Tenchi Muyo! Exile #3: Makiya and Naoki

Disclaimer: 
Tenchi Muyo!/No Need For Tenchi is a product of Pioneer/AIC. 
Tenchi Muyo and the characters within were created by 
Kajashime Masaki.

Note: An uchikake is the over-kimono worn by a Japanese bride. 
Usually a number of other kimonos <at least 3 according to a 
Japanese couple who posted a web-page about their wedding in 
detail> are worn beneath it.

Note 2: A haori-hakama is the wedding outfit worn by a 
Japanese groom.

WARNING!!: Spoilers for OAV 13 "Here Comes Jurai" occur in
this fanfic!

------------

	Naoki Kokomori rose from slumber, yawning and 
stretching. He took a deep breath and turned to the
door of his bedroom where the haori-hakama hung. He 
stripped off his night clothes and slipped into his
wedding clothes. As he dressed, he thought of his bride,
Makiya Tanaka. He wondered what her uchikake would look
like. She'd be pretty in anything, he told himself. He 
had just finished dressing when there was a knock on the
door. "Yes?" He asked.
	"My I come in?" Tenchi's voice asked from the
hall.
	"Sure." Naoki smiled as he replied.
	Tenchi walked in. "Wow!" he said. "You look great."
	"I'll let you borrow it when you marry Ryoko." 
Naoki joked.
	"But, I'm not..."	
	"Why not. You two *are* in love, after all."
	"Excuse me." Tenchi wandered out of the room.
	In the hallway, he ran into Yosho. 
	"Tenchi, what is the matter?" Yosho asked. 
	"Naoki thinks I should ask Ryoko to make it a 
double wedding." Tenchi sighed.
	"I see. And what do you think...?"
	"Well.. um... I..."
	"I see. "Yosho said, resignedly. "Very well. 
We'll wait for fifteen minutes to give you and Ryoko time 
to get ready."
	"I'm *NOT* getting married!" Tenchi told nobody
as Yosho made his way to Naoki's room.	
	

	"Naoki," Yosho asked from the doorway. "You almost
ready?"
	Naoki gulped in cold fear, but replied. "Yes."


	In another bedroom, Makiya Tanaka was getting dressed.
She had five kimonos on, and now Ayeka was helping her into her 
uchikake. It was a good thing, too, since Makiya could hardly 
move her arms. She smiled to herself, then sighed as the 
traditional wig and bridal headdress were set in place. They 
were heavy, but Naoki was worth the discomfort.
	"I hope Naoki's okay." She said, as Washu walked in, 
wearing a very nice outfit she'd selected for the wedding. "What
do you think he's doing right now?"
	"Probably breathing into a paper bag." Washu shrugged.

	Naoki was breathing into a paper bag. This didn't come as
a surprise to anyone else, but it sure as heck was a surprise to 
him. 
	"I was once," he said, between bouts of anxiety attacks, 
"The bravest operative the Galaxy Police ever knew. I faced..." 
another pause, "...some of most dangerous criminals in the Galaxy
without flinching." Another pause.  "Now, I'm getting married," A
very long pause, this one with a lot of rapid breathing into the
paper bag. "...and I'm scared to death." he concluded
	There was a knock on the door, and the former Galaxy Police
Operative nearly jumped a foot straight up.
	"It's just me." Tenchi told him. "Grandpa sent me make sure 
you made it to the shrine."
	"Thank you." Naoki nodded as he stood up and brushed out any
wrinkles his clothes may have obtained by sitting down. He left the
room and Tenchi followed, ready to offer support should he decide 
that fainting would be a good idea at some point during the walk to 
the shrine.
	Naoki and Tenchi made it to the shrine and Naoki took his
place at the ceremonial setting.

	A moment later, Makiya Tanaka appeared in the temple 
doorway. She looked quite breathtaking in her uchikake. All 
eyes turned toward her as she made her entrance. Naoki gazed
at her from his place at the temple altar and swallowed the 
lump that formed in his throat.
	Naoki was trembling as she approached him. None of his 
experiences working for the Galaxy Police had prepared him for 
this moment. He could hear his heart pounding as it raced in
his chest, feel the adrenaline as his bride drew nearer to him.
	Ayeka and Ryoko, watching from nearby, were whispering
to each other, wagering on if and when Naoki would pass out.	

	Makiya knelt before Naoki and bowed to him in respect.
Her own heart was racing just as quickly as she felt his eyes
upon her and knew that for that moment she alone commanded the
attention of a being who had seen countless things she could
only dream of, and even some things she couldn't imagine.

	He looked down at her, tenderly. Love permeated every
part of him, filling his very soul to overflowing. Naoki, who
until he'd met Makiya knew close to nothing about even the
simplest happiness, was overwhelmed by it and could not hold 
back the tears of joy that trickled down his face.

	Sasami was dressed in the robes of a Shinto serving
girl. Without a word, she stepped foward with three cups of 
sake stacked one atop the other and placed them on the altar. 
She bowed for a moment, in silent prayer, then backed quickly
away.
	Naoki and Tanaka knelt side by side at the altar and Yosho 
stood over them.

	Yosho waited a moment, then began the ceremony.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant you a
lifetime of love in your marriage." He made the first prayer.
	In reply, as was the custom, Naoki and Makiya took turns
drinking a sip from the topmost cup. Because Makiya could barely
move her arms, Naoki held the cup for her.
	After Naoki set the cup down, Yosho made the second prayer:
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant you 
prosperity in your marriage."
	Naoki and Makiya each took a second sip from the topmost
cup.
	Naoki set the cup down and Yosho made the third prayer, the
last one for the topmost cup.	 
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant you 
joy in your marriage." 
	Naoki and Makiya each took their final sip from the topmost
cup, which Sasami then took away and set upon a nearby tray.
	Yosho made the fourth prayer.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree keep watch
upon your new home." He said, home referring to the home they would
be building as husband and wife as well as to any simple structure 
which might also be called a house.
	Naoki and Makiya took the first sips from the middle cup.
	Naoki put the cup back down and Yosho made the fifth
prayer.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant
you safety in your new home."
	Naoki and Makiya took the second sips from the middle cup.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant you the
gift of peace in your new home." Yosho made the sixth prayer
	Naoki and Makiya took the final sips from the middle cup,
which Sasami took away and set alongside the first.
	Yosho began the seventh prayer.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant all 
offspring who issue from this union the gift of good health."
	Naoki and Makiya took the first sips from the last cup.
	Then Yosho made the eighth prayer.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant all
offspring who issue from this union the gift of prosperity." He
prayed.
	Naoki and Makiya took the second sips from the third cup.
	Then Yosho made the ninth and final prayer.
	"May She Who is the Spirit of the First Tree grant all 
offspring who issure from this union the gift of happiness."
He concluded.
	Naoki and Makiya took the final sips from the last cup.
	Then Naoki handed the cup to Sasami who took it away
and placed it alongside the other two. Having handed away the
last cup, he rose and turned to Makiya and spoke as she again
bowed before him.
	"As your husband," he recited, as he'd been instructed, "I
shall always keep you in my heart and home. I shall keep safe you
and all offspring which you bear unto me. I shall be faithful unto
you always and shall expect the same from you toward me." And then
he bowed before her, sealing the promise he'd made her.
	
	
	
	Now the ceremony was over and it was time for the reception. 
Of course there was the traditional cake to be cut, but in order to 
do that, Makiya had to first change into a western-style dress, 
which was less restrictive. Once she was in her reception gown, 
the newlyweds cut the cake, which elicited a cheer from the others 
present.
	
	"Isn't this romantic?" Ryoko asked, leaning on Tenchi.
	Tenchi gulped.
	"Um. Ryoko?"
	"Ryoko! How dare you!" Ayeka challenged.
	Having gotten past the hurdle of actually getting married,
Naoki was no longer in danger of fainting and had pretty much
relaxed. He was enjoying the reception with Makiya Tana... he 
stopped himself. Makiya Kokomori, he made a mental note of her new
name. He was about to thank Yosho again for performing the ceremony
when he heard Ryoko and Ayeka. He calmly strolled over to them and
looked them square in the eye..
	"Galaxy Police Law twenty-five, subsection D, Paragraph one
of the Intergalactic Arrest Accord states that you have the right 
to remain silent." he told them. "Please take advantage of it." 
Without waiting for them to reply, he turned and went back to his 
place at Makiya's side.
	Makiya was laughing, pleasantly.

	Ryoko and Ayeka exchanged looks. 
	"Did he just tell *me* to shut up." Ayeka. "How *dare*
he."
	"It *is* his wedding." Tenchi pointed out.
	"You keep out of this." Ayeka retorted.
	"Why don't *you* keep out of it?" Naoki suggested.
	Ayeka turned a very unflattering shade of purple as
she turned toward him. "And just what is *that* supposed to
mean?"
	"Well," Naoki shrugged, as he picked a piece of tempura
up from his plate with his chopsticks and took a bite. "from 
what I've gathered, Ryoko was already here when you arrived and 
you've been doing everything you could, including baiting her and
trying to make her get mad in front of Tenchi, to prevent them from
having a relationship."
	"That isn't true!" Ayeka gasped.
	"You claim you love Tenchi." Naoki began
	"I do love him."
	"But you've never actually got to know him." Naoki pointed
out as he continued speaking. "All you've done since you arrived is 
plot how you're going to get him away from Ryoko."
	"I..." Ayeka began. But then she realized he was right. She
had been so busy working on getting Tenchi, that she had't actually
taken time to know him. She fell silent as she contemplated what to
do to remedy that.
	Yosho watched and listened from his place near the buffet
that Sasami had laid out. He knew that if they ever found out about
the fact that he hadn't really aged, they'd probably lynch him for 
putting Tenchi through all the trouble he'd gone through. After all,
if Ayeka knew he was still young, she'd return her affections to him,
wouldn't she. He was, after all, the reason she had come to Earth in 
the first place.
	Washu noticed his contemplativeness and joined him. "You know
there are a couple of things you could do that would solve that
problem. One, you could tell them the truth and take your chances."
	"And two?" Yosho asked.
	"I could marry Tenchi!" Washu perked up cheerfully.
	Everyone in earshot facefaulted.

	The reception continued on until late at night. No one really
noticed the time. They were all enjoying themselves quite thoroughly.
While the others were busy enjoying the reception, Makiya and Naoki 
slipped quietly out of the room and went upstairs to where the
bedrooms were. They hadn't decide which of the two rooms they had
previously occupied separately would be the best to sleep in. At the
moment, however, her room was closer so they slipped into the room,
quietly, and carefully closed the door.
	
	For a long while, they simply stood there and stared at each
other. Then, Makiya undid her dress and let it fall from her body.
It pooled at her feet so that she looked almost like a semi-clad
angel standing in a cloud of white silk.
	
	As it turned out, Tenchi wasn't the only male in the house
who got nosebleeds when he saw a woman in the nude.

	Makiya shook her head, smiling in amusement, as she got a 
tissue and wiped the blood off Naoki's face. "You poor thing." 
she said, gently. 

	She felt his head lean against her hand as she reached over
to throw the tissue away. When she looked in his direction, she saw
that he had fainted. At least, she thought, he was nice enough to
faint onto her futon so she didn't have to drag him over there. She
drew the blanket up over him and snuggled up to him under it after
going over to the wall and turning off the light. In the darkness,
she felt him kiss her...

	Tenchi and the others retired to their rooms for the 
evening, one after the other, leaving Washu to tidy up after the 
party.
Of curse, Washu planned to get even as she swept up after the party.

	"But Naoki and Makiya are making love!" Ryoko protested as
she followed Tenchi. "Why can't we?"
	"Because we're not married." Replied Tenchi who was rather old
fashioned about such matters.
	"Then let's get married and then we can make love." Ryoko
pleaded, melodramatically.