Senshi (Guardians)

The next day at lunch time, Thael walked down the school corridor followed by two cloaked and hooded figures. All three of them were carrying bento boxes. When they entered the classroom at eleven-thirty all the girls greeted Thael.

“Ohaio, Ladies, we’ve brought you all bento.”

They laid out the bento and the girls came over to get one. They were so excited about the lunch; they didn’t really notice the hooded figures.

Later, as the girls were finishing up their bento, Thael took the hooded ones up to the chalkboard. “Excuse me ladies. Sumimasen!”

They all looked up to the chalkboard where Thael stood with Kyoko and the two strangers.

“Kyoko sama and I want to introduce you all to a couple of our special friends.”

Kyoko brought one of the figures forward, “This handsome fellow is Kip. We call him that because his real name is too difficult to pronounce.”

She pulled the hood off Kip’s head. He nodded his head in greeting.

“Kip is from a planet called Karu Sektu. His people are called the Shnark. At least that’s as close as we can get to the real pronunciations. As you can see by his head he looks like…”

“Neko. He’s a Neko.” The girls were excited to see such a large cat.

“Not exactly…” Kyoko removed his cloak. The girls all stared.

“He’s a cat with wings!”

“Yes, he looks a lot like a cat with wings.” She scratched his head and rubbed it. He purred.

“Kip, these are my classmates.”

“Hajimemashite minna, domo yoroshiku.” He bowed to the class.

“He talks?”

“Yes. He is not a cat or an animal. He is a sentient being that can think, love, hate, and converse. Think of him as a new classmate that’s just come from far away. He does love to be petted and scratched, though.”

“Yamada chan. Come up and greet our friend, O kudasai.”

The class leader reluctantly came forward and bowed, “Hajimemashite, Kip san.”

Kip purred his answer, “It’s very nice meeting you too. Do you want to pet my head? You may. You can also scratch just behind the ears. It’s hard for me to reach there.”

Kyoko encouraged her, “It’s Okay Yamada chan.”

As she pet him he leaned his head and rubbed against her hand.

Not too soon after, there was a crowd of girls wanting to be near him.

Thael spoke up: “Let me introduce you to another of our friends. Her name is Leura. She comes from a planet called Larr. She is different than Kip. She doesn’t like it if you pet her or treat her like a pet. You must respect her as you would anyone you might meet.”

He removed the hood.

“Kawaii! She is like a fox.”

Leura removed her cloak and handed it to Thael. They could see that she was exactly like a fox; a fox that wears dresses. Leura bowed politely, “Hajimemashite minna, domo yoroshiku.”

Her Japanese was perfect. The girls could hardly believe these two beings were real.

“The Larrians have been to Earth before. That’s where the Asian folk tales about the fox people came from. They are a noble race with customs and courtesy much like ours. They have a rich literary and arts heritage as well. Leura is fluent in Japanese, English, Taelon and, of course, Larrian. Our house has been blessed because she came to live with us.”

After the initial shock was over, the girls began to talk to the aliens like they were normal people.

Takeda sensei stopped in the doorway of the room when she saw the two unique people chatting with her students. At first, she was alarmed, but seeing the girls talking and laughing with them like old friends, made her want to see them up close. She entered the room.

Yamada chan shouted, “Stand!”

Miss Takeda stopped her. “Daijobu, it’s all right class. I’d like to meet your new friends.” Kyoko made the introductions and told Leura that Miss Takeda was her literature teacher.

Leura bowed, “Hajimemashite sensei,” she extended her paw-like hand and the teacher shook it.

“On Larr, we have our own literature and art. I would be very interested in learning something about Earth’s, so that I could contrast, and compare their differences and similarities.”

“You sound very intelligent and your spoken Japanese is perfect. Can you also read it? If so I can lend you some of our best works to read.”

“Oh, yes. I can read, write and speak Japanese. In order for me to come here and serve her Highness, Kyoko sama, I had to learn it properly.”

“Serve? Do you mean you are a slave?”

She laughed, “No, sensei. I chose to come here to serve her highness. I was being trained to be the Crown Prince of Larr’s wife’s handmaiden. My family are the retainers to the King and Queen, but I asked them if I could come here to serve Kyoko-sama instead. They all agreed wholeheartedly because Prince Thael is a great hero of Larr.

“He saved my family and freed over nine hundred Larrians from captivity. He stopped a terrible war singlehandedly. We owe him our lives and our loyalty. So, no, not slavery, it’s a duty I am pleased to fill.”

“Fascinating, absolutely fascinating… I would love to hear more about that. Also, would it be possible for you and I to get together and compare our earth literature with yours? I would be very interested to learn about your home. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that Earth’s poetry and writings are very similar.”

“I’m sure it would be all right. I don’t think Kyoko sama would mind.”

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, Leura. You may come to our house near the mountains any time you wish, sensei, or we could arrange for Leura to meet you somewhere else.”

“All my Larrian books are at the house near the mountains.”

Thael had come over and heard what they were saying. “Oh, yes. You must come to our house and have lunch. You two can talk about literature in a peaceful environment. There’s a gazebo in the garden that’s perfect for it.”

He continued: “I’m glad Leura got the chance to meet you, Sensei. She is like family to us, but we are so busy, I’m sure she is pretty bored not having someone to talk to about something other than household duties.”

“I have an idea, Leura chan,” Miss Takeda said, “Why don’t you sit in my class today? We’re reading one of Earth’s finest British playwrights and poets: William Shakespeare. Would that be all right with Kyoko sama?”

“Certainly, she can sit next to me and share my book.”

Leura bowed, “Oh, Thank you, Princess Kyoko. Thank you sensei.”

“Zenzen, Do itashimashitte. My desk is over here.” Kyoko took Leura to her desk. One of the other students brought up an empty chair from the back for her to sit on.

“Domo Arigato,” Leura said as she bowed to the girl.

“You’re welcome, Leura chan. Welcome to our class.”

Kyoko hurried across the room and out the doorway, “Chotto Matte, Thael!”

When she got into the hall, Thael was leaning against the wall as if waiting. Kip was standing next to him.

“Cho…Eh…? You didn’t leave?”

“How could I leave without my kiss? It would be impolite to kiss you in front of the sensei, so I waited here.”

She smiled, rushed into his arms and kissed him. “You really are the best, you know that?”

“You’re much better, Kyoko, but you should go before you get in trouble.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” She made a mock Taelon salute. A golden sword appeared in her right hand and a shield on her other arm. She accidentally smacked her forehead with the flat of the sword. She looked at it and went cross-eyed for a moment. She instinctively lowered the sword and it disappeared.

“What was that? It’s a good thing I have my shields or that would have hurt. As it is, it was quite a shock.”

“You used a Taelon salute. Anytime a Guardian does that, the sword and shield automatically appear.”

“But I’m not a Guardian, am I?”

“No, not really; however, technically you have all the Guardian powers because you are my Princess. My Grandmother the Queen, was very good with a sword and bow. She fought in a few skirmishes that she was forced into. It’s not something you’ll have to do, if you don’t want to. You do have three Imperial Guardians with you at all times… and me of course.”

Kyoko stood silent for a moment, “I have to go.” With that she turned and went back into the classroom.

Thael and Kip took Ariella back to the house in the mountains.

At precisely four pm Ariella landed at the school. Kyoko and Leura came down the steps. Some of her classmates were waving goodbye while others who had never seen Leura before stood and stared. Kip moved to the back seat so Kyoko could sit with Thael. Leura sat in back with Kip.

As Ariella rose into the sky, “Ready to see my bachelor pad?”

“Oh, yes. I only hope it isn’t too small. Is it larger than the apartment?”

“A bit… Okay, we’re here.”

“Already? Oh. Sumimasen, Ariella san, I forget how fast you really are”

“Not a problem, Your Highness.”

They were sitting in a box. It had three walls and a large gate in front of them.

As they got out of the ship Thael said, “You can’t change your mind, no matter how small or dingy it looks. Okay?”

“I said my place is with you and I meant it. Just how bad is it?”

Thael opened the gate. Kyoko gasped.

Beyond the gate was a very large walled in garden. There were cherry trees in full bloom, flower beds and white stones laid like a carpet between the planters and trees. To the right was a large Koi pond that had a Japanese style curved bridge over the middle. The house was “L” shaped. It went behind the end of the pond and turned toward where they were standing. Hiro was on the porch in front of the Koi pond bridge. There were flat stepping stones that led to the porch stairs.

There were also several Imperial Guardians standing guard at various places.

Thael noticed she seemed so shocked she couldn’t move, “You’re not saying anything, Kyoko sama. Don’t you like it?”

She turned to him, grabbed him tightly with her cheek against his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted your first view of your new home to be through your eyes. Not mine, Kip’s, or Hiro’s… or Leura’s. I didn’t want you to judge it by one picture from my mind. I wanted you to see the whole collection through your own eyes.”

She was crying against his chest.

“I’m sorry, my Princess. Did I do wrong?”

“No, my Prince - you wonderful, beautiful Angel-man, you did the right thing. I don’t believe any words could have described how magical this place is.”

“Welcome home, Kyoko sama.”