Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi or any of its affiliates, blah blah blah,
though I do own the character Sonora and all others I made up (basically all
the ones you don't recognize).  So don't sue me because I have no money.
Thanks, and enjoy!

The Prince of Darkness ~ Chapter One:
And So It Begins

It was a lovely day on the planet of Jurai.  The air was clear and smelled
of
new possibilities.  However, the serene beauty of the planet can become
quite
boring if you're an adventure seeker.  At the eastern palace, a young Jurain
prince was quite restless.  He sat on his balcony, fiddling idly with a
clasp
he had loosened from his cloak.  His strong reddish brown eyes searched the
courtyard below, quite the lovely sight to behold.  Still, he could not
quite
appreciate the beauty of it all.  The young prince was searching for
something more, something that the quiet beauty of the palace could not
satisfy.  His soft pale green hair stirred slightly in the wind.  With a
sudden burst of aggravation, his fingers clamped down on the claps,
splitting
it in half.  He flicked it off the balcony nonchalantly and coolly stood to
leave.

"Hey!"  Stopping in his tracks, the young prince spun around, his hand at
the
sword sheathed loosely at his waist; there was no one on the balcony.  "Hey,
who threw that?" the rather annoyed voice came again.  This time he
recognized the female aspect of it.

Taking slowly drawn out steps and filled with an air of haughty dignity, the
prince walked to the edge of the balcony, peering over into the courtyard
below him casually, where his eyes fell upon the sparkling fountain just
below, and a figure concealed within the misty spray.  She took a step
forward and stopped, resting her elbow irritably in the crook of her hip,
her
head cocked slightly to one side; in her hand was one half of his royal
clasp.  His eyes started at her feet, then ran slowly up her long legs, her
incredible curves and generous bust-line, and finally fell upon her face.

"Do you mind?" she asked with obvious irritation.  "Even a half of this
thing
is big!"

"Forgive me, madam," the prince called back, taking a mock bow aimed in her
direction.

As the sarcastic prince stood, a smirk wiped across his face, he was greeted
by the sting of the clasp bouncing off his forehead.  "Don't call me madam,"
the girl called up playfully, shooting him an enticing wink before turning,
hand on hip, and walking in the other direction.

The young prince rubbed his head tenderly where the clasp had hit, but he
couldn't help smiling.  She had seemed so free to him, escaping the duties
of
a prince that he had to endure.  His life was enclosed and sealed off by
strict perimeters and high standards, which he never quite felt he could
live
up to.  The young prince sighed and turned once more towards the door
opening
into his chamber, this time entering, dragging his feet sluggishly.  He
strode over to his bed, bedecked in lace and intricately designed patterns,
where he plopped down with a sigh, resting his face in his gloved hands.
When did life get so complicated? he wondered.  No, he realized, it had
always been this complicated.  And as the prince of the eastern division of
Jurai, I must do my best to uphold my duties and live up to my potential.
He
sighed once more, falling back onto his plush feather bed, his arms
outstretched on either side of him.

Sunlight gently filtered in through his large picture window, casting golden
shadows over his room.  How he wished he could leave this place and be free
of his duties, even for a day.  Even though he was a Jurain prince, he was
still a teenager.  He needed to be free, though many others had convinced
him
otherwise.  He knew nothing else but what he lived and what he saw in other
people.  Still, his knowledge and craving thereof had been growing for the
past three years, and his parents feared that he would discover a life he
would love more.

Lost in though, his daydream was broken by a rapping at the door.  He lifted
his head from the blankets, propping himself up on sturdy elbows and staring
at the door as if he would eventually see through it.  "Kagato, dear," his
mother's calm voice came, muffled by the thickness of the door, "are you
alright in there?"

Kagato rose stiffly from the bed and unlocked the heavy door.  His mother
pushed it open slowly, and faced his solemn expression with the bright smile
she often adorned.  Her soft, aqua blue hair was done in dual braids, pulled
up into two identical blue loops raised high on either side of her head; two
wisps stubbornly protruded from the front and framed her delicate porcelain
face.  She was wearing an elegant pastel kimono that she wore for ceremonies
and public appearances, which he thought strange until he pulled forth from
his wandering mind the event that was scheduled for that day.

"They've arrived, Kagato," his mother told him softly, her voice falling
like
quiet raindrops around his muscled figure.  She examined him with the same
strong reddish brown eyes that he possessed, and was not satisfied until he
extended his arm to her, which she took gratefully.

Their footsteps echoing off the walls of the vast stone corridor were the
only sounds until the silence was broken by the voice of his mother.  "You
do
realize that the presentation of the soldiers today means that there is to
be
a war," her mother said, her tone quiet and firm.  She did not turn to look
at him, and they continued to walk down the hallway, his silence instructing
her to continue.

"As a prince of Jurai you must understand the seriousness of these issues."
She paused for a moment, stopping and taking a deep sigh.  Kagato stopped as
well, turning to look at his mother.  She looked so frail and helpless right
then; he had rarely seen her like this.  She looked at him with pleading
eyes, taking his hand in hers.  "My son, in all this chaos, do not forget
who
you are.  Live on your emotions, it is the only way that life is worth
living."  Tears were building beneath her eyes, and he pulled her into his
warm embrace, squeezing his eyes shut tightly to hide the tears that line
his
eyes, though a single droplet trailed down his cheek to land silently in his
mother's soft hair.  They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity,
locked in silent understanding, neither daring to say a word.

"Mother, I will never abandon myself in my duties as a prince of Jurai," he
told her as they pulled apart, his composure returning to him.  "I will
always be your son."

She smiled sadly at him, wiping the tears stubbornly from her eyes, and they
linked arms once more, continuing down the long corridor that would lead to
the dark future ahead.