Startica Eve

The rain fell steadily. The clouds overhead were so thick that it seemed like twilight even at mid-afternoon. Ryoko stood at the window, looking out across the lake. The surface was choppy with wind and covered in a haze of spray kicked up by the falling drops. Water ran down every unsheltered pane of glass in the house as if the building itself were weeping. Ryo-Okhi sat at her feet and stared out, mewing plaintively.
“Sorry, Ryo-Okhi,” Ryoko murmured. “I think you'd better stay inside today.”
The cabbit seemed to understand and looked up hopefully. “Mya?”
Ryoko laughed. “Well, I suppose an early dinner wouldn't do any harm. Let's go see if we can't find you a carrot.”
Ryo-Okhi beamed and bounced up onto her shoulder to ride along. Ryoko padded along the landing and down the stairs to the living room. The rain seemed to have filled everyone with lassitude. Mihoshi and Kiyone were sprawled on the couch, a newspaper open between them at the 'Positions Vacant' section of the classifieds even though both of them seemed to be paying more attention to the television which Noboyuke had fallen asleep in front of. Ryoko picked her way past them towards the kitchen, which seemed to be the scene of the only life in the house. Sasami was humming to herself as she moved to and fro, from one pot to another, in clouds of white steam. Ryoko blinked in surprise.
“Uh, Sasami? What's all this about? It's hours until dinner, isn't it?”
“Oh, hello, Ryoko!” Sasami beamed at her. “Yes, it is, but I needed to make a start early.”
“You must be planning something pretty special,” Ryoko sniffed the air appreciatively.
“Well, it's only right! Do you need anything now?”
“No, but...”
Ryo-Okhi jumped off Ryoko's shoulder and sat up on the bench, mewing happily. Sasami laughed.
“Oh, and hello to you, too, Ryo-Okhi! I bet you're hungry, though?”
“Myaa!”
“I thought there might be a carrot or something around,” said Ryoko.
“I'm sure I can find something for her.” Sasami nodded. “You just leave it to me, Ryoko.”
“Sure thing, kiddo.” Ryoko turned to go.
“Oh, and Ryoko? Do you where Ayeka is?” Sasami looked up from the vegetable drawer.
“Actually, I don't.” Ryoko raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“If you see her, could you please tell her that dinner will be at the usual time?” Sasami had found a carrot and was waving it in the air, making Ryo-Okhi run around in circles underneath it. Ryoko shrugged.
“Sure. Whatever.”
“I've already told everyone else, and Tenchi won't be back until then anyway because the road from his school is cut because the canal flooded.” Sasami giggled at the cabbit's antics and finally rewarded her with the carrot, which she seized in her paws and began wrestling to the ground.
“I wondered what was keeping him.” Ryoko nodded. “All right. Well, if I see your sister, I'll be sure to tell her.”
“Thanks, Ryoko!”
The pirate turned and left, wondering why it was so important to tell Ayeka something that she should already know. In the absence of anything else to do, she decided to go and find her. Her first instinct was to check the bathroom in case she had retreated there as she often did, but the room was shut and Washu was sitting in front of it with her airpad computer open in front of her and a number of cables plugged into the door.
“You don't want to go in there,” Washu warned.
“Huh? Why not?”
“I'm making a few changes.” Washu frowned as her fingers clicked across the keyboard. “Just boosting the safety margin in the dimensional separation field.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“Of course not!” Washu glared at her. “I'm just making some improvements!”
“So...Ayeka's not in there, then?”
“Nope. Or at least, I hope not.” Washu looked back at her screen. “'Cause if she was, she'll be spread her out across the universe in a film one atom thick about now. Why do you ask? You arrange to take a bath with her or something?”
Ryoko wondered for a moment whether Washu knew something about what had transpired the last time she and Ayeka had been in that bathroom alone together, and she responded faster than she probably should have done.
“No! Why would I do that? Sasami asked me to find her, that's all.”
“Well, I don't know where she's gone.” Washu , absorbed in her work, didn't seem to have noticed anything in Ryoko's tone. “Now if you want this bathroom habitable by tonight, you'd better let me get back to it.”
“All right, all right!” Ryoko brushed past her. “Sheesh, Washu, I'm just trying to do Sasami a favour...”
A survey of the laundry drew a blank, and Ryoko made her way upstairs.
“Ayeka? Are you up here?”
She slid back the door to the room Ayeka shared with Sasami, but saw nothing inside except two neatly-made beds. On an impulse, she pried Tenchi's door open just on the off-chance that Ayeka had hidden herself away in there as well, but the room was empty. Shrugging, Ryoko turned away.
“Where could she be?”
For a moment, Ryoko wondered whether Ayeka might be outside but she instantly dismissed that thought – as if the prissy princess would risk her long, flowing robes in the sea of mud that now constituted the courtyard...
A sound on the roof made her look up. It had been a shifting sound rather than an impact, so she immediately discounted the thought that a branch had somehow come down from the forests. Puzzled, Ryoko levitated towards the skylight and tried to see out. There was a faint glow visible through the rain-streamed perspex. Her curiosity piqued, she shifted phase and rose through the skylight.
“Ayeka?”
The First Princess was sitting at the top of the roof a short way off, her knees drawn up to her chest as she looked out across the lake. Azaka and Kamidake hovered on either side of her, projecting a dome of energy around her to keep the rain off. The droplets sparkled as they hit the field, creating the glow that Ryoko had seen from inside. Ayeka took a moment to respond to Ryoko's call, as if waking from sleep or breaking out of a reverie.
“Oh, it's you, Ryoko.” Ayeka looked up. “What is it?”
Ryoko levitated towards her, keeping herself out of phase so that the rain fell straight through her. “Sasami sent me to find you. What in the worlds are you doing up here in weather like this?”
“Sasami sent you? Is she all right?” Ayeka moved to stand up.
“Yeah, yeah, she's fine.” Ryoko waved a hand. “She wanted me to tell you that dinner will be ready at the usual time.”
“Ah? I see. Very well.”
Ayeka resumed her gaze into the distance. Ryoko was mildly irritated.
“Don't thank me or anything,” she remarked acidly.
Ayeka sighed. “You're right...where are my manners. Thank you, Ryoko. I'm sorry.”
There was something in her tone – a distant, resigned note – that caught Ryoko's attention. Ever since their encounter in the bathroom, the pirate and the princess had harboured a secret understanding and and shared insight. There was clearly something on Ayeka's mind and Ryoko felt an unfamiliar urge to find out what it was.
“So what's up, princess?” she asked, trying to keep her tone jocular. “Why are you up here, anyway? It's not exactly the best weather if you're trying to enjoy the view.”
“It's not the view,” said Ayeka. “Well...maybe it is, partly. I just felt I needed to get away for a moment.”
“Why? Did something happen?” Ryoko drifted closer.
“No...it's something that's happening right now.” Ayeka lifted her face to the skies as if she could see through the low, heavy clouds. “Back on Jurai.”
“Some kind of holiday or something?” Ryoko cocked her head. “Sasami was cooking up quite a feast in the kitchen.”
“Yes, that would be why she asked you to tell me that it would still be ready at the normal time,” Ayeka looked down again. “And yes, it is a holiday. It's called Startica.”
“Oh, of course.” Ryoko nodded. She touched the forcefield the twin Guardians were projecting, feeling the tingle of static on her fingertips. “The Juraian summer solstice celebration.”
“That's right.” Ayeka looked up at her, mildly surprised. “How did you know?”
“I'm not totally uncultured, princess,” Ryoko grinned. “Despite what you might think. I actually went to one once.”
“You went to a Startica festival?” Ayeka surprise grew. “On Jurai? When?”
“A long time ago.” Ryoko nodded. “Mind if I sit down? I could tell you about it.”
“Of course not.” Ayeka shook her head. “Azaka? Kamidake? Let her in, please.”
AS YOU WISH, PRINCESS.
Ryoko felt the shield flicker for a moment and she passed through it, shifting herself back into phase in order to sit next to Ayeka on the roof.
“Thanks.”
Ayeka gave her a small smile. “You were saying about your time at Startica?”
“It was early in my career,” said Ryoko. “I did...well, the details don't really matter. Anyway, nobody got hurt, but I still ended up with a warrant against my name and I needed somewhere to hide out. And I figured, well, where better than a place like Jurai where the GXP would never think of looking for a suspect? I didn't even know it was Startica, but it worked out well for me because there were so many visitors that the spaceports were crammed and the cops couldn't possibly check everyone's ID.”
“You used one of my planet's most sacred days to escape the consequences of your criminality,” Ayeka sighed. “Well...I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.”
“Hey, no need to look at me like that! Like I said, I didn't know it was Startica!” Ryoko protested. “I just...got lucky, that's all.”
“Lucky? You defiled one of my peoples' most beloved traditions!”
“It's not like I meant to!” Ryoko snapped. “Besides, compared with what I saw some people doing, I had a very quiet night...”
“Huh. Well, so long as you weren't totally hedonistic about it all...”
“Oh, I'm not saying I didn't get into the spirit of it,” Ryoko grinned. “I was trying to stay undercover, remember? That means you've got to join in with what people around you are doing.”
Ayeka sniffed. “I should have known you wouldn't appreciate the spirit of Startica. It's not just...an indulgence. It's a celebration!”
“A celebration of what?”
“Of...of everything! Of the blessings of the gods!” Despite the gloom, there was a flash of fire in Ayeka's crimson eyes.
“All right, I get it!” Ryoko raised her hands in surrender. “It was a hell of a party, I'll give it that. I can see why you're down in the dumps about missing out on it this year.”
“That's not why I'm...not why I wanted to be out here.” Ayeka's voice went quiet and she looked away. Ryoko saw the faraway look in her eyes and shifted closer.
“Why is it?”
Ayeka sighed and looked up. “Azaka? Kamidake? Leave us, please. Stay under cover on the porch.”
PRINCESS? Azaka rotated to face her.
“You heard me,” Ayeka said.
BUT THE RAIN- Kamidake began.
“I'm sure we can manage! Please, leave us!”
The Guardians levitated away with a whirring sound, taking the forcefield with them. Ryoko felt the first drops of rain patter onto her hair and dress before she felt a tingle in the air as another forcefield gave up around her. She looked around in case one of the Guardians was still lingering nearby, but saw that they were alone and realised that Ayeka herself was projecting the field. Objects shimmered into view in the air around them, forming a circle centred on Ayeka just wide enough to contain them both. Ryoko recognised the cylindrical nodes which the princess summoned to conduct her powers – they were familiar to her from more than one overheated argument – but this time she knew that they were here for her own protection as well as that of their mistress. It was a strangely intimate feeling to be enveloped in Ayeka's energy, which had a different quality to the field generated by the Guardians. Where Azaka and Kamidake's field had been cold and mechanically functional, Ayeka's seemed to have a warmth to it that was oddly comforting. Ryoko shifted closer again, tucking her tail back to keep it inside the barrier.
“Ayeka?” Now alone together, Ryoko could afford to drop the antagonistic attitude she normally maintained about the princess and adopt a softer tone. Ayeka seemed to sense the change and she visibly relaxed.
“I didn't come here because I missed the festivities, as such,” she said. “As First Princess, I was never able to truly participate in them anyway. We royals had ceremonial roles to perform...but the mass celebrations that you would have seen and...taken part in...were not for us.”
“You missed out,” said Ryoko. “So if it's not that, what is it?”
“Home.” Ayeka's voice was a whisper, barely audible above the hiss of the rain on her forcefield. “In many ways, this place is very much like Jurai. The trees, the woods, the mountains and streams...but at the end, it is not Jurai. It can't be. And it's times like this that remind me the most of that.”
“Yeah, I bet...”
Ayeka gazed out over the lake to the darkened treeline on the opposite shore. “Jurai during Startica, Ryoko! It is Jurai at its most beautiful. The lights among the trees...the sun on the mountainsides...the streams running clear like crystal to the shining seas...the planetary rings catching the starlight even during the day. There is not a sight like it in the galaxy.”
“I remember it well,” Ryoko said quietly. “It was...impressive. I'd only heard stories about Jurai before that time. I'd never expected to get there myself...never expected that there were so many things from Jurai that were so beautiful...”
Ayeka glanced up and Ryoko realised with a start that she'd been looking straight at Ayeka when she'd been speaking. She coughed and looked away, trying not to blush.
“It must have made quite an impression...even on someone like you,” Ayeka said.
“Hey, now, just because I was a pirate in those days doesn't mean I couldn't appreciate some of the finer things.” Ryoko smiled.
Ayeka stifled a small chuckle. “Well. I suppose the point is that at times like this, I can't help thinking of home. There are so few lights here. And it never rains on Startica. And yet, here we are...”
“I didn't know you missed home so much,” said Ryoko. “I thought you'd be happy to stay here for...well, forever.”
“Oh, I'm not homesick,” Ayeka said. “Not most of the time. It's just at times like this, when it's so different and so far away...”
“I guess I can understand that.” Ryoko nodded sympathetically.
Ayeka looked over at her. “Is it the same for you, Ryoko?”
“The same?”
“I mean...do you miss your home?”
Ryoko closed her eyes. “Well...you need to have had a home to miss it...”
“You never had a home?” Ayeka looked surprised. “I thought that everybody came from somewhere.”
“You'd think so,” Ryoko shook her head. “But I don't remember it. As long as I can remember, I've always been wandering. From one place to another. Didn't you ever wonder why it was we kept running into each other when we were younger?”
Ayeka blinked. “Now that you mention it...I suppose it was a bit odd...”
“That's how I got by for years,” Ryoko went on. “Here and there, picking up odd jobs, making ends meet...that's how I got into piracy in the first place. And then I came across Ryo-Okhi and I guess I never really looked back. The stars were my home then.”
“That explains a lot,” Ayeka said. “Do you ever wish that you had a home?”
“Sometimes,” Ryoko nodded. “Especially since I came here. I mean...this is the longest I've ever been in one place, so I suppose this kind of is my home now.”
“You do seem content here,” Ayeka nodded. “Sometimes I envy you. I can't imagine what it's like not to be tied down to somewhere. Even now, even here, I still feel my connection to my planet and to my life there. There are times when I wish I could leave it all behind and just be content to be here, like you.”
“It's not all it's cracked up to be,” Ryoko smiled sadly. “Not when I think about it. Do you know how many people would have mourned me if I'd died out there? None. In fact, more than a few would have been happy to hear the news. The only one who would turn up to my funeral would probably be Nagi, and even then that'd only be to make sure I was dead.”
“I can't imagine why,” Ayeka smiled.
Ryoko laughed and shook her head. “My point is that you didn't miss out on anything there. I know you miss your home right now...but it's better to have one that you miss than not to have one at all.”
Ayeka nodded and looked away. Ryoko watched her, her stare softening as she reached out to take the princess's hand. Ayeka jumped at the touch but then relaxed, threading her fingers between Ryoko's.
“Where you come from is so much a part of you,” Ryoko said quietly. “You're like one of your Royal Trees. You derive your strength from your roots. So long as you have those, you'll stand tall and strong forever.”
“I never knew that poetry was one of your strong points, Ryoko,” Ayeka smiled, feeling her heart beat faster at the words.
“I'm just trying to put it into perspective,” Ryoko said. “Besides...being here isn't all bad, is it?”
Ayeka looked up into Ryoko's gentle golden eyes. She smiled as she shook her head.
“No, Ryoko,” she said. “It's not.”
“Good.” Ryoko smiled back. “I was starting to worry.”
She kissed her softly. Ayeka sighed happily and kissed her back.
“Thank you for understanding,” she said. “Though I'm sure it's hard for you to. I must seem an awful ingrate sometimes, with the things I complain about.”
“An ingrate? No.” Ryoko smiled playfully. “Stuck up? Yes. Or a right, royal pain in the backside? Absolutely.”
“Oh, Ryoko.” Ayeka sighed in disappointment, sat back and gathered her blue robes about herself. “Do you ever take me seriously?”
“Of course I do.” Ryoko advanced, her face suddenly serious. “You think I don't?”
“Sometimes I wonder...”
“Then wonder no more.” Ryoko seized Ayeka's arm just above the wrist. “Because I'm going to show you something. Hang on, princess.”
“Ryoko? What are you-”


Ayeka just had time to protest when she saw the world around them turn fuzzy. She felt the teleportation as it began, felt her body relax and the strange sensation of falling while standing still that always accompanied a phase shift. There was a blur around them for a moment and she closed her eyes protectively against the disorientating view, opening them again only when she felt herself return to normality.
“What was all that about?” she demanded. “Where are we now? Ryoko?”
“We're in the forest, not too far from the house,” Ryoko stood up. Ayeka looked around and saw the trees around them. “Just a little spot that I know.”
Ayeka blinked to adjust her eyes and began taking in the details around them. They were in a small glade in the forest, standing under a group of trees so dense that their canopies formed a thatch room that kept the rain off them while they stood beneath their branches. A stream, one of many small tributaries to the lake, fell through a mass of fern-covered grey stone and swirled past their feet through a little pool before it disappeared off down the hillside. An ancient stone bench, moss-covered and its edges worn rounded by time, stood to one side. Although the view was far from at its best under the clouds, Ayeka knew that she would have been able to see for miles had the weather been clear.
“I can't even see the house,” she said.
“We're on the opposite side of one of the hills behind the shrine.” Ryoko stood beside her. “I don't think anyone else knows about this place. Except maybe Katsuhito, and even he doesn't come here. There are no tracks leading to or from it any more.”
“How did you find it?”
Ryoko shrugged. “Oh, I was just looking around one day.”
“Skiving off from your chores, no doubt,” muttered Ayeka.
“Come on, Ayeka, that's just unfair,” Ryoko turned to confront her. “You accuse me of not taking you seriously, so I bring you out here, and what do I get from you?”
“Yes, of course. I apologise for my rudeness.” Ayeka looked down. “I'm sure it's a very beautiful place when it's a bit nicer outside.”
Ryoko was starting to worry, unused to this kind of resigned surrender from her sometime-rival. She decided to try to provoke Ayeka into a more familiar mood of indignation.
“When I found it, I knew it was right,” she said, casting a sly glance at Ayeka. “I knew this was where I wanted to bring Tenchi for our first time together...”
“I'm sure he would enjoy it,” Ayeka murmured.
Ryoko watched her for a moment. “Our first time together,” she repeated, with emphasis. “Him and me.”
“Yes.”
Ryoko sighed. There was always something a little sad about Ayeka, a sense of dignified grief and burden that she wore like an invisible robe, but this was something different altogether.
“Talk to me, Ayeka. Tell me what I can do. 'Cause frankly you're starting to bum me out.”
“It would be just after springtime on Jurai,” Ayeka whispered. “Everything filled with so much energy and vitality...but here it is near the start of autumn. The time when the life starts to bleed out of the world. When so much that is alive prepares for the white shrouds of winter. Startica should be a celebration, but here...this feels like a funeral.”
Ryoko stepped closer to her. “It's doesn't have to. Sasami's cooking up a storm back at the house.”
Ayeka smiled sadly, her eyes glistening. “If only I shared my little sister's fortitude.”
“Don't underestimate yourself,” said Ryoko. “Anyway...any time you need to get away, you know there's this place to come to.”
“A sanctuary,” Ayeka nodded. “Yes...thank you, Ryoko. It's very kind of you.”
“Well, I can't have you moping about all over everyone,” Ryoko smiled. “Perhaps we could come back some time it's not so damp.”
“I would like that,” Ayeka affirmed.
Ryoko looked up as the rain intensified. “Speaking of which...perhaps we should be heading back.”
“I wouldn't mind staying a little while,” said Ayeka quietly. “If...if you would stay with me.”
“Well...I guess...but it's not the best kind of weather to be out in,” Ryoko hesitated.
“Allow me.” Ayeka smiled and closed her eyes. The air tingled again as she summoned the nodes and relit her forcefield. The patter of rain around them stopped, allowing the surface of the small pool to run clear once more. Ryoko watched Ayeka's face and saw her dark purple hair shift as if in a breeze as she closed her eyes and concentrated, causing additional nodes to appear around her. The air seemed to glow golden for a moment and Ryoko felt a gentle warmth as if from a benign sun begin to permeate her clothing.
“Climate control,” she said, genuinely impressed. “Not bad, princess. Not bad at all.”
“I'm glad you approve.” Ayeka looked up at her, her crimson eyes shining as a by-product of the power she was channelling. “I think a place in the warmth is the least I owe you.”
Ryoko smiled. Ayeka was a stunning sight, surrounded by the aura of her shield, her eyes alight and her hair and robes flowing in an ethereal breeze as she stepped lightly across the small stream. Ryoko expected her to move towards the stone bench, but to her surprise Ayeka slipped off her shoes, stepped up onto one of the great boulders exposed by the stream and sat delicately on the living rock of the mountain. She moved to join her. Despite the soaking of the rain, the rock under the forcefield was as dry and warm as if it had spend the day basking in the sun.
“You really miss Jurai this much?”
“Sometimes.” Ayeka nodded. “Like I said, not always...but when I do...and it reminds me that no matter how happy I am here, my destiny lies there...”
“Why don't you just stay?” said Ryoko. “You're the First Princess. It's not like anyone can pull rank on you.”
Ayeka smiled. “If only that were true.”
“Your parents wouldn't approve?”
One look at Ayeka's face told Ryoko that it was a mistake to have said that. The princess looked away and took a deep breath before she replied.
“They're...not in a position to approve or disapprove.”
“Right...” Ryoko mentally kicked herself. She had occasionally wondered how someone as young as Ayeka had come to head up Jurai's leading noble house. “I'm sorry, Ayeka, I really didn't know...”
“There is no reason you should.” Ayeka bowed her head. “And Sasami is too young to remember what we lost. Maybe that's why she finds this easier than I.”
“And that's the real reason why missing Startica hurts you so much? Not because of the rituals or the celebrations, but because it reminds you of your family?”
Ayeka blinked back a tear. “You really are infuriatingly observant sometimes, Ryoko.”
The pirate slipped a comforting arm around her. “Only when I get to know someone well.”
“I cannot abandon my past,” Ayeka said. “I cannot give away the heritage of ten thousand years...and for what? No more than my own selfish pleasure, no matter how much I may want it.”
“Your happiness isn't nothing, princess,” said Ryoko.
“I fear it is less than nothing,” Ayeka shook her head. “In the scheme of things...what is one life against the needs of all Jurai?”
“There's nobody else who could take your place?”
“Only Sasami,” Ayeka shook her head. “And I would leave this place tomorrow if I thought for a moment that she would ever have to bear my responsibilities alone.”
Ryoko saw her face and knew that she meant it. “Not easy being a princess, is it?”
Ayeka smiled ironically. “I suppose it's slightly easier than being a pirate.”
“At least my enemies have only ever been in front of me,” said Ryoko.
“And here I am sitting beside you,” Ayeka's smile softened as it became genuine. “What does that make me?”
Ryoko smiled back and looked away. The glow of the shield was bright enough to partially overcome the anaemic daylight and the world beyond the circle of nodes was almost as dark as night by contrast. The effect was one of a small, golden, warm bubble in which she and Ayeka were the last two souls in the universe.
“I'll never forget being on Jurai for Startica,” she said. “You probably won't believe me when I say that it's one of my fondest memories.”
“Because you enjoyed it? Or because nobody caught you?”
Ryoko laughed. “Well, I have to admit that not getting busted was the icing on the cake.”
“I always looked forward to Startica for the sense of belonging. The sense of community, of...of family.” Ayeka's voice faltered. “The chance to be with the people you love, celebrating that love with them...Juraians have always believed that if you spend Startica with someone you love, you will be with them forever.”
“And now here you are with me,” said Ryoko.
Ayeka looked up at her and smiled enigmatically. “Here I am with you,” she said gently.
Ryoko paused. She'd meant her comment as a subtly ironic way of underlining how much had changed for the princess, but Ayeka's reply had suggested that she had taken it some other way. Ryoko remembered Ayeka's previous comment about beliefs and drew a link to her latest one.
“A...Ayeka?”
“Are you quite sure we're alone up here, Ryoko?”
“Er...yes?”
“Good.”
Ryoko's eyes widened in shock as Ayeka rested against her, an arm around her waist. “Ayeka?”
“Thank you for being here,” Ayeka whispered. “Were it not for you, I'd still be-”
“On the roof?”
Ayeka giggled. “Well, yes, for starters. But no, I meant I'd still be thinking of the past. Of things lost and beyond recovery or recall...”
Ryoko held her closer. “Not much good comes of that, princess. Believe me.”
“And you're right, of course.” Ayeka sighed. “I suppose it makes sense that I would spoil my favourite day of the year by actually thinking about it...”
A thought occurred to Ryoko and she looked down at the princess who was resting so innocently against her body.
“Perhaps...I could celebrate it with you?”
“You couldn't,” Ayeka shook her head. “You don't know the proper rituals, or the scriptures.”
“Who said anything about those?” said Ryoko. “Remember, I was there for Startica. All right, I wasn't where you would have been, up in the temples, but I saw how it was celebrated on the streets...by the rivers...in the forests...none of the people there had your rituals or your scriptures, but I'm damned sure they knew what it was all about.”
“Which was?”
Ryoko cupped Ayeka's cheek in her hand and raised her head until they were nose to nose. “Like you said, Ayeka,” she murmured. “The chance to be with the people that you...you...”
“Love?” The word came too quickly to Ayeka's lips and she blushed at her forwardness, but Ryoko simply nodded and smiled.
“Precisely.”
Their lips met and Ryoko fancied that she could hear the forcefield crackle a little stronger. A first, light kiss, almost exploratory in nature, developed through repetition into something deeper.
“Dear Ryoko,” Ayeka whispered.
Ryoko smiled, the endearment making her heart beat faster. The glow of the princess's forcefield around them had intensified and she decided that it was time to show off some of her own powers.
“Lie back, Ayeka,” she whispered, taking her hand.
The princess did as she was bid, expecting to feel the hard rock press against her back. To her surprise, she felt no such thing. She encountered a soft resistance, like a pillow in the air. Red eyes wide, she looked up at Ryoko and then down at the ground as she realised that they were hovering a short way above it.
“Just a little levitation to be a bit more comfortable,” Ryoko smiled. “I hope you don't mind.”
“Certainly not,” Ayeka lay back. It was like the most luxurious bed she had ever slept on in the palaces at home. “But...”
“Don't worry. The effect will work so long as I'm touching you.” Ryoko squeezed her hand. “And I've no intention of letting you go...”
She lowered her head and kissed Ayeka again. Ayeka's hands came up to touch Ryoko's cheeks. Ryoko made sure that she kept one hand on Ayeka's wrist to maintain the levitation effect, but that still left her with a free hand to go exploring. She rested it on Ayeka's shoulder for a moment before she began trailing it down her body. Ayeka's eyes widened as she felt Ryoko starting to undo the silk sash at her waist.
“Um...Ryoko? Are you sure that's...”
“Appropriate? For Startica?” Ryoko flashed a mischievous grin. “I told you I'd seen it once, didn't I? I know what you Juraians get up to.”
Ayeka blushed. “Yes, well-”
“I'm going to give you your Startica, princess” Ryoko's grin took on a decidedly predatory aspect. “I told you we're alone up here, didn't I?”
“Yes, but-”
“You believe me, right?”
“Yes, except-”
“Well, then,” Ryoko kissed her and began drawing the sash open. Ayeka's blue gown fell open and Ryoko slid it from her shoulders. Freed from the levitation effect, it fell limply to the rock, and Ryoko began working on the small silver buttons of her hiyoku. Ayeka curved her back to help her, holding herself closer to Ryoko and sighing happily as she felt the garment fall open. Ryoko drew it off her gently and let it fall to the rock as well as she surveyed Ayeka in her underclothes.
“Just how many layers do you wear?” she grinned. “You people have to make everything more complicated than it needs to be.”
Ayeka, in her white corset and vest, smiled. “One has standards.”
“Well, I don't approve,” Ryoko moved in. “It just gets in my way...”
“I don't think it was designed to accommodate the likes of you...oh, my...” Ayeka closed her eyes and shuddered as Ryoko began kissing her way down her exposed neck to her shoulder.
“I'm a pirate,” Ryoko purred. “I've broken into harder places than your kimono.”
“Such as?”
“Several banks. Two military bases. A GXP precinct.” Ryoko nibbled her ear tantalisingly. “And...dare I say it...a certain crown princess's heart...”
Ayeka blushed. “You shouldn't say such presumptuous things, you know.”
“You wouldn't be letting me do this if it wasn't true, though,” Ryoko stroked her fingers down Ayeka's chest, making her arch and whimper in anticipation.
“Oh...” she clutched the back of Ryoko's dress. “I suppose there's no use denying it to you...”
“Absolutely none.” Ryoko grinned and began undoing the clasps of Ayeka's corset. “And I never thought you'd have to wear one of these.”
“It's for posture!” Ayeka protested. “You know that, Ryoko, you've...seen me...”
“Damn right,” Ryoko returned to her mouth. “Among other things...”
Ayeka moaned into the kiss as Ryoko clasped her breast through the sheer white fabric. “Oh, yes...”
She raked her hands down Ryoko's back, attempting to drag her dress from her shoulders. Ryoko, sensing her intent, sat up and grinned as an idea struck her.
“Hang on a moment there, princess.”
Ayeka watched, puzzled. Ryoko vanished with a small inrush of air and Ayeka cried in alarm as the levitation effect vanished and dropped her towards the rocks for a heartbeat before Ryoko re-materialised, her arms around her, holding her safely just an inch above the ground. Ayeka stared in surprise.
“Now what was all that about, Ryoko? Were you trying to startle me or did you just not care?”
“Hmm?” Ryoko approached her. “Didn't scare you, did I, princess?”
“Of course you did! I can't fly like you! You dropped me! I could have- oh, Ryoko...” Ayeka's brain finally caught up with current affairs and realised that the pirate had shed her dress during the teleportation phase and was now laying alongside her in the air, naked aside from the small belt which held the tail accessory. The effect of it was surprisingly arousing and Ayeka could do nothing but stare for a few moments as the empty blue and yellow striped dress fluttered to the ground below them.
“Can I take it that you approve?” Ryoko was watching her reactions, clearly enjoying her disconcert.
Ayeka swallowed to wet her dry throat. “I...er...it's certainly...”
“I'll just take that as a 'yes',” Ryoko kissed her, her bare breasts pressing against Ayeka's covered ones. “I thought you might like this.”
Ayeka felt herself blushing as she ran her eyes down Ryoko's flank. The pirate's pale skin was glowing in the light of the forcefield and her tail was flicking to and fro as if she was a feline on the hunt, and Ayeka had the distinct feeling that she was her intended prey.
“It's...certainly surprising...” she managed.
Ryoko smiled coyly, secretly pleased at the look on Ayeka's face. “Only surprising? No other words come to mind?”
Ayeka gasped as Ryoko's fingers toyed with the final clasp on her vest. “Oh, Ryoko...why must you always tease me so?”
“I've not even begun teasing you,” Ryoko purred. “Besides, princess, you enjoy it. You can't deny it, not to me. I can smell your pheromones...I know what you want...”
Ayeka moaned as Ryoko brushed a hand between her legs. Part of her was actually somewhat alarmed at the thought that Ryoko could sense something so intimate about her, but there was no time to contemplate the consequences now. The final clasp clicked open and Ryoko slid a hand under the corset, finding Ayeka's soft skin underneath. Ayeka shied away in surprise but Ryoko held her close and peeled the last garment away from her as she pressed their lips together fiercely. Ayeka closed her eyes to devote herself to the moment. Her instinctive modesty led her to draw up her legs as she was revealed in an attempt to hide herself, but Ryoko's hand was on her knee with impossible speed, pressing it down gently. The kiss broke apart lingeringly, and eyes of gold and crimson gazed into each other from less than two inches apart.
“Oh, Ryoko...” Ayeka's voice wavered.
“My princess.” Ryoko replied, in absolute sincerity. “Is this more like what Startica should feel like?”
Ayeka giggled. “Well, something like it, yes...”
“Good.” Ryoko bent her head to kiss her again. Ayeka met her lips joyfully, encircling Ryoko's shoulders with her arms and holding her closer, stroking her pale hair gently. The warmth and light of her shield on her naked skin as the rain hissed down into the forest was strangely liberating, and the heat of Ryoko's body against hers was simply intoxicating. She felt Ryoko's hand creeping up her body towards her chest and she turned aside to allow it to find a breast. Ryoko indicated her thanks with a small nip on the rim of Ayeka's ear. The resilient mound was soft in her palm but crowned with a hardening point that told the pirate just how effective her affections had been. She rubbed it with her thumb, making Ayeka twist and cry out with pleasure.
“That's more like it,” she grinned. “Feel the festive spirit.”
“Oh, you really are...shameless...” Ayeka moaned.
Ryoko swung herself over the princess, straddling her hips and maximising her advantage of position. She leaned down to press Ayeka back into the cushion of air, both her hands on her chest. Her lips sealed themselves over Ayeka's with a passion that left Ayeka breathless, her own hands resting limply on Ryoko's skin.
“Yeah,” Ryoko murmured. “I guess I am.”
She massaged Ayeka's breasts, taking the nipples between her thumb and forefinger and lifting them playfully. Ayeka arched her back and cried out again, clutching at Ryoko's hips.
“Ryoko!”
“All alone on a windswept hillside, with the First Princess of the planet Jurai under my power,” Ryoko grinned. “Funny how things turn out, isn't it.”
“Under your power?” Ayeka glared at her. “Ryoko, you are absolutely-”
“Absolutely what, princess?” Ryoko gazed down at her confidently.
Ayeka took a deep breath and pushed herself upright, clasping a hand to the back of Ryoko's neck and pulling her into a hard kiss. Ryoko gave a small laugh, congratulating herself on finally provoking Ayeka into unleashing the wilder side that she normally kept so tightly restrained. Ayeka's hand brushed through her hair and gripped it at the nape of her neck to draw her head back with a gentle but inescapable firmness.
“Absolutely impossible,” Ayeka breathed.
Ryoko smiled. “And what are you going to do about me?”
“Oh, you...” Ayeka narrowed her eyes and pulled her closer for a fiery kiss. Ryoko wrapped her arms around Ayeka to press their breasts together, rising up on her knees to reclaim the advantage of height. Ayeka tried to rise up to meet her, but Ryoko kept the panting princess restrained. She shifted her hips slightly and stroked the back of Ayeka's neck between her long ponytails as she sank down again.
“You'll have to try harder than that, Ayeka,” she flashed a grin.
Ayeka cried out as Ryoko's mouth made its way down her neck. She could feel the heat radiating from between Ryoko's legs against her own womanhood and she cried out again as Ryoko began rocking herself against her.
“R...Ryoko!”
“I'm not letting you get the upper hand this time,” Ryoko murmured. “This time, you're all mine...for good.”
She lifted herself off for a moment before slipping her legs around Ayeka's and drawing herself in. Ayeka yelped as Ryoko's sex pressed onto hers and even Ryoko couldn't suppress a gasp.
“My, my,” she managed. “You are enjoying this, aren't you?”
Ayeka moved forward and kissed her. “Curse you, Ryoko.”
“Many have tried,” Ryoko grinned and kissed her back. She began moving her hips, massaging herself into Ayeka and sending a warm wave washing through both of them.
“I'm...not surprised,” Ayeka bit back a moan and gripped Ryoko by the back of her neck as she began moving in time. “You are, after all...”
“Impossible?” Ryoko's grin widened. “And yet here I am.”
“Thank the gods,” Ayeka whispered, kissing her fiercely.
Ryoko closed her eyes and sighed happily. She was surprised at how quickly her own pleasure was building up and knew from how responsive her body had been that Ayeka's must be as well. Their movements increased apace as the sensations mounted. Ayeka gave up trying to maintain some kind of decorum as she gave in to the feelings. A stronger wave rolled through her and she fell back onto the cushion of air writhing in ecstasy. It took all of Ryoko's concentration not to let herself do the same thing and she forced herself to keep her attention on Ayeka. With an effort of will, she drew herself back and leaned forwards over her lover, pushing her into the levitation field and kissing her adoringly as she slipped a finger inside her, marvelling at how wet the princess was. Ayeka arched her back and stiffened at the penetration, gripping Ryoko's shoulder.
“Just lie back now,” Ryoko whispered. “Lie back and trust me.”
“Ryoko...dear Ryoko...of course I trust you.” Ayeka gazed at her helplessly. “With all my heart.”
Ryoko kissed her again and felt Ayeka's body shudder as she went over the edge. Ayeka gave a cry and broke away as she convulsed in climax, voicing her pleasure to the stormy skies. Ryoko exulted in it, drawing the moment out for as long as she could, until Ayeka collapsed, her chest heaving as she panted for breath.
“Ryoko...oh, Ryoko...” Her crimson eyes closed for a moment before reopening and focusing on Ryoko's face. She raised a trembling hand and touched Ryoko's cheek for a moment. “Oh, my...”
“You're welcome,” Ryoko grinned.
Ayeka's hand fell back weakly. “I truly must be...”
“And don't you doubt it.” Ryoko lay alongside her, her tail wrapping possessively around Ayeka's leg. “You aren't as alone here as you sometimes feel.”
Ayeka stroked Ryoko's hair. “So I see. I am in your debt.”
Ryoko laughed. “The First Princess of Jurai in debt to a pirate? Whatever will the galaxy think?”
Ayeka giggled as she nestled against Ryoko. “And still you tease me, Ryoko.”
Ryoko put an arm around the princess, enjoying the warmth of her body. “It's too much fun to stop.”
“Well, I wouldn't want to deprive you of your fun.” Ayeka looked up at her, her face serene and completely peaceful. “You're so full of life. I hope that never changes.”
“Not while there's breath in me it won't,” Ryoko promised her.
Ayeka's hand slid down Ryoko's flank to her hips and she glanced up, a question in her scarlet eyes. Ryoko understood but shook her head.
“I'd love to...but we should get back to the house. Sasami should be just about finished cooking...and I'd hate to make your late for the feast of Startica.”
“I suppose you're right.” Ayeka nodded. “And I suppose I'm doubly in your debt now, then.”
“I'm sure your credit is good, princess.” Ryoko lowered them both onto the warm rock. Ayeka began gathering up her clothes and smiled coyly.
“Oh, it's very good,” she said. 'And I always repay...with interest...”