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...)
YOW. I think I needed to open a window after that last bit...
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...)
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
SpoilerYOW. I think I needed to open a window after that last bit...