Moonlit Waters, part 2: Wind's Caress
Thanks to the overwhelming demand for a sequel to the first Moonlit Waters, I have written a second part. At first I was uncertain as to how to write a second part, since the original was such a stand-alone (imo), but then it came to me. Since the first took place in TiT shortly before Ayeka and Sasaimi hitchhiked to Japan, I decided to do this directly after. I decided that some of Ayeka's lines in that episode provided enough of a basis with which to continue the story. Er, I'm not sure how this compares to the first, but enjoy some more of Tsugaru and Ayeka!
(Heh, I'm one of the people who thinks Ayeka should take Tsugaru, Ryoko can have Hotsuma, and Tenchi can end up with someone else.)
~~~
It was hours before Ayeka, exhausted from her hitchhiking ordeal, finally regained consciousness. Her first thought of note was that she was lying on the hard floor. Her second was that Sasami was on top of her. Thirdly, they were both covered by a blanket. As Ayeka struggled to sit up without disturbing Sasami, she wondered who had put it there.
"A-Ayeka?"
Sasami, still half-asleep, opened her eyes and looked at her older sister. Ayeka only smiled. They had been through a lot to reach Tokyo and had ended up right where they started: home. It wasn't so bad. For once, Ayeka was not concerned over Tenchi's feelings for her. It had taken her all of yesterday to figure that out and she was glad that she finally had.
"Wow, I'm tired," Sasami said, her face beginning to light up.
In a matter-of-fact voice, Ayeka pointed out, "We had a very long trip."
"I guess I should go make breakfast now before the others wake up." Sasami smiled optimistically and stood. "Aren't you going to get up, Ayeka?"
"Oh, I'll be along in a minute." Ayeka folded her legs underneath her body in the manner of a proper lady and brushed some dirt off her kimono. Unquestioning of her sister's word, Sasami bounded off towards the kitchen.
The morning sun was a refreshing sight to Ayeka's eyes. She had always envisioned the sun as an image of Tenchi: brightly radiant and giving life and energy to all of Earth. It was almost prophetic that Ayeka saw Tsugaru as the moon: a reflection of the sun bringing light in darkness. The similarities did not end there. The moon was much closer to Earth, and thus more easily attained. The darkness was the absence of the sun, or the absence of Tenchi. There were also other problems to consider, like Ryoko, which were the other planets seeking the sun's attention.
Of course, of the nine planets, only the Earth -- a fitting Ayeka -- contained life. That was something her radiant Tenchi could never overlook.
And then there was the moon.
Though clearly not nearly as radiant as the sun, the moon still held sway over the earth and was remarkable in its own ways. It could eclipse the sun, to start. It was also beautiful and was always smiling.
Always smiling? That doesn't quite fit. Ayeka quickly realized that she had lost track of her analogy, so discarded it altogether. No, the moon does not always smile, but Tsugaru does.
"Breakfast is served!"
Ayeka looked up, startled. She had completely lost track of time. "Coming, Sasami!" As she rose, Ayeka had a sudden leap of enthusiasm before she remembered that Tenchi was not there. No, that's right, he's not here. That one simple statement of fact was enough to cause the rest of the morning to pass in a dreary blur. The morning meal, the traditional morning fight with Ryoko, the morning chores, the second traditional morning fight with Ryoko... her heart just wasn't in it today.
Ryoko noticed, of course. Towards the end of their daily fight about chores the space pirate asked, "Something wrong princess? You don't seem nearly as catty as you usually are."
"I'm not catty!" Ayeka retorted, face screwing up into a most unbecoming pout. "And I'm just tired, that's all."
"Oh, that's right, you went all that way to see Tenchi yesterday and then you didn't even get to kiss him." Ryoko's tone was sympathetic to the point of mockery, which was obviously what she had intended.
"Shut up, you-you-"
Ayeka fumbled for a word that would suit the circumstances but failed and was forced to settle for throwing her dish rag at Ryoko instead. The space pirate hastily disappeared, the rag flying through the air where Ryoko had been moments ago. All Ayeka could do was glower at the nothingness.
~~~
That night, the moon was shining once again, dancing gaily on the lake's waters. Ayeka found herself standing out by the shore. Though her mind almost refused to believe it, her heart knew that she was not waiting for Tenchi on this particular night.
As the minutes ticked by Ayeka's hopes and fears intermingled. Would he come? Was he watching for her tonight? Why couldn't her heart make up its mind? The minutes turned into an hour, and then two, and by the time the third hour rolled around, she had drifted off into sleep on the cool, damp grass.
It was then that he came, silent and cautious. A faint breeze stroked her pale, moonlight-soaked face, her hair quivering ever so gently in its sweet caress. It was all he could do to keep from mimicking the wind with caresses of his own. She was so sweet, so innocent in the cradle of the stars above, and he knew he wanted her.
He also knew that such a want could only lead to disaster.
Tsugaru, he chided himself, you can't very well leave her out here in the cold, now can you?
Gently, softly, quietly, he leaned over her still form and breathed a kiss onto her cheek. His fingers found their way onto her hair, patting it into place. "Ayeka?" he said slowly. "Princess, wake up."
In a most unprincesslike manner, Ayeka gurgled and rolled over. Tsugaru could barely contain his laughter. "Princess," he sputtered, happiness overflowing his voice, "it's me, Tsugaru."
"Tsugaru," she mumbled. His hands, finally free from the task of containing his laughter, returned to stroking her hair. "Oh, Tsugaru..."
"Open your eyes, Princess, and look up."
She did as she was told, gazing up at him in a sleepy stupor. "Where?"
"You fell asleep outside," he explained. She dazedly sat up.
"I was... I was waiting for you."
"Well, here I am."
A heavy silence fell upon the two of them, broken only by the wind and waves. Ayeka found herself suddenly uncertain of what to do next. She wanted Tsugaru to take the lead as he had the night before, only he didn't seem to want that role at all. It was almost as if he was refusing to speak to her. When she looked into his eyes her questioning gaze was met with worry, anguish, and fear unlike any she had ever seen before. It was as if his eyes were a bottomless ocean of sadness.
Maternal instinct took over and she asked, "Is anything wrong?"
At that moment he seemed to realize he had dropped his usual blithe mask and quickly brought his emotional defenses back up. The empty smile returned. "No, of course not, Princess."
He was lying, obviously. Even had her instincts not been at full play she would have known that. Knowing as little about him as she did, there was nothing she could do about it. He would not open up to her and she could not make him.
"Tsugaru, I-"
"Shh," he crooned, placing his finger upon her lips. "Don't talk. I want to remember this moment just as it is." He left his finger perched there for a moment more before taking it away and, with a flourish of his wrist, producing a milky white flower to place in her hair. She blushed slightly.
The silence continued, no longer oppressive. Tsugaru was gazing at her in such a mysterious fashion that she couldn't help but to wonder what he was thinking about. Her mind reeled with the possibilities.
Suddenly, he looked away, face serious. "I'm sorry, but we can't do this."
"What?" she gasped, all thought of lovemaking gone from her mind.
"If this were another night, another lifetime, maybe," he continued, "but it's not."
"I don't understand."
He shook his head. "I can't explain it to you. Princess, I'm sorry, but if I did, you'd think me a very bad man."
Now she shook her head. "Nonsense, I could never!"
"Please don't argue with me, Princess. I'd rather not see you get hurt because of me, and you would be."
"Tsugaru!" Her voice had risen to a pleading tone.
Whatever protest she might have tried to make was cut off as he forced a frantic, passionate kiss upon her. Strong arms enveloped about her in a desperate embrace. The ground seemed to drop away in that moment and Ayeka found herself engulfed by a feeling of weightlessness.
It ended as the kiss did. His hands withdrew, still clutching at the air as if he had nothing more to hold on to in his life, and he wrapped them around himself for comfort. Ayeka was left breathless and wide-eyed.
"Ayeka, please don't come back out here!" he begged. His eyes closed and tears rolled down his face. "I'm so sorry." With that, he disappeared, leaving Ayeka reaching out to a specter of memory.
"Tsugaru," she gasped, her heart throbbing up into her ears. "Tsugaru!" He head tilted downward into her hands and she began to sob. The white flower, placed with such care upon her head, fell off into her lap. Only the wind remained, gently caressing her face.
Thanks to the overwhelming demand for a sequel to the first Moonlit Waters, I have written a second part. At first I was uncertain as to how to write a second part, since the original was such a stand-alone (imo), but then it came to me. Since the first took place in TiT shortly before Ayeka and Sasaimi hitchhiked to Japan, I decided to do this directly after. I decided that some of Ayeka's lines in that episode provided enough of a basis with which to continue the story. Er, I'm not sure how this compares to the first, but enjoy some more of Tsugaru and Ayeka!
(Heh, I'm one of the people who thinks Ayeka should take Tsugaru, Ryoko can have Hotsuma, and Tenchi can end up with someone else.)
~~~
It was hours before Ayeka, exhausted from her hitchhiking ordeal, finally regained consciousness. Her first thought of note was that she was lying on the hard floor. Her second was that Sasami was on top of her. Thirdly, they were both covered by a blanket. As Ayeka struggled to sit up without disturbing Sasami, she wondered who had put it there.
"A-Ayeka?"
Sasami, still half-asleep, opened her eyes and looked at her older sister. Ayeka only smiled. They had been through a lot to reach Tokyo and had ended up right where they started: home. It wasn't so bad. For once, Ayeka was not concerned over Tenchi's feelings for her. It had taken her all of yesterday to figure that out and she was glad that she finally had.
"Wow, I'm tired," Sasami said, her face beginning to light up.
In a matter-of-fact voice, Ayeka pointed out, "We had a very long trip."
"I guess I should go make breakfast now before the others wake up." Sasami smiled optimistically and stood. "Aren't you going to get up, Ayeka?"
"Oh, I'll be along in a minute." Ayeka folded her legs underneath her body in the manner of a proper lady and brushed some dirt off her kimono. Unquestioning of her sister's word, Sasami bounded off towards the kitchen.
The morning sun was a refreshing sight to Ayeka's eyes. She had always envisioned the sun as an image of Tenchi: brightly radiant and giving life and energy to all of Earth. It was almost prophetic that Ayeka saw Tsugaru as the moon: a reflection of the sun bringing light in darkness. The similarities did not end there. The moon was much closer to Earth, and thus more easily attained. The darkness was the absence of the sun, or the absence of Tenchi. There were also other problems to consider, like Ryoko, which were the other planets seeking the sun's attention.
Of course, of the nine planets, only the Earth -- a fitting Ayeka -- contained life. That was something her radiant Tenchi could never overlook.
And then there was the moon.
Though clearly not nearly as radiant as the sun, the moon still held sway over the earth and was remarkable in its own ways. It could eclipse the sun, to start. It was also beautiful and was always smiling.
Always smiling? That doesn't quite fit. Ayeka quickly realized that she had lost track of her analogy, so discarded it altogether. No, the moon does not always smile, but Tsugaru does.
"Breakfast is served!"
Ayeka looked up, startled. She had completely lost track of time. "Coming, Sasami!" As she rose, Ayeka had a sudden leap of enthusiasm before she remembered that Tenchi was not there. No, that's right, he's not here. That one simple statement of fact was enough to cause the rest of the morning to pass in a dreary blur. The morning meal, the traditional morning fight with Ryoko, the morning chores, the second traditional morning fight with Ryoko... her heart just wasn't in it today.
Ryoko noticed, of course. Towards the end of their daily fight about chores the space pirate asked, "Something wrong princess? You don't seem nearly as catty as you usually are."
"I'm not catty!" Ayeka retorted, face screwing up into a most unbecoming pout. "And I'm just tired, that's all."
"Oh, that's right, you went all that way to see Tenchi yesterday and then you didn't even get to kiss him." Ryoko's tone was sympathetic to the point of mockery, which was obviously what she had intended.
"Shut up, you-you-"
Ayeka fumbled for a word that would suit the circumstances but failed and was forced to settle for throwing her dish rag at Ryoko instead. The space pirate hastily disappeared, the rag flying through the air where Ryoko had been moments ago. All Ayeka could do was glower at the nothingness.
~~~
That night, the moon was shining once again, dancing gaily on the lake's waters. Ayeka found herself standing out by the shore. Though her mind almost refused to believe it, her heart knew that she was not waiting for Tenchi on this particular night.
As the minutes ticked by Ayeka's hopes and fears intermingled. Would he come? Was he watching for her tonight? Why couldn't her heart make up its mind? The minutes turned into an hour, and then two, and by the time the third hour rolled around, she had drifted off into sleep on the cool, damp grass.
It was then that he came, silent and cautious. A faint breeze stroked her pale, moonlight-soaked face, her hair quivering ever so gently in its sweet caress. It was all he could do to keep from mimicking the wind with caresses of his own. She was so sweet, so innocent in the cradle of the stars above, and he knew he wanted her.
He also knew that such a want could only lead to disaster.
Tsugaru, he chided himself, you can't very well leave her out here in the cold, now can you?
Gently, softly, quietly, he leaned over her still form and breathed a kiss onto her cheek. His fingers found their way onto her hair, patting it into place. "Ayeka?" he said slowly. "Princess, wake up."
In a most unprincesslike manner, Ayeka gurgled and rolled over. Tsugaru could barely contain his laughter. "Princess," he sputtered, happiness overflowing his voice, "it's me, Tsugaru."
"Tsugaru," she mumbled. His hands, finally free from the task of containing his laughter, returned to stroking her hair. "Oh, Tsugaru..."
"Open your eyes, Princess, and look up."
She did as she was told, gazing up at him in a sleepy stupor. "Where?"
"You fell asleep outside," he explained. She dazedly sat up.
"I was... I was waiting for you."
"Well, here I am."
A heavy silence fell upon the two of them, broken only by the wind and waves. Ayeka found herself suddenly uncertain of what to do next. She wanted Tsugaru to take the lead as he had the night before, only he didn't seem to want that role at all. It was almost as if he was refusing to speak to her. When she looked into his eyes her questioning gaze was met with worry, anguish, and fear unlike any she had ever seen before. It was as if his eyes were a bottomless ocean of sadness.
Maternal instinct took over and she asked, "Is anything wrong?"
At that moment he seemed to realize he had dropped his usual blithe mask and quickly brought his emotional defenses back up. The empty smile returned. "No, of course not, Princess."
He was lying, obviously. Even had her instincts not been at full play she would have known that. Knowing as little about him as she did, there was nothing she could do about it. He would not open up to her and she could not make him.
"Tsugaru, I-"
"Shh," he crooned, placing his finger upon her lips. "Don't talk. I want to remember this moment just as it is." He left his finger perched there for a moment more before taking it away and, with a flourish of his wrist, producing a milky white flower to place in her hair. She blushed slightly.
The silence continued, no longer oppressive. Tsugaru was gazing at her in such a mysterious fashion that she couldn't help but to wonder what he was thinking about. Her mind reeled with the possibilities.
Suddenly, he looked away, face serious. "I'm sorry, but we can't do this."
"What?" she gasped, all thought of lovemaking gone from her mind.
"If this were another night, another lifetime, maybe," he continued, "but it's not."
"I don't understand."
He shook his head. "I can't explain it to you. Princess, I'm sorry, but if I did, you'd think me a very bad man."
Now she shook her head. "Nonsense, I could never!"
"Please don't argue with me, Princess. I'd rather not see you get hurt because of me, and you would be."
"Tsugaru!" Her voice had risen to a pleading tone.
Whatever protest she might have tried to make was cut off as he forced a frantic, passionate kiss upon her. Strong arms enveloped about her in a desperate embrace. The ground seemed to drop away in that moment and Ayeka found herself engulfed by a feeling of weightlessness.
It ended as the kiss did. His hands withdrew, still clutching at the air as if he had nothing more to hold on to in his life, and he wrapped them around himself for comfort. Ayeka was left breathless and wide-eyed.
"Ayeka, please don't come back out here!" he begged. His eyes closed and tears rolled down his face. "I'm so sorry." With that, he disappeared, leaving Ayeka reaching out to a specter of memory.
"Tsugaru," she gasped, her heart throbbing up into her ears. "Tsugaru!" He head tilted downward into her hands and she began to sob. The white flower, placed with such care upon her head, fell off into her lap. Only the wind remained, gently caressing her face.
