he Tolmekian Princess Kushana paused, her redish brown hair falling into her eyes as she drank a glass of wine. She was the ruler of her homeland now, her traitorous father dead and his schemes along with him, but it gave her little satisfaction. The cost of stopping him had been high, and she often wondered if it had been worth it. "You're drinking too much," Kurotowa noted, the dark brown haired man standing in the doorway of her study, his cape flung dramatically over his shoulder. Once a treacherous tool of her father and brothers Kurotowa had accompanied her to the Valley of the Wind and survived the mad adventures that follows at her side. Somewhere in the violence and madness he had become a ally, possibly even a friend. Mow he served as a sort of grand vizier of the royal court, a man who went between her and the nobles to get things done. "I'm trying to run a empire," Kushana said to him dryly as she set the mostly full glass down, "one made up of captured nations that mostly hate each other and us. I think I'm allowed to drown my sorrows occasionally." Unlike his more flamboyant garb she wore just a tunic and pants, the only decoration a simple circlet on her head. The Tolmekian empire had expanded by force of arms through the frontier nations by the Sea of Decay, promising to burn the polluted forests away. It was foolishness, though they didn't understand it until later, but by then they had already taken over many nations. Those, and other lands that the ambitious nation had forced under their heel. Once Kushana took over she found herself holding a bag of snakes that hated her, and each other too. "You've already freed the frontier nations," Kurotowa noted reasonably, "and you're even negotiating with those maniacs from Pejite." "Maniacs?" Kushana raised a eyebrow, "They're no worse than we were. We sought to revive a god from the past and they turned the Ohmu into a weapon... in some ways we almost deserved each other." "True," Kurotowa conceded the point. "Did you need to see me about anything other than my drinking?" Kushana asked him wryly, offering to pour him a glass too. Kurotowa waved that off as he smiled back slightly, "The delegation from the border kingdoms is coming soon. I'll warn you once our scouts see them." Kushana nodded to him as he left, "Thank you." Kushana looked away, out the window of the castle at the capital city. The Empire had suffered greatly under her father's rule as he sought more and more power and added to that was all the damage done by the pollution the old ones had left, poisoning the land and killing so many of their kind. Ironically it was the aide from the conquered nations that was saving them, the border peoples teaching them better ways to grow food and survive. Like Nausicaa... "Oh," Kushana winced slightly, having spent most of the day trying hard not to think of that woman. Like a itch that she couldn't scratch Nausicaa lingered in her mind, the fierce woman dressed in blue who had so changed her life in the last few years. They had met on the battlefield, when Kushana had invaded the Valley of the Wind and she had been shocked at the fierceness of the girl. When Nausicaa's father had been slain by a advance party the girl had attacked the killers with a ferocity that would have done any warrior proud. Despite being outnumbered more than five to one she beat them all, and was ready to face Kushana and her reinforcements too, if not for the intervention of the swordsman Yupa. 'She hated me at first,' Kushana mused to herself, picking up her glass, 'understandably too.' Yet when Kushana's life was in danger Nausicaa saved her, and she had saved both the Valley and Tolmekia from destruction in the end. Kushana swirled the wine around, thinking of the smaller brown haired woman, usually dressed in a simple jumpsuit. Her eyes could be so complicated, placid as the sea one moment, sparking with fire another as she spoke out for her friends and people. She had a unthinking charisma about her that drew you in before you knew it, leading you to follow the girl into possible death or worse without a thought. Kushana got up as her mouth twisted in amusement, 'Or at least I can blame my infatuation on her charisma, rather than...' She winced a little as old scars pulled, her body battered and cut by war and disease. Few people her age hadn't lost some part of their bodies to the poisons of the Sea of Decay, and her body was laced with many old wounds. 'I doubt Nausicaa has such wounds,' she thought sadly, wondering how the younger woman might react to her many scars. Even with the girl's frequent visits and their growing friendship she hadn't shown her them, and she wasn't sure she would ever find the courage to. Kurotowa was good enough to knock on the door this time before he swung it open, a slightly self-mocking smile on his face. "They've landed at the edge of the city," he informed her, "they'll be here soon." Kushana nodded, "I'll be ready." Kushana felt a oddly girlish impulse to primp and preen, but she controlled it ruthlessly. Instead she merely washed her face, tidying her clothes and silently wishing she had not had that glass of wine. Pulling on a formal cape she clasped it at the shoulder then headed out through the castle halls, nodding to various guards and staff as she went. The sun was slowly dropping towards the horizon as Kushana reached the courtyard, shading her eyes as she looked up the roadway. Kurotowa gave her a smile as he stood with a few other officials, all ready to receive their guests. "There," he murmured as figures appeared at the edge of their vision. Kushana automatically registered the others walking along side her, but her eyes mostly focused on Nausicaa. Her hair was a bit longer than she remembered but she was as beautiful as ever, her gaze gentle and full of warmth. She offered official greetings to each representative, then she finally reached Nausicaa. "Welcome to Tolmekia," she murmured, taking her hand. Nausicaa smiled back as she held Kushana's hand in hers, "It's been too long." Kushana felt herself relax for the first time in days, touched by the welcome in those eyes. She only reluctantly let her go, aware of the other nobles quizzical looks. "I hope our discussions will be profitable ones." she said formally, "now, my staff will show you to your rooms." Kurotowa murmured to Nausicaa, "Could you linger a moment?" Then with a gentlemanly air he led the others off, chatting warmly. Nausicaa smiled up at Kushana as they walked inside, the two falling into step easily. "I hear good things about your work in the damaged provinces," Kushana noted, her mind frantically searching for something to talk about. It was incredible that she had been looking forward to this for weeks but her mind had gone completely blank. "I'm mostly passing on things I learned from the grandmothers in our village," Nausicaa admitted as they walked up to Kushana's rooms, "but I'm glad to pass it on." Nausicaa paused in the doorway to the study, "So many books!" "I started collecting them not long after I met you." Kushana admitted. Nausicaa looked surprised, "Oh?" Kushana smiled slightly, "Meeting you made me question many of the things I had long believed to be true, and I wondered what else I might not know?" Nausicaa nodded thoughtfully in acknowledgment. Quietly she said, "Meeting you has changed me, too." Kushana looked at her in surprise, "You've always seemed very self-contained and sure of yourself." She chuckled, "More sure than I, lately." Nausicaa hesitated before she said, "Before I met you I only had my people, the Valley and the creatures of the Sea of Decay." "I'm sure there were..." Kushana started. "Duty kept me separate from the others," Nausicaa said quietly, "and while I loved my father, I knew he was dying for a long time." Kushana squeezed her arm, "I'm sorry." "It's strange," Nausicaa said as she stepped closer to Kushana, "even when I hated you it was a new feeling for me, something I treasured." The smaller woman reached out and hugged Kushana, pulling her close." "Nausicaa...?" Kushana hesitated to reach for her, afraid that what the smaller woman might be feeling was different than her own feeling. Nausicaa gave her a smile of love mixed with exasperation, "Kushana, I've tried to be patient, but you can be very thick sometimes." "Maybe I need some things spelled out for me," Kushana admitted. "I love you," Nausicaa chuckled softly, "now kiss me, please." And Kushana did just that. End. Notes: I've always liked the relationship between Kushana and Nausicaa, enemies who forge a bond between them through adversity. The Manga also expands on that a lot, creating some interesting moments between the two of them. Nothing canon, of course, but interesting anyway.
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