Extra large update, too! And good news! We have a buffer again!
Once more, into the breach!
Ryoko delivered us precisely onto the platform. I'll have to
complement her sometime about it – from what little I know about
teleportation in this universe, that is no mean feat and Ryoko pulls
it off on a regular basis and with the ease of breathing.
The platform was a sort of temporary unit to contain Bizen until she
was brought back to Jyurai and placed back into the Royal Nursery.
Since Yume had committed Bizen's original partner to space, there was
no body to bury. Normal Jyurai custom was for the tree to be planted
as both a grave marker and a grave keeper. There was a somber
symbolism in that. Unless the current partner wills it, the tree
will be bonded with that person even in death. And as we know,
planting a tree cuts it off from Tsunami's power, thus it slowly
loses its sapience until it is simply a mundane, if beautiful tree.
But apparently, Bizen's previous partner wanted his tree to find
someone new...
...And that she had.
“Alright!” said Funaho briskly. “I know we're in a hurry, but
we have to do this right. For that, Ryoko, I'll need you to fetch
Ayeka for me – I need her as a second witness under the House of
Jyurai.”
Ryoko nodded. “Right, back in a second!” And she was gone just
like that.
“Good, now Yuki-chan? I'm sorry, but this ceremony is going to
hurt a bit. Bizen is going to need some blood to properly key her
Master Key to you, so I'll need to borrow one of Garrick's swords to
cut your hand. Do you understand?”
Yuki looked a little nervous at the prospect, but nodded regardless.
Ryoko then appeared with Ayeka, who then ran to Yuki and scooped her
up into a crushing hug.
“I am so sorry it has to be like this, Yuki-chan,” Ayeka said as
she cried softly. “The bonding ceremony is supposed to be a
beautiful thing. I never wanted what happened to me to happen to
anyone else.”
“Sister, Clay's coming,” I said, not unkindly, but urgently. “We
need shields!”
Ayeka set Yuki back down, kissing the top of her head before she
turned and nodded to me. She then turned to Funaho.
“I'll do this where I can watch the bonding. Please hurry, mother
– I don't know how long I can hold him off.”
Funaho nodded as Ayeka cast her arms out wide, summoning a myriad of
the little logs that were the physical manifestation of the power
shared between her and her tree, Ryuu-Oh-no-Ki. And the shield then
snapped into place.
“Son, I'll need you to use one of your swords and carefully cut her
hand. She'll be healed afterward, but don't make it too deep.”
I nodded as I drew First Cut. “Got it.”
“Now comes your part, Yuki. Listen to Bizen – she will tell you
exactly what you must say.”
Yuki nodded and looked to Bizen, a far away look suddenly coming
across her eyes.
“I, Yuki Mihara, just as the First Emperor did on the First Day,
hear your voice, Bizen of the Second Generation of Tsunami-no-Ki,
progenitor of all trees of Jyurai. I swear to care for you in all my
days, until I am no longer able to. In return, I accept your gifts
of power and long life. And now, I shall seal this pact with my own
life force. Accept this blood sacrifice, Bizen, and forever be at my
side.”
Funaho nodded to me and I knelt down by Yuki, taking her left hand
gently and pressing one of First Cut's cutting edges carefully into
her palm. Yuki winced and squelched a whimper. She didn't even look
at it, but instead went straight to Bizen's mighty trunk and pressed
her wounded hand against the bark.
The blood sank into the bark and something incredible happened. Thin
tendrils grew out of the trunk, wrapped themselves around her wrist
and formed themselves into a beautiful and intricately woven
bracelet, bound close around her wrist so it would not come off. A
jewel of amber formed within the bracelet, and the tendrils fell
away.
Then, on what seemed to be a final instruction from Bizen, Yuki went
to the pool that surrounded us and dipped her hands into the water,
cupping them and drinking deeply. As soon as she was finished, she
then winced in pain again, her face grimacing in agony.
“It's fine,” Funaho said as I went to Yuki's side. “It is the
Water of Life. Normally, it is a powerful healing agent that can
even bring a person back from death... but in the Bonding Ceremony,
it is what perfects the body so it may last for thousands of years.”
I nodded as I held Yuki's trembling little form close to me. Right
then, her body wasn't really changing much. Everything was staying
in the same place it had always been... the real changes, though,
were more profound and much deeper. Every cell in her body was
having its DNA rewritten, re-sequenced, and cleared of any and all
imperfections. She would never age beyond her twentieth year of
life. She would never suffer from any form of cancer or congenital
illness. The stemcells that she had remaining would function
perfectly for far longer than they had any right to – uncorrupted
by time and wear.
Clay wailed against Ayeka's shields, but by the Goddess she held him
at bay and with such a vicious look of determination and righteous
indignation. Even so, her shield was starting to visibly crack.
“Come on, tiny love,” I whispered to Yuki with gentle urgency.
“Snap out of it. We need your help.”
Suddenly, Yuki stopped trembling in my arms and stood up. She was a
bit wobbly and unsteady, but she wore her usual look of
determination.
Yuki Mihara was back in action and I knew that she would not be
stopped by ordinary force.
“No more running,” she whispered and walked to Ayeka's side. “No
more hiding,” she stated, her voice beginning to pick up. “I may
be small, but I will no longer be weak! I refuse! I will no longer
be the one that needs to be protected! Instead, I will be the
protector!”
Yuki the held out her left arm, hand balled in a defiant fist and the
gem on her Master Key sparkling.
“BIZEN!” she cried out ferocious triumph. “REQUEST PERMISSION
FROM KIRITO FOR OFFENSIVE USE OF LIGHTHAWK WINGS! WE SHALL MAKE THIS
MAN PAY FOR HOW HE HURT OUR BELOVED!”
Regardless of whether she got that permission or not, a trio of
massive Lighthawk Wings appeared, centered where Yuki had her fist
pointed, and enclosing Ayeka's shield. A split second later, the
wings spread out into full coverage and Ayeka dropped her own shield
and sagged to the deck, even as Clay raged impotently against Bizen's
Lighthawk Shield.
“Magnificent, Yuki!” sighed Ayeka as the strain left her body.
“Absolutely magnificent... though maybe I should start thinking of
you as my little sister as well – step-mother is sure to adopt you
as well.”
“I suppose I should,” Funaho said with a self-depreciating smile.
“At least, so long as you don't mind, Yuki-chan?”
Yuki didn't take her eyes off Clay for a moment, but smiled
regardless.
“No, not really... I was already preparing myself to think of you
as my mother-in-law... I'm glad though... My own parents can be so
distant, but you're so warm and gentle. Sometimes I just want a
hug.” Yuki then scowled up at Clay. And then she screamed with
all her repressed rage and fury – the shear vitriol carried by the
sound of her voice alone was cringe inducing, and all the more
shocking for her tiny and innocent appearance. “YOU HEAR THAT!?
YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!? JUST TRY IT AND I'LL DO
TEN-THOUSAND-TIMES WORST TO YOU!”
Oh wow. Yuki never talked about her home life. Now I knew why. It
was the classical absentee parent syndrome – a regular occurrence
in Japan. For sure, plenty of Japanese women were
stay-at-home-housewives... but many others worked part-time jobs in
restaurants or as office ladies once their children could take care
of themselves. And in Japan, that could be as young as five or six
years of age.
For at least six years or more, poor little Yuki Mihara had been
living a lonely life. For her, running into me must have been a
godsend, no matter the circumstances.
I went to Yuki and Ayeka, settled between them both, and wrapped an
arm around each other them, pulling them both close... my tiny little
fiance and my beloved sister.
“Death will be too good for you, you little wench!” snarled Clay.
“Your shield won't last forever!”
“It doesn't need to last forever,” I said with an evil smile.
“Just until help gets here. Isn't that right, Tsunami-sama?”
Clay's expression faltered and he looked around comically.
But there was no sign of Tsunami.
I quickly started to become worried. I could have sworn that there
was something in the air that reminded me of Tsunami. It was so
distinct – a sense of power in the air that made me feel hopeful
whenever I encountered it.
“
Oh... I'm not
my sister, but I am impressed that you noticed me arriving, child.”
And
then her image appeared, standing high above everything as it was her
utter and divine right to do so. Coiffed in elaborate clothing of
burgundy and black and a gravity defying cape of white, the heavens
seemingly hidden within her skirt, the golden head dress perched on
her brow, overlaying her brown hair... But most of all, that sharp,
regal face, ornamented with grass-blade designs, and those imperious
black-within-indigo eyes.
I was expecting Tsunami.
Tokimi had arrived instead.
Clay actually blanched.
“
So, this is
what you have been up to? Stealing this child from his home?
Warping his mind to rewrite his name? Thinking this would not go on
unnoticed!?”
“Hah! Even you must admit that he is everything you have been
building towards.”
“
He may be
evidence that such beings exist, but he is still a child! A
neglected one, perhaps, but still a child.”
“As if you ever let that stop you!”
“
He was beyond
our reach and he should have remained so! Your overreaching has left
me no choice – I shall deal with you myself as I should have
before!”
And then just like that... Clay was gone.
“What did you do with him?” I asked.
Tokimi
frowned.
“Nothing. It was not him. He was never here.
This... was a feint.”
I blinked as the implications of that began to cycle through my head.
“Mother?”
“Yes, my son?”
“You know how I'm not usually phased by much? I am now officially
worried.”
“You're not alone in that regard, Garrick.”
Funaho and I were suddenly interrupted. “So, you are the one that
has Tsunami's attention.”
There in front of us was Tokimi at a human stature. This was not to
say, though, that she still wasn't imposing.
“I am,” I said as I stood up, and bowed to the youngest of the
Choushin. “Garrick Grimm, Mada-”
Tokimi silenced me with a gesture. “That is all, young one. My
curiosity, for now, is satisfied.” She then turned to leave, but
paused, looking over her shoulder. “Become strong, child. There
are many beings out there that would like to make a meal out of you.”
And with that, Tokimi vanished.
“Who... Who was that?” Ayeka asked somewhat nervously.
“Tsunami's angry little sister,” I replied. “the Third of the
Three Choushin.”
Ayeka gave me an astounded look. “And she just...”
I shrugged. “Clay was her servant. It only stands to reason that
she'd feel somewhat responsible I guess.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder. “We need to get you to Jyurai,”
Funaho said quietly.
I nodded and looked to Yuki, expecting to answer about a thousand
questions.
Instead, I found her to be slumped against my side, out like a light.
So, I picked her up, feeling a deep and profound love for the little
girl who had at last returned the favor I had done for her. That
felt like it had been years ago.
I walked over to Bizen, placing a hand over the trunk.
“You don't mind if I take her with me, do you, Bizen?”
There was a short moment of silence as the tree contemplated my
request, and then the beams of rainbow light shined down from her
leaves and I heard the tree's sweet, contralto voice in my head.
“
When Tsunami
called for any volunteers... I did so without hesitation. I liked
her the first moment I saw her. So very strong of heart. So willing
to fight for what she loves. But despite that strength... Katherine
tells me you have realized that she has been alone until she met you.
Yes, she was indeed a little girl that was infatuated with a strong
male figure... but then she discovered that he was just like her –
alone despite not really being alone, warm despite the cold world you
bore through... she couldn't help herself. You were everything she
ever wanted.
“
She fell
hopelessly in love with you.
“
If you had
refused her flat-out... it probably would have killed this poor
child. Instead, you have wisely offered her familial companionship
and warmth until she is old enough to make a proper choice. When she
made a horrible mistake, you did not really punish her – instead
you brought home the consequences of her choice to her in realistic
terms, and she has learned more in this month than she has most of
her life.
“
Because you
have been so good to her, she now loves you more than herself. I
know, this can be a very bad thing. But, in time, I will help her
with bringing her emotions to heal. For now, though... Take little
Yuki-chan with you – she needs you more than we need each other.
Besides... she and I are only a thought apart.”
I
looked up to the canopy and smiled as I pulled my hand back.
“Thank
you, Bizen.” I then turned and saw that everyone else had arrived.
Tenchi
and Ryoko were helping Ayeka up, pulling her into a hug. Funaho,
Mihoshi, Washu, and Goghei stood aside, watching the tableau with
smiles. Sasami, though, her hair still not put back up into
pigtails, came right up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist as
she buried her head in my side. Smiling down at her, I rubbed her
back.
“I'm
so happy for you two,” said the blue-haired princess softly.
“You
and me both, little sister.” I then turned to the others. “Let's
all get the hell out of here.”
Ayeka
and Sasami said their goodbyes to Goghei and Asahi, extracting a
promise to be notified when the wedding date was set. I myself went
and made sure to collect any toys I had left behind – in
particular, Sun Spark. Funaho comforted me in that this being a
Jyuraian territory that the Galaxy Alliance will remain ignorant of
Sun Spark's unusual properties... so long as I only ever use it in
similarly dire circumstances.
As
for the carcasses, Washu handled that. She was very curious to see
what sort of lingering compounds had been left behind from Sun
Spark's burning chemical death.
Before
we left, though, Hishima and Goghei had it out, and just as he had in
the original time-line for the manga, Hishima adapted to Goghei's
ultimate attack. I was there for it, but my heart wasn't really in
it... come to think of it, I don't think anyone really was. Even
Goghei himself seemed resigned to the inevitable and was merely going
through the motions. Not that Goghei didn't give it everything he
had. Hishima was still a bit put out, though.
We
were in no real rush as we left on
Hinase.
It was Funaho's suggestion – we needed a couple of days to get our
heads back together and she needed a day or two to finalize the
arrangements for our being there as well as the ceremony. There was
also the matter of having Bizen and Katherine placed into proper
Jyuraian Central Units and then taking them to Ryuten to have the
exterior hulls fitted. I suggested that we summon up Ryu-Oh from
Washu's Lab and have that Central Unit fitted out as well. Funaho
and Ayeka both thought it was a splendid idea.
Yume
surprised us by joiing us on
Hinase,
and again by ordering Hishima and Takashima to remain on their own
ship – if she had need of them, then she'd call on them.
For
my part, I simply loafed around. Heck, we all did to one extent or
another. Sure, we all helped Sasami make dinner, but it was a
low-key affair – home-style chicken and vegetable curry, better
than CoCo Ichibanya. Dear sweet Goddess help me, but I devoured two
heaping plates. Yuki, bless her little heart, ate nearly as much.
No one complained, though. We made sure to make more than enough,
because the only thing better than curry is curry that's been left to
sit a day or two in the refrigerator. In fact, it was the point
entirely so that Sasami wouldn't really have to cook much before
reaching Jyurai.
We
were all gonna smell like cumin by the time we got to Jyurai and
nobody gave a shit.
Our
torpor extended through the rest of the evening – the only real
exception being me making sure that Yuki stayed caught up on her home
work.
“Okay,”
said Yuki boredly as she shut a work book. “How much more?”
“That's
the last of it, tiny love.”
Yuki
then looked up at me with a serious gleam in her eyes. “Family
bath time.”
I
smiled and nodded my head. “Family bath time.”
(Due to a slightly NSFW situation...)
It
was something that I had admittedly, not only gotten used to, but had
come to look forward to. Of course, we always kept ourselves covered
up with towels in the bath, but that wasn't the point.
The
point was that this was family time. A pure and unabashed lowering
of all pretenses and barriers, just to relax and be ourselves. I
know I've mentioned it all before – I just feel it bears repeating.
We
all scrubbed each others backs, shampooed, washed down, rinsed off,
and just like that we were easing ourselves into the hot, steaming
water.
“Ahhhh,
I think I could just fall asleep here,” said Minagi as she leaned
up against me.
“Me
too,” agreed Yuki as she did the same on my other side. “So...
what are we gonna do after all this is over and we get back home? I
mean...” Yuki trailed for there as she tried to find a way to say
what she wanted to say. “... I... I don't want to go back home.
It isn't home. It hasn't been for a long time. I know my mother and
father care about my well being... but they seem to care about work
even more. They already make enough money. They have a trust fund
for my college education set aside – I've been told it's enough to
fund me for six years at Tokyo University if I decided to go. The
only person that really talks to me anymore is Grandfather.”
I
puffed my cheeks out in a sigh. “I dunno, Yuki, that's kind of a
big deal... and legally speaking, it's well above my paygrade. I
think we'll have to talk to Noboyuki and maybe even get his lawyer
involved.”
Yuki
looked up to me with hopeful eyes. “But if it's okay, you'll let
me live with you, right?”
I
smiled down at the precocious girl. “Of course I will. In fact,
when we get back home I'll change my C-Space so we'll all have our
own rooms inside.”
Yuki
seemed a bit apprehensive at that. “Our own... rooms?”
“Yes,”
I nodded. “Even if you decide not to sleep in your own bed, I
think it's best that we each have our own private spaces.”
“So...
You're not going to force me to stay away?”
“I
might get Sasami-chan to distract you for a night, but I won't force
you away. You are my tiny love.” I then gave Yuki a kiss on her
head. Yuki, in turn, made a muffled squealing sound as she made an
attempt to crush my ribs.
“So,
this is where you disappeared to,” came the voice of Yume as she
walked into the bath. She then smirked over at me. “Huh. Washu
told me that you were a hit with the available girls. I didn't think
any other species could manage to set their differences aside so
readily to share a male.”
I
raised an eyebrow. “Your people are polyamorous?”
Yume
scoffed disdainfully as she went and began to scrub down, not caring
about me seeing her nude as she cast her towel aside.
“No.
Monogamous matriarchal society. Though there are a few times when a
group of sisters will band together and single out a male they all
like. Rare, but it does happen. Survival of the fittest is still a
thing on my world and when there's that one guy that has a knack for
getting out of bad situations all the time, he tends to attract
attention in that way. Really, such males on my world aren't unlike
you, handsome.”
“So
you think of me as a survivalist?” I asked.
“I
think of you as someone who wins,” replied Yume. “And on my
world, winners aren't simply the strongest, though it helps when the
apex predators can give those doduos we faced a fair run for their
money. No, what really helps a person win on my world is being smart
enough to keep your head on your shoulders and in the game. On my
world, males tend to be weaker. Matriarchal, you know. Females may
make the babies, but males stay home, take care of the young, teach
them, and work the fields. Us females, though, we're the hunters and
the traders.” As Yume came back over, clean but still without a
towel, she bore a smile that showed off her sharp canines.
“I'm
sure you've noticed how sharp my teeth are.”
“I
have,” I said slowly, starting to feel light headed.
Yume
chuckled and slipped into the water and made her way over. “So,
what about you two ladies?” asked Yume coyly. “You must
certainly understand that your man is expected to take on a few more
women as wives – him being adopted into the Family of Jyurai and
all. How do you feel about it?”
Suddenly
everything about Yume seemed that much more fascinating. The color
of her hair and eyes, the shape of her face and the lilt in her hips
as she moved through the water...
“I'm
okay,” said Yuki. “If Garrick finds another woman to marry, then
I want to be a good friend to her. I know it shouldn't be a problem
because Garrick won't marry someone that isn't nice to Minagi and I.”
Minagi
herself nodded. “Exactly. I've already accepted that I won't hold
the position of First Wife. All that really matters to me is that
Garrick loves me and that he'll love the children we make together.
Though it will be helpful that any other wives will be good to me and
my children.”
Yume
grinned at that. “Not unlike home. We all have to work together
for the sake of our pack.”
Something
was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I just couldn't take
my eyes off of Yume – whatever was wrong it had to do with her
somehow...
“You
know,” said Yume, changing the subject, “I've wondered about
having children. It's hard not to – my kind are hard-wired for
that sort of thing. Our lives are usually cut short by the appetite
of something else, so we maintain a high birthrate. Oh, I can
manipulate my body to avoid the mating-urge, just as I can make
myself ageless. And I did, for a time... until I met Washu. Now
there's someone with a wicked mind – a person I could respect for
her intelligence and cunning. It was a shame I could find few males
as smart as her... and those that were either had no interest,
despite my best efforts, or were complete perverts.
“Now,
I could have asked her to spare me an ova, and I did... but she
refused for whatever reason. So, I came up with that whole scam in
the first place to get her to be my slave... because once she was my
slave Washu would not be able to say no anymore. I would be able to
have as many children as I pleased by fusing our ova together.”
Yume
then gave me a sharp look: an expression of challenge, and I felt
myself begin to smolder.
“But
then, you showed up and spoiled the whole thing. But that was
alright... because you then challenged me directly. You and me, me
and you, pitting ourselves against each other. Just like the old
days at home where a male and female would single each other out.
And like I said, more often than not a female will win, and then she
decides whether she wants him or not... but if the male wins...”
Yume
chuckled indulgently. “Then he'll be bitten for sure... and he'll
belong to her.”
Bitten?
The bite? THAT BITE!
“What
did you do to me,” I said as I stood up and slowly approached Yume,
watching for a potential attack.
Yume
gave me a feral grin as we began to circle each other. “I did what
any other female in her right mind would do – I gave you my bite,
marking you as mine.”
“WHAT!?”
I heard Yuki snap as she floundered in the bath water.
She
chuckled again and shot a brief look at Yuki. “Don't worry,
dear... I won't monopolize him... I just want a bit of the action...
he's such a prime male that it's worth it.”
“What
does that bite do, Yume?” I asked in a low tone, almost snarling.
Yume
grinned back, her teeth glinting in the light. “It's a compound of
several things the females of my kind naturally produce. You see,
before we take our mating partners, males are just as undeveloped as
I look now. But the compound has in it triggering hormones that
start the male's own physical maturation... as well as a retrovirus
that will key him to respond to the pheromones of the female that bit
him! Afterward, she'll only have to wait for him to hunt her down...
and fertilize her for the first time, triggering her own maturation.”
I
was practically seeing red as I lunged at Yume, grabbing her and
pinning her to the side of the bath.
“You...
tampered... with me!?”
Yume
didn't fight back. Instead, she gave me that grin once more. “Oh
my, but you are bold. You're really going to do it? Right here? In
front of your other women?”
That
snapped me out of it as I recoiled in horror. Because of her bite's
influence I had been picking up on her pheromones, which were
currently hanging a sign over my vision of Yume and proclaiming “SEX”
in screaming neon-light letters. And Goddess help me, she wanted it,
too. She wanted it hard, brutal, and...
“I
have to go,” I said suddenly as I began to leave. “I'm sorry...
gotta talk to Washu.” Minagi and Yuki didn't even try to stop me.
“Go
ahead,” Yume called out tauntingly. “Talk to Washu. She'll
straighten you out alright... but I'll be waiting for you regardless,
handsome.”
YOW. I think I needed to open a window after that last bit...
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Spoiler
