Moonlight

by AlexMax

Tenchi loses his temper and snaps at one of the girls. Will he have the chance to apologize? (Remake of Endless Dream)

AlexMax presents...

- = = = = -

Moonlight: Special Edition

- = = = = -

- = FORWARD = -

Well, here it is, boys and girls. The Special Edition of the fic that

I thought I would never complete. And it has been a long time. In one

form or another, this fic has been over one and a half to two years in

the making, with on and off work. I am making no promises that this is

the best fanfic ever. But I am promising that this fic will be one

that will be more than the standard newbie fic.

Why special edition? Well, the stories had been released on

fanfiction.net (and an even earlier version on TMFFA, where most of the

following things seem to come from) for some time, and I have received

much fan email, an interview with Da Brits, and to wit the story

Wasn't even completely proofread. If It's that good without

proofreading, it must mean something. But I felt like I owed it to the

senior members of the community to proofread the story and re-release

it, this time on the TMFFA. And when I release the second chapter of

the special edition of this story on the TMFFA, the people who frequent

the TMFFA will finally have access to the complete story.

I thank you for reading this forward. And without further ado, I

present Moonlight.

- = = = -

"I was searching for a man...all across Japan...

Just to find...to find my Samurai.

Someone who was strong...and still a little shy...

Yes I need...I need my Samurai.

Ayi yi yi, I'm your little butterfly...

Green, Black and Blue make the colors of the sky...

Ayi yi yi, I'm your little butterfly...

Green, Black and Blue make the colors of the sky...

Ay yi yi, ay yi yi, ay yi yi, Where's my Samurai?

Ay yi yi, ay yi yi, ay yi yi, Where's my Samurai?"

-"Butterfly", Smile.dk

Ah, what a nice day to go for a walk." Tenchi thought to himself.

And it was. It was an unseasonably cool day. The last few days had

gone by in the high nineties, but today was a refreshing break from the

blistering heat of the summer. It was near the middle of July, that

time of year when Mother Nature let you know it *was* summer, with the

heat to back it up. Today, it seems like she had finally let up.

Tenchi glanced around at his surroundings. The trees were covered in

green, providing much-needed shade for the creatures below, In about

another two or three months, the leaves would start losing color again

and start falling off. He missed the leaves on the trees durring the

winter. The serene landscape surrounding his home just Didn't feel the

same without them.

But Tenchi knew the leaves would fall. Just like last year...

...Which was around the time when he had awakened Ryoko...

Tenchi sighed, and thought back to when his life first was turned

upside-down.

About nine months ago, a series of events happened that Tenchi would

never have guessed would happen, and when it was all said in done,

there were five girls from outte space that had taken residence in his

house. What used to be a very quiet and very ordinary lifestyle

quickly turned upside down. He became involved in all sorts of

adventures, from having his house relocated and his school destroyed,

to battleing the evil Kagato, to chasing after the infamous Dr. Clay,

whose motives seemed to serve a higher purpose than science. Those

Were certainly wild adventures, and sometimes Tenchi learned a thing or

two about himself and the world around him, but in the end, this always

seemed to work out.

Looking back, though, he Couldn't imagine a more furfilling life.

Things had quieted down in the past few months or so. After the last

incident with Dr. Clay and the unexpected visit from the Emperor of

Jurai, things had returned to normal. Or at least as normal as life

could be with four or five girls from outter space living in your

house. Tenchi enjoyed the relative quiet.

But there was something that bothered him when things slowed down.

Nothing ever *happened*.

As much as Tenchi hated to admit it, he kind of liked in when there

was something interesting going on. Sure, sometimes interesting meant

saving the world from an evil space pirate, or staring death in the eye

when you are about to be sucked into a black hole, but at least it was

*something*.

It was so quiet that Tenchi had even considered going to Tokyo to

continue his training, once, but he decided against it, favoringthe

relatively quiet going lifestyle he already had to a new one in Tokyo.

Not that his life was quiet, but Tokyo Wasn't the sort of excitement

that Tenchi liked. He prefered to stay where he was.

Tenchi absorbed the atmosphere and sighed as he walked. Already, the

sun was becoming lower in the sky and the sky itself was begining to

turn from blue to a reddish pink.

"Good evening, Lord Tenchi!"

"Yes, welcome home, Lord Tenchi!"

Tenchi snapped back to reality. He found himself to be at the front

gate of his house, where Azaka and Kamadake were waiting. He must had

lost himself in thought while he was walking. He smiled and gave the

guardians a nod of acknowledgement.

"Thank you." Said Tenchi, almost as an afterthought.

With that, he continued walking up the path. He could see his house

quite clearly now. The evening sun added an orange tone of color to

the normally white and red house. The nearby lake reflected the sun's

warming rays off of its cool surface, dancing in some pattern that

seemed random and uniform at the same time. Tenchi admired his

surroundings. To think that his dad had designed this house, for

himself and his wife...

Unbeknownst to his concious mind, Tenchi sighed at the thought of his

mother...

...And actually, this location suited the house a lot better than the

crowded neighborhood. The view of the lake from the house was a lot

better than the view of the street that it used to look out on. Tenchi

Smiled, Ryoko and Ayeka Hadn't done a bad job of picking this spot,

however accidently they may have chosen it. And not only that, it

allowed him to go to his training a lot more often...although if that

was a good thing or a bad thing was still in question.

Tenchi found himself in front of the door to his house. Glancing over

his shoulder, he sighed and turned the doorknob...

...And found himself on the ground in a matter of seconds. Tenchi

Yelled, out of suprise, and when he came to his senses, he glanced up

at the figure who had seemingly come out of nowhere, hugging him

tightly. Much to his dismay, it was Ryoko.

*Dismay?*

Well, maybe dismay Wasn't the correct word for this situation. Ryoko

Did have a soft spot for Tenchi, and Tenchi Couldn't just brush Ryoko

off. They had saved each others life on more than one occasion, and

they did care about each other. Tenchi just wished the she Wouldn't

be so...

...Rough.

"Oh, Tenchi! How I missed you so!" Said Ryoko, her eyes shut tightly,

and her embrace almost strangling poor Tenchi.

"Whh....wait a minute, Ryoko...." Sputtered Tenchi. He still Hadn't

fully recovered from the shock of a few seconds ago.

Ryoko opened her eyes and looked down at Tenchi, her feline amber eyes

looking straight at him. She giggled, slightly.

"What?", she asked, as innocently as she could.

"Well...." Said Tenchi. But before he could talk, Ryoko interrupted

him.

"I just missed you *so* much, Tenchi." Said Ryoko, with a smile.

"But... Ryoko.... Do you think you could let me up?" Said Tenchi, still

dumbstruck.

Ryoko smiled. "Sure" she said. "All you need to do is ask." And with

that, she vanished and materialized again, this time upright. Dusting

Off his clothes, Tenchi slowly got up.

"Ryoko, could you please not do that again?" Tenchi said.

Ryoko looked hurt. But Tenchi's instinct told him that it was fake.

Small wonder, since Ryoko always seemed to like to play around like

that.

Suddenly, Ryoko smiled again. She rematerialzed beside Tenchi and put

her arm around him.

"So," she said. "How was sword practice...hmm?"

Tenchi sweated profusely. "Uh...fine, I guess." Then, he decided to

end the conversation then and there, before anyone saw them. "Well, I

gotta go inside to eat dinner! See Ya' later."

And with that, he ran into the house. With a sigh, Ryoko vanished.

Tenchi walked into the living room. Through the windows, Tenchi could

see the sky turn an even deeper shade of red as the sun sank lower in

the sky. It was a beautiful thing, one of the many small things that

Tenchi appreciated about living in a secluded area as opposed to a

large city.

All of the sudden, Tenchi heard footsteps coming from the kitchen,

running toward the living room. Tenchi turned around and saw Sasami

stick her head out of the Kitchen.

"Hey Tenchi!" Said Sasami. Then, she yelled "Hey everyone! Tenchi is

home from training!"

Tenchi smiled. Sasami was always glad when Tenchi got home. She

Really looked up to him, although obviously not in a romantic way.

After all, she was only ten.

"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Announced Sasami.

"Thanks, Sasami. I'm kinda hungry, but I think I might have a shower

before then."

Sasami giggled at Tenchi. Then, she ran back into the kitchen.

Tenchi glanced back into the living room. He heard footsteps coming

from upstairs, and glanced up the stairwell. At the top of the stairs,

Ayeka stood there, smiling. Upon seeing Tenchi, she nodded and spoke

"Good evening, Lord Tenchi."

"Hey there Ayeka!" Responded Tenchi, with a smile. Tenchi liked

Ayeka's gentile manner better than Ryoko's in-your-face attitude. But

Somehow, Ayeka always seemed so ... Unreachable. She was always

walking around with her head held high. That is, until something had

offended her. And when it did, her prim and proper manner quickly gave

way to unmatched fury. Unmated, except for perhaps her biggest rival.

Ryoko, on the other hand, was playful, and seemed to treat almost

everything as a game. She was so...feline, in her manners, which was

pretty much doing whatever she wanted. Her play habits often got her

into trouble, sometimes seriously so. And when it Didn't, it certainly

scared the hell out of Tenchi. And when something got in her way, or

rather, *someone* got in her way, she too had the potential to dish out

much pain and suffering for her part.

Tenchi sighed. Somehow, it was impossible to dismiss either of the

girls completely. After all, they both had feelings too.

Ayeka slowly started walking down the stairs, then stopped suddenly

when she was at the bottom. Tenchi looked at Ayeka. She seemed to

have a puzzled look on her face.

"Oh my word, Lord Tenchi, you have dust all over your clothes and

face!" Said Ayeka, looking over Tenchi. "How did you get them so

dirty?"

"Ah...well" said Tenchi, nervously putting his hand behind his head.

He glanced down at his clothes. *Damn, Ryoko made them so dirty when

she knocked me down!* he thought to himself. But he Didn't say a word.

If he told Ayeka that Ryoko had knocked him down, that would only cause

trouble, something he truly Didn't need after a long day.

Before Ayeka could inquire into the matter further, Tenchi heard a

voice behind him.

"Hey there Tenchi..."

Tenchi turned around. Seeing nothing but the top of a stylized hairdo,

he glanced down. Sure enough, Washu was standing right there, eyeing

him expectantly. Tenchi continued to stare at Washu. A look of

suprise came over Washu, but quickly faded and turned into a smile.

"What, Aren't you gonna' give little Washu a hug?"

Tenchi stood there, dumbfounded.

"Well....I'm sorry, err..little Washu, but I normally think of you as a

scientist..."

Washu still maintained her smile.

"Oh, forget about that. Sure, I might be the smartest person in the

universe, but I'm still little." She brightened her smile even more

and clasped her hands together, for effect.

Tenchi sighed. He could never seem to figure Washu out. She always

wanted to be treated like a child, yet she truely had the IQ's of

everyone in the household combined. She was in her lab all the time,

and was always coming up with some new invention or theory or

calculation. All of which was way over his head.

And that *sample*, she had tried to get from him that one time...

Tenchi shuddered at the thought. He still had nightmares about it,

and some of them Didn't end up with Mihoshi blundering in on them.

Deciding that it was no use reminding himself of such a thing at this

point, he abandoned that train of thought.

Suddenly, something struck him as odd.

"Washu..." Tenchi started to say.

Washu glared at him. Tenchi sighed and continued.

"*Little* Washu."

Washu smiled. "Yes, what is it?"

"Why are you outside of your lab? You usually never come out of

there."

"Well, to be honest, all I wanted to do was get my dinner and go back

to work. Normally, Sasami could bring me some dinner, but I have

nothing pressing at the moment, so I decided to come out instead."

Tenchi sighed with relief. He Didn't feel like being a 'guinna pig'

in another experiment right now.

"So....uh..." Said Ayeka, trying to figure out a way to change the

subject. "...How are your experiments doing?"

Washu's face brightened with delight.

"Well, I just figured out how to organize the combined space of matter

in such a way that I can..." Said Washu.

Tenchi and Ayeka phacephaulted on the spot.

It was a full minute before Washu noticed their expressions and decided to

quit talking.

All of the sudden, the front door slammed.

"Hello?" Yelled Tenchi. But he already knew who it was.

Sure enough, Noboyuki, emerged from the hallway into the living room.

"Hello everyone, I'm home!" He said. Then, seeing Washu, Ayeka and

Tenchi in the living room, he smiled and waved to them.

"Well, guess who is home early." Said Washu, with a smile.

"Yep!" Said Noboyuki with a grin. "I had to work today since I was

working on some big project that I needed to finnish before Monday.

But I finnished earlier than I expected, so I decided to come home."

He sighed. "I wish my boss would quit giving me such long hours. It

Would be nice to be around the house for a while."

Tenchi winced.

"Oh come on." Said Tenchi. "You are just trying to work hard so you

Won't get fired after that last *incident* with that secretary."

Noboyuki frowned.

"But she was nice enough to get me some tea..."

"That is her *job*, dad. For the last time, she is *not* trying to

hit on you."

"Still, I Don't think that my boss should take it so hard." Said

Noboyuki.

"Dad! That is called sexual harassment! She could sue the company!

What is he *supposed* to do, give you a slap on the wrist?"

"Well, at least I can feel *comfortable* around women." Said Noboyuki.

"*You* on the other hand..."

"...Is perfectly comfortable around women." Said Ryoko, materializing

with her arm around Tenchi. "Aren't you, Tenchi." She added, with a

feline smile.

Tenchi nearly jumped out of his skin.

*God, that is the SECOND time today that has happened!* Tenchi mused

to himself.

Ayeka groaned noticably, but Ryoko pertended like she Didn't notice.

"Aren't you." Ryoko asked again, with a slight giggle. She started

to slowly trace her finger seductively across Tenchi's chest.

Tenchi started to sweat. *Oh no, not this again* he thought to

himself.

"Well....uh....well..." Tenchi stammered, trying to think of something

that Wouldn't get Ryoko or Ayeka mad at him. It was always a balancing

act for him, especially in these kidns of situations. He Didn't want

to dismiss either of them, but lately, it had been getting harder and

harder.

He glanced over his shoulder, at Ayeka. She was Balling up her fists,

and noticably fuming. He gulped, knowing that the wrong answer would

result in a remarkably nasty fight.

"See what I mean?" Said Noboyuki, with a triumphant smile. "You are

scared of women. What is there to be scared about?"

Washu started to laugh, finding this situation particularly

entertaining.

"Dad, I am *not* scared of women!" Tenchi said, still fighting Ryoko's

strong grip. But she held firm, giggiling as she watched Tenchi

struggle. Tenchi slowly turned a beet red.

"Look at you." Said Noboyuki. "You are trying to get away from one of

your girlfriends. If I was in your position, I would take this

opportunity without a second thought. If your mother could see you

now..."

"What does mother have to do with it?" Yelled Tenchi, trying to pull

Ryoko arm off of him. "And what do you mean I should 'take this

opportunity'?"

"Like I said." Said Noboyuki ,"You're scared. You need to..."

"I can see why he would be." Muttered Ayeka under her breath.

Ryoko let go of Tenchi and unceremoniously dropped him to the floor

with a thud. She glared up at Ayeka with a dangerous look.

"What did you say?" Growled Ryoko.

"Oh nothing." Said Ayeka, with a giggle. "I was just observing how you

were attempting to seduce Lord Tenchi with such behavior. With that

kind of behavior, no wonder he is scared of you."

"What's wrong with that? After all, *I'm* not afraid to show my love

to Tenchi. You, on the other hand, just sit there, high and mighty,

with your nose straight up in the air, embarrassed because you are

afraid that you might get *contaminated* if anyone touches you." Ryoko

Shot back, adding a smirk for extra punch. Ayeka turned a deep shade

of purple and started to shake.

"How *DARE* you!" Spat Ayeka. "At least I'm not resorting to tatics

of the common tiger, trying to win over a poor, hapless boy by boxing

him into a corner, waiting to devour him like a piece of meat! I love

Tenchi with every fibre of my being, and you Don't see *me* chasing

him."

Tenchi, unbeknownst to both Ayeka and Ryoko, started to sweat profusely.

"Hey, little princess, It's first come, first serve." Responded Ryoko,

nonchalantly. "Do you think I would be like you and sit on my ass,

dreaming about him and get *nowhere*? I just have the courage to

express my feelings, and you Don't."

"Humph" said Ayeka, puffing out her chest. "I Don't see him running

away from *me*."

"I Don't see you chasing him, princess." Ryoko shot back. "And you are

in no position to be puffing your chest out at anyone, especially

*me*!" Added Ryoko, with a grin, folding her arms on her chest.

Ayeka fumed, getting the point.

"Well, I Don't *need* them." Snapped Ayeka. "For one, my looks alone

could easily get me any man in the universe..."

"Your *crown* could get anyone in the universe!" Laughed Ryoko. Ayeka

Apparently ignored this insult and continued.

"...And two, I Don't use them for exhibiting myself to other men.

Unlike *someone* I know, for whom that's the only thing she has got

going for her.", finnished Ayeka. She paused breifly, thinking of a

way to antagonize the pirate further, and continued.

"Admit it. The only reason you are remotely taking *any* interest in

Tenchisama is for his body. Either that, or his gems that will give

you enough power to return to your former vile self. But in the first

case, why Don't you just pack up and leave. There are *plenty* other

men that would be eager to sleep with you. Just wander around downtown

Tokyo for a night."

Ryoko amber eyes were now an inferno of rage and hate.

"Why you little..." Growled Ryoko. But then, something occurred to her.

Deciding to try a different tack one that might catch the princess off

guard, she smiled evilly and spoke:

"And why are *you* taking intrest in Tenchi... hmmmm???" Said Ryoko.

Ayeka looked stunned. She Hadn't been prepared for this question.

"I... I..." Said Ayeka. Ryoko had been right, Ayeka Wasn't prepared

for this counterattack. Frantically, her eyes darted around the room,

looking for Tenchi. Then she saw him. He was almost at the top of the

stairs. When Tenchi noticed Ayeka looking at him, he jumped, knowing

he had been spotted.

"Tenchisama, where are you going?" Asked Ayeka.

"Uhhh... I was just going to take a shower." Said Tenchi, nervously.

With that, he ran the rest of the way up the stairs and darted down the

hall, out of sight.

*A shower?* thought Ayeka. *Why a shower? He Hadn't even had dinner

yet.* But before she could continue this train of thought, she saw her

advasery floating up the stairs.

"Wait for me, Tenchi!" Yelled Ryoko.

"WHAT?!" Screamed Ayeka. "RYOKO! WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU

ARE DOING?!" A split-second later, she was darting up the stairs,

running after Ryoko. She caught up with Ryoko as she was rounding the

corner, body slamming Ryoko into the wall, making a noticabe crack in

the wall. Ryoko got up and glared at Ayeka, her eyes glowing a

dangerous amber.

"What the HELL was that for?" Yelled Ryoko.

"Ryoko, I can not permit you to take a shower with Tenchisama."

Growled Ayeka.

"Really?" Said Ryoko. "I Don't see your crown anywhere near here. So

I want to take a shower with Tenchi. What's wrong with that?"

"Filthy pirate, I hope you are more intelligent that you are appearing

to be." Spat Ayeka. "You know as well as I do that it would embarrass

him. Not to mention the fact that he appals the very sight of you."

"He can get used to it." Said Ryoko, with a sly grin. "Like I said,

*I'm* not afraid to show my love for Tenchi."

"Showing your love for Tenchisama by forcing him to take a shower with

you, in the hopes that he will get used to it?" Yelled Ayeka. "My, you

certainly have a twisted sense of logic."

Ryoko cocked her eyebrow defiantly. "Twisted or not, I am taking a

shower with Tenchi, and there Isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me,

little princess. I'm warning you, Don't get in my way." And with that

she turned around and started walking toward the bathroom.

Suddenly, she staggered back in pain as a flash of light enveloped the

hallway. Letting out a yell, she convulsed as the Jurain shock wave

flowed through her body like molten lava. Staggering, she fell to the

floor. As she lay there, she heard Ayeka's voice.

"Oh really, you nauseating... *demon*."

A surge of anger flowed through Ryoko. Quick as lightning, she was on

her feet again. With a brilliant flash of orange light, her energy

sward appeared in her hands, the soft glow of the beam reflecting off

of everything in the relatively dark hallway. Her eyes glowed like hot

coals, and they Weren't about to be extinguished yet.

Ayeka was still standing there, unflinching. A soft glow seemed to

come from her, and beside her the two guardians Azaka and Kamadake sat,

ready to fight. Her arms were on her hips, daring the demon to attack

her.

In a movemnt almost to quick to see, Ryoko made a flying leap at Ayeka,

her sward blazing through the air with a soft hum, unaudiable over the

scream of fury that came from Ryoko herself.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom down the hall, Tenchi had gotten into the

shower. As he stepped in, he did a brief check of the walls, floor and

ceiling. Relieved that Ryoko's face was not sticking out of any of

them, he turned on the hot water. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, he was alone.

Outside, Tenchi could hear the sound of combat, reverberating into the

bathroom.

*Those girls are at it again.* he thought. *Well, it was inevitable,

and this time I managed to get out of their way before it started.*

He sighed and lost himself in thought as the shower head sprayed water

over him, massaging him, relaxing him.

Tenchi listened once more. The sounds of combat still echoed through

the air. He sighed, and was reaching over for a bar of soap when

something occurred to him.

Those sounds were awfully loud.

Suddenly, Tenchi felt a strange feeling that he was not safe where he

was. A little voice inside him screamed at him. *GET OUT OF THERE!

RUN!*. But Tenchi ignored it. As long as they were outside...

*Wait a second! Those sounds are much too loud to be coming from

outside. Oh my god, they are in the hallway...*

All of the sudden, there was a very loud and unceremonious

***BOOM***. As bits of plaster and wood came flying out of the wall,

Tenchi kneeled down and covered his head with his hands, almost certain

that the ceiling was going to cave in on him at any second. He

Trembled, anticipating the worst.

But it never came.

Shivering, Tenchi slowly lowered his hands and stood up. He glanced

around the bathroom. Other than a few bits of broken plaster on the

floor, and the fact that there was no longer any water coming out of

the shower head, it Didn't look like any major damage had come of it

*Damnit!* Tenchi thought to himself. *I have to fix the damn plumbing

AGAIN!*

Suddenly, something struck Tenchi as not being quite right.

*Man, It's awfully drafty in here* he thought to himself.

For some odd reason, he heard someone gasp.

*Huh? That doesn't make any sense either.*

Something clicked in Tenchi's brain, and he Didn't like it at all.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around.

There was a big hole in the wall where the door and one of the walls of

the shower had been only a few seconds ago. On the other side, Ayeka

and Ryoko were staring at him, Bugeyed. The hall was a mess, with

bits of wood and plaster all over the place, and a huge crater in the

wall, where something had apparently been smashed into it.

The girls continued to stare. They Didn't even bother to blink.

"Ayeka! Ryoko!" Yelled Tenchi. "What the hell just happened here!?"

Suddenly, something occurred to Tenchi. He looked down at himself, with

a look of dread. He was completely naked. With a loud yell, he

covered himself the best he could with his right hand as his other hand

reached outside the shower for a towel. Finally grabbing Ahold of one,

after losing his grip on it several times, he wrapped it around himself

hastily. Then , he glared at Ayeka and Ryoko.

"What the hell is going on! I thought I told you two not to fight in

the house?"

There was silence for about fifteen seconds.

"Tenchisama." Ayeka said, finally. "Ryoko was trying to get into the

shower with you. I was only trying to stop her."

"Yeah?" Spat Ryoko. Bitterly. "Well I told you to stay the hell out

of my way."

"Well, what did you expect me to do?" Yelled Ayeka. "Tenchisama needs

his privacy, and you were trying to deny him of it. You just Don't get

it, do you. He *HATES* you. Can't you see?"

"Hey, what is going on up here?" Said Noboyuki, his figure emerging

from around the corner. Then, he noticed the hole in the Bathroom wall

and Tenchi, with a towel wrapped around his body. He eyed Ayeka and

Ryoko, who just glared at him.

"Who made this big hole in the wall." Said Noboyuki, with a a noticable

look of suprise on his face.

The two girls pointed to each other. When they realized that the other

was pointing at them, they growled at each other.

Noboyuki started to sweat. He nervously backed away.

The two girls contined to glare at each other. Sparks literally flew

between their gazes as their anger reached new heights.

Suddenly, there was a yell from Tenchi. The two girls momentarily

broke their glares and glanced over at Tenchi.

"Hey you two...eh,,,cut it out already!" Said Tenchi, his voice almost

failing him. "What if someone gets hurt! Don't have any regard for

anyone?"

Both of the girls shouted a unanimous "NO!" Ayeka shot a glance over

at Ryoko and added. "At least not to *her*."

"I'm warning you princess" growled Ryoko, glaring back at Ayeka. "Pain

Is a two way street. Especially when dealing with *me*!" A small ball

of plasma was forming in her hand as she spoke.

"Say cheese!" Came a voice out of the shadows. Both of the girls froze

and looked in the direction the voice had come from.

The brilliant light of a flashbulb came out of nowhere, and temporarily

blinded the three occupants of the hall. When their vision returned,

they face faulted almost all at the same time.

"Man, that was a good picture that I got of you guys." Said Noboyuki,

coming out of the shadows with a laugh. In his hands was a camera, the

source of the flash. Tenchi could hear the motor inside the camera

develop the Polariod. It was that quiet. With a smile, Noboyuki

retrieved the film from the camera. He held it in his hand and laughed

again, turning it around so the three of them could see.

At first, it was just plain white. But as the picture came out, Tenchi

could plainly see Ryoko and Ayeka in the foreground with himself, still

wet from the shower, and half naked with a towel wrapped around his

waist, in the background.

Tenchi gulped, realizing that his father thought this obviously

embarassing position to be extremely funny. Noboyuki laughed again

and spoke:

"Heh, heh, this will be an excellent addition to your scrapbook, Tenchi.

You may not realize it now, but when you are older like me, you will

look back on times like this..."

"DAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!!!" Yelled Tenchi. Noboyuki gave him a look of

suprise.

"What? I still have pictures of your mother and I when we were still

going out. And I still have that 8mm film of your mother that you

almost *destroyed* when you dropped it." Added Noboyuki, his eyes

narrowing at the mention of the later.

"Excuse me, but I happened to have been only a few seconds from

*vanishing* into thin air when I dropped it. What did you *expect*

me to do when I saw my own body disintegrate before my eyes?" Yelled

Tenchi, slightly annoyed. "And besides, this Isn't a memory that I

would particularly *enjoy* remembering!"

Noboyuki shook his head.

"You have always been difficult like that Tenchi. Why you have been

is beyond me."

Suddenly, something snapped...

...And a few seconds later, there was a small hole in a nearby wall,

Tenchi's hand stuck though it. Quivering, he slowly withdrew his

now bleeding hand, and glanced over at his father, to Ryoko, to Ayeka,

then to his bleeding hand. There was a seething pain coming from his

fist, but at this point, Tenchi Didn't care.

The three other occupants Didn't move a muscle. All there had their

eyes wide open in shock.

They have *never* seen Tenchi get this angry.

Tenchi shot another glance at the three, still shaking and breathing

heavily, although he Didn't make a sound while breathing.

"That's it." Tenchi said, in an angry, but quiet voice. "I've had

about enough of this for one night."

Without another word, he marched straight for his room, and slid open

the door with his uninjured hand.

"Wait, Tenchisama." Said Ayeka. "What about dinner?"

Tenchi Didn't even bother to look over his shoulder.

"Tell Sasamichan to save it for me. I Don't think that this has left

me with much of an appetite." Tenchi said, bitterly. And with that

parting shot, he slammed his door closed.

No one said anything. There Wasn't anything to be said. Ryoko, Ayeka

and Noboyuki were all thinking the same thing, and felt that it went

without saying.

*What's up with Tenchi?*

"Oneesama! Ryoko! Noboyuki! Tenchi!" Came a voice from downstairs.

"Dinner is ready!"

"Sasamichan, Tenchi is not feeling very well. Would you be so kind as

to save his plate for him until tomorrow?" Said Ayeka, calling down the

stairs.

"What's wrong with Tenchi?" Said Sasami? "Is he sick?"

Ayeka paused, trying to think of something to say.

"Not really." Yelled Ryoko. "He is just worn out. Don't worry, He'll

be fine.

"OK." Said Sasami. "By the way, what was going on up there? Did

Something happen?"

Ayeka and Ryoko exchanged glances.

"No, nothing is wrong." Said Ayeka.

"Nah, everything's OK." Ryoko chimed in.

And both of them started down the stairs, followed by Noboyuki.

"You know." Said Ayeka, as they were walking down. "None of this

would have happened if you had not tried to invade Tenchisama's

privacy."

Ryoko shot an angry glance at Ayeka.

"Oh for pete's sake..." She complained.

And with that, they disappeared into the next room at the bottom

of the stairs.

- = = = = -

Tenchi awake in a total darkness. Not the kind of darkness like in

a dark closet, or at night, but a really pitch black, as if there was

no substance to the area around him. Frightened, Tenchi groped around,

but to his dismay, he did not find anything to grab on to.

All of the sudden, a he heard a voice behind him.

"Tenchi..."

Tenchi turned around, slowly.

A woman was standing there, looking back at him.

"Tenchi..." She repeated, a smile forming on her pale face. Her blue

hair flowed, as if blown by a strong gale.

"What the...it Can't be..." Said Tenchi, slowly walking toward the

woman. But then, when he was almost there, he froze in terror.

The woman all of the sudden had a strange expression on her face. A

Perverted leer, almost. It reminded Tenchi of...

And with that, she faded out into Nothingness. But before Tenchi

could react, his father just as suddenly appeared in her place. What

Was more, to Tenchi's astonishment, was the fact that he had that same,

perverted leer.

His instincts were screaming at him to act fast. Tenchi, still in

shock and unsure of what to do, slowly started backing away.

"Hey there, son." Said Noboyuki, still with that perverted leer.

"Where are you going? The fun has just started."

Suddenly, Tenchi's father grew to gargantuian proportions at an almost

sickening rate. Tenchi yelled and started to run, but his father bent

over, as if he was picking up a speck of rice that had been dropped on

the floor and picked him up between his thumb and forefinger. Tenchi

Struggled noticably, but his attempts to escape were futile.

"Son." Said Noboyuki, his voice echoing omnipotently. "You are way too

shy around the girls. Let me help you out."

And with that, he let go of Tenchi. With a loud yell, Tenchi fell away

from his father, the only visible thing in sight.

Tenchi fell through Nothingness for what seemed like ages. At first,

he could see nothing else. But then, he saw a little blue speck. It

Was racing toward him at a frightening rate, but before he could even

yell, he had landed, face down, and with quite some force, on the blue

object.

Tenchi cowered in pain, but then to his surprise, he found that he was

not in any pain whatsoever. Slowly, he started to get to his feet. He

Then glanced around at his surroundings. There were blue walls, all

around him, as well as a blue floor. He saw multiple passageways

leading in different directions away from him. It almost felt like

being in a bad three-dimensional maze. But then something hit him. It

*was* a three-dimensional maze. And he was the mouse. And he Didn't

even know what he was looking for.

"Tenchiiii...." Came a voice, again from behind him.

*Oh great, what now...* thought Tenchi to himself.

This time, when he turned around, he found Ryoko, standing less than a

foot away from him, eyeing him Hungerly, her amber eyes glowing softly.

Tenchi froze and started to sweat.

"There you are Tenchi." Said Ryoko, with an evil grin. "I was looking

for you. You had me *so* worried." She added, nudging closer to

Tenchi. Tenchi himself, who was still recovering from the shock of

someone sneaking up behind him, started to tremble violently. Ryoko

Inched closer to Tenchi, licking her lips seductively.

"That will be quite close enough, space pirate." Came a voice from the

opposite direction. Tenchi Didn't need to turn his head to know that

it was Ayeka, but he did it anyway, to try and take his mind off of the

woman who was no less than six centimeters away from him.

She was standing here, eyeing Ryoko dangerously. There seemed to be an

aura of seriousness and distaste in her expression, making it painfully

clear what she thought of what she was looking at.

"You will release Tenchisama this instant, you wicked creature." Spat

Ayeka, marching toward the two at a frightening rate.

"Hah!" Smirked Ryoko, cocking her eyebrow defiantly and grabbing a hold

of one of Tenchi's wrists. "Never! Tenchi is mine!"

"No!" Yelled Ayeka, grabbing Tenchi's other wrist. "He is mine!"

"Hands off, Ayeka, He's mine!"

"He is MINE! He dispises you, and you know it!"

Meanwhile Tenchi was in the middle of the two, being torn back and

forth as if he was a plaything that two sisters were arguing over.

*What the hell did I do to deserve this?* Tenchi thought in misery *Did

I kill someone in a pervious life?*

In desperation, he yelled, suddenly.

"DAAAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!! What do you think you are doing?"

Both of the girls let go of Tenchi's wrists temporarily and glanced

around the room, looking for any sign of Noboyuki, a video camera, a

still camera, anything that might be even remotely associated with him

that they could tear to smithereens.

"That's weird." Said Ryoko, confused.

"I Don't see your father anywhere, Tenchis...." Said Ayeka, glancing

back at Tenchi.

But to both of their astonishment, Tenchi was no longer there. He had

ran down a corridoer as fast as his feet could carry him. Enraged, the

girls split up and started searching the maze for their beloved.

Tenchi, meanwhile, was dodging his way throughout the maze, picking

directions at random, hoping that he Wouldn't come face to face with

one of the girls. He kept hearing the girls calling his name, "Tenchi!

Tenchi!" But he kept running, hoping that he could get out of this maze

in time before he got caught.

He turned another corner. And suddenly, Ryoko appeared in front of him

out of thin air. She grined maniacly. Frantically, Tenchi dodged back

around the corner, only to find Ayeka, with the same evil grin on her

face.

He was trapped.

He backed himself into the corner and sat down, covering his head with

his arms. He slowly heard them approach, and when he dared to look up

again, he found both girls, staring directly at him. But something was

scaring him even more that usual. They both had an evil, twisted

expression on their face that Didn't quite look like either of them.

Tenchi shook in fear, thinking of all the possibilities of what could

happen next. He dreaded every single one of them.

But what happened next truly scared the hell out of him.

Almost instantaniously, both girls grabbed for him, gripped his arms,

and tore him into two bloody pieces. Tenchi screamed in agony...

- = = = = -

All of the sudden, Tenchi woke with a noticable start. His eyes were

wide with fear, but as he realized that he had only been dreaming, and

that he was still in his own room, and nothing had happened, he calmed

down a bit. He glancedat his watch, pressing a button on it with his

other hand. As his tired eyes began to focus on the watch, the time

10:00 pm clearly made themselves visible on the digital indeglo

display.

Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up and glanced out the window. The

Moon was shining bright outside. Other than that, it was hard to see.

The night cast a dark blue light over Tenchi's room, except for the

places where the moon reflected its rays.

It was at this point that his slowly awakening mind send him impulses

of dull pain, still coming from his fist. Tenchi glanced down at it.

It had stopped bleeding, but he knew he would be sore for days. He

Wondered what his grandfather would say about such a thing.

Gradually, Tenchi lay his head back down on the pillow. He tried to

get back to sleep. But for some odd reason, he Couldn't. He hated

when this happened. He would wake up from a dream, and then he would

be unable to get back to sleep. This would only make him more tired

the next day. With a sigh, Tenchi though back to his dream...

His dad, who took him and thrust him into the two girls hands...

Ryoko and Ayeka, chasing him throughout the maze until they found him

and tore him in two...

That woman, calling out to him...

That woman...

Tenchi slowly sat up in his bed and carefully took something off his

nightstand which he kept by his bed. He then held the object up to

the moonlight.

It was a photograph in a picture frame. Tenchi tilted the frame until

he could clearly see the photograph itself. Squinting his eyes, Tenchi

finally was able to see clearly the contents of the photograph, a young

woman. Although the colors had faded noticably, and it was hard to

tell colors apart in the dark, Tenchi was able to see the flowing blue

hair, the pale complexion, the garmet that she was wearing...

Tenchi shifted the frame once more until the moon reflected off of the

copper plate that was below the photograph, embeded in the picture

frame itself. With some effort, Tenchi could make the words

"Achika Masaki" embeded into the shiny metal.

Usually when he saw this picture it gave Tenchi warm feelings. But

Now, a bittersweet feeling was associated with the photograph.

Tenchi blinked several times and a single tear rolled down his cheek,

leaving a warm trail of wetness in its path.

"Mother..." He moaned quietly to himself.

Tenchi leaned his back up against the head of the bed with a sigh.

suddenly realizing that his dream was only an exaggeration of things

that were troubling him in real life. To think that he had been so

content on the way home...

With a sigh, he slowly stood up. He had to get some fresh air. Maybe

A walk would take his mind off of these troubles. It probably

Wouldn't, but it might make him feel better. He silently walked over

to his closet and found and put on a fresh kimono. He took a pair of

sandles, and walked over to his door. He pressed his ear up against

the door.

Sileence. Good.

With that, quietly opened his door.

The hallway was completely dark. Evidently, everyone had long gone to

bed. So far so good, all he had to do was sneak out of the house

without waking anyone up. Quietly, he tiptoed down the hall, down the

stairs, and out the side door, pressing his body up against the door so

it Wouldn't make a sound as he opened and closed it.

But he Wasn't quiet enough.

Sleeping in the rafters, Ryoko shifted slightly and slowly opened her

eyes. At first, she could see nothing. But slowly, ever so slowly,

her eyes adjusted to the dark night.

All of the sudden, she heard a door shut. It was quiet, almost too

quiet for Ryoko to hear it. But she did, and almost on instinct she,

teleported down from the rafters into one of the shadows below.

Ryoko held her breath as her keen eyes disected the room for a quick

second. Seeing nothing, she sighed heavily.

Then, all of the sudden, she saw something move, out of the corner of

her eye.

But it Wasn't coming from inside. Ryoko glanced out the window and

squinted her eyes. The movement.... It was coming from across the

yard outside the house. It was...walking...yes this definitely a

human...walking toward...Ryoko glanced past the figure to focus on

where the figure was apparently headed...the Masaki shrine.

Still, it was hard to tell *who* it was, even though it was a moonlit

night. Ryoko silently teleported outside, into a shadow made by the

house. Being such a bright night, she Didn't want to be seen,

especially if it was an intruder. Not that one could have *harmed* her

in any way, but Ryoko's curiosity was piqued by the fact that this

person was headed for...

Suddenly, she recognized the figure. Ryoko gasped in recognition and

almost out of instinct, she teleported in front of him.

"Tenchi!"

- = = = = -

The rest of the Masaki house was quiet. Noboyuki had collapsed on his

bed, exhausted by a hard days work. Washu was sleeping peacefully in

her lab, which was kind of odd, since sleeping was something Washu

rarely did. But she had nothing pressing at the moment, so she decided

to get a few hours of shuteye. Mihoshi happened to be awake, but she

was on patrol at the moment, something she really Didn't like, since it

meant that she had to be away from the Masaki household, but it was

required if she was to keep her job.

But something was happening in the house. Mainly in the room where

Ayeka and Sasami slept. The room was dark. But little Sasami was

tossing and turning in her sleep. She was having another nightmare,

one much like the ones she had every night.

In these nightmares she had been having recently, he had been laying

wounded, and Tenchi had been there to help her up. But before he could

reach out to her, he would be consumed and taken by a large hand, and

Sasami could only watch helplessly as a...person?...Whom she did not

recognize would take Tenchi, and as a result, cause massive widespread

destruction. But Sasami never figured out what they could mean. She

Softly cried out in her sleep.

Ayeka woke with a start. She glanced around the room in fright, her

eyes scanning the room for an intruder. Seeing none, she laid her head

back down on her pillow, and tried to go back to sleep.

*Must have been Sasami again.* Ayeka thought to herself. *My poor

sister...she has nightmares almost every night...*

Suddenly, she heard another noise. A voice, rather.

Coming from outside...

Sleepily, Ayeka slowly got up and tip toed over to the window in her

room and glanced at where the voices were coming from.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she at first could not see

anything, save for the dim light coming from the full moon. But now

she was certain that she heard the two voices, as her senses were

slowly awakening. She looked in the general direction of the noise.

Still nothing. Then she saw it. Or more specificly, them. The

Moonlight clearly highlighted the two figures, and Ayeka squinted

her eyes for a better look.

Suddenly, she gasped in recognition.

*It's Lord Tenchi! What in the world is he doing outside at this time

of night?*

And the other...

*Oh my...it's that....devil woman...*

Suddenly, Ayeka froze. But before Ayeka could act on her instinct to

run out of the room, out of the house, and beat the living crap out of

her advasery, she heard them talking. Curious, Ayeka listened to what

they were saying.

"...And I Don't *CARE* about how scared you were. You have got to stop

appearing out of nowhere and scaring the *hell* out of me!"

"But Tenchi..." Responded Ryoko.

"I came out here to get some uninterrupted peace and quiet, and here

you are, just appearing out of thin air, trying to find out why I'm so

mad."

Ryoko opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but before she

could, Tenchi cut her off and continued to lecture, this time a lot

louder.

"I'll tell you what's wrong! You and Ayeka constantly bickering and

fighting over me! Do you know how close you two might have come to

*killing me? Did that *ever* occur to you that I might have been

crushed by a piece of debris, or a carelessly thrown fireball, or any

number of things? Not to mention the other people in the house! Did

It ever occur to you? Did it?"

Ryoko was speechless.

"This is worse than when Sasami came into my room, crying, because she

was having a bad dream and she Couldn't go to either of you for comfort

because you two were duking it out! You two haven't changed a bit! So

Just go away!"

"Tenchi..."

"I SAID..." Yelled Tenchi, but then stopped when he noticed the

expression on Ryoko's face.

Ryoko face was not even Ryoko's anymore, but instead that of a

hollow emptyness, that Didn't look like her at all. A reflection

of the moonlight caught a tear that was slowly trickeling down her

face, and another followed it, and another...

*Tears?*

Tenchi's mind suddenly went over what he had just said. And the

force of his own words sent shivers through his spine, crushing him

like a human in the middle of a collapsing building.

Tenchi's heart sank to his stomach. He Couldn't put his finger on what

he had said, but he knew he had done Ryoko a great wrong. No one

deserved to be screamed at like that. His mind raced at a million

miles an hour, trying to find the right words to remedy what he had

done. But his mind drew a blank.

He was now so ashamed of himself that he couldn't bring himself to look

Ryoko in the face any longer. In shame, he hung his head, and slowly

walked past her, toward the forest leading to the Masaki Shrine.

Suddenly, something came to him. Turning his head over his shoulder

he spoke to Ryoko.

"Ryoko...I...."

But Ryoko Wasn't there anymore.

With guilt painfully tugging at his heart, he slowly turned around

and disappeared into the forst.

All while this was going on, Ayeka had been watching the whole scene

with a look of fright. Not even stopping to think about the possible

consequences of what might happen if she was found, she tied her obi

around the kimono she was wearing and tip toed to the door of the room

with a resolve firmly set in her mind.

*Something is not right. I must follow him and figure out what is

wrong.*

She quietly took a pair of slippers in her hand, and slowly slid

open the door. She shut it behind her, and paused, to make sure that

Sasami was still asleep. Confidant that she had not woken anyone up,

she tiptoed down the stairs, and across the living room to the door,

trying her best not so make a sound.

In her panic, she was unsuccessful, but no one heard her.

Quietly, she stepped outside, closing the door silently behind her.

She then put on her sandles and crept, although at a good pace, toward

the edge of the forest. Looking around to make sure that everything

was still sound, she ran into the forest. It was dark, but she knew

the path reasonably well, and thus emerged from the other side, at the

foot of the long stairway to the Masaki shrine.

It was at this point when she stopped, and contemplated venturing

further.

Should she risk being seen by Tenchi? Especially after the way he

had yelled at Ryoko?

Now that she was fully awake and aware, she started second-guessing

herself. Her quiet and demere side was yelling at her to run away back

to the house and get back under her futon and get some sleep. But from

within her, an even louder voice was disturbing her.

*Something is difinitely not right. Tenchisama is *never* up at this

hour. And he was yelling at Ryoko, as well.*

For a moment, a brief smile of satisfaction crossed Ayeka's lips. But

Just as suddenly, it was banished.

*Don't be silly. You know very well that Tenchi would never yell at

anyone.*

*Well, you said so yourself that Tenchi dispised Ryoko.* said a voice

of reason inside Ayeka.

*I really Didn't mean it that way. I was just trying to drive home a

point. Ryoko should not be invading Tenchi-sama's privacy, especially

in that vile manner.*

*So you are saying that Tenchi likes Ryoko?*

For a moment, Ayeka considered following that scary train of thought.

But she came to her senses. Tenchi was growing more distant by the

second, and if Ayeka had any hope of finding out what was wrong, if

indeed anything was wrong, she would have to make a decision quickly.

The two voices in her continued, each desperately trying to win favor..

Meanwhile, Tenchi was a good ways ahead of Ayeka, deep in thought,

walking slowly up the steps to the Masaki Shrine. He took his time,

slowly going up one step at a time, gazing down at the steps which

glowed softly illuminated by the moon, lost in thought. He had no clue

why he chose to go this way, except possibly the silhouetted scenery on

the way. He had no need to visit his grandfather right now. But those

thoughts were driven out by his mind returning to the events that

evening.

His mind was on what had just happened, just a few minutes ago. He

Sighed in disappointment. He wished that he Hadn't yelled at Ryoko.

But still, why did she and Ayeka always have to be arguing over one

thing or another? This little skirmish of theirs was getting worse

every time they fought. Tonight, Tenchi could have easily been killed,

and yet Ryoko just nonchalantly floated up to him acting like...

Like...

Tenchi paused, but continued his pace up the steps to the shrine.

He Couldn't quite put his finger on what disturbed him about Ryoko.

Perhaps it was how she treated everything as a game...

Everything? Well, from what he had heard afterwords, she had been

hellbent on killing Kagato after he had been presumed dead at Kagato's

hand.

Maybe it was how she lusted for him, chasing him down, putting him in

awkward positions...

Lusted? After what he had heard Zero's words, which were just a

reflection of Ryoko's true feelings? Those were true feelings, not

just an infatuation.

Tenchi shook his head. He wished that he would stop trying to find

fault with Ryoko. Ryoko, in spite of being made of that...stuff...

That Washu had created Ryoko out of, was still very much human. She

Had her faults, but so does everyone else. And she still had feelings

too.

Tenchi sighed. He wished he Hadn't yelled at her like that. Maybe if

she and Ayeka Hadn't almost destroyed the house earlier that day, he

would have reacted differently. But as things stood, he would have to

apologize to her in the morning. There Wasn't any other way that he

could do with a good mind. But she would have to apologize for the

damage she and Ayeka did...

Tenchi's mind drifted onto another train of thought in stride.

...Of course Ayeka would have to apologize for her part as well. She

Shouldn't have been fighting either

Tenchi reflected on that for a moment. It seemed so...*Odd* that such

a seemingly sweet person could get so angry. But looking back on the

times she was angry, none could come to mind without the cause of her

anger being Ryoko antagonizing her. Except for possibly the time

aboard Dr. Clay's ship, where Ayeka lashed out at Mihoshi, but honestly

Tenchi Couldn't blame her, or *anyone* for that matter, for doing that.

And to think that he, Tenchi Masaki, a normal earthling living an

ordinary life, could be a blood relative of Ayeka. But after a moment

of reflection, he could see where something like that might have come

from. After all, he *did* look a little like Ayeka, without too much

of a stretch of the imagination. And Ayeka *did* have a resemblance to

his mother, at least from the photograph...

Tenchi's train of thought was only broken by another tear, being jarred

down his face by his movement up the shrine steps.

His mother... She had just passed away when he was only a small child,

an infant. Just when he needed a mother most. And now, almost

thirteen years later, all he had left of her was that picture.

Tenchi sighed. No child should have to undergo such trauma.

He then tried to think back to when his mother was alive, but the

further back his memories took him, the blurrier they got until Tenchi

Couldn't remember hardly anything, around six years old. He sighed in

frustration. He Didn't even have a fond memory, heck, even a memory

*period*, of his mother. What was she like? Would she know what to

tell him about what to do about Ayeka and Ryoko if she had lived until

now? Was she the same as dad? Would dad have turned out the way he

did if his mother had stayed alive?

Tenchi groaned. It was so, *juvenile* what his father did, and what's

worse, he Didn't find anything wrong with it.

It was so embarrassing, having to live with a father like that, his

*father* no less. And that Wasn't the whole of it either. His father

was actually trying to influence him to do the same thing. It was a

good thing that Tenchi had some common sense, and Selfcontrol, or he

might have turned out to be a peeping-tom when he had gotten older.

And then there were these constant references to his insecurity around

women. Maybe he was, but was that any excuse to...

He paused. And this time, he stopped in his tracks.

Maybe he *was* insecure around women.

Tenchi walked over to and put his back up against a tree and cast his

head down.

Maybe that was his problem. Perhaps he should be a little more open,

a little more inviting. After all, there were plenty of women who had

some intrest in him. Should he...

Then, something stuck him.

Wasn't it painfully obvious? Those women who had an interest in him,

particularly two of them, would tear each other apart if he *did* show

any interest in *anyone* of the opposite sex. What he might say to one

girl might happen to be overheard by the other, and start a huge fight,

or at the very least, hurt the other's feelings. When there was a huge

fight, especially with Ayeka and Ryoko, there was much potential for

pain and suffering to those who were caught in the middle. And he

Couldn't stand to hurt any of their feelings, no matter *who* they

were.

No *wonder* he was afraid. He was walking a tightrope, trying to keep

everyone happy. But sooner or later, he knew that something would have

to give. And when it did, he knew he would be in a world of hurt that

even he Wouldn't know how to mend. Tenchi hung his head in dispear.

"Why the hell is my life so hectic.", he thought out loud. "My mom is

dead, my dad is a hentai, and I am trying to balance two women who I

Can't say anything to unless I want to risk starting a fight. I Don't

know if I can go on like this." He sighed.

"Tenchisama."

Tenchi nearly jumped out of his skin. Scrambling to his feet, he turned

and faced the direction from where the voice was coming from, poised in

a fighting stance. He shook considerably, but after realizing who it

might be, he prayed that it was who he thought it was.

"Wh...who is there?" He stammered.

A figure came out of the shadows. It Wasn't.

"It's only me, Tenchisama."

It took a moment to register who it was. When he did, he phacephaulted

and collapsed backwards onto the tree, sliding down it until he was

sitting down again. He let out his breath with a huge sigh.

Ayeka stood there, not moving.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." Said Ayeka, softly.

Something about Ayeka's tone of voice struck Tenchi as being odd. He

Slowly glanced up and saw Ayeka standing there. She was not in her

usual good posture, but slumping, rather. She had a frown on her face,

and her eyes drooped, although it was hard to tell if it was from sleep

or from sadness.

"Wh..what's wrong, Ayeka?" Asked Tenchi, finally able to get a grip on

himself.

"I thought I had heard an intruder in the house. I dismissed it at

first, but then I heard you and Ryoko outside, and so I got up and

looked out the window. I thought that something might not be right,

with the way you yelled like that... And so I followed you."

Tenchi's face almost lost color. To think that Ayeka, a person of such

moral character and high standards that she had obviously thought him to

be, could have seen him act in such a dispickable way. Even if it was

toward her worst enemy.

She hung her head in sadness. "I followed you all the way up here, and

saw you sit down by this tree. I Couldn't in good conscience leave you

here to suffer so much." She paused momentarily. "...And I think I see

now what is troubling you."

"How do you know..." He started to say, but all of the sudden,

something occurred to him. He gasped when he realized what he had done.

"Oh my god, did I yell *that* loud?"

"You did, Tenchisama." Said Ayeka. "I also heard you talking to

yourself just moments ago. And I now finally see what is troubling you

so much."

Tenchi's mind was a blur, trying to think of the implications of what

he said might be. But then, two more things dawned on him. First of

all, Ayeka had been following him all this time. Tenchi Wasn't sure

why, but this disturbed him somewhat. He usually expected that sort

of behavior out of Ryoko, or perhaps his father.

And then, Ayeka had just called him "Tenchisama", instead of a

respectful "Lord Tenchi" or a friendly "Tenchi". Not that he wanted

respect, but something about the way she said it...

Neather of them spoke for a moment. Tenchi sighed, letting the

atmosphere of the night calm his senses. Ayeka herself sighed and

spoke again.

"Your father is an embarrassment to you, and you wish Lady Achika was

alive. And as for us..."

She let that trail off for a minute as she collected her thoughts.

Tenchi couldn't help but smile faintly at the name of his mother,

especially when it was used in such an respectful way...

"You are trying to keep things civil by not saying anything to either

of us. You Don't think you can talk to one of us without the other

getting angry. So you shut both of us off. Is that it?"

Tenchi slowly nodded his head in the affirmative. He Wasn't a fool,

he knew what she meant by 'us'. Then, he spoke.

"Yes, sort of. But what I Don't understand is how you two can be so...

Violent." He paused. "Especially over me."

Ayeka slowly sat down next to Tenchi, with her back to the tree. She

Sighed.

"I Don't know... Tenchisama, It's just that..."

She paused. Silence filled the air, as Ayeka debated whether to

continue. She was afraid that if Tenchi knew...

Tenchi was looking at her expectantly.

*Go ahead. You know what he was thinking all along. Now, it is only

fair that you tell him your thoughts.* she reassured herself.

"It's just that I tried to think of Ryoko as demon." Ayeka continued.

"She came to my planet, and even though I know now that my Yosho left

of his own will and that Ryoko was under the influence of Kagato, I

thought that Ryoko had deliberately taken him. I am just scared that

that she will do the same thing...with you, too." She added, her eyes

starting to well up with tears.

Tenchi did not say anything for a moment. He Hadn't seen Ayeka this

depressed and morbid since the events following Ayeka's crash landing

on Earth. Tenchi thought about this for a moment, when all of the

sudden, something struck him.

The image of Ryoko's face after Tenchi had just yelled at her, with

tearsstarting to form in her eyes...

He slowly faded back to reality and found himself looking into the face

of Ayeka, tears slowly begining to move down her cheeks...

The image of Ryoko flashed before him again. And all of the sudden,

every shadow of a doubt that had said that Ryoko or Ayeka Didn't have

true feelings for him disappeared.

"I..I never knew you thought that way about me." Said Tenchi, finally.

"I always thought you just had an infatuation with me, or something

like that. Well, maybe not quite that way, but I never knew you cared

for me like that."

For a split second, Tenchi wondered if he had phrased that correctly,

to make sure that he had not hurt Ayeka's feelings. At this point,

Tenchi Couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone.

*Really?* a voice inside him rebutled. *What about what happened just

a few minutes ago?*

But before he could answer his own question, Ayeka spoke again.

"I did, Tenchisama. And after you almost got killed by that wicked

creature Kagato" said Ayeka, starting to sniffle. "...I was in

dispear, afraid that I might never see you again. But the thing that

scared me the most was...was..."

She was now in tears, although she was trying to hold them back.

Tenchi was staring at her, in anticipation. She finally got the

courage to continue.

"...When Ryoko was bent on killing Kagato over you. That is when I

realized that her apparent concern for you was more than an infatuation

or another trick to take yet another thing of mine. She really loved

you."

Tenchi arched his eyebrows in suprise. He had just realized that Ryoko

loved him, but Ayeka had just dropped another bombshell. She had known

that Ryoko had loved him all along. A million questions buzzed in his

mind, but they all came back to one fundamental question, which Tenchi

then asked.

"Then why..." Started Tenchi. But Ayeka answered his question before

he got all of it out.

"Because I was scared of losing you to her." Replied Ayeka.

"So all of those times..."

"I Didn't really mean them, Tenchisama."

Tenchi did not respond.

"And it scared me, Tenchisama, when I realized that looking back on

all of those times while you were trying to be seduced by Ryoko...she

Wasn't just trying to take you from me just to aggravate me. The only

reason I keep saying things like I said tonight was because...I was

scared..that she, somehow, might win your heart. And then you would

simply forget about me. I Wouldn't be able to live with myself it that

happened. I'm sorry, Tenchisama. I should not have mixed myself up

in your life."

And with that, she trust her head onto his shoulder and she held back

the tears no longer.

Tenchi, for a split second, thought about acting on his usual reaction,

which would be pulling his arm away from Ayeka in fright. After all,

he had never seen Ayeka like this, and Wasn't sure how to react. But

Instead, he thought about what Ayeka had said. Feelings and emotions

tore him apart as his conscience tried to piece this mess together

Gradually, Tenchi put a hand on Ayeka's shoulder. She suddenly stopped

crying and looked up at him. He was smiling softly.

"Don't be sorry, Ayeka. No one could ever predict that this would

happen. I'm sorry for not realizing how much you cared for me. Or

Ryoko, for that matter. It's just so hard for me, because I like both

of you, but it is just so hard to act like it. But things will work

themselves out, sooner or later. I know that I Couldn't stand to be

without either of you."

Tenchi held his breath, not knowing what the response would be...

A smile crossed Ayeka's face. Then she sighed.

"Thank you, Tenchisama."

*Whew* thought Tenchi to himself. He had finally been able to pull off

the impossible, explain his true feelings without managing to hurt

anyone feelings.

Breifly, the dark shadow of doubt crept over him.

*What about Ryoko? How will you explain these emotions to Ryoko? She

Might not ever look at you again after the way you treated her

tonight.*

*Don't worry.* he reassured himself. *I have said it to Ayeka, and

now there is no one's feelings to hurt. And I'm sure she would be

greatful for anything I say to reassure her that I still like her.*

*What if she finds out that she is not the only one?*

*Well, sadly, she will have to realize that. Ayeka did.*

Ayeka softly closed her eyes, still in Tenchi's arms. Tenchi just held

her there, Contently, as if holding a sleeping child. He looked up at

the moon, broken only by the leaves of the trees. He had looked up at

the moon, once before while he was in his room, but he had taken no

special notice at it.

Now, it seemed to smile back at him, seeming to have an inner peace

that very few monks would ever have in their lifetimes.

Tenchi looked back down at Ayeka, who was still in his arms. She was

asleep, but if you looked closely, you might have seen the moon in her

face, for she was smiling as Contently as that bright object in

question.

He wanted to bathe in that moment for eternity. Everything seemed so

calm, as opposed to his hectic-as-hell life that he normally lived.

But gradually, the need for rest planted itself in his mind. With a

sigh, he gently started to joggle Ayeka gently, as to wake her up.

"Come on, Ayeka, It's time to get back to the house." Said Tenchi,

softly.

There was no response.

"Ayeka?"

Tenchi could see Ayeka's eyelid twitch ever so slightly.

"Hmmmm...?" Said Ayeka, dreamily opening her eyes, just enough to

see the smiling face of Tenchi, gently illuminated by the cool light of

the moon, looking down on her.

"Come on Ayeka, It's time to go back to the house." Said Tenchi,

shifting his body position slightly so Ayeka could right herself off

of him.

"OK, Tenchisama." Ayeka said, slowly staggering up from the ground.

Propping himself up against the tree, Tenchi righted himself. Ayeka

Took a step or two, but it was quickly apparent that she was too

drowsy to walk on her own.

"Here, let me help you." Said Tenchi, walking up beside Ayeka and

letting her prop her arm around him for support.

"Thank you, Tenchisama." Added Ayeka.

- = = = = -

After Tenchi had yelled at her, Ryoko had just stood there. She had

never seen Tenchi act this way toward her, hell toward *anyone*. But

Seeing as her presence was not wanted by Tenchi, she had left him

there. Indeed, if she had stayed there, she would have doubtless felt

better once Tenchi apologized to her. But alas, she had left before

he had the chance.

Her destination was one where she always went to when she wanted to be

alone and undisturbed, the roof of the Masaki house. Ryoko never

wondered why she chose that particular place to go, it just suited her.

That difinitely Wasn't on her mind when she materialized on top of the

roof and put her face in her hands, where she cried uncontrollably, her

emotions spilling over like a waterfall that had been formed after a

dam burst.

She continued in this vein for a few minutes, until her crying had

subsided to a whimper, then to a sniffle. Gradually, she regained

some of her normal thought processes. When she realized what she had

just done, she shivered. In the back of her mind, it scared her to

think that merging with Zero had made her emotions that much stronger.

Which made it that much more painful when...

"Tenchi..." She cooed to herself, softly, in between sniffles.

She still Couldn't believe that Tenchi had yelled at her like that.

That was *difinitely* not the gentile, kind young boy she had seen,

and the shy and outgoing young man he had turned into. She buried her

face back in her arms.

"Tenchi..." She moaned, softly. "What did I do to you..."

And at that moment, her mind started going over what Tenchi had said.

Not the tone of voice. That would not have helped anything, and would

most likely plunge her further into dispear. Instead, she blocked out

the tone, and focused on what he had said, instead. It was really

hard, but gradually her mind began to gather bits and pieces back from

the conversation...

*You have got to stop appearing out of nowhere and scaring the *hell*

out of me!*

Ryoko sighed in dispear. She had snuck up on him several times in the

past, but she had never gotten the feeling that he hated it so much.

Teleportation was her primary way of getting around, and so she might

have accidently snuck up on him a time or two. But all the other

times, she had just been playing with Tenchi. She Didn't mean any harm

by it.

Her mind was still racing at a million miles an hour, but it managed

to grab another piece of the conversation. And this time, she almost

came ot the point of screaming again.



*I'll tell you what's wrong! You and Ayeka constantly bickering and

fighting over me! Do you know how close you two might have come to

*killing* me?*

A chill ran over Ryoko's body as she realized how right Tenchi was.

When she was battling out with Ayeka, she never took anyone elses

safety into consideration. Her mind went in multiple directions at

once as she asked herself questions. What if she had killed Tenchi?

Or what if she had made the house collapse and kill everyone inside?

What if she had let her anger get carried away too much and kill

Ayeka?

*This is worse than when Sasami came into my room, crying, because she

was having a bad dream and she Couldn't go to either of you for comfort

because you two were duking it out! You two haven't changed a bit!*

Ryoko shuddered as she realized how true that statement was. She had

been ashamed at herself for overlooking Sasami like that, even if it

*was* Ayeka's sister. Sasami was the only one who gave a damn about

her in the household, and she had overlooked her. And to think that

maybe being dumped unceremoniously into the lake would get them to

become ashamed of themselves, and she and Ayeka would never fight

again.

Ryoko stifled a weak chuckle, in spite of herself. Things never seem

to end in a fairy tale fashion. And now, her dream of being the love

of Tenchi's life was shattered into a million pieces just because she

had been heavy-handed. Ryoko Couldn't stand it, how much hurt she now

realized she had inflicted on him...

Suddenly, she heard a soft *crackle*. It was a soft crackle, almost

too soft for a normal human to hear it. But Ryoko heard it, and almost

on reflex, she teleported to the ground.

That crackle meant that something was moving. Ryoko listened carefully

one more only to confirm the sound of footfalls coming from the

direction of the shrine. She steeled herself, for she knew that the

footsteps could only mean one thing, that Tenchi was returning from the

shrine.

*This is it!* Ryoko told herself *I have to apologize to Tenchi right

here and now, or otherwise, I might...loose him forever.*

She shuddered at that last thought. Would he accept her apology?

Would he even speak to her? She silently prayed to kamisama that he

would forgive her, and had not already shut out his heart to her

completely.

Finally, she saw Tenchi coming out of the shadows made by the trees,

and into the full moonlight.

And with that, Ryoko's heart quivered for a moment before falling off

its pedestal and dropping to the floor, shattering into a million

pieces. And it was for this one simple fact:

Tenchi Wasn't alone.

He was standing there. With Ayeka by his side. And a smile on his

face. It was as if someone had hit a panic button on the back of

Ryoko neck.

*Oh no...* Ryoko thought miserably to herself. *He was....alone...in

the woods....with Ayeka....and he doesn't even look upset....no...he

Couldn't have chosen her...just Couldn't have....he Wouldn't have...*

"Ryoko!" Tenchi said with delight as he advanced on Ryoko. But the

tone of delight was lost to Ryoko as her mind was swimming in a

wretched pool of her sorrow. She was still repeating to herself:

*No, he Couldn't have chosen...he Wouldn't have...he Couldn't*

Suddenly, from the depths of her intelect, logic pieced itself together

and formed a single phrase, so blatant that even the densest people

Couldn't have ignored it.

*He did.*

"Tenchi..." Was the last thing she whimpered before her soul felt

itself completely crushed with weight of hopelessness. Almost unable

to bear it, she took a step backword and vanished.

Tenchi, who had been running toward the place where Ryoko had been

standing only moments ago, abruptly came to a halt. He blinked a

few times, to make sure that his vision had not been failing him.

*Huh?* he thought to himself. *I could have sworn that I had just

seen Ryoko standing right in front of me...*

Could that have been fake? Maybe he was so tired that he had...

No..he saw her clearly. She was there. And she even said something

before she...just vanished. Tenchi began to sink deep into thought.

She was usually quite eager to see him. And especially after he had

yelled at her like that...wouldn't she be willing to hear an apology?

Wouldn't she?

Well, maybe he *had* been a little harsh with Ryoko...

Suddenly, something caught Tenchi's eye. Quickly, he glanced over in

the direction of the thing in question, hoping that it was Ryoko.

There was nothing there. But in his mind's eye, Tenchi could see

something there, a creation of nothing but his conciousness...

A shadow...a shadow of a woman that had once been standing in front of

him...the only part that he could clearly make out were her eyes...her

amber eyes....and a small reflection of moonlight on something...

Tenchi gasped...

*...A reflection of the moonlight caught a tear that was slowly

trickeling down her face, and another followed it, and another...*

Suddenly, Tenchi faded back to reality, and found that he was looking

out over the dark blue lake, the reflection of the moonlight dancing

upon its surface.

The shadow was gone. But the triggered memory was not.

He knew that he had hurt her feelings. No question of that.

Otherwise, why would she had disappeared the first time. But the

second time....

*You two haven't changed a bit! So just go away!* he had yelled, earlier

that night.

Was she still hurt? Why else would she have run away?

Suddenly Tenchi's guilt started to punch him in the chest, a far worse

agony than any physical pain.

*WHAM*

Was she running away from him? Well, he *had* told her to go away...

*WHAM*

Tenchi clenched his teeth, trying to bear the sudden emotional

onslaught. He was fighting a losing battle.

Was she scared of him? Probably. After all, who Wouldn't be scared of

someone else who just emotionally stabbed you in the heart?

*WHAM*

Tenchi's breaths started to come in short gasps as his emotions started

to get the better of him.

Could it be that she had given up on him?

Given up...

*WHAM*

Given up? What was there to convince her otherwise? He had hardly

ever shown any affection to Ryoko *before* the incident tonight. Had

Ryoko been doubtful that he had ever loved her? What reason did she

have to think he did? He had never *told* her!

Not once!

And now that he had yelled at her...what reason did she have to

believe that he even *liked* her? He had just tossed her heart,

knowingly or not, around like a plaything. And finally....tonight...

He had...he had....broken it....

*WHAM*

Tenchi uttered a barely audiabe cry as his knees failed him, his

analytical mind breaking down as his emotional mind took over. The

Reassurance he had about Ryoko only a few minutes before now seemed

like a distant memory.

Women had always been a precious commodity to him, knowingly or not.

His mother died when he was young. And until recently, he had never

been around women who had any intrest in him. He had never had a

relationship before with a woman that was beyond friendship.

Then the opportunity had been thrust in his lap.

And he had blown it.

Tenchi shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. And a tear....one

of the first tears Tenchi had shed in a long time...slowly trickled

down his cheek

*What kind of fool am I?* mused Tenchi, bitterly. *I never had the

courage to admit my feelings because I was always afraid of a fight.

But I ended up hurting both of them instead. And now I might have...

Lost one of them.....How will I ever have a clear conscience for the

rest of my life?*

Another tear punctuated his thoughts as he sat on the ground in grief.

"Tenchisama?" Came a voice...a comforting...yet sad...voice from

beside him. It was then that Tenchi realized that there was a soft

hand resting gently on his shoulder. Tenchi did not stir.

"Tenchisama?" She repeated.

"Aechan!" Tenchi sputtered, quite depressed and using all of his

might to prevent himself from crying.

Ayeka gasped. "Ae-....chan?"

"Yes." Tenchi said. "I'm in love with you, Ayeka."

Ayeka was obviously taken quite ashack by this turn of events. She

Waited, however, to hear more.

"Yeah. No more fooling around." Replied Tenchi. "I Wasn't stupid, I

knew that you and Ryoko had feelings for me. And I just ran, scared

of not only getting you guys angry, but scared of love period."

Ayeka was silent. Tenchi continued.

"I Didn't want to deal with love. I Didn't think I could handle it.

And now, here I am, finally admiting that I Can't stand to leave you."

Ayeka did not respond verbally. In her screaming mind, however, Ayeka

was able to feel her heart beat just a little faster.

"What kills me though is that I love Ryoko too." Tench continued,

bitterly. "And I think I screwed it up with her in ways I Didn't know

I could screw up. How the hell could I be so stupid?"

Ayeka stood there, still trying to sort out what Tenchi had just

said. His collapse had totally caught her off guard. At first, it

frightened her, as Tenchi had been acting so unlike himself that night.

But now...after taking in everything Tenchi had said...she started

to understand...

How someone who tried to keep peace by keeping quiet, but finally

collapsed under the weight of the skirmishes and his own feelings felt.

How someone who had denied his own feelings for so long, and only now

had just been honest with himself and those around him felt.

How a desperate person, who made a mistake and doesn't want to make the

same mistake again, felt.

There was no doubt in her mind that he loved her now. But could she

accept Ryoko as well? Someone who had made her life so miserable and

who loved the very same person she did?

Suddenly, a memory came flashing back to her. The fire...the flames...

The destruction. But most of all, the person...her brother...who left

her, never to surface again until it was too late...

No one should go through the agony of being separated from the ones

they truely love and care about.

"I understand, Tenchan." She said.

"Wh....what?" Said Tenchi, still on his knees but slowly turning to

face Ayeka. Ayeka reached down and gently grabbed his shoulder,

helping him to his feet. As she did, Tenchi slowly turned to face her

and started to clench onto her as if she was a vital piece of his

heart. Which she was.

"If I lost you, it would be the end of me. And as much as I hate to

admit it....I would do anything to stay with you." Said Ayeka.

"Ayeka...don't feel like you have to lower yourself to that...you Don't

have to..." Said Tenchi.

"I Couldn't be cruel enough to deny someone of the one person they

truely loved." Stated Ayeka, passionately, almost about to cry herself.

"I love you, Tenchan, and would rather die than be without you."

"But why? All I ever did was play with your emotions." Replied Tenchi.

"You said so yourself that you were afraid of love." Ayeka consoled.

"Ten--chan, I was in love too. And it hurt too. But I Wouldn't have

taken my choice to love back for anything in the eight systems."

His emotions finally getting the better of him, Tenchi started to tear

up.

"Please Don't be sad." Ayeka pleaded, moving one of her hands further

up on his shoulder, and using the other to slowly draw away a tear that

was streaming across Tenchi's face.

"It's joy, Ayeka." Tenchi reassured her, moving his hands to her

shoulders.

Ayeka's hand drifted away from his face and cradled his chin. They

Looked into each others eyes, and each saw a Burdon, a piece of

unfinished busindess, something that only one thing could remedy.

They drew close, until they could feel each others breath on their

faces, a warmth in an otherwise chilly night. Each knew what was

inevitable, and in an instant, the inevitable finally happened as their

lips met.

The kiss. In the tears and emotions that followed, the Burdon that

both Ayeka and Tenchi had been carrying that started the moment that

they met was lifted.

Gradually, they broke the kiss. Never had so much been lifted from

their hearts at once. It was at that moment that they both felt

something that they had experienced only once or twice before in their

lives before. It was an impossible feeling to describe exactly, but

if you had asked either of them to describe their feelings, they would

have both said something to the effect of "Happiness, with a touch of

bliss."

Unfortunately, as they held each other in their embrace, there was

still an unresolved thorn in the back of Tenchi's mind. Looking past

Ayeka - for only a moment - he once again saw the lake, the pale moon

still dancing on the surface.

*I will not let you leave me, Ryoko.* Tenchi resolved to himself. *I

Pray that I find you in the morning, safe and sound...and if not...I

swear I will find you....I swear...*

And once again, he surrendered himself to total bliss, standing with

Ayeka...his Ayeka...under the moonlit sky.

- = CONTACT INFO = -

Comments and Constructive Criticism can be sent to:

Email: alexmayfield@carolina.rr.com

AIM: AlexMax2742

Flames and Legal Threats can be sent to:

DOS: NULL

Windows 9x: Recycle Bin

Linux: /dev/null

Mac OS: Trash Can

Windows XP: Just run Internet Explorer. That'll do the trick.

- = LEGAL INFO = -

I DO NOT own Tenchi Muyo! or anything associated with it.

I DO own the text copyright to this material.

(C) 2002 Alex Mayfield

- = COMMING SOON = -

Starlight: Special Edition

Bounty Hunter (Working Title)

Sunlight: The sequel to Moonlight (Working Title)