Captured by the Yandere Space Pirates

The clearing lay deep within the heart of the artificial forest, a sanctuary of manufactured serenity.

Towering trees stood like sentinels at its edges, their rustling leaves moved by an unseen, mechanical breeze.

Above, synthetic birds sang in eerily precise intervals, their calls layering over the distant hoots of unseen creatures—a carefully engineered illusion of life.

Beside the glade, a waterfall plunged in an unbroken silver arc, crashing against jagged rocks below. The roar of the water swallowed the world, its steady thunder drowning out stray thoughts, sharpening focus. White noise.

It was Aster's refuge, a place where movement meant silence, and silence meant discipline.

She stood at the center—a tall, lean figure of relentless energy. At sixteen, her body was sculpted by necessity: muscle honed through ceaseless practice, movements tempered by raw determination.

Blonde hair tied in a messy braid, teal eyes sharp and unwavering, she wore a patched tunic, scuffed boots, and a layer of sweat that gleamed in the dim light.

Before her loomed —her sparing partner — a crude training puppet fashioned from tree truncks, twisted branches and tangled electrical wires. It swayed faintly in the breeze, but stood rigid.

Aster moved.

Her fist shot forward—a precise, brutal jab to its chest.

Wood groaned in protest. Another strike. Then another.

Her muscles coiled, her body twisting into a spinning elbow that cracked against its side.

Each blow came faster, sharper, a relentless barrage that cut through the tranquil air like a storm rolling in.

As fifth in line to the King's throne, Aster bore a weight she'd vowed to carry with strength.

Her mother's death—a sudden heart attack that stole her warmth just months ago—had left her alone, reliant on the pocket money funneled into her account by the King's accountants.

Not her father directly, but his faceless bureaucracy, a cold lifeline she accepted without complaint.

The King treated her no differently from his other children, a sprawling brood of half-siblings born to his many queens.

No favoritism, no inequality—just a stern, impartial gaze that judged them all by their worth. It was the one thing she admired about him, a fairness that fueled her promise to prove herself, to rise above the rest and claim her place.

Her siblings mocked her—half-brothers with sneering lips, half-sisters with cutting tongues—but she knew their barbs masked envy.

She was stronger, taller, her combat skills a honed edge that outstripped their petty games.

That morning, a brother had taunted her, his voice dripping with malice: "Your face looks like a monkey's—fit for the backdrop, not the throne."

The words burned, and now she poured them into the puppet, imagining his smug grin on its faceless head. Her foot arced high, a swift, brutal kick that snapped the wooden skull clean off its torso, sending it tumbling into the underbrush with a satisfying crack.

She smirked, her breath puffing in the cooling air. "Weak," she murmured, her voice a low, triumphant hum.

She strode to retrieve the head, her boots crunching against twigs as she plucked it from the grass, her fingers brushing its splintered edge.

An idea sparked—she grabbed a sharp stone from the riverbank, its surface slick with moss, and carved a new face into the wood: mean, slanted eyes with exaggerated lashes, fat lips pursed in a sneer.

Her sister's voice echoed in her mind, sharp and cruel: "Your fashion sense is worse than the backdrop servants'."

Aster's lips twisted, anger flaring as she fixed the head back onto the puppet, securing it with a twist of wire.

She stepped back, her stance firm, and unleashed a barrage—punches that thudded against the torso, kicks that rattled its frame—each blow a release of the fury simmering beneath her skin.

The sun dipped low, its last rays bleeding gold across the treetops, and Aster's vigor waned, her strikes slowing as exhaustion crept in.

Her chest heaved, sweat beading on her brow as she sank onto a small boulder by the water's edge, its surface worn smooth by time.

She wiped her face with a sleeve, her teal eyes tracing the fading light, ready to call it a day and trudge back to the palace's cold halls. But then—a rustle, sharp and fast, cut through the waterfall's sound.

Heavy footsteps thundered through the undergrowth. Aster's head snapped toward the trees, her pulse spiking.

At first, it was just a shadow—a hulking shape, massive, tearing through the gloom. Then the details sharpened. Black-and-white fur. Soft round curves. Cute. A giant panda—charging towards her with a maddening speed.

Her breath caught. Her body locked in stunned disbelief.

Then—impact.

The beast slammed into her like a freight train, its head striking her midsection with crushing force.

Air burst from her lungs in a strangled yelp as she was lifted off her feet, flung backward like a ragdoll. Her arms flailed, the world tilting—before the cold water of the river swallowed her whole.

The cold hit like a shockwave.

Water rushed into her nose, her mouth, her ears—the current a living thing, yanking her under with ruthless force. She kicked, twisted, her limbs thrashing against the surge, but the river was faster, faster than usual. Stronger.

It carried her like a plaything, hurling her downstream toward the drop.

The next waterfall.

Panic ignited in her chest. The churning abyss loomed ahead—a sheer plunge into the unknown.

Her hands clawed at the water, fingers reaching for anything, but the current laughed in her face, dragging her closer, closer—

"HELP!" A scream tore from her throat despite doing her best to swim towards the shore, her voice barely rising above the deafening roar.

Then—a blur of motion on the bank. A figure. Small. Fast.

A boy.

He bolted from the trees, dark hair tousled by the wind, wide hazel eyes locked on her. A long towel dangled in his hands, his boots hammering the earth as he sprinted alongside the river's edge.

Desperation burned in his face.

"Closer—NOW!" he shouted, soaking the towel in the rushing water, waiting, timing, calculating.

Aster fought, legs kicking against the pull. The waterfall was seconds away.

Then—the throw.

The towel lashed through the air like a lifeline. She reached, stretching every ounce of strength she had left—her fingers caught the edge.

Grip.

Hold.

Don't let go.

The river yanked her like a beast trying to rip her from safety. But the boy held firm, teeth clenched, feet digging into the earth.

His small frame trembled under the strain as he pulled—inch by inch—until her arm reached the surface. Then her shoulder. Then her chest.

And then—she collapsed onto the muddy bank, coughing, heaving, water spilling from her lungs.

She lay there, gasping, her body shaking.

The boy knelt beside her, still gripping the towel, his breathing just as ragged. Eyes wide. Hands trembling.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Just two kids on the riverbank, staring at each other—alive.