Lullaby Of Flowers

Chapter Six: The Wedding Kimono

Written By:

Samanda Hime-sama

The water was deep where she stood for a moment. She was distracted from her study of the stars and looked down as shivered at the coldness of the water that lapped at her clothing.

The smile on her lips felt strange to her but she wore it with all of the determination in her soul. Once her mind was made up nothing could change it and that had been the case since she was small. And now, fully grown, that single minded trait still had not changed.

And so she plunged forward into the icy water, eager to be done with it all. It was harder to move now. The water weighted down the material of the kimono that had taken so long to make as she had to keep it from the sight of the others.

The water seemed so much colder as it closed over her head. Her last coherent thought was about the inky color of the water and how appropriate it was to the ending of a life. The last of her breath rushed out in a stream of bubbles-

"Noooo!" Ayeka awoke from her nightmare with a cry.

Luckily, it wasn't loud enough to wake anyone else in the house. Ayeka curled up in her bed and wept for both herself and the shame that she felt in trying to end her life.

"Are you alright, Lady Ayeka?" Washuu asked from behind her.

"No." Ayeka answered then turned to look at the scientist.

Ayeka's eyes were lined with fatigue and her skin was an unhealthy shade of white. She didn't resist when Washuu herded her into lab. She simply went and sat mechanically in the chair that Washuu pointed to.

"I remembered something." Ayeka spoke without a nudge from the scientist.

Washuu leaned forward. "What was it?"

"It wasn't happy." Ayeka said slowly. "I was wading into the lake. Waiting for the water to cover my head completely so I could sink down into it's depths."

Wahuu was quiet as she let the princess talk about it. "I remember the weight of what I was wearing holding me down as I kept walking into the water."

Washuu said softly. "What were you wearing?"

"A kimono. I was to wear it on the day I married." Ayeka spoke absently as another piece of memory flitted into her mind.

The idea of the kimono itself had taken root in her mind after Tenchi and Ryoko had announced that they were getting married. The material had already been carefully cut and sewed together by her own hand long before. It had been plain then, Ayeka had been at a loss as to what to embroider on it so she simply put off doing it. It was meant to be Ayeka's own wedding kimono. It was tradition in the royal family that one of their own must make the kimono that they would be married in.

Sadly, only Ayeka seemed to have the patience to do this. Both her mothers were too busy with their jobs to do this for her and Sasami's talents were in keeping house.

Ayeka said earnestly. "But there were so many symbols I could have used for the embroidery that I was overwhelmed. I put my own aside so I could think about it more. I started on another dress, one for my little sister."

At a loss for her own dress, Ayeka had began on her sister's after she learned that Sasami would eventually grow into the goddess. She had a keen eye for measurements and began the kimono she hoped her precious little sister would one day be married in.

When it was finished, Ayeka was stunned at the beauty of the garment she had made. The embroidery was flawless and simple in it's entirety. The sakura blossoms seemed to dance at the hem, sleeves and neck of the under kimono and across the length of the obi that Ayeka had painstakingly made.

She admired it then put it away. Ayeka thought it would be a wonderful surprise when Sasami was older and so she hid it away, never telling a soul.

"And you finished it with sakura blossoms, isn't that right?" Washuu drew the correct conclusion.

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. I put it away for when she would need it."

"You gave it to Ryoko when she announced she was marrying Tenchi." Washuu told her.

"Did I?" Ayeka was puzzled. "I still don't remember that part. How ironic of the situation that the dress I made for Sasami ended up being Ryoko's wedding gown."

"No." Washuu corrected. "You knew of Ryoko's desire for a simple old fashioned ceremony and gave her the dress, knowing that she didn't have one. It was kind of you."

Ayeka was silent as she held back tears. Finally, she gave a little nod to show that she understood.

"You have a big heart, Ayeka. You must have been in anguish, you still gave to one of the two that hurt you, although I'm sure you were still holding a grudge at that time."

Ayeka laughed a little as she wiped away the one or two tears that had escaped her control. "I don't remember that. I would have thought that I would have stabbed with a fork or something."

"There's still one thing I don't understand though." Washuu admitted. "Why did you wear that kimono?"

Ayeka put the last stitch in the final flower on her wedding kimono. She inspected it as well as she could by candlelight then put it away in a trunk. She tidied up after herself and blew out the candle. She settled into bed.

The timing is fortuitous indeed, Ayeka thought. Their wedding is tomorrow.

She fell asleep and dreamed of fields of flowers. The very same flowers that adorned the kimono that no one would see until after her death.

Ayeka was solemn. "All my chances of happiness were lost. I would never marry the man I wanted to or have his children. And I wanted that with all of my heart. I was determined to wear that dress once even if I had to marry Death in it."

Ayeka was silent for a moment then continued. "It seemed poetic justice that it should serve as symbols of both celebration and sadness. That my wedding kimono should also be my shroud."

"Oh Ayeka." Washuu sighed. "That explains the flowers then."

Ayeka gave her a mirthless smile. "Of course. The royal teardrops I embroidered should have been a direct giveaway. The omen of sadness was so fitting for the occasion."