I only cry when I see you (Part III)
Disclaimer: Any Tenchi characters in this fic
belong to AIC and Pioneer. If there are any
characters that you have not heard of, they are mine!
Any legal letters sent to claim money will be filled under "I" for important...right in the pail!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm had been going off for a short while now in his room. Finally, Tenchi gathered up enough strength to hit the off button on his clock. He started to drift off again with his thoughts about what had happened the night before, it just didn't seem real to him. He remembered...the tree, the stars...it was late...and...there was her. Thoughts were jumbled in his mind as he lay in bed looking up at the ceiling..."Oh my gosh...I forgot...I have school today!!!" He had forgotten how late he had stayed up that night with her watching the stars. Quickly, he hurried to his dresser and had time for a quick change of clothes. He noticed, however, a small envelope on his dresser with his name on the front surrounded by a few hearts and stars. Tenchi smiled as he pulled over a new shirt, he knew who his Lady Valentine was.
As he ran to the bathroom, he moved with lightning speed as he washed his face and brushed his teeth. (Oh great, guess there's no time for breakfast) He grumbled at the thought of this. Tenchi flew down the stairs and past the kitchen saying goodbye to everyone. Funny, he thought, there was someone missing from the table, though he was in such a hurry, everyone seemed a blur and he couldn't quite place who was missing.
Tenchi ran out the house and past the fence where he was greeted as always by Azaka and Kamadake who customarily greeted Tenchi as he left and returned from school everyday. "Bye guys, watch the house for me!" He spoke jokingly as he knew they would do so without his asking. Tenchi was in such a hurry to catch the bus that he was grateful that he could count on Ryo-ohki to bring his lunch for him as his stomach grumbled a bit (Gosh, I hope she remembers, we were out pretty late last night...). Still, there was a nagging in the back of his mind. He was sure that something or someone was out there last night, and he was sure that he saw some trees fall in the distance. He thought on this as he waited at the bus stop till his bus pulled up in front of him.
On the ride to school, most of his schoolmates were busy talking about whatever programs they had stayed up late last night watching, some where talking about how much they had studied for their tests while some were trying to get Tenchi's attention by showing off a few wrestling moves they had seen last night on TV. They of coursed failed, as Tenchi was deeply engrossed in thought over the events of last night. He still couldn't believe that she had kissed him...it was just so...different. It was his first kiss and he wasn't sure if this was the kind of experience you share with others, kissing an alien...well maybe he would keep this to himself. He smiled as he remembered how warm she felt next to him and how clam he felt when their lips met. Tenchi drifted so far off that he was brought back to earth by a stiff punch in the arm from one of his friends to remind him that they had arrived.
During class, Tenchi rolled his eyes as he tried not to listen to the Teacher lecture on about trigonometry and the importance of a well lined graph (Sheesh, you'd think they would teach us something we could actually use) Already, he had nearly failed his test that he had studied for the night previous, and now he was tempted to hide behind his book and get some much needed sleep, when he remembered the note. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the envelope with his name on it. Inside, there was a small piece of paper with a special message just for him:
Tenchi,
Thank you so much for last night. You will never know just how much that meant to me. The stars, I've seen them over and over gain, but with you, it was another experience entirely, thank you...don't worry, I'll have lunch for you today. Don't stop being special to me .
Always yours,
Me of course!
P.S., you're not such a bad kisser, can't wait to do it again!
To say that touched his heart would simply not do it justice. He blushed at her comments, so much in fact that he didn't notice the teacher standing slightly over him. "Ah, Mr. Masaki, I see I have managed to bore you eh? Your other teacher told me to keep an eye on you" Tenchi quickly came back to reality and hid the note back in his pocket. Fortunately, the teacher didn't notice it, but was still visibly upset to see that Tenchi was not paying attention. The class started to laugh and outside the classroom, yet again in a spot just outside of view, Ryo-ohki sat perched in a tree, playfully rocking her legs back and forth giggling too as Tenchi was sent to the principal's office. "Guess that's my cue then" She giggled some more as she teleported inside the school.
As Tenchi once more emerged from the principals office after yet another lecturing on honor and respect and what not, he began returnig to his class which thankfully would be over shortly. His stomach still grumbled as he was again reminded of how huingry he was. "Looks like I got here just in time" Tenchi turned as he heard the all to familiar young and playful voice behind him. Much to his delight, there stood Ryo-ohki smiling brightly as she walked over to him and took his hand. He smiled and felt like this was how he wanted things to always be. "Hi, thanks for the note" he said as he walked with her back to his class, always managing to stay out of view from anyone in the hallways. "Hi to you too, I heard a grumble and I got just the remedy" From behind her, she pulled out his lunch which this time had a ribbon tied around it. "I figured this would make it more special, hope you enjoy it..." Her voice trailed off as she stopped him from walking any further. "W-what is
it?" He said as she giggled some more "Silly, isn't that your classroom?" She pointed a few doors down and Tenchi realized that his head was in the clouds so much that he almost forgot where he was going "Oh yeah..." He admitted and felt foolish. Quickly, Ryo-ohki leaned over and kissed him gently and smiled as their lips parted "Well, I have to go...meet me tonight again will you?" Tenchi nodded and she teleported out of the school just in time as the bell rang, it was lunchtime, and not a moment too soon for one hungry Tenchi.
At lunch, Tenchi made sure not to leave one bit of his lunch behind, though this was something he normally would never do. When he finished, he noticed that some of the boys at his table were staring at him. "What are you guys staring at?" He asked as he finished the last of his lunch. One of them, someone Tenchi knew very well, slid over to him and held him in a play head lock "Okay Tenchi, fess up, who's been making you lunch all this time...what's her name, where's she from...does she have any cute friends!?" The others too wanted to know and they asked as well as Tenchi somewhat struggled to get out of the hold "Look...its nothing really...its...its just a friend okay...now cut it out" He protested as the boys were not satisfied with his answer. "What's going on here...you boys cut that out...save your energy for gym class" One of the faculty members spoke as he had noticed the ruckus from outside the cafeteria "Yes sir!" They shouted in unison as the boy released Tenchi
from the hold and gave him a play jab to the ribs. Tenchi grinned and as soon as the teacher was gone, he returned the favor. He looked to the other boys who still stared at him and were smiling, they knew he was hiding something "You clowns need to get a life" he spoke as the bell rang and they were off to their next class.
Later that night, Tenchi snuck out of the house and quickly went over to the tree where she would be waiting for him. As he got there, he could see her silhouette under the moonlight. Under the tree he saw her, standing there, smiling as always, he hoped to constantly find her like this, so happy. She hovered slightly over the ground, wearing a dark dress that went down to her ankles, Tenchi appreciated her modesty, she knew she was attractive, but didn't need to show it off. "Nice night" he said as he stood next to her "Yes...it is" She whispered as she can back to the ground and kissed him. He took her hand this time, as a sign that he accepted her into his life, in a way that would make the other girls die with envy. She could sense his affection toward her and never realized how much her life had changed in such a short period of time. It had only been a few months since she was given her new abilities, yet somehow, she managed to adapt rather well, and now...there was
Tenchi.
"There's...something I want you to know" She spoke as they continued looking up to the stars "Hmm?" He turned his attention to her, as she looked him in the eyes "Before all of this I never had these kind of feelings about you...about anyone...and it didn't bother me. I was nothing but a tool, to be used and ordered around...but when I changed, my bonds were broken...and my heart finally felt for a moment what it was like to not be on the outside...simply looking in. And after a little while, I finally came to see why they always fought over you...but I suppose sometimes, you need to find another way to a persons heart than by fighting...I suppose" She again turned her attention to the stars, she knew she could never go back up into space again, at least not on her own power...but if it meant being here with Tenchi, that was a sacrifice she was more that willing to make. She tightened her grip around his hand; it was all she had to hold on to. "What will we do when the
others find out about us...you know we can't keep this a secret forever" She asked him and he simply stared at the sky "I...don't know...I just don't know...I just don't want to hurt them"
Ryo-ohki turned to face him, she was starting to cry "D-don't...don't you care about me...don't you like me?" "Of course I do..." He looked her in the eyes and could see how this was hurting her "Look...I'll...I'll think of something...just don't give up on me okay?" She smiled and sniffed "Never...I could never give up on you..."
He turned her to face him and he leaned closer. She closed her eyes and their lips met again. He held her close as she wrapped her arms around him. She felt so happy, so at peace and soon before he knew what was happening, they began to float higher into the sky. Soon, they were above the clouds and the cool air blew past them both. Her hair flew wildly in the wind and when their kiss ended, he simply looked at her. This was almost a dream to him, and to her...one they knew might not have a happy ending...but so long as in-between was happy, that was enough for them.
This was all happening so fast for him. He never imagined that he would find himself falling for any of the girls so soon, let alone Ryo-ohki. Somewhere in the back of his mind, thoughts of her as just a simple creature constantly nagged at him. It seemed like only yesterday that they were in the field picking carrots, and yet now...she had won his heart...her simple kindness and innocence, it was almost as if someone had read him like a book and sent this vessel in reply...it was as if there were higher powers at work here. Well, if that was so, he was glad, glad that whatever powers had interjected themselves into his life, it had helped him find happiness, and no matter what anyone would say, it couldn't change the way he felt...for her. He would just have to find a way to break it to the others, he just had to, it wasn't fair to them to keep such secrets...he simply braced himself for the aftermath though. But he was confident that when it was all said and done, it would
work out for the better...it just had to.
As they reached the front porch, they managed to stay as quiet as possible. Tenchi was relieved for there was no school tomorrow and he could finally have a long rest. He reached into his pocket for the key but noticed that the door was not locked; or rather it had been earlier. Tenchi thought only for a moment on this and proceeded into the house with Ryo-ohki right behind him. He began for the stairs when he heard a sniffle. Immediately his heart jumped and he looked around to see who it was. Reaching over, Tenchi turned on the switch for the hall light...and he later wished he hadn't.
At the top of the stairs, there was a lone figure, she was visibly upset and had been crying for some time...and she had been waiting for his return. "A-Aeka...what are you doing up" He was in utter shock...how long had she been there, waiting for him? The princess simply stood there, unable to look him in the eyes, the eyes she felt had betrayed him, as well as all of them. "I-I waited here...to see if...if she was telling the truth...and now I fear...that she was" Tenchi was still confused by all this "Who, who told you what Aeka?" He began to approach the stairs "Who Aeka...tell me?" "It was me Tenchi!" The voice came from next to Aeka as Ryoko materialized next to her "R-Ryoko..." "That's right...I told Aeka about your little fling..." His head fell down...this wasn't the way he wanted it to be "How?" was all he managed to get out.
Ryoko simply raised her hand and hurled a crumpled piece of paper at his feet. When he opened it up, he discovered it was the note that Ryo-ohki had written him, asking him to meet at the tree for the first time. "Then...that was you that night...you were watching us the whole time...and you were the one who..." Yes, she had been the one who had toppled the trees that night. "How could you Tenchi...how could you keep this from us" Ryoko got out as she started to cry. Again, he lowered his head, and then turned to Aeka, but he would get no pity, no remorse from her. "I see...if it means anything...I was going to tell you all" He tried to help with his words, but it didn't matter now "T-Tenchi...oh Tenchi..." Was all the princess got out, as she wept some more. "There Tenchi...you happy...do you see what you've done...and as for you..." She turned her attention to Ryo-ohki who was on shock the whole time as well and had said nothing up to this point. Ryoko pointed a finger at
her "You...you stole Tenchi from us...from me...how could you..." She spat angrily at her those words. Ryo-ohki stepped forward and held Tenchi's hand "You really never understood him...you were always too busy fighting each other to ever think about his feelings for once...the both of you...you ask how could I...when you should ask how couldn't I! You're both selfish children...and he deserved better" She spoke firmly as they stood there hand in hand. This gesture only tore at the two roses even more. "Then...I suppose the time for talk is over then..." Aeka spoke coldly as if on command her two guardians appeared next to her.
"Azaka...Kamadake...subdue that creature, but do not harm Tenchi!" "Yes Ma'am" They answered in unison as they hovered down towards Ryo-ohki. But Tenchi stood in front of her with his arms stretched out. "No Aeka...this isn't right...I won't let you harm her" Aeka gasped as the guardians stopped midway "L-Lord Tenchi...can't you see that creature has you under some sort of mind control...let me help you" He shook his head "There's nothing wrong with me Aeka..." The princess was in a state of confusion "Aeka...don't be so knieve...can't you see...Tenchi...he's...he's in love..." Aeka put a hand over her mouth "Is...is this true...no it can't be..." Tenchi turned to Ryo-ohki and looked her in the eyes, it was now or never, and turned back to face the two roses...and he nodded. Aeka felt the world around her shatter as she fell to her knees and kept repeating the same phrase over and over again "it can't be... it can't be... it can't be... it can't be..." But Ryoko would have
no more of this "You...traitor!" She shouted as she fired the first shot...it was intended for Ryo-ohki. Tenchi refused to move and at the last moment was shoved aside by Ryo-ohki as she took the full blast. Tenchi was knocked across the way into the kitchen. When he came to, he noticed that there was a large hole where once stood...Ryo-ohki. He almost collapsed when he heard a voice behind him "Phew...that was close...you okay?" He nodded, relieved to see that she was still all right.
Ryoko quickly materialized into the kitchen "So...you managed to survive that one...well try this!" Again, she hurled another blast at her, and another one followed after that. Ryo-ohki stood her ground and raised a shield that knocked both blasts aside, destroying several sections of the walls around them. Ryoko continued relentlessly with her attack. From across the kitchen, Tenchi could see Ryo-ohki visibly straining to hold up her defense, but she would not hold out much longer. He ran over to Ryoko to try and stop her "Ryoko...stop this now!!!" But the demoness was not open to reason...now emotion was controlling her. Without thinking, she let out a shot with her free hand and the burst exploded in front of Tenchi sending him straight into the living room. "NO!!!!!!!" Ryo-ohki shouted as she dropped her shield and ran to Tenchi's side "Tenchi..." He groaned in pain, but he was still alive. She laid him down on the couch and turned to Ryoko "I...have had enough...now its
my turn" Her hair raised up over her hair as she focused her energy and aimed at Ryoko who was in shock over what she had just done to Tenchi. Before she knew it, Ryo-ohki let out a concentrated blast that sent Ryoko through the wall and out of the house, where she fell over and did not get up.
Ryo-ohki walked over to Tenchi to check on him "Try not to move...just rest here for a moment while I..." but before she could finish she felt a grip tightening around her. "Did you really think I would let you take Tenchi away so easily?" Aeka spoke as the guardians increased their grip around her. "Now...get away from him...you monster..." Again, the princess spoke coldly as she had regained her composure fully. Ryo-ohki tried to break free...but was unable. Eventually, Ryoko who was visibly in pain, hunched over slightly and bleeding from her side, joined Aeka. "Nice shot kid...but you should have finished me while you had the chance" Ryoko spoke as she powered up for another attack, one that she felt would finish the job. Before she could fire, they were interrupted by a voice from behind them "What's going on here..." It was Sasami; she had been awakened by the fighting and was still wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Sasami, get back to your room, its too dangerous out
here!" Aeka turned to her sister and replied, but as she did, Ryo-ohki capitalized on the princess's lack of concentration and broke free of the entrapment knocking the guardians back.
Ryoko turned back around and fired at Ryo-ohki but her blast was met and swallowed as both Aeka and Ryoko were knocked back by another blast from Ryo-ohki. In the process however, Sasami was too knocked clear across the room and slammed against the wall and fell over, unconscious. Both Aeka and Ryoko struggled to their feet as both were badly wounded; they had no idea that she was this powerful...too much in fact. "I...won't let...you take...Tenchi from me..." Ryoko spoke as she tried for one last attack. Ryo-ohki didn't have to retaliate, as Ryoko simply fell over, too weak to continue, and was followed by Aeka. Ryo-ohki looked around...most of the house lay in shambles...in the corner lay the body of her former master as well as the princess...and her best friend. She began to cry at what had just happened (...so this was what Tenchi had feared...) she then understood why he was so apprehensive about telling the others about what was going on.
She held her face in her hands as she wept over the destruction caused over one man. But she pulled herself together and walked over to Tenchi. Looking at him...she felt even more drawn to him (...he actually stood up for me...he would have died for me...) She picked him up "Hold on Tenchi...I'll take care of you...and we'll start over...somewhere...somehow...but I know we can make it...together..." She kissed him as she began for the door. "Not so fast there" Ryo-ohki turned to see Washu emerge from her lab. "Don't try to stop me...I'm taking Tenchi...and we're...we're" "You're what...you're going to runaway with him?" She shook her head in regret "I knew this was a mistake...I should have stopped you sooner" "What are you talking about...what mistake...you mean giving me a will...a soul...a heart...was that a mistake?!" She spoke as she clung to Tenchi tightly.
"No...the mistake was giving you my intelligence...I had hoped to accelerate your development...but in the process of giving you my intelligence...some of my feelings got encoded as well. You see...you don't really love Tenchi, at least not this way...those...those are my feelings...feelings I've kept locked up in me for some time now. You weren't mature enough to know how to handle such feelings...and this...this is the result of a heart gone wild" Ryo-ohki shook her head "I-I don't believe you...I love Tenchi...you're just jealous...because I was able to show him how I felt...while you were too afraid...of getting hurt...you're just like the others...just leave me alone, leave us alone!" "Sorry...you're coming back with me...I made this mess, and now I have to clean it up...starting with you" Ryo-ohki's eyes welled up with tears "No...you can't...you can't take away who I am...I want to stay this way...I-I want to be who I am...I want to know what its like to be loved, to
be cared for...I want to be with Tenchi...forever...why can't you understand that!?" she began to cry even more as she held Tenchi even closer.
Washu simply shook her head "Come along now...don't make this harder than it needs to be" Ryo-ohki grew angry "No...I'm leaving...and you can't stop me" She turned and with Tenchi in her arms, began heading for the door. "Afraid I'm going to have to" With that, Washu pulled out a small black box from her pocket. It was simply that, a black box with a single red button on it. Washu pushed the button and Ryo-ohki suddenly froze in place "W-What did you do?" The scientist walked over and took Tenchi from her arms "That was a fail safe device with the sole purpose of neutralizing you in case...in case of such an event like this ever happened...I never wanted it to come to his though..." Ryo-ohki struggled, but this time, there was no escape...only tears as everything around her went black...her last sight was Tenchi...she could almost feel him tell her...that he...had no regrets...but she would never know for sure.
CLOSING NOTES REGARDING RECENT EXPERIMENT: ACCELERTED RYO-OHKI:
It took me all night to clean up the mess, which was caused due to my experiment gone awry. The easy part was repairing the home. But healing the wounds of everyone involved was a bit more delicate and time consuming. When morning came, everything went back to normal, I had erased the memories of everyone regarding the events that had taken place during the past few moths and replaced them with phony memories to fill the gaps. No one would ever know what had happened...and it would be for the better. So everything continued as it usually did, but there was one thing that would always haunt me.
I was never able to completely purge Ryo-ohki's memory of all that had occurred. True, I removed her ability to talk and returned her back to her original form, but it was my theory that her love and feelings for Tenchi were just so strong that the only way to completely erase the memories would be for me to do away with the current Ryo-ohki and make a new one with new memories...but I simply could not bring myself to doing that, I figured I had done enough tampering with things already. Instead, I let her stay...I suppose as a constant reminder of my sins...and that some experiments are simply not worth the risks involved. So now...every time when we sit for a meal...or whenever the girls begin to fight over Tenchi...I always notice Ryo-ohki...who is helpless to do anything, trapped in her current form, unable to express her feelings...but to simply cry every time she sees them fight. For that...all I can say is that...I'm sorry...I am so very...very sorry.
END OF REPORT
Authors notes: I hope you all enjoyed this story. I have a feeling that this story has caused quite a bit of controversy over the pairing. As I had stated previously, I had every intention of making it as clean and innocent as possible, I simply wanted to try a different approach, a new scenario, something that was never meant to be...to quote Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet "a pair of star crossed lovers" if you will. Might this offend some people, possibly, but do keep in mind that this is Fantasy and Science Fiction where anything and everything is possible. And also that sometimes, you need to keep an open mind to new experiences and new thoughts...well enough rambling...please let me know what you think as this may be the last Tenchi story I write for quite sometime. Do read my other stories as well (When Heaven Answers, A Penny for a Princess and the Empires Prelate...they can all be found under the Tenchi section under Action/Adventure/Romance). Again, thank you all
for reading, ciao.
P.S. Under careful consideration, and the request of outside sources, it has been my decision to create an alternate ending to this story. This was due in part to the possible need for somewhat of a happier ending in comparison to the one provided. For those of you who agree that this story could use a bit more cheery of an ending, I encourage all to see the next chapter as this will focus on the topic at hand.
Disclaimer: Any Tenchi characters in this fic
belong to AIC and Pioneer. If there are any
characters that you have not heard of, they are mine!
Any legal letters sent to claim money will be filled under "I" for important...right in the pail!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm had been going off for a short while now in his room. Finally, Tenchi gathered up enough strength to hit the off button on his clock. He started to drift off again with his thoughts about what had happened the night before, it just didn't seem real to him. He remembered...the tree, the stars...it was late...and...there was her. Thoughts were jumbled in his mind as he lay in bed looking up at the ceiling..."Oh my gosh...I forgot...I have school today!!!" He had forgotten how late he had stayed up that night with her watching the stars. Quickly, he hurried to his dresser and had time for a quick change of clothes. He noticed, however, a small envelope on his dresser with his name on the front surrounded by a few hearts and stars. Tenchi smiled as he pulled over a new shirt, he knew who his Lady Valentine was.
As he ran to the bathroom, he moved with lightning speed as he washed his face and brushed his teeth. (Oh great, guess there's no time for breakfast) He grumbled at the thought of this. Tenchi flew down the stairs and past the kitchen saying goodbye to everyone. Funny, he thought, there was someone missing from the table, though he was in such a hurry, everyone seemed a blur and he couldn't quite place who was missing.
Tenchi ran out the house and past the fence where he was greeted as always by Azaka and Kamadake who customarily greeted Tenchi as he left and returned from school everyday. "Bye guys, watch the house for me!" He spoke jokingly as he knew they would do so without his asking. Tenchi was in such a hurry to catch the bus that he was grateful that he could count on Ryo-ohki to bring his lunch for him as his stomach grumbled a bit (Gosh, I hope she remembers, we were out pretty late last night...). Still, there was a nagging in the back of his mind. He was sure that something or someone was out there last night, and he was sure that he saw some trees fall in the distance. He thought on this as he waited at the bus stop till his bus pulled up in front of him.
On the ride to school, most of his schoolmates were busy talking about whatever programs they had stayed up late last night watching, some where talking about how much they had studied for their tests while some were trying to get Tenchi's attention by showing off a few wrestling moves they had seen last night on TV. They of coursed failed, as Tenchi was deeply engrossed in thought over the events of last night. He still couldn't believe that she had kissed him...it was just so...different. It was his first kiss and he wasn't sure if this was the kind of experience you share with others, kissing an alien...well maybe he would keep this to himself. He smiled as he remembered how warm she felt next to him and how clam he felt when their lips met. Tenchi drifted so far off that he was brought back to earth by a stiff punch in the arm from one of his friends to remind him that they had arrived.
During class, Tenchi rolled his eyes as he tried not to listen to the Teacher lecture on about trigonometry and the importance of a well lined graph (Sheesh, you'd think they would teach us something we could actually use) Already, he had nearly failed his test that he had studied for the night previous, and now he was tempted to hide behind his book and get some much needed sleep, when he remembered the note. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the envelope with his name on it. Inside, there was a small piece of paper with a special message just for him:
Tenchi,
Thank you so much for last night. You will never know just how much that meant to me. The stars, I've seen them over and over gain, but with you, it was another experience entirely, thank you...don't worry, I'll have lunch for you today. Don't stop being special to me .
Always yours,
Me of course!
P.S., you're not such a bad kisser, can't wait to do it again!
To say that touched his heart would simply not do it justice. He blushed at her comments, so much in fact that he didn't notice the teacher standing slightly over him. "Ah, Mr. Masaki, I see I have managed to bore you eh? Your other teacher told me to keep an eye on you" Tenchi quickly came back to reality and hid the note back in his pocket. Fortunately, the teacher didn't notice it, but was still visibly upset to see that Tenchi was not paying attention. The class started to laugh and outside the classroom, yet again in a spot just outside of view, Ryo-ohki sat perched in a tree, playfully rocking her legs back and forth giggling too as Tenchi was sent to the principal's office. "Guess that's my cue then" She giggled some more as she teleported inside the school.
As Tenchi once more emerged from the principals office after yet another lecturing on honor and respect and what not, he began returnig to his class which thankfully would be over shortly. His stomach still grumbled as he was again reminded of how huingry he was. "Looks like I got here just in time" Tenchi turned as he heard the all to familiar young and playful voice behind him. Much to his delight, there stood Ryo-ohki smiling brightly as she walked over to him and took his hand. He smiled and felt like this was how he wanted things to always be. "Hi, thanks for the note" he said as he walked with her back to his class, always managing to stay out of view from anyone in the hallways. "Hi to you too, I heard a grumble and I got just the remedy" From behind her, she pulled out his lunch which this time had a ribbon tied around it. "I figured this would make it more special, hope you enjoy it..." Her voice trailed off as she stopped him from walking any further. "W-what is
it?" He said as she giggled some more "Silly, isn't that your classroom?" She pointed a few doors down and Tenchi realized that his head was in the clouds so much that he almost forgot where he was going "Oh yeah..." He admitted and felt foolish. Quickly, Ryo-ohki leaned over and kissed him gently and smiled as their lips parted "Well, I have to go...meet me tonight again will you?" Tenchi nodded and she teleported out of the school just in time as the bell rang, it was lunchtime, and not a moment too soon for one hungry Tenchi.
At lunch, Tenchi made sure not to leave one bit of his lunch behind, though this was something he normally would never do. When he finished, he noticed that some of the boys at his table were staring at him. "What are you guys staring at?" He asked as he finished the last of his lunch. One of them, someone Tenchi knew very well, slid over to him and held him in a play head lock "Okay Tenchi, fess up, who's been making you lunch all this time...what's her name, where's she from...does she have any cute friends!?" The others too wanted to know and they asked as well as Tenchi somewhat struggled to get out of the hold "Look...its nothing really...its...its just a friend okay...now cut it out" He protested as the boys were not satisfied with his answer. "What's going on here...you boys cut that out...save your energy for gym class" One of the faculty members spoke as he had noticed the ruckus from outside the cafeteria "Yes sir!" They shouted in unison as the boy released Tenchi
from the hold and gave him a play jab to the ribs. Tenchi grinned and as soon as the teacher was gone, he returned the favor. He looked to the other boys who still stared at him and were smiling, they knew he was hiding something "You clowns need to get a life" he spoke as the bell rang and they were off to their next class.
Later that night, Tenchi snuck out of the house and quickly went over to the tree where she would be waiting for him. As he got there, he could see her silhouette under the moonlight. Under the tree he saw her, standing there, smiling as always, he hoped to constantly find her like this, so happy. She hovered slightly over the ground, wearing a dark dress that went down to her ankles, Tenchi appreciated her modesty, she knew she was attractive, but didn't need to show it off. "Nice night" he said as he stood next to her "Yes...it is" She whispered as she can back to the ground and kissed him. He took her hand this time, as a sign that he accepted her into his life, in a way that would make the other girls die with envy. She could sense his affection toward her and never realized how much her life had changed in such a short period of time. It had only been a few months since she was given her new abilities, yet somehow, she managed to adapt rather well, and now...there was
Tenchi.
"There's...something I want you to know" She spoke as they continued looking up to the stars "Hmm?" He turned his attention to her, as she looked him in the eyes "Before all of this I never had these kind of feelings about you...about anyone...and it didn't bother me. I was nothing but a tool, to be used and ordered around...but when I changed, my bonds were broken...and my heart finally felt for a moment what it was like to not be on the outside...simply looking in. And after a little while, I finally came to see why they always fought over you...but I suppose sometimes, you need to find another way to a persons heart than by fighting...I suppose" She again turned her attention to the stars, she knew she could never go back up into space again, at least not on her own power...but if it meant being here with Tenchi, that was a sacrifice she was more that willing to make. She tightened her grip around his hand; it was all she had to hold on to. "What will we do when the
others find out about us...you know we can't keep this a secret forever" She asked him and he simply stared at the sky "I...don't know...I just don't know...I just don't want to hurt them"
Ryo-ohki turned to face him, she was starting to cry "D-don't...don't you care about me...don't you like me?" "Of course I do..." He looked her in the eyes and could see how this was hurting her "Look...I'll...I'll think of something...just don't give up on me okay?" She smiled and sniffed "Never...I could never give up on you..."
He turned her to face him and he leaned closer. She closed her eyes and their lips met again. He held her close as she wrapped her arms around him. She felt so happy, so at peace and soon before he knew what was happening, they began to float higher into the sky. Soon, they were above the clouds and the cool air blew past them both. Her hair flew wildly in the wind and when their kiss ended, he simply looked at her. This was almost a dream to him, and to her...one they knew might not have a happy ending...but so long as in-between was happy, that was enough for them.
This was all happening so fast for him. He never imagined that he would find himself falling for any of the girls so soon, let alone Ryo-ohki. Somewhere in the back of his mind, thoughts of her as just a simple creature constantly nagged at him. It seemed like only yesterday that they were in the field picking carrots, and yet now...she had won his heart...her simple kindness and innocence, it was almost as if someone had read him like a book and sent this vessel in reply...it was as if there were higher powers at work here. Well, if that was so, he was glad, glad that whatever powers had interjected themselves into his life, it had helped him find happiness, and no matter what anyone would say, it couldn't change the way he felt...for her. He would just have to find a way to break it to the others, he just had to, it wasn't fair to them to keep such secrets...he simply braced himself for the aftermath though. But he was confident that when it was all said and done, it would
work out for the better...it just had to.
As they reached the front porch, they managed to stay as quiet as possible. Tenchi was relieved for there was no school tomorrow and he could finally have a long rest. He reached into his pocket for the key but noticed that the door was not locked; or rather it had been earlier. Tenchi thought only for a moment on this and proceeded into the house with Ryo-ohki right behind him. He began for the stairs when he heard a sniffle. Immediately his heart jumped and he looked around to see who it was. Reaching over, Tenchi turned on the switch for the hall light...and he later wished he hadn't.
At the top of the stairs, there was a lone figure, she was visibly upset and had been crying for some time...and she had been waiting for his return. "A-Aeka...what are you doing up" He was in utter shock...how long had she been there, waiting for him? The princess simply stood there, unable to look him in the eyes, the eyes she felt had betrayed him, as well as all of them. "I-I waited here...to see if...if she was telling the truth...and now I fear...that she was" Tenchi was still confused by all this "Who, who told you what Aeka?" He began to approach the stairs "Who Aeka...tell me?" "It was me Tenchi!" The voice came from next to Aeka as Ryoko materialized next to her "R-Ryoko..." "That's right...I told Aeka about your little fling..." His head fell down...this wasn't the way he wanted it to be "How?" was all he managed to get out.
Ryoko simply raised her hand and hurled a crumpled piece of paper at his feet. When he opened it up, he discovered it was the note that Ryo-ohki had written him, asking him to meet at the tree for the first time. "Then...that was you that night...you were watching us the whole time...and you were the one who..." Yes, she had been the one who had toppled the trees that night. "How could you Tenchi...how could you keep this from us" Ryoko got out as she started to cry. Again, he lowered his head, and then turned to Aeka, but he would get no pity, no remorse from her. "I see...if it means anything...I was going to tell you all" He tried to help with his words, but it didn't matter now "T-Tenchi...oh Tenchi..." Was all the princess got out, as she wept some more. "There Tenchi...you happy...do you see what you've done...and as for you..." She turned her attention to Ryo-ohki who was on shock the whole time as well and had said nothing up to this point. Ryoko pointed a finger at
her "You...you stole Tenchi from us...from me...how could you..." She spat angrily at her those words. Ryo-ohki stepped forward and held Tenchi's hand "You really never understood him...you were always too busy fighting each other to ever think about his feelings for once...the both of you...you ask how could I...when you should ask how couldn't I! You're both selfish children...and he deserved better" She spoke firmly as they stood there hand in hand. This gesture only tore at the two roses even more. "Then...I suppose the time for talk is over then..." Aeka spoke coldly as if on command her two guardians appeared next to her.
"Azaka...Kamadake...subdue that creature, but do not harm Tenchi!" "Yes Ma'am" They answered in unison as they hovered down towards Ryo-ohki. But Tenchi stood in front of her with his arms stretched out. "No Aeka...this isn't right...I won't let you harm her" Aeka gasped as the guardians stopped midway "L-Lord Tenchi...can't you see that creature has you under some sort of mind control...let me help you" He shook his head "There's nothing wrong with me Aeka..." The princess was in a state of confusion "Aeka...don't be so knieve...can't you see...Tenchi...he's...he's in love..." Aeka put a hand over her mouth "Is...is this true...no it can't be..." Tenchi turned to Ryo-ohki and looked her in the eyes, it was now or never, and turned back to face the two roses...and he nodded. Aeka felt the world around her shatter as she fell to her knees and kept repeating the same phrase over and over again "it can't be... it can't be... it can't be... it can't be..." But Ryoko would have
no more of this "You...traitor!" She shouted as she fired the first shot...it was intended for Ryo-ohki. Tenchi refused to move and at the last moment was shoved aside by Ryo-ohki as she took the full blast. Tenchi was knocked across the way into the kitchen. When he came to, he noticed that there was a large hole where once stood...Ryo-ohki. He almost collapsed when he heard a voice behind him "Phew...that was close...you okay?" He nodded, relieved to see that she was still all right.
Ryoko quickly materialized into the kitchen "So...you managed to survive that one...well try this!" Again, she hurled another blast at her, and another one followed after that. Ryo-ohki stood her ground and raised a shield that knocked both blasts aside, destroying several sections of the walls around them. Ryoko continued relentlessly with her attack. From across the kitchen, Tenchi could see Ryo-ohki visibly straining to hold up her defense, but she would not hold out much longer. He ran over to Ryoko to try and stop her "Ryoko...stop this now!!!" But the demoness was not open to reason...now emotion was controlling her. Without thinking, she let out a shot with her free hand and the burst exploded in front of Tenchi sending him straight into the living room. "NO!!!!!!!" Ryo-ohki shouted as she dropped her shield and ran to Tenchi's side "Tenchi..." He groaned in pain, but he was still alive. She laid him down on the couch and turned to Ryoko "I...have had enough...now its
my turn" Her hair raised up over her hair as she focused her energy and aimed at Ryoko who was in shock over what she had just done to Tenchi. Before she knew it, Ryo-ohki let out a concentrated blast that sent Ryoko through the wall and out of the house, where she fell over and did not get up.
Ryo-ohki walked over to Tenchi to check on him "Try not to move...just rest here for a moment while I..." but before she could finish she felt a grip tightening around her. "Did you really think I would let you take Tenchi away so easily?" Aeka spoke as the guardians increased their grip around her. "Now...get away from him...you monster..." Again, the princess spoke coldly as she had regained her composure fully. Ryo-ohki tried to break free...but was unable. Eventually, Ryoko who was visibly in pain, hunched over slightly and bleeding from her side, joined Aeka. "Nice shot kid...but you should have finished me while you had the chance" Ryoko spoke as she powered up for another attack, one that she felt would finish the job. Before she could fire, they were interrupted by a voice from behind them "What's going on here..." It was Sasami; she had been awakened by the fighting and was still wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Sasami, get back to your room, its too dangerous out
here!" Aeka turned to her sister and replied, but as she did, Ryo-ohki capitalized on the princess's lack of concentration and broke free of the entrapment knocking the guardians back.
Ryoko turned back around and fired at Ryo-ohki but her blast was met and swallowed as both Aeka and Ryoko were knocked back by another blast from Ryo-ohki. In the process however, Sasami was too knocked clear across the room and slammed against the wall and fell over, unconscious. Both Aeka and Ryoko struggled to their feet as both were badly wounded; they had no idea that she was this powerful...too much in fact. "I...won't let...you take...Tenchi from me..." Ryoko spoke as she tried for one last attack. Ryo-ohki didn't have to retaliate, as Ryoko simply fell over, too weak to continue, and was followed by Aeka. Ryo-ohki looked around...most of the house lay in shambles...in the corner lay the body of her former master as well as the princess...and her best friend. She began to cry at what had just happened (...so this was what Tenchi had feared...) she then understood why he was so apprehensive about telling the others about what was going on.
She held her face in her hands as she wept over the destruction caused over one man. But she pulled herself together and walked over to Tenchi. Looking at him...she felt even more drawn to him (...he actually stood up for me...he would have died for me...) She picked him up "Hold on Tenchi...I'll take care of you...and we'll start over...somewhere...somehow...but I know we can make it...together..." She kissed him as she began for the door. "Not so fast there" Ryo-ohki turned to see Washu emerge from her lab. "Don't try to stop me...I'm taking Tenchi...and we're...we're" "You're what...you're going to runaway with him?" She shook her head in regret "I knew this was a mistake...I should have stopped you sooner" "What are you talking about...what mistake...you mean giving me a will...a soul...a heart...was that a mistake?!" She spoke as she clung to Tenchi tightly.
"No...the mistake was giving you my intelligence...I had hoped to accelerate your development...but in the process of giving you my intelligence...some of my feelings got encoded as well. You see...you don't really love Tenchi, at least not this way...those...those are my feelings...feelings I've kept locked up in me for some time now. You weren't mature enough to know how to handle such feelings...and this...this is the result of a heart gone wild" Ryo-ohki shook her head "I-I don't believe you...I love Tenchi...you're just jealous...because I was able to show him how I felt...while you were too afraid...of getting hurt...you're just like the others...just leave me alone, leave us alone!" "Sorry...you're coming back with me...I made this mess, and now I have to clean it up...starting with you" Ryo-ohki's eyes welled up with tears "No...you can't...you can't take away who I am...I want to stay this way...I-I want to be who I am...I want to know what its like to be loved, to
be cared for...I want to be with Tenchi...forever...why can't you understand that!?" she began to cry even more as she held Tenchi even closer.
Washu simply shook her head "Come along now...don't make this harder than it needs to be" Ryo-ohki grew angry "No...I'm leaving...and you can't stop me" She turned and with Tenchi in her arms, began heading for the door. "Afraid I'm going to have to" With that, Washu pulled out a small black box from her pocket. It was simply that, a black box with a single red button on it. Washu pushed the button and Ryo-ohki suddenly froze in place "W-What did you do?" The scientist walked over and took Tenchi from her arms "That was a fail safe device with the sole purpose of neutralizing you in case...in case of such an event like this ever happened...I never wanted it to come to his though..." Ryo-ohki struggled, but this time, there was no escape...only tears as everything around her went black...her last sight was Tenchi...she could almost feel him tell her...that he...had no regrets...but she would never know for sure.
CLOSING NOTES REGARDING RECENT EXPERIMENT: ACCELERTED RYO-OHKI:
It took me all night to clean up the mess, which was caused due to my experiment gone awry. The easy part was repairing the home. But healing the wounds of everyone involved was a bit more delicate and time consuming. When morning came, everything went back to normal, I had erased the memories of everyone regarding the events that had taken place during the past few moths and replaced them with phony memories to fill the gaps. No one would ever know what had happened...and it would be for the better. So everything continued as it usually did, but there was one thing that would always haunt me.
I was never able to completely purge Ryo-ohki's memory of all that had occurred. True, I removed her ability to talk and returned her back to her original form, but it was my theory that her love and feelings for Tenchi were just so strong that the only way to completely erase the memories would be for me to do away with the current Ryo-ohki and make a new one with new memories...but I simply could not bring myself to doing that, I figured I had done enough tampering with things already. Instead, I let her stay...I suppose as a constant reminder of my sins...and that some experiments are simply not worth the risks involved. So now...every time when we sit for a meal...or whenever the girls begin to fight over Tenchi...I always notice Ryo-ohki...who is helpless to do anything, trapped in her current form, unable to express her feelings...but to simply cry every time she sees them fight. For that...all I can say is that...I'm sorry...I am so very...very sorry.
END OF REPORT
Authors notes: I hope you all enjoyed this story. I have a feeling that this story has caused quite a bit of controversy over the pairing. As I had stated previously, I had every intention of making it as clean and innocent as possible, I simply wanted to try a different approach, a new scenario, something that was never meant to be...to quote Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet "a pair of star crossed lovers" if you will. Might this offend some people, possibly, but do keep in mind that this is Fantasy and Science Fiction where anything and everything is possible. And also that sometimes, you need to keep an open mind to new experiences and new thoughts...well enough rambling...please let me know what you think as this may be the last Tenchi story I write for quite sometime. Do read my other stories as well (When Heaven Answers, A Penny for a Princess and the Empires Prelate...they can all be found under the Tenchi section under Action/Adventure/Romance). Again, thank you all
for reading, ciao.
P.S. Under careful consideration, and the request of outside sources, it has been my decision to create an alternate ending to this story. This was due in part to the possible need for somewhat of a happier ending in comparison to the one provided. For those of you who agree that this story could use a bit more cheery of an ending, I encourage all to see the next chapter as this will focus on the topic at hand.