Credits: Tenchi Muyo!/No Need For Tenchi is a product of Pioneer/AIC. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this fiction other than my own enjoyment, because the thought of getting sued is rather unpleasant. Mr. Long T. Tran for his "Tenchi Muyo: Ryoko's Love Prologue" story line, specifically use of his character Shoji. His fiction can be found at GenSao's excellent Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction Page: http://members.xoom.com/gensao/ Disclaimer: All characters *I* have created are purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is pure coincidence. Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably just itching for a fight. Also, please do not try and distribute this story in some lame attempt to make a buck; it would be bad karma to say the least. Email appreciated! Send comments to Michael McAvoy (mmcavoy@acm.vt.edu) http://www.acm.vt.edu/~mmcavoy/ Tenchi Muyo! "No Need For Sasami" We were weird roman candles Burning bright at both ends; At the end of the road Is where this story begins. Where the green of the gulf Meets the blue of the sea, What makes it all happen Still a mystery to me. -- Jimmy Buffett -* Warm Gulf Rendezvous *- A Fan-Fiction by Michael McAvoy inspired by GenSao's Ayeka Challenge With the soft, quick sound of lapping and splashing, the bow of a large yacht cut through the glossy waters of an evening sea. As smooth as silk, the lightly rippling sea split evenly across the fine craft, gently yielding to the forces harnessed by the wind driven sails above. With each soft rise and plunge of the ship, a mist of salt would drift across the decks, giving a shine to all the wooden and metal surfaces from the moonlit sky overhead. Letting her arm hang low over the side of the bow, Ayeka of the royal house of Jurai let her fingers glide just above the water's surface. Resting in the bow of the ship, Ayeka would watch the sea waters rushing by, her fingers occasionally cutting their smoothness when the yacht dived low enough. With each touch of her fingers to the warm water, delighted shivers were sent up her arm and through her shoulders, quite in contrast to the pleasantly cool ocean air. Rolling her head back a bit from where it was cradled by her other arm, Ayeka let her deep, lavender eyes drift along the graceful lines of her craft. The yacht that split the night waters was of the old school, built from a time before steam engines left darkened trails of burning coal across the skies. All lines, rigging, and sail, the vessel was a quick and responsive craft, some sixty feet in length. With billowing, snow-white sails that were now illuminated blue in the moonlight, the yacht moved through waters with the authority of a ship that was comfortable with its relative lack of propulsive sophistication. Indeed, every small groan and sigh of wood on wood, expressed on the crest of each small wave, seemed only to whisper to the heavens a song not sung by conventional metal ships of the day. Watching the sails ripple slowly in the night breeze, Ayeka let the ship sing to her for a while, the coolness of the ocean air drifting wondrously over her face and exposed arms. Letting her eyes drift past the yacht's great sails, she looked further up into the heavens where a million stars twinkled slowly in an intricate dance. Ayeka's eyes focused on one group of stars in particular. "Pleiades," Ayeka murmured happily with a sigh, "how brightly you shine this night." Bringing her one arm up and out of reach of the enticing waters, Ayeka drew her knees up to her side with her hands and rested against the gently rolling side of the yacht. Letting her shoulders and head rock softly with the motion of the ship, Ayeka continued to stare up at the distant stars, her eyes half closing in the semi-darkness of the ocean night. A strand of her hair fell about the front of her face, helpless against touch of the wind that pushed the yacht. Ayeka uncharacteristically let the strand remain out of its normally dignified position. Tonight, she was uncaring of regal appearances, unconcerned with the image demanded by her station. On this evening there were no royal courts, no prying eyes, no one to judge the Jurai royal family by her actions. This night was Ayeka's, and hers alone. `Not quite alone,' she thought dreamily. Looking back down the yacht, her gaze alighted on where two guardians, Azaka and Kamadake, stood piloting the ship at its stern. Under their influence was the yacht being piloted. Despite darkness of the night, Ayeka found she could see the pair quite clearly. "Will we be there soon?" she asked softly. "Yes, mistress," Azaka answered quietly from across the decks, "it will be only a few minutes more. Please pardon the delay." A smile graced Ayeka's face as her head swung softly away towards the bow of the ship. In the dark distance, she could make out a beautiful shoreline, illuminated by the moonlight. "Wonderful," she breathed, "please inform me when we have arrived." "Yes, mistress," Kamadake replied. Rising up out of the sparkling waters ahead, the sandy beach was also bathed in the silvery blue glow of the moon. Here and there, all along the entire beach line, bits of sand twinkled and shone in the soft light. A sudden flash served to distract Ayeka from the shoreline bringing her gaze to the water flowing by the side of the ship. There, cresting and diving along side, was a small porpoise. Using the energy of the bow waves from the cruising yacht, the little animal gracefully surfed just ahead of the ship, one eye laughing playfully up at Ayeka. Feeling as if she could reach out and touch the porpoise, Ayeka's hand drifted over the side of the yacht, stretching into the moving waters inches above the animal's head. With a bump and a small lurch, however, the sails of the yacht were suddenly trimmed, slowing the ship's speed. As the bow wave also diminished, the little porpoise dove away from the yacht, realizing that its momentary free ride was now over. Curling her fingers back in disappointment, Ayeka looked back over the decks questioningly at Azaka and Kamadake. "Our pardons, mistress," Azaka apologized, "but it is necessary to reduce our speed." "We have entered the shallows and can go no further, mistress," added Kamadake. Indeed, the forward motion of the yacht had reduced dramatically, the constant splash of water against the hull now replaced by a more calm and gentle lapping. Looking again over the edge of the yacht, Ayeka could clearly see the bottom of the sea, not more than five or six feet deep. Using its little remaining forward motion, Azaka and Kamadake brought the yacht around smoothly, until the length of its hull was parallel to the sandy beach. Ayeka gazed at the inviting waters and smiled thoughtfully. "It is no matter," she replied to her guardians, "this will be fine. Please remain here and await my return." "Yes, mistress," the guardians replied in unison. Standing up slowly from her position against the hull of the yacht, Ayeka raised her arms well up above her head and stretched languidly, her fingers interlaced. Rising up on her toes, Ayeka tensed the muscles in her legs, waiting for them to loosen out from sitting so long. Dropping back down to her feet, she then considered getting from the yacht to the shore, some one hundred or so feet away. Watching the shoreline, Ayeka observed the small waves roll in on the moonlight, crashing merrily in tiny breaks not more than a foot high. Their was a splash from behind her as one of the guardians dropped anchor. Considering her options, Ayeka momentarily thought about using her powers to rise up over the waters to the shore, but dismissed the notion after watching the warm waters move about the ship. Smiling a little self-consciously, she hugged herself while thinking of a much more enjoyable notion. "After all," she whispered to herself, "there's no one here to say anything." Gathering her resolve, Ayeka brought her hands to the side of her royal dress and began the slow and intricate process of untying the many knots and laces she wore. After a minute, with the last lace undone, Ayeka slowly shook off her outer dress, taking care to fold the expensive piece of clothing tenderly before putting aside. Now clothed in only her shorter and thinner undergarments, Ayeka shivered slightly from the cooler air. Motivated even more by the inviting lap of the warm sea, Ayeka hurriedly began to remove her remaining clothing bit by bit, pausing only slightly with a brief glance around the moonlit darkness as the final revealing pieces fell away to the deck. Awash in the soft moonlight, Ayeka's hair fell in it's two long tails down the length of her exposed back, coming up just shy at the middle of her thighs. Hugging her self again, this time shivering partly from the cool air and partly from nervousness, Ayeka hesitated, not sure exactly how to enter the water. "I could jump, I suppose," she said to herself, "and certainly make a totally undignified splash. Or I could ease myself over the edge. Yes, that would work!" A thought crossed Ayeka's mind. "Of course, it wouldn't do to have someone seeing a member of the royal family throwing her bare leg up and over a railing, hung out for the world to see." "Ahem, mistress," called Azake, "perhaps you could just dive in." "Of course!" beamed Ayeka, looking triumphant. "That's exactly what I'll do. Thank you, Azake." Taking hold of a length of rigging that ran from the railing up to the top of the mast, Ayeka pulled herself up cautiously until she was standing shakily on the side of the yacht. Even more exposed to the cool air than before, her naked skin was alive with goose bumps as she shivered. Breathing deeply to steady herself, Ayeka looked out over the shimmering waters and sighed. Another few moments passed, and Ayeka leaned forward and launched herself off the yacht. Soaring out over the sea waters, Ayeka's body arched in flight, her arms spread out from her sides and her hair streaming behind her. As gravity asserted itself, angling her body down towards the water, Ayeka brought her arms together straight in front of her body and knifed into the sea. The coolness of the air was instantly replaced by a delightful warmth that enveloped Ayeka's entire body from head to toe. Sliding in a graceful curve under water, her body slowed dramatically as the water's drag pulled at her form. Rising to the surface, she expelled her breath in joy at the warmth of the sea water, kicking rhythmically with her strong legs as to stay afloat in the water. Swirling her hands and arms about her body in an effort to help her tread water, Ayeka then bent her body forward and sank under the surface a bit as she began to swim towards shore. Rising up every few feet to the surface, Ayeka would take a breath of air, just like a porpoise. While as a child, she had always been taught that the most effective swimming was done with an even stroke on the water's surface. Ayeka, however, had always taken delight in swimming further down, away from the noisy splashing and relative chill of the air. Moving into even shallower waters away from the yacht, Ayeka took air and dove down further under the water until her body was not more than a foot off the sandy bottom. As she propelled herself forward with long, smooth kicks, soft sea grass that swayed from the sea bottom evenly parted for Ayeka, caressing sensuously her nude form as she passed by. Despite enjoying every sensation of being down in the water, Ayeka dutifully returned to the surface to partake of a little more air. Breaking the surface of the sea, she found she could now stand in the warm sands with her head and shoulders above water. Feeling the coolness of the air, she quickly sank down until the small waves lapped at her chin. At that moment, Ayeka made the decision to just stop and let the water's buoyancy take control. Letting her arms spread outwards slowly, she arched her head back over her spine until her feet, one by one, came up off the sandy bottom. Keeping her back arched, Ayeka felt the water raise her body up until she was floating lazily on the water's surface, her hair flaring out around her. Paddling slowly with her hands and an occasional kick from her feet, Ayeka took in the massive night sky, clear as crystal with a million stars split in half by the creaminess of the Milky Way. As a small waft of wind brought chills to the more sensitive parts of her exposed torso, Ayeka removed the arch from her back, sinking slowly back into the warmth of the sea. Her feet touching the sandy ocean bottom again, Ayeka turned her body around until it was facing shore, a deep and throaty sigh of pleasure up-welling from inside her. Using her hands as paddles again, she began to slowly walk towards shore, her feet digging into the sand as she took each step. As Ayeka moved in closer, the sea continued to become more and more shallow, the wave action soon pushing against the small of her back as the rip tide pulled at her ankles. Some forty feet from shore, she crested a small break, her hips rising up from the water. Instantly her entire exposed body cooled, causing Aeyka to shiver pleasantly. Passing the small wave turbulence of the breaker, Ayeka quickly sank back into the water, though this time only up to the top of her firm stomach. Within a few steps, however, she was rising again as the beach rapidly moved upwards. As Ayeka rose up out of the sea, she walked the last few feet through the tiny waves that broke around her calves. Leaving the sea, her nude body silhouetted against the full moon that hung low in the sky, Ayeka slowly walked up the beach dripping, her hands gathering her long strands of hair and wringing them slowly. The air no longer seemed quite so cool to Ayeka. In fact, her entire body was feeling very warm from the exertion of swimming to shore. Letting her hair fall back against her skin, Ayeka held her arms out from her sides and enjoyed the tickling sensation of being dried by the passing air. Throwing her head back with a small groan of relaxation, she rolled her neck about, working out all the long day's stresses. "I definitely need more of this on a regular basis," she breathed, all of her muscles in her body softening. Without warning, her entire body was enveloped by something thick, fuzzy, and wonderfully warm. Squeaking in surprise, Ayeka watched as a pair of arms snugly wrapped the large towel around her body from behind. Finishing their task, the arms then collected Ayeka, drawing her into an even warmer embrace. "The moonlight becomes you, Ayeka-san" a voice spoke richly from behind her. Ayeka relaxed again, letting herself fall even deeper, the warmth of the towel and the body behind it lulling her eyes closed. "I never heard your approach," Ayeka murmured. "Were you watching all this time, Tenchi-sama?" she asked without embarrassment. "Oh, now and then," he replied evasively. With a silvery laugh, Ayeka reached up and eased Tenchi's head down until it was resting on her shoulder. "You've never been good at telling a lie." Ayeka closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of Tenchi's weight. "Not as if that is an undesirable attribute," she continued. "Oh, it has been a while, Tenchi-sama. Tell me, have you been waiting long?" "No, not long," he murmured into her ear, "but I think I have everything we need for this night." "Really, Tenchi-sama? Such as?" Tenchi raised his head up and went down a mental checklist. "A large beach blanket, food, fruit, and wine," he rattled off. "Sounds delightful," Ayeka complimented, "but do you think we could have a small fire as well? It is ever so chilly out of the water." "Will that suffice, Ayeka-san," Tenchi asked, nodded with his head over one shoulder. Ayeka turned her head in the same direction and spied a small fire pit set in the sand, rimmed with little stones. The flames twinkled happily, giving the immediate surroundings a cheery glow. "Just what I imagined, my prince" Ayeka whispered. "Ayeka-san, shall we go lie down?" "Yes, Tenchi-sama," she replied, her eyes aglow in the firelight, "that would be wonderful." * * * Through the night, the stars slowly spun overhead, constellations swinging through the heavens in their endless dance. Rising up from the ocean waters, the moon, round like a giant silver and blue pie, continued to brighten the seascape. Touching everything in its shine, long shadows became shorter as the night wore on. Lying on Tenchi's large and thick beach blanket, Ayeka felt as far away from everything in her life as the stars were from them at that moment. Warm and quiet, a thought grew in Ayeka's mind, spreading in her until she had to speak. "Tenchi-sama?" she asked, flushing slightly while looking up into Tenchi's warm eyes, "are you. are you happy with the way things turned out?" "Ayeka-san?" he asked curiously. Ayeka rolled over slightly, still wrapped up in the towel and his arms. "I really need to know, Tenchi," she repeated quietly, "are you happy?" Tenchi looked up and to the horizon, where a hint of pink was slowly creeping into the dark blue night sky. Thinking for a minute while Ayeka continued to gaze at him, a shooting star flashed the sky overhead. "I am wonderfully happy, Ayeka-san," he replied, looking down at her again, "I never expected any of this, to be this happy, but it just happened, and I am glad." Ayeka relaxed, lowing her head back onto Tenchi's chest. "Thank you, Tenchi-sama," she whispered, "I really needed to know that." Tenchi continued to watch Ayeka as she breathed quietly. "Are you happy, Ayeka-san," he asked her, "really happy with the way things turned out?" Ayeka did not hesitate. "Mmm-hmm," she replied sleepily, "there were times when I had doubts, but those were the fears of a little girl, and they fell away so quickly." She raised her eyes towards the horizon, watching the sky as the hints of sunrise were becoming stronger. "Especially," she continued softly, "when I realized you were not better, Tenchi-sama, just different." "And that difference is good?" he asked. "It is good," agreed Ayeka. "It has made me the happiest woman alive." "I am glad to hear that, Ayeka-san," Tenchi murmured in her ear. "Oh, Tenchi-sama," Ayeka breathed deeply. "Ayeka-san," he said, drawing his face very near hers. Holding her firmly, but gently, Tenchi moved Ayeka's face towards his with one hand. "I love you, Ayeka-san." "Tenchi." whispered Ayeka. As Tenchi bent his head down closer to Ayeka's, he smiled and closed his eyes, his lips only a breath's distance from hers. Feeling a light touch against his lips, Tenchi opened his eyes and found two of Ayeka's fingers pressing their lightly. "I have to go now," Ayeka whispered to Tenchi, her eyes alight with desire, wishing the evening could go on forever, but at the same time curiously content that it would not. Taking her fingers away from Tenchi's lips, Ayeka gently stroked his cheek and then his hair. "I know," Tenchi replied, allowing Ayeka to slowly disengaged herself from his embrace. Rising up off the huge blanket together, Tenchi held her hands in his as they watched the sun start to rise behind Ayeka's yacht. He turned and looked at the woman standing beside him. "We're really happy, aren't we?" he asked again. Ayeka smiled up at him. "I don't think either of us could ever be more so, Tenchi-sama." Smiling back at her, he said, "Then this is goodbye for a while." "For a while," she agreed, looking over towards her awaiting yacht. "I suppose I won't be needing this anymore," Ayeka said indicating Tenchi's towel that she was wearing. "I'll turn away until you've made it all the way back into the water," Tenchi offered, starting to turn around. Bringing her hands up to her mouth with a hushed laugh, Ayeka smiled, "That's all right, Tenchi-sama, you can watch if you want to. I find I enjoy swimming like this more when I know someone is watching." With that, she turned away from Tenchi towards the sea, Tenchi's towel falling away from her body as she moved. Not looking back, Ayeka soon felt the warm waters tugging at her ankles as she entered the waves. Working her way out further, the warm sea slowly rose up her calves, past her knees, and over her thighs. Trailing her fingers along in the water beside her, Ayeka once again crested the breakers just off shore. Standing up on the sand bar, she turned back towards the beach to wave to Tenchi, but found a thick mist had rolled in over the sands, obscuring everything. Sighing a little sigh, Ayeka turned back towards her yacht, took a deep breath, and dove off the sand bar. Warm waters enveloped her long limbs, caressing and soothing her as she sank into the comforting darkness. * * * Ayeka, empress of the royal house of Jurai, awoke feeling absolutely delicious. Her eyes half closed and still full of sleep, she stretched languidly in her bed, twisting and rumpling the sheets with her legs and feet as they became entangled. Turning her head slightly towards one of the palace windows, she saw the first rays of sunlight beginning to pour through. Through her sleepy haze, a desire formed in her mind. "How terribly un-ladylike and bold," she mumbled happily, "but now I really want to go swimming." "Huh? Wussit?" a still mostly asleep voice called from Ayeka's other side. Rolling over on her side, Ayeka turned towards her husband, Shoji, and looked at him. "Swimming," she stated matter-of-factly, "today, we shall be going swimming." "Shoundsh fine, my love," Shoji replied, slipping uncontrollably back into sleep. Ayeka softly and gently moved herself onto Shoji, wrapped her sleeping husband's arms around her body protectively. With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled up closely. "Maybe later, after we sleep in," she mumbled, starting to yawn. Closing her eyes, a flash of her dream echoed into clarity and sang sweetly in her mind. Bringing her hand down to her stomach, she felt the roundness there that seemed to be growing by the day. "Not better," she sighed happily, feeling the warmth of Shoji's body spreading over hers, "just different." The powerful lull of the sandman pulled Ayeka back towards unconsciousness. "So wonderfully different," Ayeka murmured. Then the happy empress of Jurai fell away into a dreamless sleep. * * * "Ow! But that's *freezing* cold spring water!" a voice deep in the Jurai royal gardens complained. "Are you suggesting that the guardian *and* husband to the empress of Jurai is not man enough to join his wife, who, I might add, thinks the water feels just fine?" a voice asked archly. There was a splash as a body entered water. "I do not believe I can let that remark slide and still retain my honor," a now chattering voice replied. "Honor? And how to you plan to retain your honor, husband?" "Dunking you should suffice." "Dunking me? Absolutely not! I forbid that in its entirety--- eeeep!" There was a woman's shriek of surprised delight followed by a man's deep laughter that rang out through the mostly deserted royal gardens. Only the couple of courtesans near the outermost edges of the garden were close enough to hear the faint echoes of playful splashing. But being courtesans, they merely adopted bored expressions and went about their tasks. * * * A word from the Author: So just what was this, anyhow? First off, this was a response to GenSao's little challenge about his favorite character, Ayeka. Namely, create a world where Ayeka gets Tenchi. Well, as some of you may know, I'm hip deep in "No Need For Sasami", and I really did not want to diverge from that story line (where Ryoko and Tenchi already shacked up). So, over a bottle of rum, a blender, and some fresh fruit while relaxing with some friends, it just dawned on me how Ayeka could "get" Tenchi in the context of my story. Mix in some personal imagery from a trip in the summer of 1997 to Mexico's Gulf of California, and I have a story. Secondly, it is a little aside from the main NNFS story, mainly to allow my imagination to stretch out a bit. Does this story seem a little sensuous for Ayeka's character? Well, yes it does, but please consider that it IS a dream where Ayeka's alter ego could play out her more royally repressed desires, and she *has* had (within the confines of NNFS) twenty odd years to grow and become a more mature character. Not to mention, Ayeka ALWAYS gets portrayed as repressed, emotionally inept, and (usually) lacking in sensuality. Whereas Ryoko is usually shown as dripping sensuality, I've tried to explore the calmly maturing and emotional side of Ryoko in NNFS, and I am trying to go the opposite direction with Ayeka. Those of you hoping for a downright two-dimensional villain of an Ayeka to cheer against might end up being disappointed when my story draws to an end! Finally, it was obvious to me that in order to stay within the boundaries of NNFS, this all had to be a dream for Ayeka. Ryoko and Tenchi are happily on Earth, and Ayeka and Shoji seem to be doing quite well on Jurai. You'll hopefully have caught Ayeka almost too embarrassed to admit to her dream Tenchi that she was happy in her real life and content to let the dream Tenchi slip away. However, she got to meet her Tenchi, spend something of a romantic evening with him, and draw away with no regrets or worries. By the way, I left a good portion of the dream with the pair on the beach omitted after reading the first draft; I did that on a lark, but it read better from the point of view of letting you, the reader, fill in the gap with your own imagination without me spelling out something in specific. After all, this whole Fan Fiction business is about expanding imagination, so who am I to restrict yours! Email Appreciated! Michael McAvoy mmcavoy@acm.vt.edu www.acm.vt.edu/~mmcavoy Last updated September 21, 1998.