Chapter 8: No Need for Matchmakers
Cupid, Ryo-Ohki, and Sasami sat in the living room, drinking tea as they got acquainted. The three of them were seated upon a black leather sectional sofa. Sasami was not at all expecting Ryo-Ohki to bring home a visitor that day. She wanted to be angry with her for going to the Farmer's Harvest Festival alone but she couldn't bring herself to scold her in the presence of their visitor.
She didn't know why she felt so timid around Cupid. She looked up from the cup of tea she held in her hands to the opposite side of the coffee table where Ryo-Ohki rested happily next to him. When his eyes met with hers, he grinned politely, which caused Sasami's face to feel flushed with warmth. Overcome by shyness, she quickly returned her eyes to her tea, hoping he didn't notice.
"So, um, I was wondering… how old are you?" she asked nervously, in an attempt to break through the awkward silence.
"I'm sixteen," he replied. "What about you?"
"Oh, I'm sixteen too!" she announced a little more happily than she intended. She adjusted her tone. "But my birthday is in a month."
"Mine is a few months away. Guess that makes you older than me."
"I suppose it does," she chuckled. He didn't know the half of it.
Ryo-Ohki decided to entertain Cupid with a song. He watched on sportingly as she began to dance along to her little tune. As light shone through the glass-paneled wall behind him, Sasami noticed that his hair, which was mostly covered with a pilot's cap and goggles, was dark brown under the glow of the sun. The curls that just escaped the edges of his cap matched his eyes.
Ryo-Ohki finished her routine and Cupid applauded, which made the little cat girl very happy. Sasami realized that Ryo-Ohki had an affinity towards Cupid that was comparable to her admiration for Tenchi.
"Ryo-Ohki, don't keep making Cupid think you're a baby." Sasami lectured mildly. "Show him your real age."
Cupid gave her a muddled glance. "What do you mean?" He looked back at Ryo-Ohki, figuring she couldn't be more than three or four.
"I'm sorry," Sasami explained, a little embarrassed. "Ryo-Ohki has a habit of taking on her toddler form whenever she meets someone new. She feels it's easier for her to make friends that way. In actuality, she's about eleven. Right, Ryo-Ohki?"
"Miya," the little girl replied, repentantly.
"Well, go on then. Show him," Sasami chided on.
Suddenly, in a burst of smoke billows, Ryo-Ohki transformed from a toddler into a preteen.
"Miya," she crooned in a voice that sounded sultrier than it did a moment ago. She lunged forward, hugging Cupid affectionately. The gown she wore was still the same size it was in her toddler form, now clinging snugly to her body, its length ending just below her chest. Beneath her waist, she wore nothing more than a pair of powder-blue panties. Apparently, she was an early bloomer as Cupid could clearly feel a developing pair of breasts mashed up against his shoulder.
He slipped out of her embrace and dove to the other end of the couch, shocked and confused. "What the hell?"
Sasami's face went red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I forgot her clothes don't transform along with her!"
Ryo-Ohki shot baffled glances back and forth at the two, totally immune to any sense of self-consciousness about her scantily clad body. As she hunched over an arm of the sofa, cleavage peeked out of her top.
"Oh god!" Sasami cried out in utter mortification. "Ryo-Ohki, turn into a Cabbit!"
"Miya," she retorted in refusal, shaking her head fervently.
Sasami was flustered by her impertinence. "Don't you realize you're indecent?" she implored. "Do as I say!"
Peeved, Ryo-Ohki stuck her tongue out mockingly before complying. In a puff of smoke, she vanished. Her gown and undergarments were left lying in a jumbled pile upon the hardwood floor as something twitched from beneath.
Cupid sat up, peering at the heap curiously. Suddenly, a small creature hopped out of the pile and landed in his lap. It was a grey, cotton-tailed critter with long ears, a little pink nose, and familiar yellow eyes. A red jewel was nestled in the fur of its forehead.
"Ryo-Ohki?" Cupid called out, prudently.
"Miya!" the little cat-rabbit replied.
"I'm so sorry." Sasami apologized. "This is Ryo-Ohki's true form. She's a cabbit."
"A… cabbit?" he repeated, incredulously as he stared at Ryo-Ohki with an expression of wonderment.
Sasami looked at Cupid solemnly. "This was a terrible first impression," she stated. "You must think we're pretty weird."
"No." He reached out and gently tousled the fur behind Ryo-Ohki's ears. "I mean, yeah, I'm surprised but... I think you're amazing." He looked up at Sasami and smiled.
She smiled back; glad he wasn't put off by what he saw. They gazed at each other for a moment, this time, neither one looking away. Just then, Ayeka wandered into the room, wrapped in an elegant pink kimono.
"What's taking my Tenchi so long?" she questioned, anxiously. "Why'd he have to go off looking for that carrot munching…Wait a minute." Her head did a double take as she noticed Ryo-Ohki in Cupid's lap. "You're back? And who is this?" she inquired of the young man with her crimson eyes full of intrigue.
"My name's Cupid. I-."
Cupid ceased his introduction at the bizarre sight of Ayeka's lips curling up in a big, wide grin. Whatever thoughts were brewing in her mind, it freaked him out.
"I know what's happening here…" she started on in a jubilant tone of accusation. "Sasami, you found yourself a boyfriend! My little sister's finally grown up!"
Sasami never blushed so hard in her life.
"Ayeka!" she screamed. "We just met! I can't believe you said that!"
She sprung up from the sofa, totally humiliated and ran upstairs to her room.
"Oh," Ayeka offered as her only response.
In the midst of the profoundly awkward moment, Cupid decided it was a good time to make his exit.
"Um… it was a nice meeting you," he said to Sasami's older sibling, rising from his seat, "but I really should get going."
"I'm sorry about that," Ayeka stated, sweeping the bangs of her violet hair aside with her fingers. "It seems my sister is a little shy when it comes to such things and I suppose I could have handled that a bit more tactfully."
"It's ok, really." He smiled graciously, taking a step toward the exit. Within a fraction of a moment, she crossed the distance between them, blocking his path. Cupid was taken aback by her swiftness.
"You will come back to court her, right?" she questioned, sounding more like an insistence than an inquiry. She noticed the wide-eyed expression strewn across Cupid's face. Realizing the intensity of her tone, she chuckled. "No pressure, it's just that you make such a cute couple."
"I don't know..." Cupid replied, feeling the pressure bear down on him despite her disclaimer. "I'm not even sure how long I'll be in town."
"What are you, some kind of love hobo?" she questioned in annoyance.
"Um… no?" Cupid replied, confused by the outlandish accusation.
"So, you don't travel from town to town, making young girls fall in love with you before leaving them standing among the broken pieces of what used to be their hearts?"
Cupid sighed. "Talk about drama… No, of course not."
"Then it is pertinent that you stay and work on this relationship with my dear sister."
"I'm starting to get the feeling something's in this for you," he retorted, eyes squinting with suspicion.
"Whatever could you mean?" Ayeka asked timidly as she broke eye contact and turned to stare out at the lake through the glass-paneled wall. "I'm just looking out for the best interests of my little sister. Therefore, she'll have you and I'll have Lord Tenchi all to myself. I can see it now…" Her eyes glazed over as she peered out into the sky, conjuring up scenarios in her imagination.
"We could all go out several times a week on double dates, and have quaint little picnics in the fields. Then, on weekends, moon-lit evenings under the stars..." As she continued describing episodes of her romantic fantasy, dreamily lost in her own thoughts, Cupid inched toward the front door.
"Miya..." Ryo-Ohki bid Cupid a regretful farewell.
The sound of the cabbit's voice broke Ayeka out of her spell and she twisted her head abruptly, catching Cupid in mid-escape.
"How dare you attempt to leave a room while a royal princess is speaking to you?" she reprimanded, rushing over to stop him.
Cupid turned to face Ayeka and reached out, gently touching a lock of her hair. She froze, stunned by the unexpected gesture.
"W-what do you think you're doing?" Her eyes went wide with incomprehension.
"I'm sorry, it's just, wow… you're beautiful when you're angry." he said sweetly.
Caught totally off guard by his remark, Ayeka's face lit up red. "Oh my…" She turned away from him bashfully, placing a hand against her cheek. "I can't blame you for feeling some sort of attraction toward me. After all, I do tend to garner the attention of many suitors but I'll have you know, my heart belongs to Lord Tenchi, so I must decline."
She turned back to face him, only to find the front door wide open and Cupid starkly absent from the scene. She suddenly realized it was all a ruse to facilitate his escape. Her right eye twitched in a fit of chagrin. She stormed out onto the front porch.
"Why, you're nothing but a big flirt! Come back here and court my sister!" She bellowed out into the open air. Her chest heaved with angry labored breaths. "Cupid indeed…" she huffed. "He's obviously clueless in the ways of love."
