Any Port
Aeka sat sullenly, her back against the smooth wooden walls. Princesses did not pout, but Aeka was close. A rough wind whistled shrilly past the window, causing her to jump a little at the noise, startling her from her funk.
Ryoko snorted at her. "Keep your shirt on, princess. It's only a little wind, you know."
"I know that perfectly well, Miss Ryoko," Aeka snorted.
Ryoko sighed.
The wind mimicked her. Dark was gathering outside, like it was creeping in on the otherwise serene household, Aeka thought. Suddenly she wished Yosho were there, or Tenchi, or anybody else that qualified as a comforting presence, before she berated herself for the brief, foolish thought. Yes, the wind was picking up, but there was nothing to be afraid of.
Aeka shivered and pulled her knees closer. Ryoko didn't qualify as a comforting figure, by any means. In fact, the woman's very presence was unnerving her. Aeka had always thought of herself as a commanding girl, highly self-assured-- until she had met that dreadful woman, who made her feel... small. Smaller than a member of Jurai's Royal Family had any business feeling.
"Cold?" Ryoko wanted to know. Or at least Aeka presumed she did, since she had asked. Ryoko's golden eyes never seemed to tell her anything unless they were fighting. Then they shone with a fluid ferocity.
"Just a tad, thank you," Aeka replied nervously. She wondered just what it was about the woman that made her so fidgety. She had fought with Ryoko before, and done quite well against the pirate. Yet somehow, the woman always managed to knot her insides. She briefly wished anybody were with the two of them, even Sasami. If she hadn't thrown a royal temper tantrum today, everybody would still be here, to make sure... to make sure...
The wind whipped across the leaves outside, and Aeka started guiltily, sliding her ruby colored eyes to Ryoko's form. The silver-haired woman was sitting much as Aeka was, her knees drawn to her chest. At least she isn't looking at me, Aeka thought to herself-this was a great relief. The knot in her chest eased somewhat. It simply isn't proper to believe such a thing, even of someone as uncouth and ill-mannered as Ryoko. The space pirate had plenty of opportunities to harm her in the past, and never had really hurt her. Aeka's lips quirked-considering how often the two of them came to blows, this was a minor miracle.
Ryoko caught Aeka's gaze at that very moment. "Is something funny?" she demanded.
Aeka shook her head. "I was simply thinking about how silly you look when you are angry, Miss Ryoko," she replied. Now what made me say that? Aeka sighed. Something about the woman just got her back up.
Ryoko grimaced. "I can't look dumber than you do on a day-to-day basis," she replied.
Aeka managed to hold her tongue.
Ryoko shook her head at the television. "When is he going to get that thing to work, anyway? I'm missing the soaps."
"We're both missing the soaps."
"Well I don't know about you, princess, but I'm going to get some shut-eye. There just isn't anything to do around here except stare at your ugly face, so..." Ryoko stretched her arms above her head and floated upwards to her room.
Aeka pulled her knees closer. She'd been wrong about Ryoko's presence. After the other girl left, the room seemed infinitely larger and emptier. Resolving that it would be good for Ryoko-san to be around a dignified, well-bred young lady, Aeka stood and mounted the steps.
Aeka knocked lightly and courteously.
"G'way, I said I wanna sleep," Ryoko's voice demanded irritably, muffled from the door.
A flash of thunder and a peal of lightning caused Aeka to jump with startled fear. "Miss Ryoko, if you do not open this door at once, I'll... I'll break it down!"
"You do that, sweetheart. You'll be the one who has to pay for it, won't you?" Ryoko's voice was sounding less sleepy and more irritated. "Now git! Go and do some needlepoint or whatever it is you princesses do..."
"Miss Ryoko!"
"You're NOT coming in! Go away!"
To Aeka, Ryoko's voice sounded almost pleading. The girl must have been exhausted, but Aeka had no choice. "I'm coming in," she said firmly.
"Fine, fine... it's not like I could prevent you..."
Aeka strode into Ryoko's room and sat next to Ryoko on the bed.
"What IS it, Aeka?" Ryoko looked grim, almost resigned.
Aeka paused. Thunder sounded again. It seems like it's right in the room.
"You're scared!" Ryoko proclaimed. "Princess is scared of the storm! Wow, wait 'til I tell Tenchi, he'll laugh himself sick!"
Aeka sat mournfully. She couldn't think of anything to say. It was obvious she was upset, and she could do nothing to hide it. Usually, she did not feel the fear this acutely, because she would be surrounded by people. Having only her worst enemy for company intensified her fear. Yet being alone had been even worse. "Yes," she finally replied.
"What, that's it? Yes, Tenchi probably will laugh himself sick?"
Aeka turned away from Ryoko. She couldn't leave-she was held hostage by her fear. But she felt she would have rather died than have the pirate see her crying over something so inane, something so ridiculous. While Ryoko wouldn't like to be out in an electrical storm, such a thing would send Aeka into near-hysterical panic.
Suddenly, those golden eyes were in hers. "She's really crying!" Ryoko proclaimed. Finally, thankfully, in a way Aeka almost felt was godsent, Ryoko's tone softened. "You're really crying," she repeated, but now her voice was different, low, more wondering than mocking. "Did you hurt yourself? Did I say..." Ryoko paused. "Heh, what am I thinking? I could tell you that you're a weakling coward spoiled brat unattractive shrew and you wouldn't bat an eyelash!"
Aeka swallowed and forced herself to sit up properly and speak clearly despite the lump in her throat. "I am none of those things," she told her rival coolly, resisting the urge to hide under Ryoko's blankets and not emerge until the horrid display of light, noise, and wind's pressure was gone again. "I'm..."
Ryoko was peering into her face again with those luminescent golden eyes of hers, the gaze open but somewhat impatient.
Aeka felt her defenses rise and fall with a crackle and small display of blue light. "I... sorry, Ryoko. I'm sorry. Can... can you scoot back, please? Just a little?"
Ryoko frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not until you say what the hell is going ON here, hime."
Aeka shook her head vehemently. "N-no, it's too embarrassing!"
"Is it now?" Ryoko's lips quirked. "I'd pay good money to have something embarrassing on you..."
Aeka gawked a moment. Ryoko had plenty of horribly embarrassing stories to tell about her. She had behaved most abominably ever since arriving on earth. She had no doubt that her deportment in the last couple of months would go in the books as the worst example available, presented by governesses to royal pupils as the antithesis of propriety. Her fights with Ryoko alone were probably the stuff of legend. Had a princess of Jurai ever behaved quite so poorly as she? Of course, there was also the swimsuit contest, and the... al-al-alternate...
Say it! The alternate worlds! The one where you k-k-kissed... k-kissed...
Aeka scrambled back. "I REALLY don't like storms," Aeka blurted, simply happy to be away from the silver-haired pirate. "They make me... very, very nervous. I... if you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do." There!
Ryoko's expression shifted inscrutably. "Want to hear a story?" She didn't wait for Aeka's response. "I was just starting my life out as a space pirate," Ryoko began. "Was really green, you know, didn't know the ropes yet at all."
Aeka nodded. She wasn't sure what colors or ropes had to do with starting off as a space pirate, but she was willing to guess it had something to do with being a novice.
"My first mission ever was to capture the Blue Water Crystal. Ever heard of it?"
"Heard of it!" Aeka exclaimed. "It's supposed..."
"Yeah, it's supposed to show you your fondest dream. Uncertain people from all over the universe gathered to gaze into its depths..."
Aeka caught a wry smile on Ryoko's face and realized the pirate was hamming her story up on purpose. For once, she was happy with Ryoko's embroidery on the truth.
"It was a really ambitious first assignment," Ryoko continued with a toss of her hair, "but I thought I was so hot, so ready for it. I traveled for almost a month to get to the Debu cluster and steal it. The Blue Water Crystal is really heavily guarded. They've got invisible detection all around the thing, because it draws a lot of tourists and all. Nobody wants to lose it."
Aeka leaned forward. There was something about the way Ryoko told stories that made you want to listen, made you not really care whether she was lying or not.
"The government in the Debu cluster is really together, too, so they hired the best security people the area had to offer. All in all, a tough nut to crack." The space pirate paused dramatically, locking eyes with Aeka.
"Well? So did you get it?"
"Oh, sure; I got past all of their security systems. I even managed to evade the psychic security officer. But then..."
Aeka jumped as thunder sounded from behind her, in perfect dramatic harmony with Ryoko's narrative. "Then?"
"Then I looked into the damned thing."
"You didn't! Didn't you know its power?"
"I'd like to say I didn't believe in the crystal's magic, or that nobody warned me about what it did. But that's not the truth. I figured I'd just sneak one little peek to see what my true heart's desire was."
"What was it?" Aeka demanded.
"I was still standing there when they dragged me away. Too frigged out to do a thing about it, by the way."
Aeka giggled, torn between amusement and her surprise at Ryoko's evasion of her question. "So they just caught you, after all of that!"
"Yes, princess. And now you know something embarrassing about me. If that got out... I would really have no reputation anymore!"
Aeka's features immediately smoothed. "Ryoko. Thank you."
Ryoko smiled at her a little hesitantly. "Yeah. No big deal."
"No, really it is. I'm sorry if I've been more terrible to you than usual," Aeka replied softly. "I've been awfully fidgety lately."
"The word is 'bitch'," Ryoko replied. "Although I guess that real princesses have to say the word 'fidgety' instead."
Aeka let that lie, and they sat in companionable silence for a little while. The storm raged on outside, and Aeka began to shake.
"Are you really that frightened?"
"No, I'm faking it for your benefit," Aeka hissed.
"I could tell another story..." Ryoko began.
"No... you never finished the first. You never said what your heart's true desire was."
"Now THAT is far too embarrassing to mention," Ryoko demurred.
"Too embarrassing? For you, miss harlot-who-throws-herself-at-Tenchi?"
"Yeah, for me. I wish you'd quit it."
Aeka couldn't pass up the opportunity to distract herself from her fear. "Tell me or I'll tell everybody about your first job, Ryoko."
Ryoko's eyes filled without letting any liquid spill over. "You'd really do that to me, princess?"
Aeka knew a fake when she saw one. Any time she could read an emotion of Ryoko's, she knew it was feigned. "Try me."
Now Ryoko really did look nervous. "This is blackmail," she finally replied.
"You've done worse," Aeka declared flatly. "Was it marrying Tenchi?"
Ryoko swallowed and ran a hand through her silver hair, remaining silent for a few moments. She stared at Aeka with that damnably unreadable expression the the princess hated so much. Finally, she shrugged, and spoke. "It was here. Now. This."
Aeka felt a chill run through her. "Here? How specifically here?"
Ryoko's eyes lowered. "As in, right here, right now. I... I saw it. There was no sound. I couldn't tell why it was the happiest moment of my life, or my dream or whatever, because I couldn't hear what was really going on."
"So you saw this whole scene play out?"
"Yes. Sans noise."
Aeka gulped. "Wh-what happens next?"
Ryoko shook her head silently.
Aeka had never seen her rival look more frightened. She wondered what could possibly happen. Maybe... maybe Ryoko would kill her after all. Maybe something would happen that would make her tell Ryoko she'd given up on Tenchi. Maybe she'd die of a heart attack because of the storm.
A thousand maybes.
Ryoko was still looking down, avoiding Aeka's eyes.
"I don't... I don't die, do I?" Aeka queried softly.
Ryoko's mouth gaped open a moment and she put a comforting hand on Aeka's arm. "Of course not," she said gently. "We both come out of it okay."
Aeka collapsed into Ryoko's embrace. "Thank goodness," she breathed. "I thought... I mean... I thought you might... I thought something might happen to me."
"You thought I might try to hurt you, Aeka?"
"You never have before," Aeka replied. Yet something about the girl still made her terribly nervous. She couldn't put her finger on it.
Suddenly, Ryoko's arms wrapped around her, pulling her in tighter. "I... I'd never hurt you," Ryoko said. Her voice sounded strange-funny-like she had a lump in her throat. Aeka thought dizzily that maybe Ryoko was scared of thunder too.
Slowly Aeka felt her muscles relax. Being held by Ryoko was infinitely pleasant, and it was making her fear melt away. With that sudden release of tense emotion she felt a little lightheaded and very tired all of a sudden. Yet she almost could swear she felt as tense as before. Why, in heaven's name, would she-?
Aeka felt herself blush as a disturbing train of thought began in her princessly brain. She thought she might know why she dreamed of kissing Ryoko at least once a week in her schoolgirl's uniform. It wasn't disgust or surprise or even shame, as she had initially believed. It was uncertainty. She had liked that kiss. Aeka had wanted that kiss to go on.
Their unwillingness to hurt one another was certainly strange for sworn enemies, and they went awfully easy on each other when they fought. With an intense blush, Aeka realized that in their own strange little way, they had even flirted with one another. Of course, Ryoko's version of flirting was teasing, and her own version was... aggression, she supposed.
She was almost sure that she, the Crown Princess, liked the Pirate. How terribly apt, she decided giddily.
Aeka sighed into Ryoko's embrace. What if she was telling the truth about the Blue Water Crystal? What if this is really her happiest dream? Then that means that something is going to happen here. Something big, t- that... makes her happy. Aeka felt herself tremble with fear and uncertainty.
Ryoko squeezed her tighter for a moment. "Are you really alright?"
Aeka drew back and blinked, only realizing she was in tears as the liquid spilled down her cheeks. She shook her head before latching on to the other girl once more, sobbing into her shirt.
"C'mon, what is it?"
Aeka wiped her tears away. "I don't even know if I am able to say it."
Ryoko's smile quirked. "Tell me, or I'll tell Tenchi you're afraid of storms."
Tenchi. Does he even matter anymore? Aeka paused. Yes; his opinion means something to me, so I must tell Ryoko. Yet I don't know what I'm doing. What shall I say? What if I'm wrong about how I feel? What if my affection is one-sided? She'll laugh. She'll laugh, but I don't have a choice.
"It isn't still the weather, is it?"
Aeka shook her head. "Ryoko. I... I've been wrong about you."
"Is that all? Listen, I've kind of been wrong about you, too. Sure, you've got your faults, but look at me."
"I mean wrong for hating you at all. I think I might have hated you because..."
Ryoko frowned. "Yes?"
"For how you made me feel."
There was a long pause. "What?"
"You made me feel so nervous, so jumpy all the time. I didn't understand that... that meant I was attracted to you." Aeka swallowed.
Ryoko's mouth slid open slowly before snapping shut. "You're pulling my leg. You're going to use this, later, somehow..."
Aeka shook her head, feeling some of her courage return. "No. I've always been so wound up when you're around, but then... then, when you held me... it went away. It was like there was something in me saying that was where I was supposed to be, only I wouldn't listen, before."
Ryoko shook her head mutely.
"I realize you may think I'm very strange, Miss Ryoko," Aeka continued a little tightly. "I'm sorry if I have offended your sensibilities. I've certainly offended by my own, at least a little." Aeka paused again, and when she spoke her voice was soft, less commanding and less sure. "But my attraction... my... my love... is bigger than those sensibilities."
Ryoko sat in utter silence, staring at the princess as though she had utterly lost her mind.
"I only started putting it all together just now. I knew I needed to be near you and yet you irritated me to no end. I didn't want you near Tenchi, but you were the one I kept fighting with. I think, maybe, that I had my eyes on the wrong person all this time."
Ryoko sat rigid as a statue, unblinking, staring at the princess.
Aeka, for her part, felt her muscles strangely loose, as though what had stood between Ryoko and herself had been a vise, winding her nerves more and more tightly. Suddenly, that pressure was gone. She felt free, released. She suddenly felt as though she was no longer Aeka, Princess of Jurai Royal Family-but somebody else entirely. Somebody a little more like Ryoko, maybe.
Ryoko brought a hesitant finger up to trace her own lips, and Aeka knew she was remembering that kiss they had shared, so full of tender sorrow.
Aeka felt her own lips tingle in remembrance. Some of the things she said to Ryoko at that time were coming back to her. What had made the two of them speak that way to one another if it hadn't been love?
Finally, Ryoko spoke. "This is the dream-moment," she said doubtfully. "I can't believe it."
Aeka felt a little bit of her old temper rise. "And why not?"
Ryoko's golden eyes finally lifted to meet hers. Aeka was startled by the storm inside those eyes, the sheer burst of emotion. She cursed herself for never being able to read the pirate.
Ryoko's tense laugh broke the silence. "There's some kind of trick here, someplace, Aeka-hime. Have you eaten something somebody else gave you-did someone give you an object that seemed unfamiliar? Have you angered any major powers lately? Did you fool with an experiment of Washuu's?"
Aeka's expression darkened. "No, no, no, and no! Why aren't you listening to me! I'm saying I love you, Ryoko!!"
The force of her statement rocked them both.
"I've thought about it," Aeka went on softly. Her voice was quieter now, but just as sure and unwavering. "I must you happy."
Ryoko shook her head silently.
"Yes! That is it, Ryoko. This is your moment... because it is mine, too. We must love one another and end up happy, if you believe in the power of the Blue Water Crystal. It's not a dream anymore; it's true." Aeka took the silver-haired girl's hand into her own, and Ryoko flinched. Why is she fighting me so hard? She's fighting me harder than ever she did physically! "Do you... do you find me unattractive?"
"No," Ryoko began, "but-"
"You must, then, find me an insufferable spoiled person!"
"That's not it," Ryoko was quick to correct her.
Aeka claimed Ryoko's other hand. "What is it?"
Ryoko shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. You've been loved all your life."
Aeka's lips thinned and she gathered her resolve about her like a cloak. Only one of them had the courage to do what had to be done. She was only surprised that it was she. Aeka slowly climbed into the silver-haired girl's lap and laid her head against Ryoko's shoulder, moving slightly until she was comfortable.
Ryoko's lips quirked. "And now I know how Tenchi feels... my day is complete."
"Am I really that much of a burden?" Aeka queried, half serious. She allowed her eyes to close, feeling so wonderfully warm and balanced as she sat in the older girl's lap.
Ryoko's arms moved slightly, and Aeka wondered if the space pirate was considering drawing Aeka closer. Yet after that small twitch, they remained at her sides. Despite that, her voice was soft. "You're not a burden, Aeka."
This moment defines 'fated', she thought to herself; and that thought gave her the distant impression of grasping something much greater. "Why not simply accept it, Ryoko? You already know that we live happily ever after."
Ryoko's arms moved again, but this time they circled around the purple- haired girl's torso, resting softly on her back. "We do, don't we?" she finally whispered.
Tenchi and Sasami peeked inside Ryoko's room and immediately sighed with profound relief. "I just can't believe she'd be in here," Tenchi said rather incredulously.
Sasami frowned slightly. "Aeka doesn't like storms," she replied softly. Still, Ryoko's room was the last place anybody had looked.
Aeka and Ryoko were asleep, curled up against one another under the covers. Ryoko had one arm thrown casually over the princess's waist.
"They certainly look peaceful," Tenchi breathed. He was boy who was unusually sensitive to the current of things, and he had noticed that their features were quite relaxed, even for sleep.
"They're smiling," Sasami added with an indescribable degree of cuteness. "C'mon, let's not disturb them."
Tenchi shut the door softly upon the pair.
Author's Notes
Whew! This was written in the space of three hours or so. I have no idea how it is, so please send feedback. Really! Not kidding! Please, for crying out loud, no flames. If you don't like the idea of Ryoko and Aeka being in love, well then, this is obviously not the story for you.
The Blue Water Crystal. It in no one is the same blue water crystal from Nadia. This story was written to any prior knowledge of that particular series. I have obviously seen the alternate universe episode. If you have not, yes, they actually kiss, after a magic-saturated Sasami zaps them in order to make them 'get along'. Oh, except for in the Toonami version where they do not. They just are about to... The Any Port title refers to the saying 'any port in a storm'. It refers to the beginning, where Aeka takes refuge with Ryoko in the face of the coming storm, rather than be alone. You'll notice my grammar here is considerably more standardized than is normal for me; this is because the story is from Aeka's POV.
As far as the pairing goes (for those of you who think I am totally insane)... There is plenty of evidence for Aeka and Ryoko liking one another. The best example I can think of is the title of the series, which translates to "No Need for Tenchi". Need I say more?
Prereading people: Is Aeka's realization far too sudden? Is Aeka's fear of storms plausible, or must I explain it in some way? (Like with a flashback of some sort... flashback... shudder) Did you like the portrayl of Aeka? D'you know why Ryoko couldn't believe her initially? (Other than surprise!) Is the Blue Water Crystal too idiotic a name and should I thus change it to something that sounds a little less like "Moon Prism Power! Maaaake-up!" Does everyone realize that Tenchi and Sasami DON'T think Aeka and Ryoko have slept together? Does everyone realize that Aeka and Ryoko have not necessarily slept together? (lol, hentais...)
Aeka sat sullenly, her back against the smooth wooden walls. Princesses did not pout, but Aeka was close. A rough wind whistled shrilly past the window, causing her to jump a little at the noise, startling her from her funk.
Ryoko snorted at her. "Keep your shirt on, princess. It's only a little wind, you know."
"I know that perfectly well, Miss Ryoko," Aeka snorted.
Ryoko sighed.
The wind mimicked her. Dark was gathering outside, like it was creeping in on the otherwise serene household, Aeka thought. Suddenly she wished Yosho were there, or Tenchi, or anybody else that qualified as a comforting presence, before she berated herself for the brief, foolish thought. Yes, the wind was picking up, but there was nothing to be afraid of.
Aeka shivered and pulled her knees closer. Ryoko didn't qualify as a comforting figure, by any means. In fact, the woman's very presence was unnerving her. Aeka had always thought of herself as a commanding girl, highly self-assured-- until she had met that dreadful woman, who made her feel... small. Smaller than a member of Jurai's Royal Family had any business feeling.
"Cold?" Ryoko wanted to know. Or at least Aeka presumed she did, since she had asked. Ryoko's golden eyes never seemed to tell her anything unless they were fighting. Then they shone with a fluid ferocity.
"Just a tad, thank you," Aeka replied nervously. She wondered just what it was about the woman that made her so fidgety. She had fought with Ryoko before, and done quite well against the pirate. Yet somehow, the woman always managed to knot her insides. She briefly wished anybody were with the two of them, even Sasami. If she hadn't thrown a royal temper tantrum today, everybody would still be here, to make sure... to make sure...
The wind whipped across the leaves outside, and Aeka started guiltily, sliding her ruby colored eyes to Ryoko's form. The silver-haired woman was sitting much as Aeka was, her knees drawn to her chest. At least she isn't looking at me, Aeka thought to herself-this was a great relief. The knot in her chest eased somewhat. It simply isn't proper to believe such a thing, even of someone as uncouth and ill-mannered as Ryoko. The space pirate had plenty of opportunities to harm her in the past, and never had really hurt her. Aeka's lips quirked-considering how often the two of them came to blows, this was a minor miracle.
Ryoko caught Aeka's gaze at that very moment. "Is something funny?" she demanded.
Aeka shook her head. "I was simply thinking about how silly you look when you are angry, Miss Ryoko," she replied. Now what made me say that? Aeka sighed. Something about the woman just got her back up.
Ryoko grimaced. "I can't look dumber than you do on a day-to-day basis," she replied.
Aeka managed to hold her tongue.
Ryoko shook her head at the television. "When is he going to get that thing to work, anyway? I'm missing the soaps."
"We're both missing the soaps."
"Well I don't know about you, princess, but I'm going to get some shut-eye. There just isn't anything to do around here except stare at your ugly face, so..." Ryoko stretched her arms above her head and floated upwards to her room.
Aeka pulled her knees closer. She'd been wrong about Ryoko's presence. After the other girl left, the room seemed infinitely larger and emptier. Resolving that it would be good for Ryoko-san to be around a dignified, well-bred young lady, Aeka stood and mounted the steps.
Aeka knocked lightly and courteously.
"G'way, I said I wanna sleep," Ryoko's voice demanded irritably, muffled from the door.
A flash of thunder and a peal of lightning caused Aeka to jump with startled fear. "Miss Ryoko, if you do not open this door at once, I'll... I'll break it down!"
"You do that, sweetheart. You'll be the one who has to pay for it, won't you?" Ryoko's voice was sounding less sleepy and more irritated. "Now git! Go and do some needlepoint or whatever it is you princesses do..."
"Miss Ryoko!"
"You're NOT coming in! Go away!"
To Aeka, Ryoko's voice sounded almost pleading. The girl must have been exhausted, but Aeka had no choice. "I'm coming in," she said firmly.
"Fine, fine... it's not like I could prevent you..."
Aeka strode into Ryoko's room and sat next to Ryoko on the bed.
"What IS it, Aeka?" Ryoko looked grim, almost resigned.
Aeka paused. Thunder sounded again. It seems like it's right in the room.
"You're scared!" Ryoko proclaimed. "Princess is scared of the storm! Wow, wait 'til I tell Tenchi, he'll laugh himself sick!"
Aeka sat mournfully. She couldn't think of anything to say. It was obvious she was upset, and she could do nothing to hide it. Usually, she did not feel the fear this acutely, because she would be surrounded by people. Having only her worst enemy for company intensified her fear. Yet being alone had been even worse. "Yes," she finally replied.
"What, that's it? Yes, Tenchi probably will laugh himself sick?"
Aeka turned away from Ryoko. She couldn't leave-she was held hostage by her fear. But she felt she would have rather died than have the pirate see her crying over something so inane, something so ridiculous. While Ryoko wouldn't like to be out in an electrical storm, such a thing would send Aeka into near-hysterical panic.
Suddenly, those golden eyes were in hers. "She's really crying!" Ryoko proclaimed. Finally, thankfully, in a way Aeka almost felt was godsent, Ryoko's tone softened. "You're really crying," she repeated, but now her voice was different, low, more wondering than mocking. "Did you hurt yourself? Did I say..." Ryoko paused. "Heh, what am I thinking? I could tell you that you're a weakling coward spoiled brat unattractive shrew and you wouldn't bat an eyelash!"
Aeka swallowed and forced herself to sit up properly and speak clearly despite the lump in her throat. "I am none of those things," she told her rival coolly, resisting the urge to hide under Ryoko's blankets and not emerge until the horrid display of light, noise, and wind's pressure was gone again. "I'm..."
Ryoko was peering into her face again with those luminescent golden eyes of hers, the gaze open but somewhat impatient.
Aeka felt her defenses rise and fall with a crackle and small display of blue light. "I... sorry, Ryoko. I'm sorry. Can... can you scoot back, please? Just a little?"
Ryoko frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not until you say what the hell is going ON here, hime."
Aeka shook her head vehemently. "N-no, it's too embarrassing!"
"Is it now?" Ryoko's lips quirked. "I'd pay good money to have something embarrassing on you..."
Aeka gawked a moment. Ryoko had plenty of horribly embarrassing stories to tell about her. She had behaved most abominably ever since arriving on earth. She had no doubt that her deportment in the last couple of months would go in the books as the worst example available, presented by governesses to royal pupils as the antithesis of propriety. Her fights with Ryoko alone were probably the stuff of legend. Had a princess of Jurai ever behaved quite so poorly as she? Of course, there was also the swimsuit contest, and the... al-al-alternate...
Say it! The alternate worlds! The one where you k-k-kissed... k-kissed...
Aeka scrambled back. "I REALLY don't like storms," Aeka blurted, simply happy to be away from the silver-haired pirate. "They make me... very, very nervous. I... if you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do." There!
Ryoko's expression shifted inscrutably. "Want to hear a story?" She didn't wait for Aeka's response. "I was just starting my life out as a space pirate," Ryoko began. "Was really green, you know, didn't know the ropes yet at all."
Aeka nodded. She wasn't sure what colors or ropes had to do with starting off as a space pirate, but she was willing to guess it had something to do with being a novice.
"My first mission ever was to capture the Blue Water Crystal. Ever heard of it?"
"Heard of it!" Aeka exclaimed. "It's supposed..."
"Yeah, it's supposed to show you your fondest dream. Uncertain people from all over the universe gathered to gaze into its depths..."
Aeka caught a wry smile on Ryoko's face and realized the pirate was hamming her story up on purpose. For once, she was happy with Ryoko's embroidery on the truth.
"It was a really ambitious first assignment," Ryoko continued with a toss of her hair, "but I thought I was so hot, so ready for it. I traveled for almost a month to get to the Debu cluster and steal it. The Blue Water Crystal is really heavily guarded. They've got invisible detection all around the thing, because it draws a lot of tourists and all. Nobody wants to lose it."
Aeka leaned forward. There was something about the way Ryoko told stories that made you want to listen, made you not really care whether she was lying or not.
"The government in the Debu cluster is really together, too, so they hired the best security people the area had to offer. All in all, a tough nut to crack." The space pirate paused dramatically, locking eyes with Aeka.
"Well? So did you get it?"
"Oh, sure; I got past all of their security systems. I even managed to evade the psychic security officer. But then..."
Aeka jumped as thunder sounded from behind her, in perfect dramatic harmony with Ryoko's narrative. "Then?"
"Then I looked into the damned thing."
"You didn't! Didn't you know its power?"
"I'd like to say I didn't believe in the crystal's magic, or that nobody warned me about what it did. But that's not the truth. I figured I'd just sneak one little peek to see what my true heart's desire was."
"What was it?" Aeka demanded.
"I was still standing there when they dragged me away. Too frigged out to do a thing about it, by the way."
Aeka giggled, torn between amusement and her surprise at Ryoko's evasion of her question. "So they just caught you, after all of that!"
"Yes, princess. And now you know something embarrassing about me. If that got out... I would really have no reputation anymore!"
Aeka's features immediately smoothed. "Ryoko. Thank you."
Ryoko smiled at her a little hesitantly. "Yeah. No big deal."
"No, really it is. I'm sorry if I've been more terrible to you than usual," Aeka replied softly. "I've been awfully fidgety lately."
"The word is 'bitch'," Ryoko replied. "Although I guess that real princesses have to say the word 'fidgety' instead."
Aeka let that lie, and they sat in companionable silence for a little while. The storm raged on outside, and Aeka began to shake.
"Are you really that frightened?"
"No, I'm faking it for your benefit," Aeka hissed.
"I could tell another story..." Ryoko began.
"No... you never finished the first. You never said what your heart's true desire was."
"Now THAT is far too embarrassing to mention," Ryoko demurred.
"Too embarrassing? For you, miss harlot-who-throws-herself-at-Tenchi?"
"Yeah, for me. I wish you'd quit it."
Aeka couldn't pass up the opportunity to distract herself from her fear. "Tell me or I'll tell everybody about your first job, Ryoko."
Ryoko's eyes filled without letting any liquid spill over. "You'd really do that to me, princess?"
Aeka knew a fake when she saw one. Any time she could read an emotion of Ryoko's, she knew it was feigned. "Try me."
Now Ryoko really did look nervous. "This is blackmail," she finally replied.
"You've done worse," Aeka declared flatly. "Was it marrying Tenchi?"
Ryoko swallowed and ran a hand through her silver hair, remaining silent for a few moments. She stared at Aeka with that damnably unreadable expression the the princess hated so much. Finally, she shrugged, and spoke. "It was here. Now. This."
Aeka felt a chill run through her. "Here? How specifically here?"
Ryoko's eyes lowered. "As in, right here, right now. I... I saw it. There was no sound. I couldn't tell why it was the happiest moment of my life, or my dream or whatever, because I couldn't hear what was really going on."
"So you saw this whole scene play out?"
"Yes. Sans noise."
Aeka gulped. "Wh-what happens next?"
Ryoko shook her head silently.
Aeka had never seen her rival look more frightened. She wondered what could possibly happen. Maybe... maybe Ryoko would kill her after all. Maybe something would happen that would make her tell Ryoko she'd given up on Tenchi. Maybe she'd die of a heart attack because of the storm.
A thousand maybes.
Ryoko was still looking down, avoiding Aeka's eyes.
"I don't... I don't die, do I?" Aeka queried softly.
Ryoko's mouth gaped open a moment and she put a comforting hand on Aeka's arm. "Of course not," she said gently. "We both come out of it okay."
Aeka collapsed into Ryoko's embrace. "Thank goodness," she breathed. "I thought... I mean... I thought you might... I thought something might happen to me."
"You thought I might try to hurt you, Aeka?"
"You never have before," Aeka replied. Yet something about the girl still made her terribly nervous. She couldn't put her finger on it.
Suddenly, Ryoko's arms wrapped around her, pulling her in tighter. "I... I'd never hurt you," Ryoko said. Her voice sounded strange-funny-like she had a lump in her throat. Aeka thought dizzily that maybe Ryoko was scared of thunder too.
Slowly Aeka felt her muscles relax. Being held by Ryoko was infinitely pleasant, and it was making her fear melt away. With that sudden release of tense emotion she felt a little lightheaded and very tired all of a sudden. Yet she almost could swear she felt as tense as before. Why, in heaven's name, would she-?
Aeka felt herself blush as a disturbing train of thought began in her princessly brain. She thought she might know why she dreamed of kissing Ryoko at least once a week in her schoolgirl's uniform. It wasn't disgust or surprise or even shame, as she had initially believed. It was uncertainty. She had liked that kiss. Aeka had wanted that kiss to go on.
Their unwillingness to hurt one another was certainly strange for sworn enemies, and they went awfully easy on each other when they fought. With an intense blush, Aeka realized that in their own strange little way, they had even flirted with one another. Of course, Ryoko's version of flirting was teasing, and her own version was... aggression, she supposed.
She was almost sure that she, the Crown Princess, liked the Pirate. How terribly apt, she decided giddily.
Aeka sighed into Ryoko's embrace. What if she was telling the truth about the Blue Water Crystal? What if this is really her happiest dream? Then that means that something is going to happen here. Something big, t- that... makes her happy. Aeka felt herself tremble with fear and uncertainty.
Ryoko squeezed her tighter for a moment. "Are you really alright?"
Aeka drew back and blinked, only realizing she was in tears as the liquid spilled down her cheeks. She shook her head before latching on to the other girl once more, sobbing into her shirt.
"C'mon, what is it?"
Aeka wiped her tears away. "I don't even know if I am able to say it."
Ryoko's smile quirked. "Tell me, or I'll tell Tenchi you're afraid of storms."
Tenchi. Does he even matter anymore? Aeka paused. Yes; his opinion means something to me, so I must tell Ryoko. Yet I don't know what I'm doing. What shall I say? What if I'm wrong about how I feel? What if my affection is one-sided? She'll laugh. She'll laugh, but I don't have a choice.
"It isn't still the weather, is it?"
Aeka shook her head. "Ryoko. I... I've been wrong about you."
"Is that all? Listen, I've kind of been wrong about you, too. Sure, you've got your faults, but look at me."
"I mean wrong for hating you at all. I think I might have hated you because..."
Ryoko frowned. "Yes?"
"For how you made me feel."
There was a long pause. "What?"
"You made me feel so nervous, so jumpy all the time. I didn't understand that... that meant I was attracted to you." Aeka swallowed.
Ryoko's mouth slid open slowly before snapping shut. "You're pulling my leg. You're going to use this, later, somehow..."
Aeka shook her head, feeling some of her courage return. "No. I've always been so wound up when you're around, but then... then, when you held me... it went away. It was like there was something in me saying that was where I was supposed to be, only I wouldn't listen, before."
Ryoko shook her head mutely.
"I realize you may think I'm very strange, Miss Ryoko," Aeka continued a little tightly. "I'm sorry if I have offended your sensibilities. I've certainly offended by my own, at least a little." Aeka paused again, and when she spoke her voice was soft, less commanding and less sure. "But my attraction... my... my love... is bigger than those sensibilities."
Ryoko sat in utter silence, staring at the princess as though she had utterly lost her mind.
"I only started putting it all together just now. I knew I needed to be near you and yet you irritated me to no end. I didn't want you near Tenchi, but you were the one I kept fighting with. I think, maybe, that I had my eyes on the wrong person all this time."
Ryoko sat rigid as a statue, unblinking, staring at the princess.
Aeka, for her part, felt her muscles strangely loose, as though what had stood between Ryoko and herself had been a vise, winding her nerves more and more tightly. Suddenly, that pressure was gone. She felt free, released. She suddenly felt as though she was no longer Aeka, Princess of Jurai Royal Family-but somebody else entirely. Somebody a little more like Ryoko, maybe.
Ryoko brought a hesitant finger up to trace her own lips, and Aeka knew she was remembering that kiss they had shared, so full of tender sorrow.
Aeka felt her own lips tingle in remembrance. Some of the things she said to Ryoko at that time were coming back to her. What had made the two of them speak that way to one another if it hadn't been love?
Finally, Ryoko spoke. "This is the dream-moment," she said doubtfully. "I can't believe it."
Aeka felt a little bit of her old temper rise. "And why not?"
Ryoko's golden eyes finally lifted to meet hers. Aeka was startled by the storm inside those eyes, the sheer burst of emotion. She cursed herself for never being able to read the pirate.
Ryoko's tense laugh broke the silence. "There's some kind of trick here, someplace, Aeka-hime. Have you eaten something somebody else gave you-did someone give you an object that seemed unfamiliar? Have you angered any major powers lately? Did you fool with an experiment of Washuu's?"
Aeka's expression darkened. "No, no, no, and no! Why aren't you listening to me! I'm saying I love you, Ryoko!!"
The force of her statement rocked them both.
"I've thought about it," Aeka went on softly. Her voice was quieter now, but just as sure and unwavering. "I must you happy."
Ryoko shook her head silently.
"Yes! That is it, Ryoko. This is your moment... because it is mine, too. We must love one another and end up happy, if you believe in the power of the Blue Water Crystal. It's not a dream anymore; it's true." Aeka took the silver-haired girl's hand into her own, and Ryoko flinched. Why is she fighting me so hard? She's fighting me harder than ever she did physically! "Do you... do you find me unattractive?"
"No," Ryoko began, "but-"
"You must, then, find me an insufferable spoiled person!"
"That's not it," Ryoko was quick to correct her.
Aeka claimed Ryoko's other hand. "What is it?"
Ryoko shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. You've been loved all your life."
Aeka's lips thinned and she gathered her resolve about her like a cloak. Only one of them had the courage to do what had to be done. She was only surprised that it was she. Aeka slowly climbed into the silver-haired girl's lap and laid her head against Ryoko's shoulder, moving slightly until she was comfortable.
Ryoko's lips quirked. "And now I know how Tenchi feels... my day is complete."
"Am I really that much of a burden?" Aeka queried, half serious. She allowed her eyes to close, feeling so wonderfully warm and balanced as she sat in the older girl's lap.
Ryoko's arms moved slightly, and Aeka wondered if the space pirate was considering drawing Aeka closer. Yet after that small twitch, they remained at her sides. Despite that, her voice was soft. "You're not a burden, Aeka."
This moment defines 'fated', she thought to herself; and that thought gave her the distant impression of grasping something much greater. "Why not simply accept it, Ryoko? You already know that we live happily ever after."
Ryoko's arms moved again, but this time they circled around the purple- haired girl's torso, resting softly on her back. "We do, don't we?" she finally whispered.
Tenchi and Sasami peeked inside Ryoko's room and immediately sighed with profound relief. "I just can't believe she'd be in here," Tenchi said rather incredulously.
Sasami frowned slightly. "Aeka doesn't like storms," she replied softly. Still, Ryoko's room was the last place anybody had looked.
Aeka and Ryoko were asleep, curled up against one another under the covers. Ryoko had one arm thrown casually over the princess's waist.
"They certainly look peaceful," Tenchi breathed. He was boy who was unusually sensitive to the current of things, and he had noticed that their features were quite relaxed, even for sleep.
"They're smiling," Sasami added with an indescribable degree of cuteness. "C'mon, let's not disturb them."
Tenchi shut the door softly upon the pair.
Author's Notes
Whew! This was written in the space of three hours or so. I have no idea how it is, so please send feedback. Really! Not kidding! Please, for crying out loud, no flames. If you don't like the idea of Ryoko and Aeka being in love, well then, this is obviously not the story for you.
The Blue Water Crystal. It in no one is the same blue water crystal from Nadia. This story was written to any prior knowledge of that particular series. I have obviously seen the alternate universe episode. If you have not, yes, they actually kiss, after a magic-saturated Sasami zaps them in order to make them 'get along'. Oh, except for in the Toonami version where they do not. They just are about to... The Any Port title refers to the saying 'any port in a storm'. It refers to the beginning, where Aeka takes refuge with Ryoko in the face of the coming storm, rather than be alone. You'll notice my grammar here is considerably more standardized than is normal for me; this is because the story is from Aeka's POV.
As far as the pairing goes (for those of you who think I am totally insane)... There is plenty of evidence for Aeka and Ryoko liking one another. The best example I can think of is the title of the series, which translates to "No Need for Tenchi". Need I say more?
Prereading people: Is Aeka's realization far too sudden? Is Aeka's fear of storms plausible, or must I explain it in some way? (Like with a flashback of some sort... flashback... shudder) Did you like the portrayl of Aeka? D'you know why Ryoko couldn't believe her initially? (Other than surprise!) Is the Blue Water Crystal too idiotic a name and should I thus change it to something that sounds a little less like "Moon Prism Power! Maaaake-up!" Does everyone realize that Tenchi and Sasami DON'T think Aeka and Ryoko have slept together? Does everyone realize that Aeka and Ryoko have not necessarily slept together? (lol, hentais...)