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Tenchi Muyo - Alliance - Chapter One
Author: Rann Aridorn (rann-chan@attbi.com)
Warnings: None yet, other than some lesbian innuendo n.-
Comments: This is an AU Tenchi Muyo series. It's also the first series that
actually takes the meaning of that name into account, heheheheh. "No Need
for Tenchi"? Well, hell, if there's no need for him, why the hell is he in
there? My answer... he ain't. ^_^ So, no Tenchi in this universe, and you
probably won't even see a single male for at least four parts. So, without
further ado, I bring you Tenchi Muyo: Alliance, Chapter One.
It was a time of great peril for the Jurai Empire. Their star-spanning
influence was beginning to wane, collapsing under its own farspread weight
and a lack of certain essential resources. Advisors have informed the
Emperor that the Empire will fall in a matter of decades if alliances are
not made and new resources found.
So it is that the Juraian Emperor has sent his wives, Misaki and Funaho,
and his daughters Ayeka and Sasami, on a diplomatic mission to the Hyurodan
Alliance, a grouping of allied systems on the border of Juraian space. The
Emperor has confided in his wives that they must secure the Hyurodan's full
cooperation at any cost, for if they do not, the Empire may very well be
doomed...
"How dull," the Princess Ayeka sighed heavily, gazing boredly out at the
starscape sliding past the huge viewport that didn't even seem to be there,
merely an opening into the vast, cold expanse of space. She sat straight
and tall, of course, for a Juraian Princess would never slouch or slump, no
matter how bored she was. Her lady-in-waiting was brushing her long purple
hair, which had been taken out of its customary twin ponytails for that
purpose. "Going to meet yet another race for yet more long negotiations."
"Perhaps it won't be dull this time, my lady," her servant replied in a
light tone. "I've heard interesting things about the Hyurodan."
"Oh?" Ayeka's tone gave away her interest, though it was improper for a
princess to listen to gossip and tall tales. However, it was perfectly
acceptable to gather new information from reliable sources. The princess
turned interested pink eyes toward her attendant. "And what have you heard,
Kiyone?"
The green-haired woman leaned back slightly, seeming to consider. Both
women were attired in Juraian kimonos, though Kiyone's was a very simple
white affair, and Ayeka's was a more elaborate one with a high neck and an
intricate manner of being tied, and resplendant in royal purple and rose.
"Quite a lot, actually, my lady. For one thing, they're often called 'cat
people', because many of them have yellow, slit-pupiled eyes and sharp
teeth, and some even have tails!"
Ayeka lifted one sculpted purple eyebrow. "Tails, you say? Well, they
wouldn't be the only species, but it sounds a little odd."
"That's not all, my lady." Kiyone's indigo eyes were glittering now,
obviously rather enthused with the subject. "It's said that many of them
are very powerful, able to lift amazing amounts, fly, and throw beams of
energy. They're also able to utilize any sort of crystallized energy, and
I've heard that some can even teleport!"
"Utilize any sort of crystallized energy?" Ayeka seemed to be becoming
interested at last, leaning forward a little. "If what you say is true,
then they could indeed be valuable allies to the Empire. Do you know
anything about the royal family we're going to meet with?"
"It's said that they used to be space pirates, and that even the youngest
daughter is over 2,000 years old, though I think, compared to Juraians,
that would make her about your age, my lady."
"My age?" Ayeka replied, looking a little offended, putting one hand to her
chest. "But I am barely 800! And space pirates don't sound like the sort of
people we should be associating with at all."
"Well, apparently, my lady, the royal family of the Hyurodan banded all
their peoples' worlds together to repell an invasion about 200 years ago,
and ever since then, they've settled down to be respectable rulers. ...
Respectable for Hyurodan, anyway."
Ayeka opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a great crashing
sound from the main room of her quarters, followed by a loud, rather
unmistakable yelp. The princess's eye twitched in what she feared was
becoming a nervous tick, and waved a hand at Kiyone to indicate that she
should refasten her ponytails quickly. In the time that took, there were
several more crashes and yelps, as well as another, younger voice trying to
call out warnings and advice. The minute her ponytails were finished, Ayeka
shot to her feet and strode to the large double doors, flinging them open
with a resounding boom, like thunder from atop the mountain.
"MIIIIIIIIIIIHOOOOOOOOOOSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
The dark-skinned servant looked up from the floor where she lay amidst
uncountable shards of pottery and statuary, tears gathered in her baby-blue
eyes and blonde hair in disarray. She had also somehow managed to get the
belt of her white kimono entangled in one of the display pedestals, making
it sway and bump around every time she moved, no doubt the cause of the
numerous other crashes. Ayeka's little sister, Sasami, stood nearby, gazing
at her elder sister sheepishly.
"Heheh... sorry, Ayeka," the young girl murmured, lowering her head, long,
arcing blue ponytails drooping like a chastised puppy's ears.
"I'm so sorry, Princess Ayeka," sniffled Mihoshi, looking ready to burst
into a flood of tears at any moment.
At the dual display of cuteness, Ayeka found her fury fast ebbing, against
her wishes. Her eye twitched several more times, before she simply turned
her head away and attempted to compose herself. "Kiyone, help Mihoshi to
right herself. And please try to keep her from destroying any more
priceless works of art today."
"Hai, my lady," Kiyone replied quickly, giving an equally quick bow to hide
her bemused expression, before moving to help her coworker unentangle
herself.
Ayeka, trying to regain some of her good nature, tucked her hands inside
her sleeves and moved carefully around the shards of ceramic and stone, to
stand in front of her sister and smile down at her. "Well, Sasami, are you
ready to meet the Hyurodan royal family?"
"Uh-huh!" the girl piped, her own smile returning readily as she bobbed her
head. "Mihoshi's been telling me all sorts of great stories, about how the
Hyurodan can lift entire cities above their heads and steal planets away in
the night without anyone noticing and how they all have fur and purr if you
scratch them behind the ears!"
"... She has, has she?" Ayeka murmured, turning a rather acidic look in the
direction of the ladies-in-waiting. Mihoshi was retying her kimono and
remained oblivious, while Kiyone merely returned a sheepish 'I'm not her
keeper' look. "I'm sure such tales are exaggerated somewhat, Sasami."
"Oh, and she said a whole lot about their tails!"
The elder princess heaved a silent sigh. They were almost to the Hyurodan
homeworld, and it was STILL going to be a very long trip.
The princesses, their attendants following at a respectful distance,
crossed the great arboretum that occupied the midline of the ship, coming
to stand beside their mother and her co-wife. All four Juraian women were
dressed in the more full, ceremonial versions of their traditional kimonos,
layers upon layers of exotic, otherworldy cloth defining each of their
status and roles in fine detail for anyone that knew how to read them.
"You two look wonderful!" Misaki cried, her eyes sparkling, obviously
dearly longing to sieze her daughters up in a hug that would surely lift
them both off their feet, and barely being restrained from doing so by
Funaho lightly placing two fingers on the back of the other woman's hand, a
subtle, but physical reminder that there was a time and place for
everything.
"Thank you, mother," Ayeka replied, smiling and fighting the urge to let
her eye twitch again. She sometimes had occassion to wonder if her sister's
servant was not Misaki's secret firstborn, as the two were sometimes so
alike it was uncanny. After a moment, Ayeka turned her gaze to the world
they were fast approaching, most of it shrouded in clouds and dappled blue.
"Will we be landing soon?"
"Yes," Funaho replied, moving to stand slightly ahead of the rest of them.
Ayeka smiled slightly at her co-mother's back; in many ways, she felt
closer to the woman than her own mother, finding the brown-haired Empress'
calm demeanor a worthy goal to emulate. "We shall soon be meeting with the
Queen and Princess of the Hyurodan."
"Is their king busy with trade route discussions, too?" Sasami piped up
curiously, her thoughts apparently on her father.
Funaho smiled softly, turning and laying a hand lightly on Sasami's head.
"No, Sasami, there is no King of the Hyurodan. The entire Hyurodan race is
female."
"Wow, all of them?" Sasami asked, her bright pink eyes widening.
"All of them?" Ayeka parroted, her own eyes showing a good deal of the
whites around them.
Misaki giggled in the background, Funaho tossing an indulgent smile in the
other Empress' direction, before turning back to the princesses and their
equally amazed attendants. "Yes. There are no male Hyurodan. They also have
shown no desire to come forward and explain how this is so, so I will
expect you both to contain your curiosity indefinitely, as it might offend
them."
"Of course," Ayeka replied, having regained her composure.
"Okay!" chirped Sasami.
"Good. Now, the Hyurodan royal family is also not quite so..." Funaho
paused seeming to search for a fitting adjective.
"Proper?" Misaki offered, bending down to fuss with Sasami's ponytails,
despite them needing no fussing with whatsoever.
"Mmm, I was trying to find something a little more complimentary. Perhaps
it's better to say that they're somewhat less restrained in their actions
and mannerisms than either of you may be used to."
"I am a Princess of Jurai, and my composure shall not flag for an instant.
I shall comport myself in a manner that shall do honor to the Empire during
these negotiations," Ayeka replied immediately, tones level, chin lifted
slightly with pride.
"What she said!" Sasami replied, voice laced with giggles since her mother
was sneaking in a few tickles.
Funaho delivered an exceedingly light slap to the back of one of Misaki's
hands, and the other Empress pouted momentarily before moving back to her
position in the procession. After a few moments, the familiar brilliance of
atmospheric entry began to wash over the viewport, dimmed somewhat so that
the bright white and red flames wouldn't damage anyone's eyes.
They landed in what seemed to Ayeka to be a rather small city near a rather
small castle, though she granted that she was used to the absolutely vast
capital city and palace of Jurai. The escort that came to meet them was
composed, as they had been told to expect, entirely of women. As Kiyone had
said, Ayeka noticed one or two with rather yellowish eyes, though she
thought they were closer to a shade of green, and didn't have slit pupils.
None of them had tails. But they all had somewhat longer, more squared-off
ears than any of the Juraians, and their hair seemed to spike back
strangely.
Ayeka was also not prepared for the processional guard was wearing, and had
to fight to keep from being rather scandalized. Each woman (all of them
exceedingly good-looking) was wearing a golden breastplate that went over
the shoulders and back and left the midriff bare, and a thick golden belt
that ran just under each woman's navel, attached to which was a very long
white loincloth embroidered with yellow designs in elaborate Galactic
Standard that read simply "Royal Guard". Save for golden gauntlets, tall
white boots, and the golden spears they carried, the women wore nothing
else, and Ayeka thought it a rather inappropriate design for doing
battle... or anything else.
The head guard, apparently distinguished by silver shoulder plates (and a
navel ring, Ayeka noticed, though that caused her to flush across the
bridge of her nose), stepped forward and bowed to the Juraians... providing
a view down her chestplate, which Ayeka valiantly tried to ignore.
"Greetings, Highnesses. We're honored to have you here," the head guard
said once she had straightened up, in what had to be the shortest
diplomatic greeting Ayeka had yet heard.
"And we are equally honored to be here," Funaho replied, apparently
deciding it was appropriate to reply in kind.
"If you'll follow us, we'll take you to see Queen Washu." And, as simple as
that, the guard turned around, showing that the loincloth's back strap was
not any thicker than the front. She called out a command that wasn't in
Standard, and the other guards moved to positions around the Juraians,
making Ayeka feel uncomfortably as if she were a prisoner rather than a
diplomat.
It was a short walk to the castle, and they were immediately shown into the
throne room. The throne itself immediately drew one's eye, set against the
back wall, large and obviously made out of pricey metals and expensive,
soft material. Upon it sat who Ayeka assumed to be Queen Washu, a rather
small Hyurodan woman with the trademark spikey hair and slightly yellowish
green eyes that Ayeka had observed in the guards, though her own hair was a
bright pink, and styled in such a manner that she rather looked like she
had a crab sprouting from her face. She was dressed in what looked like a
derivative of a more casual Juraian kimono, with the lower part open to
reveal black tights hugging her legs; the design also seemed more harsh,
somehow, as if it had been made more spikey to accomodate the Hyurodan
people.
Lounging on the arm of the throne as if it were a couch was a woman who
Ayeka could only assume to be the Queen's daughter, and she was indeed
rather striking. Her own spiky hair was cyan, let to arch back in long,
elegant waves, two long shanks of it falling past her ears. Unlike Queen
Washu, she seemed to be tall and slender, like the guards, and very
well-proportioned under what she was wearing... which seemed to be a much
shorter, tighter version of her mother's kimono. Only her crossed legs
prevented Ayeka from being able to see right up the miniskirt-style
garment, and she quickly looked up when she realized where her gaze had
wandered (the outfit seemed designed to make your gaze wander there,
regardless of your preferences). She had her eyes closed and her hands
behind her head, for all appearances napping.
"Well, Empress Funaho, Empress Misaki!" Queen Washu's voice seemed rather
pleasant, somehow seeming to fit her small frame, and she hopped to her
feet, long pink hair swaying behind her. "And the Princesses Ayeka and
Sasami. The Emperor has favored me with his entire family, it seems like!"
"It's a pleasure to finally meet with you, Queen Washu," Funaho replied,
bowing. "I bring you greetings and goodwill from my husband and my people,
in the hopes that we might have long and pleasant relations between us."
Washu smiled at that, and Ayeka thought it almost... predatory. After a
moment, the slight woman waved a hand, and the guards knocked the ends of
their spears against the ground once before turning to depart. The elder
Princess looked straight at the Hyurodan Queen and not at her servants, as
was appropriate, but jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder at a pair
of surprised exclamations from behind her. She found the ladies-in-waiting
both rubbing their rears rather ruefully, Kiyone blushing angrily, while
Mihoshi merely looked confused, while some of the exiting guards snickered
among themselves.
Once the guards had closed the doors behind them, the Juraians were alone
with the Hyurodan royalty. Ayeka, feeling rather nervous, turned her gaze
towards the Hyurodan princess, and almost gasped aloud. The other woman's
eyes were open, and they were exactly as Kiyone had described, though that
vague reference to a cat's eyes had not done them justice. They were a
bright golden color, hard like amber, their slitted pupils seeming to
strike into Ayeka's eyes like a physical force. The other princess smiled
slowly, a lazy, tigerish smile, showing off one pointed fang.
"My daughter, Princess Ryoko," Queen Washu spoke up, seeming amused by the
way that Ayeka couldn't seem to look away from Ryoko's eyes, like a mouse
hypnotized by a snake. "Now, Empress Funaho, if you don't mind, I'd like to
get down to the facts. I was a scientist and worked for a living before I
was royalty, and that suits me better than empty words."
"Just what facts are you speaking of, Queen Washu?" Funaho replied evenly,
trying to ignore Misaki's rather distressed expression as she waved a hand
in front of Ayeka's eyes, causing the princess to step back and try to
subtly shoo her mother back into place.
"The fact is, the Juraian Empire is tumbling down around your ears!" Washu
exclaimed, smiling as if she'd just discovered gold.
Misaki winced visibly, and even Funaho looked discomfited. "What are you
talking about?!" Ayeka cried, forgetting herself in her surprise and anger.
Sasami looked back and forth from one to another, seeming confused, as did
Mihoshi. Kiyone simply looked shocked and vaguely pale.
Washu smiled, as did Ryoko, both seeming to share the feeling of a lion
circling in on a wounded prey animal. "You've built yourselves a pretty
little house of cards with your amazing tree-ships," Washu continued, her
hands on her hips as she gazed directly at the Juraians, as if she were
twenty feet tall and could squash them all easily. "And amazing they are.
But you all can't survive by your trees alone! Nor can your trees survive
indefinitely on THEIR own! Juraian trees rarely grow well on colony worlds,
and they're running out of essential minerals on the homeworld! Your people
are also becoming dependant on food sources and other imports from colony
and associated worlds!"
The diminutive ruler began walking back and forth, her gaze always focused
predominently on Funaho, though she could see the rest of the progressively
paler Juraians. Only Mihoshi seemed unaffected, still looking confused.
"You can't stretch your exploration any further without taxing your already
thin resources, and you can't demand more from colony worlds that are
becoming so far-flung they're starting to wonder why they're a part of the
Empire at all!"
"You would seem to have us at a disadvantage," Funaho replied slowly and
evenly. "Though it is hardly as dire as you make it sound."
"Sister, if anything, it's worse!" Washu crowed, pointing at Funaho. "You
can't pull the wool over my eyes like you have your subjects, I've looked
at all the data, and I know it to be true!"
"You're so theatrical, mom," Ryoko spoke up for the first time, languidly
sitting up and stretching, and thereby gaining everyone's attention at once
for her sudden speech. "Calm down a little. Can't you see you're scaring
the poor cute little princess?" The wicked smile that the Hyurodan woman
turned Ayeka's way assured the purple-haired Juraian that Ryoko was NOT
talking about Sasami.
"Maybe you're right, Ryoko," Washu mused, moving back to her throne and
settling in, giving her daughter a pat on the thigh. "I suppose it's rude
to make them show ALL their cards right away."
Funaho, as calm as ever, seemed at something of a loss. She let her eyes
slide to one side, and noticed that Misaki seemed to be almost shaking, as
was Sasami. Ayeka seemed to be more composed, but seemed... lost. After a
moment, the brown-haired woman moved, whispering a few comforting words in
her co-wife's ear, then gently guiding Sasami into her mother's embrace.
"I think it is a little late for that," Funaho replied after a moment,
voice still proud and dignified, if perhaps defeated. "I would have
appreciated it, Queen Washu, if you had not made your case in such a way.
You have badly upset my family."
"I'm sorry," Washu replied, and after a moment, her eyes softened, seeming
to be genuinely contrite.
"The help of the Hyurodan Alliance is indeed needed, but there are other
viable sources for the resources we need." Funaho now seemed mildly angry,
making it quite clear that if Washu did not comport herself with more
restraint, the offer would be gone.
"Yes, but none with the amount of both natural and technological resources
we can offer," the Hyurodan queen replied, rising to the challenge. "Though
we don't often care to show it to outsiders, we're a technologically
advanced people, mostly due to my own inventions. What's the average
Juraian lifespan, hm? 5,000? Maybe 4,000 for colonials and offshoot races?
We could make it ten times that."
Ayeka's head swam. The Empire on the verge of collapse? The possibility of
living to be... 50,000? The very concept of both seemed to be beyond the
realm of comprehension, and the princess very much feared she would faint.
She saw her mother actually wobble a little, only to be supported by
Sasami.
"We've got technology that would allow you to harness crystallized energy
in vastly more efficient ways, not to MENTION all the genetic engineering
techniques we have!" Washu leaned back, looking smug, and continued. "Let's
not quibble, what I want is pretty simple. I want to be united with the
Empire as a full equal."
Ayeka flushed in anger and amazement. A paltry little grouping of systems
would DARE to hold itself equal to the mighty Juraian empire? Her attitude
deflated somewhat as she remembered what she'd just been told. The Juraian
empire might not be mighty for much longer, without help.
"I think that can be easily accomplished," Funaho allowed, seeming
relieved.
"Goooood. The thing is, I want to make SURE of it. It's really only one
small demand, really a sort of proof that the Hyurodan Alliance's interests
will always be represented in the Empire."
"... And that would be?"
Washu leaned forward, smiling like some satyr out of mythology. "I want my
daughter Ryoko to marry your eldest, Ayeka."
"W-WHAT?!" Ayeka cried, choking on the word, diplomacy forgotten for a
moment. Desperate to calm her, both Misaki and Kiyone moved in close, ready
to physically restrain her if possible.
"That's right!" Washu chirped, while Ryoko merely sat on the arm of the
throne and looked vastly amused. "An infusion of new blood can only do good
things for the royal family anyway! And if my daughter someday shares the
throne with yours, I can be assured that my people will always be done
right for by the Empire!"
Funaho looked aside, at where Ayeka was standing, red-faced, seeming caught
between shock and indignation, flanked by her mother and her
lady-in-waiting, both of whom were trying their best to placate her. She
resisted the urge to bite her bottom lip at the difficulty of the
situation. Funaho loved Ayeka as dearly as if the girl were her own, and
she almost was, having been raised by both mothers as much as one or the
other. She also knew that the princess was haughty, her pride and
exuberance not yet having been tempered by wisdom or experience. Definitely
a lack of experience.
But Washu's proposition, in all honesty, was a fair one. It had been many
generations since a Juraian royal family member had married outside the
species, but it was certainly not unheard of, especially in forming
political alliances. Funaho knew that Ayeka would be very angry with her if
she made this decision for her... perhaps even hate her. But the Empress
knew, just as Ayeka would learn, that the will of an individual, be it
commoner or Princess, must sometimes be sacrificed for the betterment of
billions.
"... We will have to discuss details," Funaho spoke up after long minutes.
"But unless you have unreasonable expectations of our coming alliance, then
let it be so. Princess Ayeka will wed Princess Ryoko."
Ayeka's mouth fell open. She looked to Funaho, her gaze holding a deep
wound of surprise and hurt. After a moment, the Empress looked away, unable
to meet the Princess' eyes. Ayeka looked to her mother for support, only to
see Misaki giving her a rather shaky smile, as if to say 'You must accept
it, try to be happy.' Faltering, she looked to her sister, who was simply
staring at her, as was Kiyone, though the servant girl seemed pale, as she
had before, as if she were going to be ill. Finally, almost afraid, Ayeka
turned her head towards the smirking Ryoko.
"Oh, don't worry, cupcake," the Hyurodan princess purred, almost licking
her lips. "I'll be gentle the first time or two."
"Oh wow, a royal wedding!" Mihoshi burst out, apparently unable to contain
her excitement any more. "It'll be so amazing! So many people will come,
and there'll be parties and celebration and-" The blonde woman blinked, her
excited banter trailing off as she saw Kiyone sag slightly. "Ano... Kiyone,
why did Princess Ayeka faint?"
~ End Part One ~
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