Aeka's Mirror By Aldrich "GenSao" Bautista (GenSao@geocities.com) -=-=-=-=- Tenchi Muyo is copyrighted (c) by Pioneer LDC * AIC 1992-1999. This story is copyrighted (c) by Aldrich "GenSao" Bautista and may not be posted in any other archive without my written permission. This is a quick fan fiction. I hope you enjoy it. I rarely get the time to write so I decided to try something short. I would like to thank everyone who has given me some C&C. A special thanks goes out to Literary Eagle for her helpful comments and Choua for fixing the majority my grammar. =) Ver 0.01 -7/24/99 (Initial draft of story) Ver 0.05 -7/28/99 (Preview distribution on the Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction Mailing List) Ver 0.07 -8/08/99 (Revisions, and changes to initial posted fic) Ver 0.10 -8/11/99 (Choua's Demolition [grammar check] of the story) Ver 1.00 -8/12/99 (Public distribution) -=-=-=-=- Aeka sat in ornate, Jurian robes in her bedroom in the Ryo-oh. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. "I see a beautiful princess, a powerful lady, who is adored by her people and others. I see someone who is very smart, has a great wardrobe, and has servants attending to her every will. I was taught in the best schools. I adore the most stunning kimonos. My people would do almost anything for me." Aeka frowned at the mirror. "But that is for a princess, not for me. Everything I have been told, learned, experienced, believed, was in training to become this princess. The tutors, the classes, the social events, everything. I am nothing but a mere pawn for my father." A voice from within spoke out. *A mere pawn? * "Yes, I have been told what to do my entire life. 'Drink your tea that way,' 'Be sure to bow deeply to the ambassador,' 'Marry your brother.' I was quite happy doing these things because I was accustomed to it. I did not know what life was outside the palace walls. As the crown princess of the planet Jurai, it was my duty, my obligation, and my responsibility to my people to be a role model; a figure for everyone to follow." *What about being admired by billions... no... trillions of people? * "I don't want to be a mere statue. It is a privilige that I am admired as so, but I am admired for a position that was given to me, a position that could've been given to anyone else. I want to get away from all of that. That is why I decided to stay with Tenchi and the others on Earth. There, I could get away from the royal court and all of the pressures and responsibilities that accompany it." *So you are running away from your responsibility? * "I did not desire to wear this crown that is on my head. But, I wear it and do know of the responsibilities associated with it. I have been through the formal training. I love the people of Jurai, but I don't want to be ordered around." *But you are following orders. * Aeka smirked "Yes, I know that. But I can't help it. Tenchi-sama asked me to rescue her." *Are you sure that is the only reason? * "Yes..." The voice waited patiently. "Ok... ok..." Aeka said finally, "I am saving a friend." *But I though she was your enemy. * "She is my rival, but... but..." she hesitated, "She is also a friend. She was there when I truly needed a friend. We started out as enemies, but we ended up becoming friends." *Go on... * "And I admire her. She is more open about her feelings. I am not. Those feeling are bottled inside of me. She is free to do as she pleases. I am not. As a princess one must think of others and restrain oneself. She is more powerful. I am not. I have powers, but they are nothing compared to hers. I am a princess, and she is a pirate. It is as simple as that." *Are you envious of Ryoko? * "No... I am not..." Aeka said. The voice insisted, *But you are...* "So what if I am..." Aeka glared in disdain at the mirror, "She got Tenchi. Happy?" *So why do you stay and help around? * "Because I still love him, despite his love for Ryoko. I still want to be in his warm presence." *There are other fish in the sea. * "Yes, but none so genuine as Tenchi. I love him and I will do anything for him." *But didn't you feel the same way with Yosho? What about him? * Aeka sighs. "It is true that I had those feeling for my dear brother Yosho, but I don't hold those feelings for him anymore. He told me that he does not wish to reciprocate the love I desire for him." *Isn't it the same case with Tenchi? * "Yes, I guess you may be right about that. But I still love him with all my heart." *You'll get over it. * Aeka sobs. "But I can't... I love him so much that it hurts. I wish he were in love with me. Everything would be fine if he did. But... but... it did not happen that way, and he fell in love with her... Perhaps I was too slow, perhaps I should have done something more bold, like Ryoko has done... but..." *...That would not be you. * "No it wouldn't, but he could have loved me if I showed him more of myself..." *But that still isn't you. * Aeka became more hysterical and grabbed a nearby dagger. "So what am I? A doll? A puppet? What am I? Perhaps I should end this pawn's life? No one loves me. I am just a figurehead. No one knows the real me. They just use me. Tenchi is doing that now by having me help Ryoko." *People do care for you, don't give in to despair. If you want to use the dagger, use it to cut the strings that bind you and manipulate you. Find yourself. * Aeka pointed the dagger towards her chest; her hands waffling as she trembled. A few moments passed until the princess tossed the dagger at a nearby wall. She then sobbed in vain, her tears falling upon the mirror. "Then what should I do? Run away?" *Exactly... Leave this place, Tenchi, your people, your family, leave everything behind you... You need to find the real you. * The crown princess looked around her surroundings for what could be the last time she saw her room. Aeka gently placed the mirror on the floor. She went into her dresser and changed into a less formal attire. She also packed a few personal items and extra clothing. "Azaka! Kamadake!" she yelled. The two loyal guardians appeared. Aeka then proceeded to dictate orders to her guardians. They were to no longer guard her; they now belong to her sister. The logs were to deposit her on a nearby planet. They were not to inform anyone where she was located. The guardians thus obeyed their princess, carried out her wishes before they set out to save Ryoko and return her to Lord Tenchi. -=-=-=- Somewhere else, in a tree perhaps. "Tsunami, do you think it is wise to do this." "Yes Sasami, Aeka needs to find herself." "But I will really miss her." "I know you will, so will all of us, but trust me. It is better this way." -=-=-=-=- In a small hotel room on a distant planet, Aeka looks at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She holds a pair of scissors. "I know what I am doing," she reassured herself. "Change is unavoidable. I know what I am doing." Aeka hesitated, then proceeded to cut her hair. -=-=-=-=- The End? I wrote this passage to point out a few things people tend to neglect when they set out to write a fic about Ryoko getting Tenchi. I don't like it when Aeka, or for that matter any character, is degraded in order for the other character to win. I hope you enjoyed this small work. I do not know if I'll ever continue this story arc. But who knows. Constructive C&C are always welcome. Flames are not. --Aldrich "GenSao" Bautista (GenSao@geocities.com)