Continuation: 3251 words
"So Eric is back. I wasn't entirely expecting this." Jade sighed to herself as she nodded to the Guard member that had brought her this news. Jade had spent a lot of time in her suite of offices at the House of the Royal Jovian Guard and done a lot of thinking in the time since Eric had been missing and the death of the previous queen. Even for the fact that there was some stability in the Castle of Io, she had wanted to take measures to ensure that the threat they had all recently undergone wouldn't happen again. Currently, the leadership of the planet had fallen into a sort of limbo in the absence of Queen Metis - the Elders, a council of 5 women, ran the day to day affairs of the planet until Makoto became of age, which wouldn't be for another month. Jade at 24 was old enough and would have been more than happy to take control of the planet, but she was not a direct descendant of the former Queen. In its own way, that presented problems. She had definite ideas of how things on the planet should be, but she was in no position to implement any of her ideas, and anyone that currently outranked her would immediately dismiss her ideas as 'too harsh' or 'not in the best interest of the people at this time'. Jade was bothered that she couldn't do the things she believed were best for the planet just because of the circumstances of her birth. And even though everyone around her seemed to be under the impression that the Mechanoid threat was an anomalous event, Jade firmly believed that it was only a matter of time before some other threat landed on the Jovian doorstep, and the next time they wouldn't be so lucky. Something had to be done, and all anyone was going to do was bury their heads in the sand. Jade sat down quietly and tapped her fingers against her desk. Eric's return meant that her plans would have to be moved up quite a bit, but by no means did it put an end to her ambition. If nothing else, it served fo fuel it even more. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in."
With a grace and style befitting most men of his rank, General Junpei entered and bowed politely at Jade. She looked up from the desk and smiled. "I was going to summon you later on in the afternoon, when I've had more time to gather my thoughts together, but now is just as good a time as any.
Junpei nodded. "I also needed to speak with you in regards to our plans. I wanted to ask you if Eric's return would alter the timetable of our plans any."
"To be honest with you, Junpei, I believe they will. It makes our job that much easier, now that he is in a coma. Theoretically speaking, we could pull this off right now, but let's wait a while for everyone's excitement over Eric's return to fade. Then and only then should we make our move. In the meantime, I need you to keep a particularly close eye on our dear Princess Makoto. I don't want her coming up with any surprises at the last minute to try and stop us . I'm sure you'll have no problem keeping her distracted with your wit, brilliance and charm?" Jade stood up and walked towards Junpei and toyed with one of the buttons on his jacket, seemingly to amuse herself. "Just save some of that for me, hmm?" Jade looked up and smiled.
"Of course." Junpei nodded and Jade let go of the button. "I will keep you informed." He smiled and left.
She had changed so much in the 10 years it had been since Akuma had gone, but most of those changes were on the inside. Her hair still shone with defiant red streaks, her armor still heavier than anyone else's, but carried with an ease that belie its size. She still had an almost flinty glint to her stare, as if there wasn't a single thing that could escape her notice. Nashi had made a name for herself as one of the top trainers in the dojo, and the only female practitioner of the School of the Silent Fist. She had done nothing but work to repay Dyn's kindness in training her. A year ago, she took her first vacation, and even that was more of an order from Dyn than anything else. She remembered that conversation as if it were yesterday.
"You, Nashi-san, are every bit as determined as the stories I had been told said you were. Your dedication is peerless." Dyn stood up. "But I believe it is time for you to take a rest."
"Rest? But sir..." Nashi had never been an emotional person, but her eyebrow raised at him with a bit of concern. "I am not where I wish to be in my training. I still have..."
"You still have yet to take a break and recalibrate your mind. A lot has happened in the world since you came here. Silent Fist is all about balance, and too much of one thing may leave you open to other things that may blindside you should they come up. I want you to go and see the world that you've been missing. I will ask one of the older students to coordinate your class until you return. How about the Twins?" The Twins were two girls, named Lee and Ree, known far and wide as top notch fighters in their own right - it had even been rumored that Ree was to be the future Queen. Dyn, having caught wind of this, negotiated long and hard with their father to bring them to their school. He believed that even the smallest connection to the King himself would prove beneficial to Nashi's cause. Nashi loved having them in her class, and even though she would never admit it to anyone, she saw a lot of herself in them. Nashi saw some of her youth in Lee - she was as straightforward as it got in terms of her personality and her fighting style while Ree was closer to the way Nashi was now - still quite emotionally charged, but she focused her fighting energies in a quiet and more strategic way. Nashi nodded, agreeing with Dyn's choice. They were already leaders in their class, this would be another step in their development.
"You have relatives outside of here. You should reconnect with them. Don't let too much more time pass you by, Nashi. Life, even for us, is short." Dyn nodded at her. "Be well on your journey, Nashi. I shall see you when you return." Nashi bowed politely, some part of her not wanting to leave the comfort of the School, but realizing that there was some wisdom to Dyn's words. "Thank you, Sir."
Nashi sat alone on the mat in the dojo that night, her hands at her knees.
50...49...48...47...46...
Her mind faded away from the world that was currently around her, and as it always was when she meditated, it was dark all around. There was peace in this solitude, and it worked wonders for settling and sorting out the different things that every once in a while fought for space in her usually calm mind.
Today, however, was different.
In the midst of the darkness that was her meditative mind, there was a light. No more than a pinpoint really, but it was still significant and it was still there. She felt the pull of that tiny bit of light, and she could feel herself running towards it. There was an energy to it that was comforting and along with that comfort, something she hadn't felt in years.
She felt life. [His] life. She would know that feeling in the pit of her soul a million lifetimes from now.
--Akuma...--
She kept running towards that light, but it never seemed to get closer. Just the fact that it was there seemed to say a lot of things. Almost as easily as she let herself into this meditation, she began coming out of it, and the light began to fade. She wanted to say something, anything to keep that light within her sights, but it continued fading finally returning to the black of her mind, and then of her room. She opened her eyes and looked around, trying to sense some other presence around her besides the ones that were usually there, and she didn't. However brief this experience was, it was only a reminder that she still had a mission in life, and that she needed to stay firm to that purpose - to see the King pay for taking the things she held dear away from her. And someday, everything she was doing would pay off. She was sure of it.
That next morning, she took off and didn't return for nearly 3 months.
In Makoto and Akuma's world, time seemed to fly past as every day seemingly melted into the next one. Most of their moments were stolen ones, as Makoto spent most of her days attending to the business of the Planet whether it was travelling, or meeting with leaders, or in meetings with Jade. Akuma passed his days training with the Royal Jovian Guard. He was not officially one of them, and he had never thought to ask what it would take to become one, but most of the members of the Guard enjoyed having someone of his skill level to participate in their training.
One afternoon about a month after the Ball, Makoto and Akuma found themselves relaxing under an oak tree in a quiet corner of the Rose Garden, contentedly basking in the glow of their relationship. Their silences were companionable, and time flew swiftly by as after a few moments of conversation, Makoto dozed off in his arms. He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes, the gentle breeze blowing his spiky hair back and forth slightly like so many blades of grass. Occasionally it was moments like this, when he could hear the quiet river that was his thoughts, he would let himself wonder if Nashi and their child were healthy and happy. He was well aware that Nashi was a strong woman, and he had faith that she would carry on without him in his absence - in her lifetime, she had survived far worse and it was that fact that made the inability to go back that much easier to deal with. He would always have a place in his heart for her, but time kept going forward, and at this point in his life, he would have to as well. He opened his eyes again and looked down at Makoto, who was still dozing peacefully. He smiled contentedly and once more leaned his head back against the tree, eyes closing.
"Come in."
With a grace and style befitting most men of his rank, General Junpei entered and bowed politely at Jade. She looked up from the desk and smiled. "I was going to summon you later on in the afternoon, when I've had more time to gather my thoughts together, but now is just as good a time as any.
Junpei nodded. "I also needed to speak with you in regards to our plans. I wanted to ask you if Eric's return would alter the timetable of our plans any."
"To be honest with you, Junpei, I believe they will. It makes our job that much easier, now that he is in a coma. Theoretically speaking, we could pull this off right now, but let's wait a while for everyone's excitement over Eric's return to fade. Then and only then should we make our move. In the meantime, I need you to keep a particularly close eye on our dear Princess Makoto. I don't want her coming up with any surprises at the last minute to try and stop us . I'm sure you'll have no problem keeping her distracted with your wit, brilliance and charm?" Jade stood up and walked towards Junpei and toyed with one of the buttons on his jacket, seemingly to amuse herself. "Just save some of that for me, hmm?" Jade looked up and smiled.
"Of course." Junpei nodded and Jade let go of the button. "I will keep you informed." He smiled and left.
She had changed so much in the 10 years it had been since Akuma had gone, but most of those changes were on the inside. Her hair still shone with defiant red streaks, her armor still heavier than anyone else's, but carried with an ease that belie its size. She still had an almost flinty glint to her stare, as if there wasn't a single thing that could escape her notice. Nashi had made a name for herself as one of the top trainers in the dojo, and the only female practitioner of the School of the Silent Fist. She had done nothing but work to repay Dyn's kindness in training her. A year ago, she took her first vacation, and even that was more of an order from Dyn than anything else. She remembered that conversation as if it were yesterday.
"You, Nashi-san, are every bit as determined as the stories I had been told said you were. Your dedication is peerless." Dyn stood up. "But I believe it is time for you to take a rest."
"Rest? But sir..." Nashi had never been an emotional person, but her eyebrow raised at him with a bit of concern. "I am not where I wish to be in my training. I still have..."
"You still have yet to take a break and recalibrate your mind. A lot has happened in the world since you came here. Silent Fist is all about balance, and too much of one thing may leave you open to other things that may blindside you should they come up. I want you to go and see the world that you've been missing. I will ask one of the older students to coordinate your class until you return. How about the Twins?" The Twins were two girls, named Lee and Ree, known far and wide as top notch fighters in their own right - it had even been rumored that Ree was to be the future Queen. Dyn, having caught wind of this, negotiated long and hard with their father to bring them to their school. He believed that even the smallest connection to the King himself would prove beneficial to Nashi's cause. Nashi loved having them in her class, and even though she would never admit it to anyone, she saw a lot of herself in them. Nashi saw some of her youth in Lee - she was as straightforward as it got in terms of her personality and her fighting style while Ree was closer to the way Nashi was now - still quite emotionally charged, but she focused her fighting energies in a quiet and more strategic way. Nashi nodded, agreeing with Dyn's choice. They were already leaders in their class, this would be another step in their development.
"You have relatives outside of here. You should reconnect with them. Don't let too much more time pass you by, Nashi. Life, even for us, is short." Dyn nodded at her. "Be well on your journey, Nashi. I shall see you when you return." Nashi bowed politely, some part of her not wanting to leave the comfort of the School, but realizing that there was some wisdom to Dyn's words. "Thank you, Sir."
Nashi sat alone on the mat in the dojo that night, her hands at her knees.
50...49...48...47...46...
Her mind faded away from the world that was currently around her, and as it always was when she meditated, it was dark all around. There was peace in this solitude, and it worked wonders for settling and sorting out the different things that every once in a while fought for space in her usually calm mind.
Today, however, was different.
In the midst of the darkness that was her meditative mind, there was a light. No more than a pinpoint really, but it was still significant and it was still there. She felt the pull of that tiny bit of light, and she could feel herself running towards it. There was an energy to it that was comforting and along with that comfort, something she hadn't felt in years.
She felt life. [His] life. She would know that feeling in the pit of her soul a million lifetimes from now.
--Akuma...--
She kept running towards that light, but it never seemed to get closer. Just the fact that it was there seemed to say a lot of things. Almost as easily as she let herself into this meditation, she began coming out of it, and the light began to fade. She wanted to say something, anything to keep that light within her sights, but it continued fading finally returning to the black of her mind, and then of her room. She opened her eyes and looked around, trying to sense some other presence around her besides the ones that were usually there, and she didn't. However brief this experience was, it was only a reminder that she still had a mission in life, and that she needed to stay firm to that purpose - to see the King pay for taking the things she held dear away from her. And someday, everything she was doing would pay off. She was sure of it.
That next morning, she took off and didn't return for nearly 3 months.
In Makoto and Akuma's world, time seemed to fly past as every day seemingly melted into the next one. Most of their moments were stolen ones, as Makoto spent most of her days attending to the business of the Planet whether it was travelling, or meeting with leaders, or in meetings with Jade. Akuma passed his days training with the Royal Jovian Guard. He was not officially one of them, and he had never thought to ask what it would take to become one, but most of the members of the Guard enjoyed having someone of his skill level to participate in their training.
One afternoon about a month after the Ball, Makoto and Akuma found themselves relaxing under an oak tree in a quiet corner of the Rose Garden, contentedly basking in the glow of their relationship. Their silences were companionable, and time flew swiftly by as after a few moments of conversation, Makoto dozed off in his arms. He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes, the gentle breeze blowing his spiky hair back and forth slightly like so many blades of grass. Occasionally it was moments like this, when he could hear the quiet river that was his thoughts, he would let himself wonder if Nashi and their child were healthy and happy. He was well aware that Nashi was a strong woman, and he had faith that she would carry on without him in his absence - in her lifetime, she had survived far worse and it was that fact that made the inability to go back that much easier to deal with. He would always have a place in his heart for her, but time kept going forward, and at this point in his life, he would have to as well. He opened his eyes again and looked down at Makoto, who was still dozing peacefully. He smiled contentedly and once more leaned his head back against the tree, eyes closing.