Disclaimer: Characters and concepts from "Tenchi Muyo!" are Copyright AIC, Pioneer LDC, and Funimation. This work is a parody and not to be used for any commercial purposes.
Foreword: I have included Japanese phrases in italics, with the translation in parentheses immediately after. (For me, footnotes break up the flow of dialogue.) This story supposedly takes place before the changes of OVA Season III. (Many of which I disapprove of.)
Showing Restraint, Part II
No matter how long she lived, and Princess Seto had lived a very long time, there were things that never grew old for her. Some were long and complicated, like matchmaking. Some were short, straightforward, and spectacular, like directing the crushing defeat of space pirates. And some were quiet but intense, like grilling others for information. The fact that her current subject was her first-born granddaughter made it all the more enjoyable.
"Is the tea to your liking, little Ayeka?" Seto asked as soon as the violet-haired princess had begun to sip at her cup.
Ayeka lowered her tea to respond as quickly as she could without risking a spill. "It is excellent, thank you, Grandmother."
Having unsettled her subject, Seto approached the main item. "Lady Funaho tells me that she believes you had nothing to do with the pictures." she remarked. "I confess that I wondered whether you might be trying to impress Prince Tenchi by a roundabout method."
"Lord Tenchi is a high-minded young man," Ayeka responded, "he would not be influenced by anything so crude."
"As you say," Seto focused her gaze directly at Ayeka, "but that leaves me confused about one thing."
"What is that, Grandmother?" Ayeka tried not to flinch, with only partial success.
"If Ryoko made those pictures without your approval, why are you letting her go unpunished?"
"I had thought that Mother would . . . deal with the matter." Ayeka chose her words carefully. "It would have been helpful if things could have been settled away from the house. After all, I am something of a guest there, and more, Lord Tenchi is unhappy when his father's house is damaged." She paused to take another sip of tea. "It is a pity that Mother is so willing to forgive anyone who calls her 'pretty young lady'."
Seto was secretly pleased. Ayeka had carefully avoided pointing out that Misaki was Seto's daughter, since both princesses knew it perfectly well. Little Ayeka was showing promise--but she had left an opening. "That is indeed a foible that I hope you will avoid, Ayeka. It shows all the more reason for not depending on others to wage your battles. You will find that it is not only more forthright to strike the blows yourself, but more enjoyable as well. I have done some study of Colonized Planet 0315 since Lady Funaho arrived on Jurai. Your," Seto slightly emphasized the word, "temporary home has an interesting history. I recommend to you the leader who counseled magnanimity in victory, but in war, resolution."
"It is an excellent philosophy, but the struggle between Ryoko and myself isn't one that can be resolved by force," Ayeka countered.
"Then you must find a way to pay her back in kind," Seto drew herself up to a formal posture. "Princess Ayeka, you carry the honor of both House Masaki and House Kamiki. Ryoko's offence cannot be allowed to go unanswered."
Ayeka mentally made a note to ask Washu to develop an anti-sweatdrop formula. "But, Grandmother, I do not see how it can be done. Creating pictures of Ryoko wouldn't do anything. That monster-woman is shameless. There is nothing that could embarrass her as much as she embarrassed . . ." Ayeka stopped with a thoughtful look.
"You have had an idea," Seto stated it as a fact.
". . . Yes," Ayeka admitted reluctantly.
"Gambare, Ayeka-kohai (Give it your all, pupil Ayeka)." Seto said, and sipped her tea.
Ayeka's return from her "pleasant chat" aboard the Mikagami, as Seto had called it, was as surreptitious as the violet-haired princess could make it. For one thing, she enjoyed the quieter life on Earth, and hoped to keep the intrusions of Juraian politics to a minimum. Even more, she hoped that Tenchi would not find out about her grandmother until after they were married.
The following day, Ayeka was ready to proceed with stage one. She stood outside the door into Washu's lab, made sure the sleeves of her kimono were straight, and knocked.
"It's open!" came Washu's voice. Ayeka pushed on the door, and emerged into the lab.
"Hello, little Washu," the princess began, "are you busy right now?"
"You want something from me, don't you?" Washu looked over her shoulder with a sly grin.
"Well, I do have a . . . proposal of sorts." Ayeka replied. "Along the lines of those pictures that Ryoko made up of me."
"My laboratory is not here for petty acts of revenge, Ayeka." Washu cut in sternly.
"Quite right, Lady--I mean little Washu." Ayeka said quietly. "Though Ryoko obviously does not agree. And it seems a shame that she can get into your confidential files with impunity." Washu looked thoughtful. "But a genius such as yourself is above spite. It was just that the pictures made me think of an experiment that I would need your help with."
"Experiment?" Washu turned and gave Ayeka her full attention.
It was not a typical morning at the Masaki house, Sasami realized as soon as she came downstairs. The unmistakable signs of a saké and karaoke party the night before were littered over the main room. There had been some attempt at straightening, for the karaoke machine and disks had been put away, and only Mihoshi was sleeping on couch. Usually, Ayeka and Ryoko as well were to be found slumbering downstairs, since each would try to out-drink and out-sing the other until they both collapsed. Sasami remembered that Nobuyuki had been home last night to join in the merry-making, which might have led to the party ending early out of respect for his work schedule. Certainly he had already left earlier in the morning for the commute to his architect's office, since his shoes were absent from the entryway.
The young princess shook her head over the empty cups and party streamers still to be cleaned up, and wrinkled her nose at the distinctive odor of saké. What did the older girls find so appealing about it? And all of them moaned and looked sick the next day, which made it hard to get them to help in cleaning up. Except Mihoshi, who seemed to be somehow immune. However, the blonde Galaxy Policewoman tended to create more mess than she cleaned when pressed into work. Sasami made a mental note to let her sleep for as long as possible.
Upstairs, a certain cyan-haired ex-space-pirate slowly returned to consciousness. The dull throbbing in her head brought back some memories of the carousing the night before. But not, she realized, all of them. There was a blank period. She must have consumed even more than her usual amount of saké. She began to turn over, and then became aware that the surface she was on was not one she had woken up on before. She was on a bed, not merely a futon on a floor. Could it be -- Tenchi's bed? Slowly, she reached out a hand, hoping intently to encounter the chest of her object of desire. There was only empty space . . . but even more empty space than there should have been. There was a depression in the mattress alongside of her, and it was still faintly warm. Yes! Someone else had indeed been in the bed during the night. Maybe Tenchi was still in the room. With an effort, Ryoko slowly opened her eyes.
The Masaki house was very large by Japanese standards, but Ryoko's scream of horror reached to its furthest corner. Sasami dropped her ladle and dashed out of the kitchen. Ayeka came upright, and grabbed for her dressing gown. Even Mihoshi was startled awake, and sprinted from the couch to the upstairs, tripping only twice. But it was Tenchi who first threw open the door.
"Ryoko?" he stared transfixed. Ryoko was so distraught she had forgotten she could summon clothes, and had wrapped the bed-sheet around her to cover herself. She stared at him, equally speechless.
Sasami arrived next. "What . . ." and then she too was at a loss for words.
Ayeka came to a halt next to her sister. "Oh, my . . ." she managed.
Lastly, Mihoshi stuck her head in the doorway. She at least retained the power of speech. "Gee, Ryoko -- what are you doing in Nobuyuki's room?"
Author's afterward: usually I don't start posting until I have the story entirely plotted and half-written, so as not to keep readers in suspense for months. But I just had to get this idea rolling. We'll just have to see how long it takes, and where it goes.
