Adam Clark (desert_father@hotmail.com)
Tenchi Muyo:  Fortune is Female - Chap.1

     Grace, charm, and wit were the hallmarks of the First Princesses of
Jurai, and as Ayeka deftly plucked the strings of her lute, it would not be
an exaggeration to include talent among them as well.  The lute, a gift from
her friend and music teacher Mai-Lyn, was a beautifully crafted, delicate
instrument that had been in her family for generations, but as she had no
children of her own, she felt it was only right to give it to Ayeka, her
favorite student.  Ayeka smiled at the thought of her friend, and hoped that
she would make her proud when she performed an original composition for
Tenchi and the others that night.
     The memory of the embarrassment she suffered two months ago before the
Holy Council was still a painful one, but returning to Jurai at least gave
her the opportunity to visit her mother and father, both of whom were
interested in her adventures on Earth.  She was surprised to find her
normally stony father greeting her and her sister with open arms and a
smile, while Misaki, unsurprisingly, nearly went into spasms at the sight of
them, embracing and crying over them as if she hadn't seen them in years.
The Lady Funaho was also happy to see them both, and inquired about their
journey and of her son, Lord Yosho.  Ayeka was happy as well, and did her
best to answer all of their questions.
     After their reunion, Ayeka and Sasami were escorted to their quarters
by the knights Azaka and Kamadake, who had been in charge of setting up a
new order of knighthood for the empire.  Things were going well according to
their reports, but the legendary warriors were quite appalled at how lax the
current recruits were with their training.  Ayeka smiled and reassured them
that they would soon have them back into shape, and nodded at the gallant
pair when they bowed and took their leave of the princesses.  Kamadake gave
them both a rose before he left, and kissed them each on the hand in
parting.  Azaka rolled his eyes and pulled him away from the blushing girls,
who slipped the flowers into their hair and retired to their rooms for the
evening.
     They rose early the next day to face the Holy Council, a gathering of
elder officials composed of the Emperor's advisors as well as wealthy,
land-owning Juraian nobility.  The gathering seemed annoyed at being
summoned at such short notice, but they hid it well.  Ayeka went on to
address the dispute, which was rather vague but involved Ryuten Woodcarvers
and their prospects for the current season.  The Ryuten Representative
smirked and assured her that things couldn't be better on Jurai's sister
planet, and advised her icily to put silly rumors out of her head.  Further
evidence supported the representative's claim, and a red-faced Ayeka was
forced to apologize for taking up the Council's time.
     To her surprise, Juraian intelligence informed her that the message had
originated on earth, and she soon realized with not a small amount of
embarrassment who was responsible.  Ryoko no doubt had made up the claim to
get rid of her, just so that she could have Tenchi all to herself.  She
fumed all the way back to her room and flopped down on her bed, staring at
the ceiling.  The thoughts that went through her head then would have been
considered uncharitable for a princess, but she found herself not caring
what anyone would think of them, or of the hot, angry tears that coarsed
from her violet eyes.
     A soft knock brought her out of her mood, and she wiped the tears away
and tried her best to compose herself before she answered the summons.  She
was surprised and delighted to find that it was Mai-Lyn who answered, the
older woman's face full of care and concern for her.  Ayeka felt the steel
in her melt away at the sight of her friend, and put her arms around her for
comfort as she wept.  Mai-Lyn held her and stroked her hair, then sat with
her on the bed and listened to Ayeka's sudden outflowing of emotions.  Ayeka
told her everything about the meeting, and of Ryoko, and especially about
her feelings for Tenchi, who was so far away.
     Ayeka smiled at the memory, remembering the wisdom her friend had
imparted to her, and how her words had made her feel so much better.  The
gift of the lute was rather unexpected when Mai-Lyn suggested they practice
together, and Ayeka found herself at a loss for words.  Her friend smiled
and hugged her, and said that if the lute would help her win the heart of
such a lucky boy as Tenchi, then she'd consider it a gift well-given.
     "To quote a famous poet from Earth, 'Music is love in search of a
word'" said Mai-Lyn.  "I can think of no better way to express love for
another person than through the gift of music."  Those words kept Ayeka
through the often difficult times in drafting the elusive song to Tenchi
that she had in her heart.  She finished the last bars of her practice
session just as Sasami rapped on their door to alert her to dinner.
     "I'll be there shortly, Sasami" said Ayeka, wrapping the lute in
purple-embroidered silk and holding it like a child in her arms.  She smiled
as she imagined what Tenchi's reaction would be to the song, and hoped that
it would convey her heart to him in ways that her words could not.
Breathing deeply of the delicious smells from the kitchen, Ayeka went down
the stairs and tried not to let her excitement overwhelm her.
     As expected, Sasami had once again outdone herself with her culinary
expertise, serving the family a meal that consisted of Sashimi, chicken,
steamed rice, and Kobe beef.  Afterwards, the family praised her over hot
sake, which made Sasami blush and giggle.  Ayeka was proud of her sister's
accomplishment, and hoped that her own part in the evening's festivities
would be just as pleasing.  She bent down to check the strings on the
instrument, and caught just a glimpse of everyone's knees as she did so.
     Her heart stopped when she saw that Tenchi and Ryoko were holding
hands.
     She rose up slowly and stared at her cup, not hearing the conversation
or the announcement that Grandpa was making.  Beaming with pride, he stood
up and raised his drinking bowl, and was joined by Mr. Masaki.  The others
waited with expectation, and Ayeka, still shocked at the discovery, did the
same after a moment.  Grandpa looked at them all in turn, then his eyes
settled on Tenchi and Ryoko.
     "It's amazing just how quickly time seems to pass us by" he said.  "I
remember when each of you first came to join our household, and I certainly
must say that it has been made all the richer for your presences."  Everyone
murmured with appreciation and smiled, save for Ayeka, who managed a weak
grin.  "But our household is about to receive another member it seems, and
that is always welcome news."
     At the prompt, Ryoko and Tenchi both stood, now holding hands in plain
view of them all.  Ayeka looked at them in disbelief, and her feelings of
despair began to grow more profound.  Tenchi looked at everyone in turn,
lingering momentarily on Ayeka, then began to speak.  The words that came
forth were nothing that she would ever have expected out of him.
     "You've all been kept in the dark long enough, so I just want to say.."
and he looked at Ryoko and smiled, "that Ryoko and I are expecting a baby in
about seven months.  We're sorry that we didn't tell you sooner, but we were
waiting for the right time.  We just wanted to let all of you know."
     Sasami squealed and put her hands on her cheeks in surprise.  "A baby?
Really?"  she said, going over to Ryoko and touching her stomach.  Grandpa,
Mr. Masaki, and Washu all chuckled at her and congratulated Tenchi and Ryoko
on the pregnancy.
     "I'm not hearing this", thought Ayeka.  "Please Gods, don't let me be
hearing this."
     "Excuse me, everyone" said Ayeka at last, taking her lute and stepping
away from the table.  Tenchi called after her, but to no avail.  She began
to run then, and to cry.  And all she could think about was getting away, so
they would not hearing the shattering of her heart, and the silencing of her
song.