After the Rain: Flashback - Clay meets Tokimi
I love writing Tokimi as chibi and as her original insane self. And I really had it clear in my mind how she and Clay met although I didn't think I'd ever get to use this scene. I really wrote it just so I had something to refer to for my own continuity in case I was mentioning their meeting. The Kii seem rather like Ancient Egyptians somehow in this depiction...

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So there was some truth to the legends, after all.

Clay walked slowly between the narrow stone walls of the crypt, aware as he squeezed his substantial bulk through the gaps that he was heading deeper and deeper into the heart of the planet. His heart in his throat at what he might find, he soldiered on, determined that whatever glory and prestige would accord his discovery, noone else would be able to steal his credit.

He had read the stories, of course. Studied them as many had before, in the hope of cracking the code that sealed in Kihaku's many secrets. As he plunged further into unknown territory, he thanked his lucky stars once again that he had come into the path of Prince Kagato and his influential, probing team. To destroy Washu's reputation was one thing - but this was something even greater than that. The rosetta stone to all Kihaku's mysteries might lie beyond the next arch, and he quickened his pace, eager to find it before the two knights and their prince returned.

Kagato was a dangerous, ambitious man, after all, and Clay was sure he wouldn't hesitate to kill if he thought he could gain from the secrets discovered there.

"I don't know why we came here, or why Washu would choose this desolate hellhole to have a laboratory, but you don't argue with a rich and influential prince." He muttered, pushing his stout body around the final corner, and stopping dead in the doorway of a spacious, arched chamber. "And even if they come up empty handed, I don't intend to. Kihaku has evaded scientists for generations. Nobody comes here, because of the stories, but there's noone living here now. It was a long time ago - buried, ancient past. Superstition isn't going to drive me back. Things are looking better, Clay. Washu is no longer in your way, and you're about to make the discovery of a lifetime!"

Reaching into the pocket of his voluminous gown, he located his torch and he flicked it on, shining it around the chamber as he did so. It was bigger than it seemed at first glance, he realised, and the walls were carved high with symbols and pictures that he could not quite make out. Wood torches sat in alcoves around the four corners, old but barely used, and he grabbed a sharp piece of flint from the floor, striking it against the tinder again and again until he drew flame. Repeating the action with the others, he set his torch down in the centre of the floor, approaching the carved walls cautiously.

"So many pictures." He murmured, running his fingers over the images as he did so. "I wonder what this place is. Some kind of shrine? A temple, perhaps. I wish I could read the symbols. Obviously if Jurai invaded Kihaku, they didn't do a very thorough job. None of this is written in Old Era Juraian. It must be native work...the original, savage culture."

He stood back, admiring the deftness of the artist's chisel as he had rendered scene after scene in perfect proportion. Although he could not read the words, Clay found he could understand something of the story, and as he moved from left to right he began to piece the plot together, his brows drawing together in concentration.

"The settlers...Juraians, in their crafts, coming to Kihaku." He murmured, touching the first rendering absently. "And that must be the Priest - or whatever he was - giving some kind of ritual blessing. Here, he's dead, so obviously he didn't do a very good job. They're burying him - or something."

His eyes narrowed.

"That looks almost like this chamber." He mused, pursing his lips. "I wonder if that's what I've discovered. An ancient Priest's burial chamber. Well, what a coup if I have? Noone has ever found the mortal remains of a Kii priest, no matter how hard they've tried!"

His gaze flitted over the next picture, resting momentarily on the visage of a young woman. Above her head were three symbols, carved keenly and concisely into the rock, and as Clay squinted closer, he realised that the middle one was an eagle's feather - the symbol that had appeared on Juraian documentation regarding Kihaku for generations.

"I wonder what it means." He mused, reaching a thick finger to touch it. "And what these others do, as well. Her name? That one is the same as the man has, so it must mean Priest, or Priestess. Something like that. And the other one? Her name, I suppose. I wonder if she's Tokimi. That name appears in Jurai texts more than any other. Could I be that fortunate - to have found the grave of Tokimi-sama?"

He stepped back from the wall, sliding his hand into his pocket as he reached for his duplicator. Holding it up, he took stills of all of the walls, rendering them perfectly in the camera's memory as he nodded in smug satisfaction.

"Noone can doubt me, now." He mused. "But it's only the beginning. If this is a burial place, there must be more to it than just this room. There's nothing here but carvings. I wonder..."

His beady eyes flitted across the gravelled surface, searching for something that seemed out of place and at last his tenacity was rewarded, for carved deep into the centre of the futhest wall was a round, flat disk, quite seperate from any of the other images around it. As he placed his fingers over it, the disk seemed to glow slightly, and when he touched it, he felt a prickle go through his skin.

Summoning his courage, he pressed down on the disk hard, and with a thunderous rumble the wall began to drop down into a widening crevasse at it's base. Clay sprang back in surprise, but his awe at the craftmanship soon outweighed any fear and as the wall disappeared completely from view, he found that a new pathway had been revealed, leading off once more into the heart of the planet.

He retrieved his torch, then headed on, noticing as he did so that more of the strange, disk-like lights adorned the walls of the passage. It gave the surroundings an eerie glow, casting long shadows on the stone floor, but Clay gritted his teeth, determined not to turn back. At the furthest end of the passage, the route forked and beyond that it forked again, cascading into many seperate chambers, each with smooth-finished stone doors adorned with many more of the unfamiliar symbols. For a moment Clay faltered, unsure which path to choose. Then the tunnel furthest to the right caught his attention, as he recognised the same three symbols he had seen on the carving in the outer chamber. A smile touched his lips as he turned right, realising as he did so that the hewn rock here was newer and rougher edged than any of the others. Almost as if it had been done in a hurry, he reasoned. And what more of a hurry than to entomb a rampaging priestess once she had finally been brought to book?

"They must have wanted to get rid of her as soon and as deep as they could." He muttered. "Who could blame them? Digging a hole this deep into the planet was probably the best solution. This is Tokimi-sama's crypt, all right. I've really done it - I've really found something that could set my name in the history books for generations to come!"

He placed both hands on the door, and was surprised when it slid effortlessly back at his touch. There was a chamber beyond, as he had suspected, lit by curious, eerie blue flame along the walls and as he stepped inside, the light seemed to grow even brighter. Against the furthest wall was a rectangular tablet, set a few inches forward, but even as Clay darted forward to examine it, he realised that the symbols were yet again beyond him. He sighed, taking a picture anyway, and turning to examine the rest of the room.

Unlike the outer one, this room had no pictures carved on the walls, although someone had gone to a lot of trouble to write something on the lower sections of stone. In the corner of the chamber stood a statue, flanked by stone defences. It was of a young woman, still and flawless in solid white marble, and for a moment Clay just stared at it, captivated by it's imposing beauty.

"What price the immortality of a Priestess." he mused ruefully. "I guess even when you're mad and murderous, you can still find someone to carve your likeness in stone for posterity."

He bent to examine the base, noticing the eagle's feather and the two other symbols that flanked it. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, legendary Priestess of Kihaku, it seems I've finally tracked you down." he murmured. "You're no myth after all. You were real - just like me. And you're going to make me celebrated and famous in my time, just as you were in yours."

A chill breeze whipped across the chamber, making the lights flicker in their carved holders and Clay frowned, turning his gaze back towards the open doorway. As he did so, he felt something brush against his shoulder and he froze, his heart in his throat as he struggled to contain the sudden fear that gripped his soul.

"Rats. Birds. Bats. Mice. Something of that nature." he muttered. "Nothing else."

There was a soft, tinkling peal of laughter at his words, echoing eerily around the chamber as he sprang to his feet, turning his gaze on the statue with wide-eyed terror. What he had mistaken for marble was now unmistakeably taking on a more human form, and as he stared at her, she winked at him, fluttering her long lashes as she stretched out a ghostly hand in his direction.

With a yell, Clay made a dive for the open door, but it shuddered shut before he could reach it, trapping him in the chamber with the statue that so obviously was neither dead, nor a statue at all. He gulped, edging back against the hard stone as his hands fumbled for a way out.

"Go away!" He exclaimed. "Leave me alone...I mean you no harm!"

For a moment, the apparition regarded him uncertainly, pursing her lips as she ran her gaze over his substantial form. Then, at length, she sighed.

"Are you the best that the World has to offer me?" She asked him softly. Her tones were delicately accented with something he had not heard before, but she spoke his language crisply and cleanly, and the surprise of it made him falter in his struggle to escape, staring up at her anew.

"How do you understand my words?" He gasped. "Who are you, and why are you hiding here, in a Kii tomb?"

"I've been waiting. For you." The woman offered him a smile, and Clay saw the glimmer of insanity that lurked in her beautiful blue eyes. "And there are no barriers of language to those who speak through minds."

 He gulped, swallowing hard.

"I don't understand. You...you've made a mistake." he stammered, but the woman shook her head, amusement touching her expression as she reached out a gentle hand, pulling him to his feet.

"I don't think so." She said softly. "I have waited a long time, stranger. I have slept...but you have woken me. Noone but you could have found this place. The World has spoken - it is time."

"Woken...you?" Clay echoed, uncertainty in his black eyes. "But I didn't mean to! I...I'm just a scientist, I meant no harm! I...I'm interested in the Kii - fascinated by them, in fact! I just wanted to find out more about your World, that's all! I didn't mean any offence!"

The woman sighed.

"Do you know my name, stranger?" She asked, her tones low and deceptively sweet as she met his gaze gravely. Clay swallowed again, clenching and unclenching his fists behind his back.

"Are you the one they call...Tokimi-sama?" He whispered. The woman laughed, delight flickering in her blue eyes.

"You are wise." She reflected, bowing her head in acknowledgement of her identity. "You recognise, then, the seal of the Priestess, and her noble emblem of Kihaku?"

"I..."

"My planet is bleeding." Tokimi said softly, pain in her eyes. "It has suffered for centuries at the hands of greedy, evil settlers. I was sworn to protect it, and aid my people...but they brought so much pain and the people died. Now I am all that is left - the only one who can avenge their suffering. That is why the World brought you here. It knew I would have need of you."

"Now wait a minute..." Clay held up his hands, but Tokimi shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"It is too late to wait." She said chidingly. "You broke the seal on my crypt. You've already accepted my commission - there is no turning back."

"And if I refuse to help you? What then?" Clay demanded. Tokimi smiled.

"Then I will kill you." She said matter-of-factly. "You are not Kii. Your blood spilt will not matter to the World...it will not care. And then I will wait for another to come in through those doors and awaken me. It must happen, stranger. I am sworn to defend Kihaku as long as time exists."

"But you're dead." Clay whispered. "This is...you said it's your crypt! You were interred here...weren't you?"

"I came here of my own accord." Tokimi shook her head, sending cascading waves of ethereal brown hair across her shoulders. "I was never dead. Priests and Priestesses do not age and wither - they are struck down, or they sleep, waiting for their time to come again. When the World was empty, I knew I had to wait. That one day the time for vengeance would return, and if I was patient, everything would be as the World predicted. Now is that time. You have awoken me. Tell me your name, stranger. I cannot keep calling you that."

"Clay." Clay said falteringly. "Dr....Dr Clay."

"I see, Dr Clay." Tokimi looked thoughtful. "Are you of the planet they call Jurai?"

"No...no."

"That is good." Tokimi said pensively. "Or I might have to kill you anyway. The World thrives on Juraian blood. Juraians caused it so much suffering...a little it can take in return is scant comfort, but it's the best it's ever had."

"You're insane." Clay's eyes widened with alarm. "Completely mad, just like the legends!"

"And very powerful, too." Tokimi agreed. "The settlers always called it madness, our bond with our world. But they were heretics and they didn't understand. This battle has gone beyond the flesh. I seek more than that - I seek the core of that very planet. I want Tsunami-kami-sama, and I want her dead and gone, twisted and uprooted like I uprooted all of her pillaging settlers. You will help me to do this."

"To destroy Tsunami?" Clay's eyes almost fell out of his head. "Are you kidding?"

"I have slept far too long to speak false to you." Tokimi shook her head. "You will not go unrewarded for your help, Dr Clay. Your assistance will guarantee you my protection, and other benefits as well. If you choose to be my ally, I will grant you the same gift Kihaku granted me. That of eternal life - sustained by the power of my World."

"Eternal life?" Clay bit his lip. "But...Tsunami is...I mean...her magic defies all...she might just be a legend."

"As I am, perhaps?" Tokimi's voice echoed eerily around the chamber, and Clay swallowed again.

"That isn't what I meant." He said hastily. "I just...well...noone has ever seen Tsunami. They've never found her relics, or even proved that she ever actually existed. And Jurai's magic defies all quantitative attempts to measure it. Scientists have..."

"Science." Disapproval flickered in Tokimi's blue eyes at this. "How I dislike this heresy."

"But..." Clay looked confused, and Tokimi tut-tutted, resting her index finger gently on his brow.

"You must not question. You must simply accept and obey." She whispered, as Clay felt an electricity run through his senses, making him feel more alive than he had ever done before. He stared at her, not comprehending, and she chuckled.

"Yes, my magic is powerful indeed." She agreed. "And I do not harm those who are loyal to me. I reward them, instead. Being my servant has great benefits, after all. They much outweigh the consequences, if you choose to defy me."

"I don't have much choice, you said you would kill me." Clay pointed out. Tokimi looked amused.

"Yes, you are a man of sense. That helps, too." She agreed. "I...wait a minute!"

She drew her hand back from his brow, horror and alarm flooding her expression as she gazed at him anew. Clay frowned.

"What now?" He asked warily. "What did you do - what has happened to me? Why did you...why did you pull back?"

A mixture of expressions crossed Tokimi's face, and Clay found himself amazed that one so beautiful could appear so twisted and angry. Then she seemed to get a grip on herself, drawing a breath into her lungs as she smiled at him again.

"You are acquainted, I see, with a woman known as Washu Hakubi." She said softly. Clay looked startled.

"Yes." He agreed slowly. "I was. We worked together. Why?"

"Tell me, Clay-san. Where is Washu Hakubi now?"

"Best guess, drifting somewhere in the extremes of space." A malicious smile touched Clay's lips, despite himself. "She made some powerful people very angry, and they exiled her as punishment for crossing them."

"I see." Tokimi was silent for a moment. "And you are happy about this, Doctor Clay?"

She emphasised the syllables, her exotic accent making his name sound sinister, and he nodded his head.

"Very. I can't stand the woman and I'm glad to see her gone." He agreed frankly. "But why are you interested in her, Tokimi-sama?"

"I'm not." Tokimi's eyes narrowed. "I was just curious. That's all. It's nothing which concerns you."

"You sound like you know her. But how is that possible? You must have slept here for centuries, and Washu is younger than I am."

"I know a lot of things." Tokimi's lips twitched into a knowing smile. "Washu Hakubi is a scientist, correct?"

"Yes, but..."

"And she was punished for being so?"

"She was punished for blowing up a planet...one that belonged to a Princess." At the last minute, Clay stopped himself from revealing the origins of the planetary owners, mindful of his companion's rampage on the subject of Jurai. "They didn't take to it very kindly. She was sealed into a capsule and jettisoned into space. I don't know where she landed, or if she even has. All I know is that she's gone and she won't plague anyone for a long time. Perhaps not ever again."

"That is good news." Tokimi looked pleased. "And have you access, then, to the things she left behind?"

"Why?" Clay was on his guard now, and Tokimi let out another tinkling peal of laughter.

"I seek only to use what I can in the pursuit of my own ends." She said playfully. "You will be most useful to me, Clay, I can tell that already."

"But how can you know about Washu?"

"She was here, once." Tokimi said dismissively. "And I didn't approve of how she treated this world, when she was here and when she left. She was in league with the settlers, and I rarely forget a grievance. She was smart, but nothing more. And if I can use what she knew to destroy the world she pledged her faith to, then so much to the good."

"So Washu really did have a lab on Kihaku." Clay murmured. Tokimi nodded.

"And even locked down here, in a deep sleep, you knew she was there?"

"I know everything about Washu Hakubi that the universe has ever wanted to know." Tokimi said blackly. "And now, with your help, I intend to know a lot more. She had connections with Jurai when she sold her soul to them, and something in her work must hold a clue to the true nature of Tsunami. This is your mission, Clay-san. Discover for me what is known on Tsunami-kami-sama, and bring it to me."

"Back here? To Kihaku?"

"This is my World. That is where I will always be." Tokimi inclined her head.

"But how? I can't even get out of here, let alone back to the Academy to raid Washu's files!"

"Magic can do much more than science. Don't ever forget that." Tokimi raised her hand, and the door slid slowly back, revealing the passageway beyond. "Anything is possible, when you are blessed by the World. Even immortality."

"Then...you're letting me go?"

"I am." Tokimi nodded. "But we are connected, now. You and I. My magic runs through you and I will know if you betray me. Don't fail me, Clay...not if you want to live. As a failure you are expendable - but as a success, I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams."

She pursed her lips.

"The settlers had a legend, that one day Tsunami would walk among men once more, and her true nature would be revealed to her people." She whispered. "When she does so, she will be weak - confined in the form of man. I will find this one - this chosen of Tsunami, and I will rip her from her body, destroying her soul and trampling the Goddess in the way she and her people trampled over my planet. Your task will be to discover all I need to know. However long it takes, and however many avenues you have to follow, Clay, I want to know when and where Tsunami's chosen one will emerge. I must know."

Clay took a hesitant step backwards.

"I...I'll try." He said hesitantly. "I don't know - Jurai are strict on entry and on information and...and things like that, but I'll find Washu's data and...and I'll see...I'll see what I can find for you."

"Good." Tokimi's eyes twinkled. "Then go. But keep our meeting a secret, between us. It will do you no good, if you reveal me before I'm ready to strike."

Instinctively Clay's hand clasped around his duplicator, and Tokimi looked amused.

"Your pictures are gone. Just imagination, nothing more." She whispered. "But you will know that I was real, for I have marked you as my own."

Clay let out a yelp as something burned into his wrist and he rolled back his heavy sleeves, staring in dismay at the blood red emblem of the eagle that adorned his skin. For a moment it glowed, then faded, and he rubbed a tentative finger over it, feeling the warmth beneath his touch.

"What have you done to me? Branded me?"

"If you like." Tokimi smiled. "Wear it as a badge of honour, Clay-san - such work you do is work of honour for the World, and you will not be forsaken. So go, my servant, and do my bidding. I will await your return."

Clay did not wait to be told twice. Turning on his heel, he fled back down the corridor, Tokimi's ghostly laughter echoing behind him as he ran. At long last he emerged once more into the dim, cloudy daylight of the planet and he paused, struggling to catch his breath as he tried to rationalise what had just happened.

He glanced at his wrist once more, biting his lip as he felt her magic still surging through him.

"What have I done?" He whispered. "What has she made me...what have I become?"