If Only In My Dreams...
Author note: I don't want any flames about this. I can't stand Aeka but I figured that I better differentiate from straight Ryoko fics before I really get bad at them. Anyway, this is my first Aeka in a kind light fic. Oh and uh, Tenchi is still favoring Ryoko (Sorry! ;p Some things just can't be changed!)
DISCLAIMER: It's just the same as every other Tenchi fic...
Sometimes life isn't fair. Rich mean can't bribe it, and the poor man can't beg from it. The mean can't curse it into submission as the pleasant are not able to sweet talk it into favoritism. Titles of royalty are subjected to the same blind lessons that the peasants are. Though everyone damned it, some where able to change his or her fate, while the rest were not.
/It's Christmas Eve back on Earth. / Aeka thought distantly. She stood inanimate as statue, watching her favored family's planet fade further and further until the blackness of space swallowed it up.
Being born into a royal family wasn't all fairy tales and the less fortunate made it out to be. Just as the lesser man, the kings and lords were faced with many duties, hard to pleasurable, wantonly and undesirable-just like the others with jobs. Different things demanding for the Princess to be present at her home planet and away from her new family.
Aeka sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. They ached from the constant tension she'd been feeling since she'd first stepped on the homeward bound ship. Never had she found being a Princess as much a nuisance as she did now. Her family called her to them, to be present at the crowning of another child of a kingdom.
It was to be a passing of the torch from King to Prince, and Aeka was commanded to be there to be the first to congratulate the new heir. The duties spoke clearly that she was to obligee the Prince with her attentions till she declared that he wasn't a possible future husband.
It seemed like such a little thing to her. A Princess-she'd been that all her life, a sister both older and younger, but never a friend. She'd always had maids that played with her when she was younger, but they did as they were told, none of them called her friend or volunteered to interact with her majesty.
The Princess' face lit up with a soft smile. She'd been so foolish and yet so clever deceiving herself into believing that all those servants were her friends. Aeka knew the illusionary blindfold would have remained over her eyes forever until she met her true friends.
Lord Tenchi, Nodoke, Mihoshi, Washuu, Kiyone, and maybe---just a little microscopic bit that didn't really even count as a bit, Ryoko.
Sasami and Yosho were always friends, and always kind. But there was always a lurking suspicion that they felt sympathetic that the second oldest wasn't as popular as they. Aeka's brother always had his trainers, a slew of girls, and various other people, which enjoyed his company. Her little sister was always in the kitchen, so it was no wonder that the cooks were excessively found of the girl.
She might never had realized what a stage she had played on, lies that she wove into a subtle truth like blanket, wrapped around her naked emotions to keep the real world's freezing truth from biting into her skin. Aeka's smile brightened a bit more, she might have worn that lonesome sheet forever until it was ripped from her heart and laughed at.
Tenchi had taken the blanket, and Ryoko laughed. Maybe not intentionally, but it was a great feeling to have some one to fight with. In the palace, Aeka was always forced to be prim and proper never allowed to make any kind of mean gesture, because the eyes of the kingdom were always upon her.
Ryoko didn't care about her title, or her 'I'm-better-than-you' air. It was a fight with an enemy over something that they both wanted. And that is where Tenchi Masaki came in.
He was kind, patient, and understanding. Just like Ryoko he didn't care about her title, but treated her on more formal matter than he did with the pirate.
"Princess Aeka, there's a contact from Earth." One of her guards said.
"Put it on display, then you can go." She commanded, and it was done.
A large screen appeared in front of her with a smiling Sasami looking at her. Behind the energetic little girl was a sparkling Christmas tree, red and gold lights winking at her. Taped to the wall were pictures of Santa and reindeer, along with tinsel. Even though the night was pitch black, small flakes of snow seemed to shimmer with light as they fell.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS AEKA!" Sasami exclaimed.
Though she couldn't see her, a rapid meowing let her know that Ryo-ohki was near by.
"Thank you, Sasami, And Merry Christmas to you. Where is everyone?"
"Oh! Well, Father hasn't come home yet, Yosho is on his way, Washuu is 'fixing' a camera, Kiyone and Mihoshi are wrapping gifts, and Ryoko is on the roof." The blue hair girl clicked off the people with her fingers as she went down the list.
"And where is-uh-Lord Tenchi?" Aeka felt her cheeks lightly burn with a blush.
"OH," Sasami giggled, "He's around."
"Please don't play games with me. Where is he?"
The little one seemed reluctant to answer but finally whispered, "Star gazing with Ryoko." Silence. "But that's okay! They'll both be down in time to eat some cake! And knowing Ryoko, once she starts drinking-"
"Yes, she does have a tendency to have a bit more than she should." Aeka weakly smiled, her heart was still recovering from the stab that the truth had handed her. Ryoko was with Tenchi, Tenchi was fending off Ryoko's passes, and no one was there to help him stop her.
"When will you be back Aeka? In time for Christmas?" Sasami's child innocence and enthusiasm could easily be heard in her voice.
"No, I'm sorry, but the day of the service is on Christmas day, and Father won't delay it."
"Oh," the small princess cast her eyes to the floor, but the one utterance was all Aeka needed to have her heart broken.
"Don't worry Sasami! I'm sure you all will have a great time! With lots of presents, joy, and laughter." Aeka's new cheer shocked even her.
"But the whole family won't be here! You're going to be gone!" Sasami pouted.
"Then you'll have to enjoy it for me." Light pink eyes met darker ones. "I'll be with you, maybe not physically but in my heart, I'll be laughing with all of you."
"Even fussing at Ryoko?"
"Even fussing at and with Ryoko." Aeka assured. "I'll be home for Christmas, if you pretend."
The rest of the conversation was geared toward who got who what, or at least what Sasami thought. As the night started to tick into night, Aeka was regretful that she had to say good bye to her energetic little sister. Ryo-ohki had learned a new trick, and mewed the chorus of 'Jingle Bells' to the Princess as a farewell. But once the transmission was canceled, the purple hair woman found her way to bed.
In dreams that night, Aeka found herself back at home. Baking a semi-traditional cake with her sister, opening gifts along side with Tenchi, fighting over whom got the better gift for him with Ryoko, helping Mihoshi figure out how to load the film to the new camera Washuu had made, and at the lastly, singing with the whole family. After ever one had gone to his or her separate bed, Aeka dreamt, she had fixed a hot cup of cocoa and sat down on the couch to watch the beauty of the tree in silence. A warm and loving atmosphere surrounded her even in the dead of night.
The morning would come and she would wake, but in her sleep, Aeka rejoiced over and over again. Knowing that in the morning she would lose it, and be alone once again.
I'll be home for Christmas,
If only in my dreams