Tenchi Muyo! Legacy of Tears Book One: The Sorrow of a Happy Day --------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2... Dining on Tears ----------------------------------- Shiasta manuevered her wheelchair up to the family table and looked at the haphazard way at which it was set. "Mori." She chastised her little sister. "When are you going to learn to set a table properly?" "Mommy said I should set it this way so that you would start doing it when you got 'noyed at me." The five year old replied. "Oh did she?" Shiasta eyed her mother. "Well, its about time you started helping out." Her mother replied. "There is nothing wrong with your arms and since you're able to reach the utensils while eating, you can most certainly reach to set them on the table." "What about the things that go on the center of the table?" Shiasta challenged. "Your sister can take care of those things." Takero suggested. Shiasta nodded. "Yes, mother." She sighed. "Mommy," Kisuri, Shiasta's younger brother chimed up, "Chakiro and Kiroyi got into a fight at school today and the principal made them sit in the hall with books on their heads." "That's nice, dear." Takero nodded. "But you shouldn't gossip. Its rude." "Shiasta?" "Yes, Mori?" "When are you gonna marry Miaku?" "Did mom tell you ask that, too?" Shiasta asked her little sister. "Uh huh." Miaku beamed, cheerfully. "She says you and Miaku are gonna get married some day." "MOTHER!" Shiasta exlaimed. "It's bad enough you butting into my life, but do you have to drag the whole family into it, too?! And after telling Kisuri not to gossip, too!" "Then, you're not gonna marry Miaku?" Mori asked, sadly. "No, honey." Shiasta replied. "But why not?! You love him! You should marry him." "Honey, I can't marry anyone. It wouldn't be fair to them because of..." "Because of what? Your legs?" Mori rose and slammed her glass down hard enough to spill its contents on the tablecloth. "No one cares about your stupid legs! Thats just an excuse so you can hate everyone and get away with it! You probably hate me, too!" She ran out of the room with tears trailing down her small muzzle. "Can I have Mori's dessert?" Kisuri asked, hopefully. Mori lie on her bed with tears streaming down her small muzzle. "Why can't she just marry him and be happy?" She asked herself. The door to her room openned and she looked up to see who had come in. Her mother crossed the floor of her room and sat on the bed beside her, stroking her hair. "Your sister ..." "My sister is an idiot!" Mori wailed. "You shouldn't speak about her that way." Takero chastised. "Why not? Its true. She goes around moping about her stupid legs all the time and that boy loves her." "She loves him, too." "Then she should marry him!" "I know dear." Takero hugged her youngest child. "I know." Shiasta moved her wheelchair away from the hall by her sister's doorway where she'd been eavesdropping for a bit. She wheeled the chair into her bedroom where she used the handrails her mom had had installed to pull her out of her chair and into her bed. Draalthi, like the bats of Earth, sleep in a hanging position, hooking their knees over a hanging bar in their room, but the paralysis in Shiasta's legs made this impossible. Still, her mother was determined to keep her comfortable. Her bed was a rope hammock which encased her and hung suspended like a cocoon. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in Shiasta's world, but at least she was in the proper position for a good night's sleep. "Maybe I should marry him." She told herself. "They're right. I do love him. If only thes elegs didn't stand in the way." she chuckled under her breath. "Stand in the way, that's a good one. If they stood at all, I wouldn't have to be in this mess. I'd probably already be married to him." The night wore on and she found herself unable to sleep. She was just reaching for her commulink when it sounded. She picked it up. "Hello?" "You couldn't sleep either, huh?" It was Miaku. "No. What are you calling me so late for?" "I wanted to catch you at a time when you wouldn't be able to think of a quick comeback." "A quick comeback to what?" "Shiasta, I don't care about thoses stupid legs of yours. What I care about is your heart. And my heart. And... and... I love you. And I know you love him so don't deny it." "Okay. I won't." There was a silence. "Miaku?" "You... you do love me?" "I never said that. I just said I wouldn't deny it." She hung up the phone and went to sleep. Miaku hung up his phone and smiled as he got back into bed and enjoyed a night of very pleasant dreams. Shiasta smiled, tiredly, to herself and fell back to sleep. -Chapter 3- A Glorious Day Shiasta heard the snipping of shears at her window. She wheeled her chair over and looked out at Miaku. "You know, there's nothing there." She pointed out. "I know. See how good I am." Shiasta couldn't help but smile. "You always make me do that." She confessed. "If you'd marry me, you could smile all the time." "I can't." Shiasta's smile faded. "Yes, you can." Miaku insisted. "Don't you see that I love you?" "I..." "I know that you love me and I know that you're only refusing because of your legs. We've been through this a dozen times. Now there's no reason for you not to marry me so..." "I'm sorry. I can't." Shiasta closed the curtain and moved away. Miaku dropped his shears and trudged away. For the longest time, he had tried to win the heart of Shiasta. But she had refused him every time. His own heart was breaking and he could no longer bear the constant rejections. Shiasta wheeled her chair into the kitchen. Her mother and siblings were in the city buying groceries and she was hungry. Most of the supplies were kept at her level, so it was easy for her to get out the pots and pans and put them on the stove. She poured some water into a pan and set it on the stove, which she then turned on. Miaku was only halfway down the driveway when he heard the explosion. His heart filled with horror, he raced back to the house, forced the door open, and ran into the kitchen. Shiasta was on the floor. The force of the blast had knocked her wheelchair over. Miaku raced to her and was happily surprised to find that other than being very shaken up and a bit bruised from her fall, Shiasta was all right. He got her out of the kitchen, then grabbed the exinguisher and put out the fire rather quickly. "Are you okay?" Miaku asked, catching his breath. "I'm fine." Shiasta said, gazing up at him in gratitude and admiration. "I owe you my life." "Well, then," Miaku suggested. "How about spending it with me?" "You're never going to give up on that are you?" "Not until you say yes like you want to." Shiasta shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" "How about marry me?" Shiasta smiled.