords in private. Regardless, several vacancies appeared in Jurai's hierarchy, both political and military. Hence, many people, particularly the young officers, rose in rank to replace those who left, shifting the composition of the Juraian leadership.

Thanks to his actions at the E-255 border platform and loyalty to the crown, Sagami was promoted to commander and made executive officer (XO) of Chizuru. The young officers and enlisted men under his command admired his initiative and risk during the coup. Over the course of the following year, he further earned their respect and trust through his leadership as second-in-command.

His captain was also watching, and due to his age, decided to retire and leave Chizuru to Sagami's capable hands. Thus, Jurai Sagami rose to the rank of captain and commanding officer (CO) of his own ship by merit and deed. The harrowing events of the recent Jurai family reunion only cemented Sagami's position with his crew, leading them in retaking the skies of the throne-world.

Yet, Sagami never enjoyed the tedious duties of a captain. He liked to greet dignitaries and even the occasional away mission. However, running speed tests on the central tree hardly rang of "interesting", let alone "adventurous".

On the other hand, Amaki Eiji did not mind a quiet engineering job. He and Sagami were contemporaries at the fleet academy, but had not met until some mutual friends pulled Eiji to the bar one night. There, Sagami was already telling jokes with the other cadets, oozing charisma and personality. Eiji, who had been rigorously studying for an upcoming exam, sat quietly and sipped sake until Sagami came to his side and offered him a beer.

"My friend," Sagami said, "you don't come to a bar to drown your problems. You come to celebrate your life and your friends."

"I'm sorry," Eiji replied, "but I don't really like beer."

Sagami grinned to himself and waved to the barkeep. "You just haven't met the right one yet."

"I'm sure I haven't, nor do I really have interest to do so."

"Fair enough. What say I enjoy my beer and get your next drink?"

Eiji considered this for a moment and conceded. Within the span of two hours, Eiji had a Ryoan ale in his hand and was flirting with a lady cadet. Sagami and their peers were watching from a distance cheering him onward until the woman's hand connected with Eiji's cheek. As she stormed off, Sagami walked up and patted his shoulder.

"And that, Eiji, is something you'll never learn in a book."

Eiji rubbed his sore cheek for a moment before he scoffed and agreed. By the end of the night, each had made passes at several other women and needed to be carried back to the barracks.

The two finished the academy as close friends and were assigned to different ships, Sagami to Chizuru and Eiji to a research vessel, Shizuka. They kept in contact until the coup d'etat when many avenues of communication became monitored, particularly those belonging to nobles. From the House Amaki, Eiji was also of the Jurai royal family, though more distantly related than Sagami. Still, he lost track of his friend for the months of the coup. Luckily, Shizuka was assigned to study the star clusters around Sirius, away from the underhandedness on the throne-world.

After the coup, Eiji, then a lieutenant-commander, was reassigned to the destroyer Ikari, whose command staff had all been involved in the coup. The harsher atmosphere of a combat vessel was not conducive to the naturally subdued Eiji. With many of the officers replaced, the enlisted men became angst-ridden, which grated against the young man. A few months saw him already requesting transfer.

The request fell across Sagami's desk, and he promptly acquired his friend for Chizuru's crew. Sagami's recommendation helped to ingratiate Eiji with the enlisted men, which renewed Amaki's spirit. In this atmosphere, Amaki Eiji flourished, rising to the rank of commander and position of XO.

At present, Eiji had his hand pressed to the trunk of the tree Chizuru within the core of the eponymous vessel. Eyes closed, his thoughts mingled with those of the sentient flora. His palm glowed a soft emerald while he let several personnel records slip from the tree's memory into his conscious mind.

A distance away, a pair of technicians nodded at the translucent displays before them. The screens showed the stream of data, seemingly incoherent symbols scrolling past with a gauge off to the side reading "Command Synchronization: 27.8%".

Sagami yawned and leaned against a nearby wall. His soft brown hair framed his face, grown long and tied behind his head in a ponytail. His hazel eyes drooped, bored and utterly uninterested in this test. He had already had his turn at communing with Chizuru, reaching a synchronization of 23.9%. The captain had never been particularly skilled at using Jurai's power, even though he was trained in its basic use. Eiji, however, had more natural talent, particularly with synching with trees.

Soon, the technicians waved to Eiji.

"That's enough, commander."

At this, the officer took a soft breath and let the glow on his hand fade away. With a word of thanks to the tree, Eiji turned to Sagami, who cracked his neck and stands again. The technicians passed a hand over their displays, dissipating them.

"We should have enough data for analysis," the techs stated before they bow to the officers. "Thank you again for your time, gentlemen."

Sagami and Eiji both bow in return.

"Thank you for your attention to our ship," Sagami replied.

"Let us know what more you need of us," Eiji added.

The captain grimaced some at his colleague's comment before they rose from their bow.

"We will," one of the techs answered as they turned to leave the tree chamber.

After the technicians were out of earshot, Sagami glanced to Eiji.

"You didn't have to add that, you know."

"I was just being polite, Sagami."

"Yeah, I know," the captain scoffed.

Together, the two men stepped out from the tree chamber, letting a door slide closed and seal behind them. As they walked through the corridor, Sagami grinned to himself, considering an idea.

"Interested in a drink?"

Eiji lifted a brow to his friend. "That depends on where you have in mind. The last place you chose had two bar fights by the end of the night."

Sagami shrugged. "Hey, I didn't know those troopers couldn't hold their liquor."

The commander folded his arms and rolled his eyes.

Maintaining his smile, Sagami explained, "We were actually invited, Eiji."

The other officer's brows furrowed. "Oh? By whom?"

"Captain Tensho. He wanted a little company this evening."

"Really? I thought Hi-Ryu was already reassigned to patrol Ryua."

The captain shook his head. "Not yet. Hi-Ryu has been assigned to the throne-world until the emperor deems the situation on Earth 'resolved'."

"Why'd Tensho invite us? I've heard of him in passing, but never really met him."

"I met him at the reunion, and he's a nice enough man. I expect he has a tale or two to tell."

Eiji waved his hand aside. "I think I'll pass, Sagami. I'm planning a nice eight hours tonight."

Sagami scoffed. "Spoil-sport."

"We are scheduled to appear at Lady Ayeka's welcome banquet in two days," Eiji added plainly. "I would like a night without social activity between now and then."

Sagami pursed his lips. "I see your point."

"I saw her briefly during the reunion," the commander recalled. "She's changed a lot since she was heir to the throne."

The superior officer nodded, considering the violet-tressed woman. "She has."

Only a few short weeks ago, when Earth was still imperiled, Sagami had met with Ayeka and her party. She had come to solicit Jurai's assistance in the battle with the NVO distortion, but unlike what has been broadly purported, the crown did not heed this call. He had watched as she stood with vehemence in her eyes and words before Emperor Azusa II, her great-uncle.

And, he saw the frustration and disappointment in her face when the emperor denied her aid, five times.

Even then, Ayeka chose to return to Earth. "Earth is my home now, and I belong there," she had told him. These words gave Sagami pause at the time. Though she had foregone her right to succession, many, including him, still regarded her as the crown princess of the Juraian throne. To hear her ready to risk her life for another world took him aback.

Now, she was on a voyage back to Jurai, alone.

What happened there? he asked himself.

Eiji glanced to Sagami, noting the distant look in his eyes. "You're worried about her?"

The captain grinned to himself and shook his head. "She's a strong woman, Eiji. She was raised to lead Jurai. Why would I need to worry about her?"

The first officer paused for a moment and scoffed. "I suppose you're right."

Sagami stopped a few meters ahead of Eiji and took a short bow. "Now, if you don't mind, I have an invitation to uphold. I'll see you at the banquet, commander."

Eiji bowed in return. "Until then, captain."

With this, Sagami opened a door and exited the corridor, leaving the XO to consider what he has seen. He had been friends with Sagami for years, and rarely had he seen that grave look on Sagami's face. During the reunion incident six months ago, the entire Juraian fleet was crippled, including Chizuru. Through his quick thinking, Sagami saved his ship and another, Saya, to resume the fight. Throughout, the CO was cool, confident, and cracking the occasional lighthearted grin. He was worried, true, but some part of him still enjoyed it, the challenge of it.

None of that was in his face just now, just concern.

Eiji glanced one last time at the door, leading to a teleportation chamber, and wondered less about the princess and more about his friend.

X X X

For the last three years, Jurai Ayeka had been living on the planet Earth just outside the GU's boundaries. Most knew fragments of the story when it first came to public knowledge after the recent coup d'etat on Jurai. However, a select few have since collected the entirety of her adventure to Earth, those like Juraihelm Ramia.

Weary from the different suitors vying for her attentions, Ayeka's Ryu-Oh intercepted a GP distress signal from Earth. With the mechanical guardians Azaka and Kamidake in tow, she flew to the blue world to investigate and render aid. What she found was indeed the stranded Detective Kuramitsu Mihoshi, who had taken temporary residence at the estate of the Masaki family.

Yet, she also discovered Ryua Ryoko, then a wanted pirate. These two had a rather peculiar history of meeting one another throughout their lives and had very little tolerance for one another. Ayeka nearly left Mihoshi on Earth at the sight of her Ryoan rival. Luckily, the blond detective's pleas finally convinced the crown princess to remain for a time.

There at the Masaki estate, the violet-tressed young woman met a young man named Masaki Tenchi. Raised on Earth, he knew little of off-world matters, save what he had recently learned from his acquaintance with Ryoko and Mihoshi, and it was this naivety and simplicity that initially attracted Ayeka. Unlike all those suitors who demanded the lady's attention from power or status, he asked nothing of her and gave of himself freely and kindly. There was no question about the reasons for her actions after this point, particularly to Ramia.

Still, Ryoko also lived in the Masaki house at the time, and the initial clash between the two critically disabled both Ryoko's Ryo-Ohki and Ayeka's Ryu-Oh, leaving them all stranded on this remote planet. A week or so later, Ayeka's sister Sasami came looking for her sister after a missed rendezvous, and through more unlikely comedy, the little princess's ship was also destroyed. Luckily, all involved were saved by a regenerated Ryo-Ohki.

Not long after this, the legendary mad scientist, Hakubi Washu, was freed from her α-L model prison unit. Through some strange fate, her jail had come ashore on this distant world and had a native shrine built around it, to seal in what they thought was "evil".

This collection of very unique women greeted Detective Makibi Kiyone when she came to Earth on orders to retrieve her partner. With her patrol-ship Yagami, Kiyone did offer to take Ayeka and Sasami back to Jurai, but both sisters opted to remain on the blue planet. In the official report, the princesses stated their reason for being on Earth as "vacationing".

That vacation ended a couple months later when the usurper, Jurai Kagato, took the Juraian throne under the guise of the legendary "Jurai Yosho". At time, Ramia, then a lieutenant-commander aboard the tree-ship Mizuyume, was taken aback by the sudden shift in the line of succession. Even though both the captain and commander of the vessel reassured her that all was well, the young officer's stomach twisted. Within days, both Ayeka and Sasami were branded traitors and terrorists, and Ramia could remain silent no longer.

The Juraihelm family traced its lineage back to Juraihelm Saito, the first fleet admiral of King Jurai Sho I. Thus, like other members of the family, Ramia was bold and well-versed in both royal and military etiquette. Quietly, she met with her captain and commander, voicing her misgivings of these accusations, as well as the sudden enthronement.

Here, she could see both officers glancing amongst themselves, unspoken conversations passing between them. They tried to placate her questions about Ayeka with purported evidence: severe damage to a Juraian battleship sent to Earth, heavy property damage on the planet Concor, a heist from a branch of the Bank of Jurai, not to mention smaller encounters with GP and Juraian units. To her questions about this supposed "Yosho", the pair spoke of the usual propaganda of the "legendary warrior" returned to Jurai, with no discussion of his actual identity or line of succession.

While Ramia did not know "Yosho", she did know Ayeka and found it questionable that the crown princess would be immediately branded a traitor in favor of enthronement of a suddenly emerged prince. The captain and commander looked at one another again in silence and then dismissed her, apologizing that they could not satisfy her questions. Their lingering gazes on her as she left only served to make her more unsettled about this situation.

One by one, other claimants to the throne were suppressed by military action, furthering Ramia's suspicions. Happily, she was not alone. Other young officers also noticed the strange reasoning of the superiors, but were not so bold as Ramia to speak of it openly. However, this openness proved dangerous.

After hearing of the daring infiltration of the Sector E-255 border station, Mizuyume, among others, was ordered back toward the throne-world in case Ayeka's entourage successfully arrived. Displeased, Ramia returned to her quarters with plans to protest the action formally, but that call would never be made.

As the lady entered her quarters, a knife pressed against her throat, an arm wrapped forcefully around her waist. Her breath shortened into a hiss while the assailant guided her inside and commanded her to close the door. She did as she was told, feeling the edge of the blade slide so carefully over the hairs of her neck.

"Keep quiet," the voice ordered, male, authoritative. Ramia knew it, but the whispered tone masked the villain's identity.

"You will not ask anymore questions. If you do, we will do more than scare you."

Ramia scowled in the darkness of her quarters. Her pride screamed for vengeance at this affront, as well as her own negligence.

"What is your answer?"

The knife edged against her skin, and her breath slowed.

With a soft sigh, she nodded. "Very well," she whispered.

Carefully, the knife moved away from her throat, and with that distance, she grabbed the man's arm and threw him over her shoulder. Surprised, the man could only lose the wind in his lungs while Ramia embedded her foot in his ribs. She pulled upward on his arm before dropping her knee on his elbow.

Pain cried out from the man's mouth as he writhed on the floor, clutching the compound fracture that was his arm. The figure rolled onto his side and tried to inch his way back to the door.

Then, it clicked loudly, locked.

The would-be killer looked up at Lieutenant-Commander Juraihelm Ramia, her face cool and calm, but her amber eyes furiously dancing at the very sight of him.

"Commander Ramia…" he meekly said. "I wouldn't…"

Slowly, she backed away, her raging gaze never leaving him. He watched as her hand extended to her dressing table. There, in a proper rack stand, were two Juraian-make swords. Each sheath was hand carved from native Juraian aspen and painted with intricate designs, depicting the torrential cascade of the ocean tides. The guards were forged of the same folded steel of the blade and elegantly twisted into the vines. The hilt of the longer sword was woven with both red and blue cloth and capped with silver, where the Juraihelm family crest was prominently embossed. The shorter weapon was wrapped in solid blue and capped in a similar fashion.

Ramia took the longer of the two in her hand and carefully slipped the sheath into the obi at her waist. The man's eyes widened with fear as she approached him, her right hand lightly caressing the hilt of the blade.

"Commander! I was just sent to scare you!"

In silence, she kicked his knife back toward him. He just shook his head and sat up in agony to face her.

"I wouldn't have hurt you! I swear! It was just to scare you!"

Her thumb pushed the guard from the sheath, a click rising as the blade freed itself.

"Die like a man," she said icily, "or like an animal, traitor."

"Please, stop!"

"… Coward," she whispered as her blade sung through the air and cleaved through his neck. Shock and horror were etched onto his face as his head rolled along her floor, his body slumping on the floor to coat the surface in warm blood.

She did know him, Ensign Arai Kichiro, assigned to Mizuyume only a week ago. She remembered his charisma and ambition when he first arrived. He had quickly learned the chain of command and had promising potential for advancement.

What a waste, she thought.

Her door slid open, and she stepped into the corridor, blood splattered across her uniform. Sword in hand, she marched through the hallway until she met a pair of guards. Appalled, both inquired as to her condition.

"Do you support the false emperor?" she demanded, continuing to advance with sword at the ready before her.

One guard was taken aback, but the other raised his staff and called back to her.

"False? He is our sovereign king!"

"Not when his agents send killers in the night," she retorted, her eyes meeting his. "Not when we have never seen his face."

The first guard blinked while his partner rushed at Ramia.

"How dare you! Traitor!"

Deftly, the lady parried his staff and stepped past the foolish man, her sword already biting into his side. As one guard fell to the floor bleeding profusely, Ramia turned to the other.

"What of you?" she asked.

Blood dripped from her sword while he met her cool gaze.

"Jurai doesn't live by deception. Jurai lives, and dies, by her honor and pride."

Her arced blade rose toward him.

"Where do you stand, soldier?"

Looking to his fellow guard on the floor, the soldier considered his recent orders, particularly those regarding members of the royal family, the princesses. In that moment, he lowered his eyes and knelt before Ramia.

"How can I help you, commander?"

His name was Nishimura Hiroshi, and he was the first to pledge loyalty to this young officer. The two marched through the ship, gathering her supporters and handling those loyal to the coup. The captain called it "mutiny".

"'Mutiny' implies conspiracy, captain," Ramia retorted, her sword at his throat. "I accuse you of conspiracy in this coup d'etat."

"Jurai Ayeka is a weak child, Ramia!" he hissed. "She has never been fit to rule this empire."

The lieutenant-commander scowled in return, glancing aside for a moment. The captain smirked to himself.

"Even you know that, girl. Everyone can see that this empire needs a strong ruler, not some primped figurehead."

Her glare slid back to him, her blade nipping into his skin as she gripped it tighter.

"Then, we should have one who takes the throne by treachery?"

Quickly, she drew her sword away, leaving a nick in the superior officer's throat. He gasped and grabbed the minor wound while Ramia stepped away, her eyes burning down at him.

"I think not."

Hiroshi and the other junior officers imprisoned their corrupt superiors and peers in Mizuyume's brig. Ramia, now in the highest ranking officer, assumed command and gave the order to return to the throne-world, intent on supporting Ayeka's ragtag band. However, before she encountered another Juraian vessel, Mizuyume intercepted a communique announcing the defeat of the usurper, Jurai Kagato, by a "Masaki Tenchi".

In the months following the coup, Ayeka and Sasami remained on Jurai and stabilized the government. While Ayeka did have the right to punish all those involved very harshly, she was merciful and spared them all. Needless to say, the stigma of a failed usurpation caused most of those to disappear from public life, and possibly life altogether. This left a vacuum in Jurai's hierarchy that became filled by a younger generation.

Ramia herself was praised for her loyalty and bold opposition of the traitors aboard Mizuyume. For this, she was promoted to commander and made XO of the ship. Many of the junior officers respected her following the coup, unlike her new captain. Even though her commanding officers were conspirators, she had lead a mutiny aboard Mizuyume, a successful one. That specter would linger over her for the rest of her tour aboard that vessel.

Meanwhile, she did some investigating into this young man who slew the usurper. Evidently, he was the grandson of the true Jurai Yosho, known as "Masaki Katsuhito" on Earth. Checking the lineage charts, Yosho, and by extension Tenchi, were lineal descendents of the Emperor Takeru XXI and, therefore, legitimate successors to the throne. However, both chose to leave Jurai and return to their lives on Earth, leaving succession once again to Ayeka.

Ramia had known Ayeka as a friend when the two were children, though recent years had seen the two drift apart because of their respective responsibilities. Still, unlike the callous press, the commander could see a change in the princess. After the Masaki boy had left, the regal-tressed woman became sullen and distant. She had found something on Earth, what she may have never found on Jurai, and it slipped away from her grasp.

Or, so it first seemed. Within a few months after Jurai's infrastructure had settled once more, Ayeka left the throne-world with Sasami in tow, heading straight back to Earth. In her departure letter, the violet-haired princess explained her wish to forego the throne and retake the simple life she had found on Earth. Further, she named her uncle, now Emperor Jurai Azusa II, as her successor.

The lady commander grinned to herself. Though part of her was disappointed that Ayeka abdicated the throne, she was proud to see her old friend proactive, seeking out her own heart's desire. Ramia too finally found relief a year later when her impeccable record finally raised her to the rank of captain, despite her superior's dissenting recommendation.

Now captain of the tree-ship Saya, Ramia has been assigned to patrol the skies of the Juraian throne-world, much like Sagami and his Chizuru. As fellow captains in the same region, these two have met and had a professional relationship, although Sagami tended to be too lighthearted for Ramia's taste. While the male officer was close to his crew, the lady kept a distance from many of her subordinates, save one. When Ramia was assigned to Saya, Nishimura Hiroshi, now a lieutenant, transferred with her. As on Mizuyume, he supported, and sometimes enforced, Ramia's edicts as her security chief. The two have been known to have a quiet meal together in the mess hall or discuss policy.

Though Ramia had kept a distance from her crew, her officers and enlisted men did respect her. While she could be harsh, she was also fair, knowing military law and policy by memory. Every order from her mouth could always be substantiated. The events of the recent Jurai family reunion reenforced their confidence in her as she took command alongside Sagami to help free their native skies.

When that battle was concluded, Ramia rekindled her friendship with Ayeka. At that time, the two women, alongside members of the Masaki household and crews of both Chizuru and Saya, were recognized for heroism in stopping the attempted conquest of Jurai by an ancient foe, known as "Liaens". After the recognition ceremony in the imperial throne room, Ramia found Ayeka standing near a hedge maze situated on the palatial grounds.

"Lady Ayeka," Ramia called to the princess.

The princess's amethyst gaze caught the amber of Ramia's and soon brought a smile to both of their lips.

"Ramia!"

The two bowed gently to one another.

"I had thought you had returned to your Saya," Ayeka said.

"Not as yet. I thought I would pay my respects to the princess who defended the palace in its time of need."

At this, Ayeka lowered her eyes and folded her arms closely. An uneasiness hung around the regal-tressed woman in her answer.

"I'd rather not think about it."

In that awkward moment, Ramia saw a familiar look in the other lady's face. Not only was the princess uneasy, but there was a distance in her eyes, tight and defensive. The captain shook her ruby locks of hair and apologized.

"I'm sorry to have mentioned it. I doubt it was a pleasant ordeal."

Ayeka grinned wryly. "So Grandfather says. I don't recall any of it."

A shock shot through Ramia's thoughts. She didn't remember?

"It is probably for the best," Ayeka continued. "I've had enough ordeals of late."

With a nod, Ramia conceded. "Indeed, princess."

The violet-haired lady smiled warmly and shook her head. "Ramia, I'm no longer crown princess. You don't have to address me by that title anymore, unless I should call you 'captain'."

The officer concurred, "Fair enough, Ayeka."

The two spoke for an hour before the princess met with the rest of the Masaki household to travel back to Earth. Still, a sour feeling rested within Ramia from that meeting. In the span of six months, the NVO distortion descended on Earth, and the feeling blossomed into worry.

Ayeka returned to Jurai with the aid of Dr. Hakubi Washu's technology to request the action of Jurai's military. Five times she beseeched the throne of Azusa II, only to be sent away empty-handed at each juncture. Instead, Ramia approached the knights, Juraiko Azaka and Juraiko Kamidake, the same who fought the knights of the usurper. These two were already considering just that arrangement, and Ramia's words only served to cement their decision.

Here too, Ramia saw Ayeka, though briefly, when the knights joined her. The princess's face seemed so drained and weary, no doubt from her passionate attempts to make the emperor reconsider his decision. A smile did force through her somber expression at this turn of events before they boarded the patrol-ship Yagami for Earth.

Now, with that world out of peril, Ayeka has returned to Jurai, her Ryu-Oh renewed to flight status. At the Juraian royal palace, many who knew the princess had gathered to welcome to her home. All turned their eyes upward to the skies above and applauded when they saw the familiar outline of Ryu-Oh descending to the landing pad.

As the wooden vessel descended through the atmosphere of the throne-world, Ramia asked herself how the ship could have been renovated. However, when the craft approached closer, she could see the cracks and gashes in the aspen-like hull. A shiver shook down the captain's spine while a few murmurs and gasps rose from the crowd.

What happened? she asked herself.

Soon, the craft came to rest on the landing pad. Below, a stage with cameras and microphones awaited the princess, carpeted with the finest crimson and lined in a regal violet that matched the lady's lovely hair color. All was ready to receive her, Jurai's heroine of the hour.

An emerald orb emerged from the ship, but rather than approach the stage, it darted toward the palace proper. Surprise flowed through the crowd as they conversed amongst themselves at this sudden change.

"Where is she going?" "Is she displeased?" "What about the banquet?"

Ramia listened idly, though her concern was already inside the palace with her friend. A young porter ran upon the stage with a note in hand, and a slight sweat on his brow.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he said in a short bow. "Lady Jurai Ayeka regrets that she cannot attend this affair. She is tired from her journey and wishes to rest. She apologizes for the abruptness of this announcement and hopes that everyone enjoys the banquet nevertheless."

Many in the crowd scoffed and shrugged their shoulders, placated some by the banquet's continuation.

Ramia was not. She has already turned to leave, her eyes lowered somberly as she walked through the assembled crowd. However, on her way out, she caught a glimpse of a familiar brown ponytail of hair. Looking again, she saw Sagami rushing through the people toward the palace. Distantly, she watched him slip into the grand doors, her heart going with him.

Good luck, captain.

X X X

Ayeka could still hear the screams. She watched as a group of Terran agents edged closer to her, cautious and apprehensive. Around them, black cylinders appeared, each with the deep sound of a gong's ring. Their eyes widened as they grasped for their weapons.

Stop! Don't do this! she cried.

Scarlet bolts sparked between the onyx devices, throwing the men back against the concrete wall behind them. Ayeka helplessly felt her arm raise, weary and painful. All along her skin, black cloth had been torn away, showing the bloody gashes of fierce combat and defeat. Still, her body moved, her muscles drawing her hand open at the door before her.

No, please…!

But, her voice answered, "The freedom… the power…"

The princess was appalled when her lips twisted into a vicious, wide smile.

"No wonder Ryoko loved it so much!"

They were her words, but also not. Her will fought the flow of energy from her core into her palm, coalescing crimson and obsidian around her hand.

No! I won't let you!

The power burst forth and tore through the building's structure, darkness ripping open the antechamber and the elevator shaft beyond.

"Don't fight it," her voice whispered.

A chill rushed through her body.

"You've always wanted this."

I have never…! she retorted.

The twisted grin pulled the skin of her lips taut.

"… Liar."

Ayeka watched as her own hands threw bolts of sanguine light into the corridors of the Terran complex. She saw several agents cut down by the power emanating from her body.

No… this isn't… I never wanted anything like this…

" … You always held back," her voice answered. "You've always wanted to be free of the responsibilities of your status."

Another wall exploded. Another group of men fell by her hands.

"… Is it everything you wanted?"

The lady's heart sank, hearing her dreams and desires contorted into this horror.

I… I never wanted…

The grin shifted to a smirk.

"… Never wanted to admit it…"

Her feet touched the ground as the smoke from the blasts settled for a moment. There, in a shattered window, Ayeka could see the smirk on her face and the leer in her slate-gray eyes.

"Aren't you beautiful?" her lips spoke.

Her right hand traced the black marks clawing along her cheek and brow, Jurai's power tainted and imprinted upon her skin. Her palm passed over her feminine form, over the open wounds along her side. She felt each tear in her flesh, each tender bruise. The combat uniform hugging her body so tightly was originally pinkish in color, designed by Washu to reflect her innate powers. Now, it was blackened, ripped by the same talons that bestowed her wounds. Even the ring that encircled her left shoulder flapped helplessly in the breeze around her.

But, the tiara on her forehead was what caught her attention. Composed of rigidly woven branches of ashen wood, its thorns extended toward her scalp, threatening to shed more regal blood. Contrasting the pallor of her face, a rhomboid crest set on her brow burned a bright scarlet, its flaring color viciously highlighting her features.

This shadowy reflection haunted Ayeka while she watched herself speak once more.

"Maybe Tenchi would have loved the real you."

Her heart clenched, hearing her own laugh followed by the destruction of another wall. Her feet stepped through the hole that remained and entered a star-ship hangar. Here, two GP patrol-ships rested alongside a Juraian tree-ship, among others.

Ayeka continued to scream silently at the false grin pulling at her lips.

No! No! Leave her alone!

Before the twisted princess stood four people. Beneath a spherical barrier of white, Dr. Hakubi Washu held her phantom laptop near, already entering codes into the system. At her side was Tenchi's grandfather, Masaki Katsuhito with the sword key, Tenchiken, in hand. The blond-haired Nerti Ro, her body suited in her white and red combat armor, eyed the Juraian lady.

Behind these three, a single woman maintained the protective barrier around them. Her hair was tied behind her in two great tails of Juraian tradition, much like Ayeka's. Upon her forehead were two discs of emerald, glimmering softly in the dusty light of the room. The lady's kimono was of the highest quality, seemingly embroidered from a seamless fabric with imagery of the endless oceans of every living world. Still, her rosy eyes sadly fell on this "Dark Ayeka" and nearly wept.

Leave Sasami alone!

Even with an adult body, Ayeka knew her sister. Questions of how or why evaporated when compared to the violet-tressed princess's protective instinct for her sibling.

"Ah… my dear 'little sister'…" Ayeka's voice spoke. "My Lady sends her deepest regrets. She is occupied with her children at present."

The adult Sasami sighed somberly, "… Ayeka…"

"I will have to do for now."

The black cylinders, miniature versions of the guardians which had once protected Ayeka, appeared around the white barrier and pressed into its surface. Azure and crimson light sparked when the two opposing forces encountered one another. Sasami took a calming breath and whispered to those with her.

"Please help her…"

With a slight motion of her hand, the blue-haired princess caused both Katsuhito and Nerti to vanish and reemerge outside of her barrier. Without hesitation, the legendary warrior summoned forth Tenchiken's shining blade, a katana's edge of his own Juraian energy. However, the blond student took pause, both surprised by the teleportation and also by her own apprehension.

Ayeka felt her grayed eyes narrow and slide to the pair.

"Two on one? Hardly sporting."

Katsuhito's hakama and gi concealed the details of his motion as he slid into a familiar defensive posture, Tenchiken at the ready before him.

"This from one who hides behind an innocent girl's face."

Hope sparked inside Ayeka's heart at his words. She wanted to plead to him, ask him to save her, to stop her. Unfortunately, icy and venomous words uttered from her grinning lips, her grayed eyes on Nerti.

"Do you remember Seia, when you and I fought her on Jurai, my dear Prince Yosho?"

Though slight, the grandfather's eyes widened. Uneasy, the blond shifted her weight back and on-guard.

"I know this one knew her well, all the taunts and sadism she embodied."

An emerald light flashed in the student's gaze, nauseating her for a moment. Though she did shake it away, Ayeka's feet stepped closer.

"Shall I show young Nerti Ro how I took the life from her…?"

Horrified, Ayeka could already envision the onyx mini-guardians melding through Nerti's red bodysuit and into her body.

" … how I dissolved her body into a pool of dismal liquid?"

She could already hear the young woman's screams as her chest collapsed, and her flesh became fluid.

No! Stop! Ayeka screamed at herself.

Katsuhito rushed at Ayeka, Tenchiken drawn at his side.

"Run!" he called to his blond comrade.

Nerti spun away when the mini-guardians appeared around her, just missing the strands of her vixen's tail of hair. A scoff pushed past Ayeka's chapped lips while her hand again drew the tainted power into existence and released it at her foe. Expertly, the great man dodged the blast and covered the distance to the princess.

A dark-colored barrier expanded around her, blocking the blade of the prince. As the sword key's crest shone a bold violet, his power grinding white against the black of hers, the princess's lips spoke to him in a hissed tone.

"Do you really believe you will cut me?"

Please, Grandfather… Ayeka's mind pleaded.

"Even if you had the opportunity…"

Stop me…

"… you could not harm me…"

Cut me down…

"… one vying for your grandson's affection."

… Before I hurt anyone else…

Katsuhito's eyes glared into the empty gray of Ayeka's while the princess glanced to Nerti. With a short breath, a grip popped free from her gauntlet into her hand. The device elongated into a pole arm with a razor-sharp scythe's blade arcing from one of its ends. Keeping the weapon close, the young woman spun deftly on her toe, cleaving through the mini-guardians chasing her in a pair of skilled strokes.

Ayeka had seen the former SA student in this armor before, but had never seen her actually fight. Azaka had fought her aboard Liaens's ship when she too was controlled by another being. In Nerti's gray eyes, the princess saw sympathy, empathy.

Don't hold back…

The blond glanced up briefly while the violet-haired woman's eyes narrowed at her.

"What a nuisance."

The crest of the thorn tiara burned crimson upon Ayeka's brow, its fiery energy hot on her clammy skin. Around Katsuhito, the mini-guardians emerged and pressed into his white field. He lowered his stance, his grip on the sword tighter while he resisted the pressure around him. Ayeka's slate-eyed attention shifted back to Nerti.

Run! she silently cried to the blond.

"Peasant girl," her lips spoke.

Run away!

Ayeka's hand drew back and then swept toward Nerti, as if to slap her. However, in the wake of her motion, an obsidian wave of the princess's power flew at the blond. The student rolled aside to dodge the blast, leaving it to smash into a docking platform behind her.

Katsuhito swiped through one of the blacked cylinders around him and soon splintered the others in a second strike. A scowling frown twisted on Ayeka's face as her hand again lifted and slapped a blast of dark power at him. However, he stood his ground and cut through the construct, its halves passing harmlessly to either side of him.

Don't take the defensive!

The mini-guardians reappeared and surrounded the great man while Nerti rushed toward Ayeka, the blond's feet then starting to float above the floor. The princess's hand raised toward her, enveloping the student in a black sphere. She recognized it, causing her a fearful pause.

Don't stop, Ms. Nerti!

"Just like on Liaens's vessel, Nerti Ro," the regal woman's voice hissed.

Move! Quickly!

"Writhe."

Ayeka felt her fingers close into a fist as her spirit fed the scarlet lightning that sparked from the barrier into Nerti's body. In the storm, the blond turned away, her hands raising the scythe to defend. Around her, a black barrier of her own appeared within the one from Ayeka and absorbed some of the sparks attacking her. However, this meager defense only protected her partially as the strain of the barrier and the assault around her forced Nerti to her knees.

The princess could feel the smile widening on her face, pleased at the pain in her opponent's body.

Stop it! Stop it now! she screamed at herself.

Strands of Ayeka's hair sparked azure in color and curled around her face as the gray color of her eyes flashed their natural amethyst.

"Stop!" her voice finally cried out. "This will stop now!"

X X X

With a start, the princess shot up from her bed. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her breath came in gasps. Her eyes darted around her darkened bedroom. Cold sweat beaded on her brow. She swallowed dryly.

Her eyes closed gently while her hand rested on her chest. Her breath deepened as her body realized there was no danger.

A dream, she told herself.

Tired, she passed her hands over her face, feeling the contours of her features and her smooth, aspen-like tiara key. Her heart slowed more, the key on her brow a comforting reminder of reality.

Ayeka's eyes glanced to the clock on her nightstand, reading "0501".

Three hours, she wearily thought.

She sighed and wiped the perspiration from her brow. This was the second time she had awoken from a horrid nightmare, the last being at 0151. Each time sleep took her, she returned to those hours on Earth, when her body and power served another master. She clutched her arms close to her chest, still feeling the wounds that bled her pale. A shiver shook her, the dark reflection haunting her mind.

The regal-tressed woman laid back on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling above her. There, a chandelier hung in the shadows cast by the moonlight entering her window. A gentle breeze swung the ornate piece of lighting, making the shadows dance. In them, she could see the outline of a face, soft blue from the illumination.

But, to her sight, it was a white porcelain mask.

Ayeka shut her eyes tightly, pushing the image from her mind.

Don't think about it, she repeated to herself. Don't think about any of it.

Unfortunately, her mind would not listen. She thought of the chimera creature Illirg, the one that cursed her with that other voice. She thought of the voice that haunted her through the reunion incident, and when it stole her will away a few short weeks ago.

The princess pushed her sheets away and rose to a seated posture. With a mental command, her tiara's crest glowed a soft violet, and the lights in her room activated. The shadows dispelled, allowing her to open her weary amethyst eyes.

Standing from her bed, she walked to her washroom, the vanity lights shining to life at her presence. Her eyes fell to the sink basin incorporated into the countertop, her hands resting on either side.

What have I done? she asked herself. What did I do to deserve any of this?

Her fingers arched against the counter, her nails lightly scraping against the finish.

"… I loved a man…" she whispered aloud, "… a good man."

She remembered how her heart had fluttered when she tripped on a stone at Funaho's resting place, falling against Masaki Tenchi's chest. A few months later, his embrace as she clung to his chest soothed her cries and sobs after the usurper Kagato nearly killed them both. She saw the resolve in his brown eyes when he faced the false emperor, swearing the villain would not harm her. That same resolve lived in his eyes when he chose to leave Jurai for his home on Earth, despite her desire for him to stay.

But, her mind jealously flashed him embracing the cyan-maned Ryoko, having valiantly rescued her. She remembered overhearing the Ryoan woman saying what she never could, "Tenchi… I… I love you…" Shame blended inside the princess's stomach with that jealousy. She hated herself, not just because she could never say the words, but also because she could not stop herself from resenting Ryoko. She had the strength that Ayeka did not.

Though they had been rivals for the same man's affections, Ryoko and Ayeka had a friendship. They had shared baths in Washu's subspace spa. They watched the same soap operas, and made some of the same complaints about them. Both played off one another to escape and survive during the coup d'etat. The Masaki household had nearly erased the class differences between them that caused some of their early clashes.

Yet, a part of her heart would not accept Tenchi's choice, and Ryoko's honesty.

Her fingers gripped into a fist.

"… I left my sister behind… alone."

Ayeka was the third person to hold Sasami after she was born. When their parents passed from this life, the care of her younger sibling fell to the violet-tressed princess, in addition to her other duties. In many ways, she felt more like Sasami's mother than her sister, even though their relatives and nannies did help raise the azure-haired girl. She always wanted to protect Sasami, as their father had wanted.

But, she could not stop Fate. Unbeknownst to anyone, Sasami's small body harbored a powerful essence, Tsunami, the mother goddess of Jurai. The girl was Jurai's power, the very being that bestowed the royal family's might upon them. It was she who purged the dark entity from Ayeka's form and weakened the dark matron in combat.

And in saving Ayeka, in fighting the dark matron, Sasami's body was forcibly aged into an adult, and then seemingly destroyed. The elder sister remembered hearing her sister's fading words, asking her to finish the battle, to save both Earth and Jurai. The thought that these were her baby sister's final words ripped Ayeka's soul, forced cries from her lips, wrenched tears from her eyes, and ignited vengeance in her heart. Alongside the other four warriors, she fought like a Fury, unforgiving and unrelenting, against the weakened dark matron.

Luckily, Sasami's body did survive, though altered still to a girl of about fifteen years. Her mind seemed also to have matured from Tsunami's brief influence. Still, she was confused, lost, many of the memories from the battle missing from her mind. Ayeka knew Sasami could not return to Jurai in that state. Too many people would take advantage of her for the supreme power she possessed. Therefore, the elder sister asked for Sasami to stay on Earth, where she would be safe among friends who truly knew her.

But, Ayeka could not stay, not with Tenchi, not with Ryoko, not now.

Her fists grew tighter, straining.

"… I took… those poor men's lives…"

She slammed her fists into the counter and whipped her eyes up to the mirror.

"No, I didn't!" she screamed at her reflection.

Then, she saw the pale face, the black marks framing it, the twisted smile. Her heart stopped. Horror swept her face. She staggered back into the opposite wall when she blinked.

Now, her reflection was normal, her face in full color with no black marks, except the bags under her eyes. She could clearly see the fear in her own eyes and the agitated breath of her lungs.

Once more, she calmed herself and slumped into the floor, away from the mirror. Her hands clasped before her face, resting her nose and forehead against her fingers. A sob bubbled up through her chest.

"… What happened to me…?" she whispered softly.

When Ayeka had returned to Jurai, a great banquet was prepared for her. All those who knew her name had come to pay her respect, to honor her for the battle fought against the dark matron. She was a heroine.

Yet, she could not bring herself to stand before them. She had Ryu-Oh teleport her directly to her chambers within the palace. Even then, she had not had a good night's rest, not since her mind had been stolen from her. Most were placated by her message that she was weary from her travels and needed time to rest, not that this was entirely untrue.

One was not salved by this. The young captain, Jurai Sagami, came to her door that night. Ayeka had met him before, son of Admiral Jurai Soichiro, who was a distant relation to the princess. He had helped Tenchi and Sasami escape guards aboard the admiral's station during the coup, and introduced himself formally when she was reinstated to her position. He was a kind young man, funny and generally lighthearted. He and Tenchi became friends fairly quickly, not that Tenchi was not already known for this. Sagami had also stood by Ayeka's side in her dealings with the emperor, both during the reunion and the distortion crisis.

When the officer chimed her door, the princess would have normally invited the gentleman into her parlor for a chat. However, she wanted to be alone. Instead, she spoke to him through the communication system.

"Yes?" she asked. "Who is it?"

"It's Sagami, Ayeka," he answered. "I wanted to see how you were."

She could hear the concern in his voice through the modulation of the machine separating them. Her chest tightened as did her words.

"That was kind of you, but…"

She paused. She wanted to tell him simply go away, but etiquette demanded a better response. Only a few weeks ago, he supported her while she repeatedly petitioned the emperor for military aid on Earth. He tried to convince her to stay on Jurai, away from danger, as some of her other friends. He even still addressed her as "princess", like a few others still did, though she had already pushed aside her right of succession. Her eyes closed somberly as she sighed hard, so tired and worn.

"… I need some time alone, Sagami. I am very sorry."

"… No, no. It's alright. Perhaps we could speak some other time."

The violet-tressed woman knew the compassion in his voice. He wanted to support her now as before, not unlike Tenchi. Her heart twisted again, flooding her with that sickening blend of loneliness and jealousy. She leaned against the nearby wall, her fingers tightly wed as she forced that feeling away.

"… Yes, perhaps so."

Unfortunately, she was not completely successful, and his tone reflected his worry.

"… Very well. Until then, princess." He paused, taking a few steps before he added, "You aren't alone here."

Now, sitting in her washroom floor, she felt very alone. She drew her knees to her chest and sobbed into her arms.

How could he understand? she asked herself. How could I tell him, or anyone, what happened there?

Isolated, the broken princess of Jurai cried until she had no more tears to shed and sleep found her once again.