Little Lord Tenchi...
Author: Daferge
The characters in this story and the events of all the Tenchi Muyo shows are property of AIC and Pioneer. I have neither created them, nor do I own them.
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Chapter -07 ... Family...
( Jurai townhouse, London... )
It was early morning and the Earl of Jurai was at his desk...
The sun had only been up for a short time, but he had gotten an early start today...
To some the quote that 'a man's home was his castle' was just that, but the Earl's Manor home still had a good part of the original stone castle remaining...
And at the moment, he found himself up on those battlements, defending his domain from those who had other uses for it...
Across from him was one of his men-at-arms, his trusted lawyer, lord Manchester...
He had arrived a short while before and joined the Earl in going over a number of legal papers with him...
They would need to have every thing in order for the House of Lords in a week...
That was when he was to present his new heir...
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Usually such things were simple matters, but this time there was quite a bit at stake...
In fact, quite a few fortunes, if the cards were played right...
To think that just a year ago every thing was so simple...
But that was when a young girl's exploring of an old cave on the estate could turn their life upside down...
In a hard to reach tunnel, she had found some odd black rocks which she had then shown to her mother...
Her mother, after some tests and some rechecking, had then quietly informed the Earl that there was a good chance that there was a deposit of coal under his estate...
Further more, from the samples, it was a very large and rich deposit...
As the Earl had no interest in strip mining his estate, he had put the information away for future reference and sworn those who knew to silence...
However, a secret known to more than one seldom remained a secret long...
It seem that rumors had gotten around...
( Perhaps informing Buckingham Palace hadn't been a wise idea after all... )
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The recent loss of his heir had badly shaken the very foundations of the family...
Therefore a new heir had to be found before the wolves and vultures at the door got it...
That had been when he had to reconsider some of his past actions and perhaps try to put decades of emotions aside...
He had to make it quite clear to every one that the young son of his youngest daughter WAS his recognized heir...
And it didn't matter where he was born, even if it was across the 'pond', in the colonies...
( Known to the rest of the world as the United States of America... )
Especially considering the long list of comments he had made in the past about those same 'Americans'...
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Then his younger daughter met that young architect from Boston he'd thought nothing of it...
However, when she later announced that she had fell in love with him, THAT was a different matter...
And his opinion of the 'Colonials', as his family had called them for countless generations, didn't change...
In fact, his opinion of them, especially the males, tended to drop even more...
The Earl had been brought up with strict family values and traditions, he put his foot down, demanding she never see him again...
But she too could be stubborn, as she followed her heart and defied her father's wishes...
She left her home and family, running off to marry the young man who could not only made her laugh, but could make her smile...
The Earl's reaction had been simple, he disown her, which tended to caused a rather large rift within his family...
As it was, he hadn't spoken more than a few words with several members of his family, among them Lady Jurai, since the daughter's death a decade before...
All because of his stubbornness and pride...
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He had reason to believe that both his sons had disagreed with his treatment of their youngest sister, but they hadn't say any thing...
They had been brought up with him as the head of the house and that his word was law...
For better or worse...
Looking back, he realized that perhaps their accepting those over-seas military positions may have been their way of trying to avoid any conflict with him...
Thus leading to where ever thing stood today...
Now, for better or worst, his line-of-secession would be continued by a young male who was born 'over there'...
Strange, the tricks that fate tended to play on you...
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He had just finish reading the official announcement for the third time, trying to catch any possible problems, when it happen...
He stopped what he was doing and just stared at the wall...
He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up...
When it passed,He looked around the room...
But there was no one there but his lawyer...
A servant had brought a couple of cups of tea, but had already left...
So, why did he suddenly feel like he was going to need a bottle of brandy?...
And all because he thought he heard two words?...
" Yes, Mother... "
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( Near Nottingham, the Jurai Manor... )
The front doors of the manor were open and a number of unusual people were standing there, looking at each other...
A young male stood in the open doorway wondering what he should do next...
Young Lord Tenchi Masaki had only arrived here 24 hours before and he was trying to get adjusted to his new 'home'...
Several weeks before he would have never have guessed he would be playing doorman at such an elegant estate here in England...
Inside, behind him, was his older sister, Tennyo Masaki and his aunt, Minaho Masaki Jurai, who had been his and his sister's nanny for the past decade...
For some reason, it was the three rather elegant older females standing out side that had his attention...
Especially the one his aunt had just called " Mother... "
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Though it seem like a life time, it was only a moment before a soft firm voice broke the stillness...
" Oh, my... What's this I find on our doorstep?... "
Tenchi turn to see Washu step out of the shadows behind his sister and up next to him in the doorway...
" Sasami said we had guest!... "
As Tenchi was about to say something, Washu smiled and put a finger to his lips...
She watched as Tennyo and Minaho stepped up to join Tenchi just inside the doorway, each taking an arm, protectively...
Minaho, because she knew exactly WHO these three were and Tennyo, because she didn't...
The other four females just watched and smiled...
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Seeing that Minaho wasn't going to say any thing, Washu spoke up...
She turn to Tenchi and Tennyo, as they were new here...
She gestured to the female with the a touch of green(?) in her hair...
" Tenchi, Tennyo... I would like to introduce you to... "
But it was Tenchi who finished for her...
" Her ladyship, Airi Masaki Jurai... Minaho's mother and the Earl's lady... "
He saw her eyebrow go up...
" Some thing Minaho said a moment ago... "
He smiled before continuing...
" As well as her portrait in the Library, with the Earl... "
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On the boat, the family had sat down and discussed things...
Minaho, with their father's backing, had suggested that until Tenchi actually met the Earl and been officially accepted, he should refer to him by his title...
'Grandfather!' would have to wait a while...
Just another of those 'British/English' things he would have to learn about as time went by...
Having an English background, every one tended to deferred to her better judgement...
Tenchi suspected that there were still some things in the past that had gone unmentioned, by her or their father...
But like the others, he trusted her with his life...
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( After a life time... )
Washu smiled and though it best not to mention that her ladyship had been estranged from Earl for almost a decade nor why...
After the short pause, Washu continued...
She gestured to the female with a touch of dark streaks in her white hair...
" Then may I present, Lady Funaho Masaki Jurai, the Earl's older sister... "
And also estranged from the Earl...
Tenchi bowed slightly and lady Funaho smiled, but said nothing...
Before continuing Washu looked around for the third female's other half, lord Utsutsumi Kamiki...
It was seldom that you saw one without the other these days...
That he wasn't here tended to, as they say, speak volumes...
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Nether made a comment as the two came eye-to-eye...
But the ever so slight nod of the head told Washu all she needed to know...
" And last, but not least... Lady Seto Kamiki Jurai, the Earl's other and younger sister... "
Again Tenchi bowed as best he could, a strong female on each arm...
For some reason Tenchi thought he heard Washu chuckle before continuing...
" Ladies... My I present young Tenchi Masaki of America... Soon to be Lord Tenchi Masaki Jurai, the future 18th Earl of Jurai and at the moment your host and head of the house... "
Tenchi didn't see what the other females could, a very wicked smile form on her lips as she continued...
" And my future favorite guinea pig!... "
All five ladies eyes shined as they ALL looked in her direction...
His eyes closed, Tenchi missed that part...
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( Just outside Nottingham... )
A young boy and older girl stood on the house doorsteps as a carriage approached them...
The boy looked towards town...
" No smoke... No loud noises... Are you sure Mihoshi's in town?... "
23 year old Kiyone Makibi knew that the young boy loved his cousin dearly and was one of the few who could kid her about her luck...
Because she sometimes would kid him about his own luck...
14 year old Seina Yamada was considered one of the unluckiest people in all of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
Next to his 19 year old cousin, Mihoshi Kuramitsu...
Kiyone smiled as she answered...
" She has been assigned to the Earl's household as security... "
She didn't say more as she didn't KNOW more, but she had some ideas, due to rumors...
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" You mean due to the arrival of the Earl's grandson from America and his being name the Earl's heir?... "
One of Kiyone's eyebrows went up as she turned to him...
" How?... "
Seina smiled as he tilted his head slightly, looking back at her...
" My eyes may have been closed, but my brain and ears were still open... "
Kiyone had thought him resting on the train, but she did recall some nearby conversations about the Earl's new 'Heir'...
She hadn't paid it much attention as it was all old news to her, but it seems that Seina had been paying attention...
" Do you believe there's a buried treasure on the estate too?... "
This time both her eyebrows went up...
What treasure?...
Smiling Seina looked past the town, towards the Earl's estate beyond...
Perhaps he could get Kiyone to take him out to see his cousin...
And the new heir?...
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( Buckingham Palace... )
Alexandrina Victoria looked out the window at the court yard and the changing of the gate guard...
She never seem to get tired of watching it...
As Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, it was there to protect her, just as it had been to protect her father and his father before him...
She some times wondered what her life would have been if any of her uncle had managed to produce an heir...
Like the Earl of Jurai's young grandson, she too had never been considered too seriously for the position she now held, early on...
What would it have been like to just be another English lady, with her dearest Albert at her side...
Would she still have had such a large family and so many grandchildren?...
She wondered what her newest subject thought of his new home?...
She smiled as she wondered what he thought about being surrounded by all those females?...
Perhaps WE should pay our newest subject a visit...
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A slight noise behind her brought her back to the present and the meeting...
Captain Kanemitsu Hirata stood there, waiting for her majesty to make the first move...
He was just back from the Far-East and had standing orders to report directly to the palace and make a verbal report, no written documentation...
He had not expected to be reporting to her majesty directly...
" Ahh, Captain... Your report?... "
He wasn't sure why he'd been ordered to do it this way, there wasn't that much to it, one page would have covered it all...
But his was not to reason why...
It was the second half than made him nervous...
( Ours is but to do or die!... )
Or was that ' do AND die?...
Right now he wasn't too sure he wanted to know the answer...
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" Your Majesty... Recently Mr. A. J. Zijlker, the Dutch manager of the East Sumatra Tobacco Company, tried his hands in the oil exploration area... And it seems his venture was successful... "
He paused for a moment...
" For the most part, this wouldn't effect us or be reported beyond being a new source of oil... "
He paused again, making sure he worded the next part carefully...
" It is our understanding that he acquired his funding for the project for an old acquaintance of his... The Earl of Jurai... "
Again he paused for any reaction, getting none, he continued...
" The concession to the oil-bearing-land was obtained from the Sultan of Langkat, who is another acquaintance of the Earl... And we understand that it was the Earl's involvement that caused the Sultan to decided on Mr. Zijiker, over a request by Lord Kagato's oil company... "
He didn't see a twinkle in her majesty's eyes as she heard this...
The Kagatos were a very high aristocratic family and a real pain in the house of Lords...
They had tried several times to marry into the royal family, which she had managed to avoid...
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As for the Jurai, the Earl had originally been fifteenth when she came to the throne...
After the birth of her fifth child, a messenger had been sent to inform him that he was now the twentieth in line...
She still remembered his reply...
Thank you for your concern and please keep up the good work... Looking forward to being twenty-fifth...
She just had to smile...
Yes, WE are definitely paying a surprise visit...
The Captain was startled when he heard her Majesty chuckle...
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( Near Nottingham, the Jurai Manor... )
With every one concentrating on Washu, Tenchi was able to slip away from his two captures and over to the side of the door...
With all six pairs of female eyes on him, he bow slightly and gestured inside...
The next words were from his American grandfather's lips...
" Please feel free to enter my humble home... "
Again eyebrows went up and smiles formed...
His sister and aunt were first, followed by Washu and then his new relatives...
As he entered and closed the door, he noticed that it was now lite by candles on each side of the hallway...
He also noted that his aunt/nanny was being held tightly by Lady Jurai...
" It's so good to see you again my dear... "
To which Tenchi could just make out a mumbled reply...
The other three female just stood there, two smiling, while the third managed to hide any expression...
Tenchi smiled as something accrued to him...
Three more females in the house...
Didn't he have any male relatives?...
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( Kagato townhouse, London... )
A canister of wine crashed into the wall...
It had the misfortune of being within reach when Lord Kagato finished the report that had just arrived for the Far-East...
His family had invested quite a bit on getting those oil field options...
And to have Lord Jurai undercut him...
It was fortuitous there were no sharp object around, as it was so very hard to find really good help these days...
He wondered if this might be the Earl's way of getting back at him for being involved with the death of the Earl's heir...
But unlike him, the Earl was of the old school, with all it's out dated rules...
While Kagato was the, sharp thrust from the shadows type...
He would have come straight at him, a saber in one hand and a revolver in the other...
And heaven help any one who got in his way...
In ether case, he knew that the Earl would be smiling when he got word of this...
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He would need to take some steps and quickly make some plans...
His source had gotten the news to him as fast as possible, but the Earl had his sources too...
With luck he might have a day or two, but no more, the world was becoming smaller by the day...
Only a few years ago, word would have take twice as long to get to him...
Reaching up, he pulled a chain hanging from the ceiling...
This would summon a servant...
As he waited, he scribbled a short note on the back of a card that was on his desk...
As he finished, the door quietly opened and a servant entered...
When the servant came to a stop a short distance away, Lord Kagato held out the card...
" Have this card delivered to the address on the front... There will be no reply... "
The servant said nothing as he nodded his head, took the card and left the room as quietly as he had entered it...
Kagato turned and looked out the window at the street beyond the gates with the common people going about their daily business...
So it begins...
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To be continued...
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Please feel free to comment and review for any errors...
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