Tenchi Muyo:  Dragon and Crane - Pt.4

     Princess Ayeka yawned sleepily and picked at the short stack of
pancakes her sister had lovingly prepared for her.  Behind her, the
guardians Azaka and Kamadake hummed softly as they processed the chemical
makeup of her breakfast, looking for some clue as to her lack of appetite.
Sasami sat beside her and looked at her in concern, buttering a piece of
toast as she did so.
     "Sister, are you all right?" she asked, blinking.  "Do you not like
your breakfast?  I can make you something else, if you'd like."  Ayeka
looked back at her and smiled softly, shaking her head.
     "Oh no, it's not that, Sasami" she said, sipping her tea slowly.  "I'm
just tired, I suppose.  It was a long evening for me, and I haven't been
sleeping well of late."
     "It's because you've been thinking about Tenchi, isn't it?" asked
Sasami slyly, taking a tiny, crunching bite of toast.  "Don't try to hide
it, Ayeka."
     Ayeka blushed and set her tea aside.  "Sasami, you know it's not polite
to talk with your mouth full!  You've been picking up all kinds of bad
habits from Ryoko lately, and I've half a mind to.."
     "Lord Yosho!" said Azaka and Kamadake in unison, stopping Ayeka from
revealing her mindset.  She turned and saw Tenchi and his grandfather
standing in the kitchen doorway, their faces ashen and drawn.  Ayeka stood
and bowed politely to them both, her eyes beginning to glisten at the state
of them.  Her eyes, sharp and incisive as befits a First Princess of Jurai,
never failed to alert her to changes in a person's demeanor.  She knew
something was terribly wrong.
     "Brother Yosho, Lord Tenchi" she said formally, hands clasped at her
waist.  "Is there something troubling you?"  Grandpa took a seat and was
given a cup of tea by Sasami, while Tenchi continued to stand.  He folded
his arms and closed his eyes with a sigh.
     "It's Nagi" he said at last, gently waving away the cup of tea Sasami
pressed to him.  "She's been hurt badly, and might not last the night."
Grandpa sipped his tea in silence.  Ayeka's eyes widened, and she pressed
her fingers to her mouth in shock.
     "The bounty-hunter?" asked Ayeka, thinking back to the battle they
fought against Kagato.  "She fought bravely against the insurgents.  What
happened to her?"  Tenchi shook his head, then relayed the events of the
morning to their startlement and dismay.  When he finished, she looked down
sadly, remembering her imprisonment, and the diversion Nagi helped create
that allowed her freedom.
     "Washu pretty much made it clear that there's nothing we can do for her
at the moment, but Grandpa suggested I pray for her at the temple.  I
thought I'd do just that" said Tenchi, taking a nod from Grandpa at the
table.  Ayeka nodded and sighed, going over to him.
     "If you'd like, Lord Tenchi, I could accompany you" she said shyly.  "I
owe her that much."  Tenchi smiled softly and nodded.  "That's very kind of
you, Lady Ayeka.  Let's go."
***
     From birth, Ayeka was brought up knowing that hers was the life and
duty of a princess, future ruler of an empire that stretched beyond
imagination.  And as such, her personality resembled nothing so much as a
rose with an iron stem; delicate, like lace, and yet, strong and
indomitable, like tempered steel.  But the human heart is a fragile thing,
easily given and just as easily broken.  And though her compassion was
sincere for Nagi's situation, the sight of her one true love on his knees in
prayer for her was a razorblade sliding cruelly through the tender flesh of
her heart.
     "Stop it, woman" she thought to herself, kneeling beside him.  "You're
the First Princess of Jurai, not some mooning schoolgirl.  Get a hold of
yourself!"  She sighed and folded her hands, the scent of burning incense
heavy and intoxicating to her senses.  She prayed silently to the ancient
powers of Jurai on Nagi's behalf, bidding their aid in her swift recovery.
And yet, though she felt selfish in doing so, added a silent prayer for
Tenchi as well.
     "Spirits that be" she prayed, squeezing her eyes tightly to keep from
crying, "be with Tenchi in his need.  Show him that he is not alone; that he
is loved, cared for, and that the burdens he bears are shouldered by us all.
  And if I may..please..let him see the love in my eyes for him.  Let him
know that my heart is his for the taking, if only he could see."
     She opened her eyes, seeing Tenchi just as he finished his own prayer.
His eyes opened, and he turned to her, smiling softly.  "Thanks for coming,
Lady Ayeka" he said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.  "You're kind
to do this for her.  She'd appreciate it, I'm sure."
     Ayeka blushed furiously, her heart pounding at the contact of his hand
around hers.  "Lord Tenchi, I.." she started, then felt his hand slipping
away.  He stood slowly, looking away at something in the distance.  She
sighed and slipped her fingers through his.
     "If you'd like, Lord Tenchi..we..could stay a while longer" she said.
She turned at last to see what he was staring at, her eyes widening at what
they beheld there.
     A woman draped in a long, black, hooded cloak stood beside a worn grave
marker, a Jurai guardian at her side.  She laid her hand on the marker,
drawing back her hood with the other.
     "A devout people, indeed", said the woman, smiling coldly.  "And so am
I, in my way."
***
     Washu wiped the sweat away from Nagi's brow with a wet cloth, the last
of her ribs having been set, and went about repairing the damage to her
spine.  Ryoko watched as Washu punched in the appropriate commands, then sat
back for a well-deserved rest.
     "She'll be fine", said Washu, sighing with relief.  "I was beginning to
wonder about the outcome."
     "You and me both", said Ryoko.  "But what do we do when she wakes up?"