Mistress-Ryoko
Of Dreams and Reality
Tenchi is back in the present after his time spent with Haruna, but is everything back to the way it used to be? Writers first fic.
Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and all other characters pertaining to TM! are not mine. They belong to Pioneer and other subsidiaries. I'm just borrowing them for the sake of this fic. So please, don't sue me. However, this particular work is my own, so if you feel that you must copy it (for MST or otherwise) please give credit where credit is due.
!!!WARNING!!!
This FanFic may contain some adult content as well as vulgar language. So if you are under the legal age to view such material, Please do NOT read on!!
This is my first multi-chapter fic, so I hope you enjoy---
Of Dreams and Reality
Chapter 1
"Normalcy Is Relative"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It was well into the autumn season at the Masaki shrine. Beautiful hues of now amber and russett leaves littered the all too shortly lived green valley floor and the wind that once carried the song of finches and sparrows now bit with the soon to be winter's frost. It had been three weeks since Tenchi had returned from the dream world he had called home for a little over half of the year, and yet on the outside nature had continued on like nothing had happened.
It was Noboyuki and Katsuhito who came up with the idea of telling the police that the boy had simply run off with a strange female he had just met, and nothing more than that. It wasn't exactly a fabricated story, but who would believe the truth: a young lady's spirit emerging from a camilia tree, stealing a young Tenchi Masaki into a world of fantasy?
Surprisingly, everyone accepted the explanation that was given, and life went on for those truely unaware of the strange events that had occured. But life wasn't exactly back to normal for those who had experienced it first hand. Although Tenchi and the rest of the Masaki household seemed pretty much the same as before, something had changed.
Tenchi sat at the desk in his small, modest room. In front of him were what seemed like an endless sea of textbooks, work that he had to make up when he wasn't around at the start of the new school year. Unfortunately, this fine young man was too preoccupied to take care of his academic responsibilities. His mind was filled with the time he spent with Haruna, caught in a world that really never existed at all. Even if it wasn't real to everyone else, it was certainly real to him; the warmth of the sunlight as it filtered through their apartment window, the sound of the rain pelting the sidewalk as he rushed home after class, the taste of her skin as the moonlight washed over them in the darkness... it was all too real to simply be a dream.
Tenchi dropped his pen onto the clean pages of his open notebook and rubbed his eyes, trying to forget the thoughts swimming around in his head, but there they were, all too fresh in his memory. He contemplated how this unique encounter had changed his life. He no longer thought of himself as a meek and feeble teenage boy, but rather a more confident and calmer young man.
And it wasn't just himself that changed, he noticed how almost overnight the whole Aeka/Ryoko saga had changed as well. No longer did Aeka and Ryoko blow holes the the size of idustrial satelite dishes in his home, that was now more of a concern reserved for one of Washu's experiments rather than competition. They seemed to have more respect and understanding for one another. Of coarse they still had their fights, but they were more like disagreements and usually resolved themselves without much property or bodily damage.
And yet, he felt this was just a facade, that underneath existed a storm of emotions for both of them, and that one spark would blow the works sky high. Still, he had to have faith that they had come to terms with all that had happened and had adjusted accordingly, much like they had done in the past.
Tenchi was too wrapped up in his own ponderings to notice Ryo-Ohki had phased through the door and quietly crept over to his chair. The little brown creature sat there and looked at him with concerned eyes, and with some hesitation, slowly inched closer to his feet and made a small mewing noise, like a cat that wanted to be cuddled by its owner.
Snapped out of his daze, Tenchi looked down to see Ryo-Ohki by his feet, and with gentle hands, picked her up.
"Hello Ryo-ohki, how long have you been here?" he questioned the cabbit, not really expecting a response that he could understand. Instead, he smiled as she nuzzled against his house coat as he held her close.
"I think it's about time to take a break anyway," he said to himself as he averted his gaze to the clock on the corner of his desk. It was almost noon, and that meant that someone would be coming to get him for lunch.
Just at that precise moment, a light rapping came from the other side of the door.
Meanwhile
The afternoon sun shone brightly through the livingroom windows, causing the hardwood floors of the cozy abode to shine like a golden passageway, offering some comfort from the cool weather outside.
Ryoko sat atop her favorite beam in the house overlooking the living room, bathing in the warmth of the light when Aeka walked by, passing by Mihoshi snoozing away on the living room sofa, carrying an armful of dishes to the dinning area.
"Don't you just love Saturdays, Princess? Nothing to do except relax and watch TV."
Aeka sighed and shook her head at the former pirate's words. She had learned to accept her arch rival's ways, but it still didn't make it any easier to deal with her lazyness.
Still, she had to admire Ryoko for both her strength and brutal honesty. She was a creature who would not be tamed by anyone, a free spirit that would never be caged again. During their travels in search of Tenchi, she learned more about Ryoko in six months than she had in the previous two years. It was funny how things turned out when you least expected it.
Not wanting her thoughts to be known, Aeka turned around and looked up at the pirate, who was still lounging on the beam. It wouldn't do for anyone to suspect that she actually had respect for the former criminal. Aeka simply wasn't ready such a dramatic shift in their relationship just yet.
"Miss Ryoko, since you are doing absolutely nothing, why don't you come down here and help me set the table."
Ryoko looked up at the ceiling, her finger to her chin, as if considering the request, "I don't know, princess. Let me check my busy schedule..."
She loved trying to get Aeka riled up, it was in her opinion to be one of her favorite past time activities, right up there with drinking sake and being around Tenchi. However, still not comfortable with the idea that she was so different from everyone else in the house, Ryoko decided that she would continue her playtime after lunch. A quick sarcastic remark was all that was needed to satisfy her for the moment, and with the sound of displaced air particles, she phased out and reappeared next to Aeka.
Just as Ryoko began to take her seat at the table (instead of helping Aeka), Mihoshi, wiping away the signs of sleep from her eyes, approached the two women. The tell tale design of her sweater sleeve as well as thin wisps of her curly golden hair were plastered on her cheeks as she spoke.
"Did I hear someone say that lunch was ready?"
"Wow Mihoshi, we were beginning to think that you had died. You haven't moved from that spot since breakfast." crooned Ryoko
"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Ryoko..." came Aeka's retort, still trying to keep her composure while placing the chopsticks next to the dinnerware.
Ryoko and Mihoshi both gave quizical stares, a testiment to their knowledge of Earthly phrases, or the lack there of in this case.
"But Aeka, this house is made of wood, not glass, unless you're talking about the windows..."
"Never mind..." the princess sighed, shaking her head.
"...and I don't think that Grandfather would allow rocks in the house..."
"...Mihoshi..."
"...Ryoko isn't even holding stones, so I don't understand why you would accuse her of such a thing. Just because she broke a window one time..."
Aeka, getting more irritated by the second, spun on her heals and faced the young officer, clutching the last pair of chopsticks in her grip.
"MIHOSHI! IT WAS JUST A METAPHOR!!!"
"Oh...what's a metaphor?"
The two women face faulted, dumbfounded that a Galaxy Police Detective could be so inept.
"How does Kiyone do it?" Ryoko quietly asked the princess.
"With great difficulty, I would imagine." She replied, rubbing her temples as if to quell an oncoming migrane.
"Wait a minute, where's Sasami?" Mihoshi asked, suddenly aware that there was no food on the short, stalky table.
"She went upstairs to fetch Tenchi," was the answer that followed, "they should be down shortly."
With the table set and ready for the meal that Sasami had prepared, the three women sat down and tried to make idle chit chat. However, as soon as one of them asked Mihoshi how Kiyone was doing on her long awaited (and much needed) vacation, the young officer would begin to cry, howling about how she missed her partner.
After Tenchi was returned to his rightful place in time, Kiyone had decided that she just needed to get away for a while. It was well known through out the house (as well as everyone at headquarters) that the more competent of the two agents hardly (if ever) took time out of work, and when she did, Mihoshi usually followed, like a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of a shoe.
With Aeka's and Ryoko's reassurance that her colleague would return soon, Mihoshi was back to her bubbly self, regailing the two women with jokes she had heard from the comedy show she had stayed up to watch last night. Even though Mihoshi didn't exactly understand why the jokes were so funny, she still laughed along with them.
It wasn't long before Tenchi and Sasami had come down the stairs to join them, with Ryo-Ohki following close behind, both were carrying the promise of yet another great creation by the small child.
They gingerly placed the cookware on the table as everyone smiled, taking in the sweet smells, anticipating the moment when they would all savor the taste of Sasami's cooking.
But before the youngest princess took the covers off of the pots, Tenchi noticed two of the remaining members of the family weren't present.
"Hey, where's Grandpa and Dad?"
"Sorry Tenchi," answered Aeka, "but your Grandfather will not be joining us for lunch today. I already brought him a plate earlier so he could eat at the shrine."
"And Dad was called to the office. Something about a project..." the pirate interjected.
Aeka, incenced at both being interupted and from the insinuation of the remark, shot a disapproving glance at Ryoko.
"And who are you to call him Dad?" the princess spat at her, the reverence she held for the woman earlier almost completely gone.
"And who are you to say otherwise?"
A slight coughing sound was made from across the table.
Both women stopped their bickering to notice Sasami shaking her head with disapproval while Tenchi just stood there, looking as if he were clearing his throat. The two ladies quietly took their seats, their disagreement quelled for the moment.
Just as they were about to start eating, a loud explosion was heard coming from Washu's subspace laboratory. The backfire was so great that it knocked everyone over and sent the cabbit hurdling across the room.
"Is everyone alright?" Tenchi asked, picking himself up off the floor.
"I think so," came the response from the two Jurian females.
"What the hell was that?!" Ryoko shot out as she picked up her ship and long time companion.
After a brief pause, the door in the hallway suddenly flew open, causing it to be almost completely embedded into the drywall.
'This doesn't sound good,' was the single thought shared by all.
The group watched as Washu entered the dining room, covered from head to toe in black soot, the ends of her wild mane of long, spikey red hair dragging on the floor as she stormed in. The purple scarf that she usually wore was no longer keeping her tresses up, but instead hung loosley around her shoulders, scorched to almost impossible recognition.
"As if I need to ask, but do any of you remember entering my lab without my permission?"
They all stared at her quizically as they shook their heads in a negative fashion, that is, except Mihoshi.
The seemingly brainless female looked vacantly at Washu, explaining that just yesterday she had blown a fuse as well as the toaster oven (apparently while trying to heat up a Pop-Tart). She further clarified that while she was trying to find the fuse box, she had not only inadvertently flipped some switches, but also bumped into quite a few of Washu's gadgets.
"So that's what happened to the toaster." Sasami remarked, feeling guilty that she suspected Ryoko had broken it while trying to make a midnight snack.
"I tried to fix everything...." Mihoshi pleaded.
Without warning, the red-headed scientist lunged at the girl, grabbing a fist full of her pink chanelle sweater, and screamed in her face with such rage that it even scared Ryoko.
"YOU TRIED TO FIX EVERYTHING! COMPLICATED WORKS OF SCIENTIFIC GENIUS AND YOU TRIED TO FIX EVERYTHING!"
Tenchi, who was completely shocked that Washu would get so infuriated to the point of violence, lept from the table and grabbed hold of Washu in an effort to restrain her. Finally, after several attempts to pull her off of Mihoshi (with the help of Aeka and Ryoko, of course), he was able to subdue the situation before it became deadly.
"Now, tell us what happened," he asked in the most calming voice he could muster.
Washu straightened her shirt and smoothed her hair back. As she started to explain, she kept an angry eye on the lab-infultrating clutz.
"I was testing one of my greatest inventions, a rather interesting piece of inginuity," she claimed, patting herself on the back as she always does.
"But right as it reached maximum capacity, it blew up! I was thrown clear across my lab! When I analized the data to find the problem, not only did I discover a slight crack in one of the plasma tubes, but it also appeared that SOMEONE tried to patch it up with a substandard polymer coating."
"I don't remember using that..." Mihoshi giggled.
"NAIL POLISH YOU STUPID MORON!" screamed Washu, the flame that was her anger began to pique once more.
"Well, I always use clear nail polish to repair all of Kiyone's nicknacks, so I figured it wouldn't hurt...."
Washu's fury grew at her words, and again jumped forward to continue her assault, determined to finish the job.
"I AM THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC GENIUS IN THE UNIVERSE. I'VE CREATED WEAPONS CAPABLE OF DISTROYING WHOLE GALAXIES AND SHIPS THAT CAN REGENERATE THEMSELVES IN THE BLINK OF A NANO-SECOND. BUT EVERYTIME I INVENT A FORCEFIELD DESIGNED TO KEEP FEEBLE MINDED IDIOTS SUCH AS YOURSELF OUT, YOU ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO BREACH IT! WHY?! HOW!?"
The Galaxy Police Officer simply smiled, "Guess I'm just lucky like that..."
"UUUGGGGHHHHHH!" Instead of grabbing the twit by the sweater and shaking her, Washu began strangling her so that the detective started to turn blue.
After about two minutes of trying to pry the red-head off of her victim, and almost twenty minutes of reassuring her that Mihoshi meant well (along with the promise that they would all keep a closer eye on her), they once again resumed their attention to the feast before them. Fortunately, all the cookware was undisturbed during all the commotion and was thankfully still warm.
The next hour passed by without much incident, except for the occasional growl from Washu and whimper from Mihoshi.
One by one they finished eating, praised Sasami for another wonderful lunch, and entered the kitchen to deposit their dishes on the white, tiled counter top.
"Ryoko, could you please help me with the dishes?" Sasami asked, filling one of the basins of the double sink with soap and hot water.
"But 'Days of Our Passion' is on and I wanna find out who the father of Yukira's baby is." the former outlaw whined.
"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaassseeee?" the pig-tailed princess implored. "If Aeka promises to tape it for you, will you help me?"
Before Ryoko could plead her case, the pearl of the Jurian Noble family sauntered in, ready to assist her young sibling with the chore.
"Aeka, if Ryoko helps me this time would you please record her favorite show?" Sasami asked in her most polite voice.
Aeka contemplated her sister's request for a moment. It wasn't often she got to watch that particular soap opera, seeing as how she was usually the one who had to help her sister in the kitchen after everyone had eaten. She had to depend on Ryoko to give her a full report on what had happened during the program, and even then it wasn't the same. Besides, she wasn't 100% sure she could trust Ryoko not to break the dishes, let alone clean them properly. A kitchen was not exactly the best place for Ryoko to be left alone in, especially with an impressionable young girl such as Sasami. But she really wanted to watch the program without interruption, even if it meant the sacrifice of one or two saucers.
"I guess I could go along with that."
"See! I told you she would. Please..."
Ryoko glanced at the little princess, whose pink doe eyes where silently screaming for her to stay and help.
"Oh, alright. But you better keep up your end of the bargain, princess."
Aeka stood tall and proud, appearing as the ideal example of womanly perfection, and announced that it was not within her blood to break a promise, no matter how small. With the soft rustling of her lavender and azure colored kimono, the older princess departed company and headed for the livingroom.
Doing her best Aeka impression, Ryoko repeated the last comment, punctuated with a raspberry. As she turned to face the smallest princes, she was handed a small white swaddling of cloth.
"What's this for?" the pirate asked, examining the item with incredulity.
"It's an apron. You've seen me wear it hundreds of times."
"I knew that, I was only teasing!" Ryoko remarked. It was embarrassing enough to feel inadequate when it came to ordinary chores (thanks to Aeka's constant nit-picking), but it was worse when someone younger than you had to tell you what even the smallest things were.
Ryoko studied the garment, trying to figure out what part of it was the front. Noticing that the older woman was having trouble, Sasami walked over and started to help her put it on.
Ryoko silently cursed herself for being roped into helping with the dishes. Damn her for having a soft heart when it came to those big pink eyes.
Of all the people she had met in her life, Sasami was the only one capable of coercing anybody into doing her bidding without intimidation. The only other person she would even consider accomidating was Tenchi, and even he couldn't motivate her all the time, and when he did convince her to help out, usually a fight would break out between her and the eldest princess.
Yet, there was something about this young child; she seemed to comprehend everything around her when most girls her age couldn't even fathom the complexities of growing up, let alone those of the entire universe. She also had the uncanny ability to sympathize with most of the people she came into contact with, as well as their situations. Sasami did not judge those around her, instead she would actually take the time to get to know them, to actually listen to what they had to say. Whether it was Tsunami's influence on this small child or not, it was still comforting to know that there was someone Ryoko knew that could look past all the ugliness and see the real person underneath.
Ryoko assumed her position next to Sasami, who started placing the soup bowls and cups into the soapy water. Her train of thought derailed for the moment, the spikey haired beauty grabbed a sponge and proceeded to scrub the dishes, being careful not to chip the delicate porcelin edges.
Unfortunately, the woman neglected to notice Washu pop into the kitchen, carrying several dishes that the rest of the group had forgotten about. At that precise moment, Ryoko decided that was the perfect time to gripe about manual labor.
"I don't understand why we have to wash these by hand. I mean, you would think the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe would invent something to make it easier. Some genius..."
But before Ryoko could finish her statement, she quickly snapped her jaw shut when she turned her head and saw two large emerald eyes staring back at her.
Sasami tried to suppress her laughter as the scientist glared at her daughter.
"You were saying," Washu quipped, a bit perturbed that Ryoko would even consider questioning the little genius's abilities, even if she was only grumbling about washing dishes 'the old fashion way'.
"Oh, nothing..." the pirate replied, trying to mask her fear with a cracked smile. She stayed rooted to the sink, waiting for the moment when she would be changed into a water sprite, or something much worse. Knowing the scientist's mood today, anything was possible.
"Really..." was all Washu could say, as she dumped the dishes she had into the sudsy water, causing a small tidal wave to slap against the sink and soak through the front of Ryoko's apron as well as her blue and olive-toned dress underneath.
"Ah, I feel better already!" the redhead exclaimed, stretching her arms over her head. "I think I'll go take a nice long and cozy bath before I start my repairs."
The little woman cackled fiendishly as she disappeared into one of her subspace portals.
Sasami, still trying to squelch a serious case of the giggles, turned to her counterpart who had now beemed a bright red. The woman wasn't upset at not having been told Washu was there, but rather it was the fact that she now had to finish her chore with wet, soppy clothing.
"Ryoko, it could have been a lot worse."
"True, but how would you like it if you were splashed with dirty dish water?" And with that, Ryoko cupped her hand into the sink and with one swift motion, doused the young girl.
Sasami retaliated by placing her hand in the sink and splashing the pirate, causing her outfit to be almost completely saturated in the front. This helped lighten Ryoko's mood, and soon both of them were laughing and bespattering each other with sink water.
In the Livingroom
The glow from the television screen danced on the walls as the sound of romantic measure mirrored the reaction of those within. Two lovers intertwined within each other's arms, frozen in time as the passion between them grew to a fevered pitch.
Aeka's attention was no longer focused on the scene before her. She was caught up in a fantasy of her own. In her mind's eye she envisioned a room extravagantly decorated in rare silks and gauze-like fabrics that hung from gold painted rods suspended from a cathedral ceiling, the flames from what seemed to be hundreds of candles lightly flittered from the wisper of the breeze as it drifted through large open windows. In the center of it all was a very large bed on a slightly raised platform, painstakingly embellished in the same textiles that adorned the space around it.
A seductive, masculine voice came from the shadows on the other side of the room, carried by the warm summer zephyrs.
"I wanted everything to be perfect."
"It is..." she wispered, afraid to say more for fear of ruining this moment.
Tenchi stepped into the candle light, his bare chest lightly glistening as he slowly approached. Never in a hundred years had she seen such a fine specimen of pure masculinity. His taught, moderately bronzed skin clung to every curve, every muscle, much like the statues that lined many of Jurai's private gardens at the royal palace.
"Not exactly perfect..." he continued, finally coming face to face with the sovereign beauty.
Without another word, he kissed her. It was tender at first, their lips lightly touching, but as their passion grew it became deeper, more frenzied.
The world around them seemed to disappear into a flurry of sensations, the sounds of their heavy breathing almost completely obscuring the ballad of many crickets outside this florid haven. Aeka's skin tingled at every touch of his hands, fireworks exploded behind her eyelids as she felt his chest through her white satin negligee.
Just as their fervor was about to unfold into a heated avidity of crumpled bedsheets and discarded clothing, Tenchi abruptly broke the kiss and looked at her with a far away stare. His voice, which was alluring and deep just a moment before, was now replaced with an almost girl like squeal.
"Ryoko...no...stop..."
Aeka was involuntarily snapped out of her daydream by the sound of Sasami's shrieking. Upon hearing the commotion, she lept up from the couch and turned the corner that led to the kitchen, visibly upset that she had been disturbed in such a manner.
Aeka's blood started to boil as she surveyed the exhibition before her. The floor and almost all of the appliances were covered in water, a sponge and dish towel lying in the middle of the room, also thoroughly soaked. However, the most disturbing sight beheld by the princess was the image of a sodden pirate hovering in front of a nearly depleted sink basin, the facet on full blast, dangling a young child over it.
"I'm not letting you go 'til you say uncle..." Ryoko teased.
Aeka was not truely aware of the nature behind the spectacle she was witnessing. Her rage was so great that she did not here Sasami's laughter as she begged Ryoko to let her go, instead the only sound she could register was the ringing of her ears as her powerful shield crackled into existance.
Memories of the Royal Palace on her home planet being attacked filled her head; people running for their lives, children crying for their mothers, lovers holding each other close as if it were their last chance to do so. She hated Ryoko for so long for what she had done to her people, detested the pirate for taking her beloved away from her in her time of need. The space pirate wreaked havoc and mayhem where ever she went, and no one was safe from her wrath, especially when Kagato was not far behind. But she had almost completely forgiven Ryoko when it was told that it was not the woman's fault. She had been under the complete control of a mad-man hell bent on galactic domination.
Suddenly a realization hit her, Ryoko was never under Kagato's control. She was an active participant in the destruction of many planets and the deaths countless innocent lives, she had to be. After all, here she was, terrorizing a small child on her own volition. It was a lie, it was all just one terrible lie, and she felt foolish for have been taken in by the whole thing.
All this cogitation only took a fraction of a second as the princess let out a blood curdling scream and fired an energy bolt at the former pirate.
Before Ryoko could react to the high-pitched tone, she was struck down by the blast, causing Sasami to hit her head on the counter top as she was released. Ryoko, still trying to recover from the discharge, noticed the child laying on the floor. A large gash across her forhead was trickling blood into the water that surrounded her small frame as she lay lifeless.
"SASAMI!!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes: I know a lot of people are gonna say that Tenchi Forever
is not based on the first OVA, but I always liked the first OVA best. I
figured that if I were to ever write a story or fanfic continuing
Tenchi Forever, I would incorporate the first series. Anyway, it's my
first fic and I hope you like it. I have another chapter coming along
soon. I figure it's gonna be a long story line. Tell me what you think.
I would love to hear from you. Mistress Ryoko
Of Dreams and Reality
Tenchi is back in the present after his time spent with Haruna, but is everything back to the way it used to be? Writers first fic.
Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and all other characters pertaining to TM! are not mine. They belong to Pioneer and other subsidiaries. I'm just borrowing them for the sake of this fic. So please, don't sue me. However, this particular work is my own, so if you feel that you must copy it (for MST or otherwise) please give credit where credit is due.
!!!WARNING!!!
This FanFic may contain some adult content as well as vulgar language. So if you are under the legal age to view such material, Please do NOT read on!!
This is my first multi-chapter fic, so I hope you enjoy---
Of Dreams and Reality
Chapter 1
"Normalcy Is Relative"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It was well into the autumn season at the Masaki shrine. Beautiful hues of now amber and russett leaves littered the all too shortly lived green valley floor and the wind that once carried the song of finches and sparrows now bit with the soon to be winter's frost. It had been three weeks since Tenchi had returned from the dream world he had called home for a little over half of the year, and yet on the outside nature had continued on like nothing had happened.
It was Noboyuki and Katsuhito who came up with the idea of telling the police that the boy had simply run off with a strange female he had just met, and nothing more than that. It wasn't exactly a fabricated story, but who would believe the truth: a young lady's spirit emerging from a camilia tree, stealing a young Tenchi Masaki into a world of fantasy?
Surprisingly, everyone accepted the explanation that was given, and life went on for those truely unaware of the strange events that had occured. But life wasn't exactly back to normal for those who had experienced it first hand. Although Tenchi and the rest of the Masaki household seemed pretty much the same as before, something had changed.
Tenchi sat at the desk in his small, modest room. In front of him were what seemed like an endless sea of textbooks, work that he had to make up when he wasn't around at the start of the new school year. Unfortunately, this fine young man was too preoccupied to take care of his academic responsibilities. His mind was filled with the time he spent with Haruna, caught in a world that really never existed at all. Even if it wasn't real to everyone else, it was certainly real to him; the warmth of the sunlight as it filtered through their apartment window, the sound of the rain pelting the sidewalk as he rushed home after class, the taste of her skin as the moonlight washed over them in the darkness... it was all too real to simply be a dream.
Tenchi dropped his pen onto the clean pages of his open notebook and rubbed his eyes, trying to forget the thoughts swimming around in his head, but there they were, all too fresh in his memory. He contemplated how this unique encounter had changed his life. He no longer thought of himself as a meek and feeble teenage boy, but rather a more confident and calmer young man.
And it wasn't just himself that changed, he noticed how almost overnight the whole Aeka/Ryoko saga had changed as well. No longer did Aeka and Ryoko blow holes the the size of idustrial satelite dishes in his home, that was now more of a concern reserved for one of Washu's experiments rather than competition. They seemed to have more respect and understanding for one another. Of coarse they still had their fights, but they were more like disagreements and usually resolved themselves without much property or bodily damage.
And yet, he felt this was just a facade, that underneath existed a storm of emotions for both of them, and that one spark would blow the works sky high. Still, he had to have faith that they had come to terms with all that had happened and had adjusted accordingly, much like they had done in the past.
Tenchi was too wrapped up in his own ponderings to notice Ryo-Ohki had phased through the door and quietly crept over to his chair. The little brown creature sat there and looked at him with concerned eyes, and with some hesitation, slowly inched closer to his feet and made a small mewing noise, like a cat that wanted to be cuddled by its owner.
Snapped out of his daze, Tenchi looked down to see Ryo-Ohki by his feet, and with gentle hands, picked her up.
"Hello Ryo-ohki, how long have you been here?" he questioned the cabbit, not really expecting a response that he could understand. Instead, he smiled as she nuzzled against his house coat as he held her close.
"I think it's about time to take a break anyway," he said to himself as he averted his gaze to the clock on the corner of his desk. It was almost noon, and that meant that someone would be coming to get him for lunch.
Just at that precise moment, a light rapping came from the other side of the door.
Meanwhile
The afternoon sun shone brightly through the livingroom windows, causing the hardwood floors of the cozy abode to shine like a golden passageway, offering some comfort from the cool weather outside.
Ryoko sat atop her favorite beam in the house overlooking the living room, bathing in the warmth of the light when Aeka walked by, passing by Mihoshi snoozing away on the living room sofa, carrying an armful of dishes to the dinning area.
"Don't you just love Saturdays, Princess? Nothing to do except relax and watch TV."
Aeka sighed and shook her head at the former pirate's words. She had learned to accept her arch rival's ways, but it still didn't make it any easier to deal with her lazyness.
Still, she had to admire Ryoko for both her strength and brutal honesty. She was a creature who would not be tamed by anyone, a free spirit that would never be caged again. During their travels in search of Tenchi, she learned more about Ryoko in six months than she had in the previous two years. It was funny how things turned out when you least expected it.
Not wanting her thoughts to be known, Aeka turned around and looked up at the pirate, who was still lounging on the beam. It wouldn't do for anyone to suspect that she actually had respect for the former criminal. Aeka simply wasn't ready such a dramatic shift in their relationship just yet.
"Miss Ryoko, since you are doing absolutely nothing, why don't you come down here and help me set the table."
Ryoko looked up at the ceiling, her finger to her chin, as if considering the request, "I don't know, princess. Let me check my busy schedule..."
She loved trying to get Aeka riled up, it was in her opinion to be one of her favorite past time activities, right up there with drinking sake and being around Tenchi. However, still not comfortable with the idea that she was so different from everyone else in the house, Ryoko decided that she would continue her playtime after lunch. A quick sarcastic remark was all that was needed to satisfy her for the moment, and with the sound of displaced air particles, she phased out and reappeared next to Aeka.
Just as Ryoko began to take her seat at the table (instead of helping Aeka), Mihoshi, wiping away the signs of sleep from her eyes, approached the two women. The tell tale design of her sweater sleeve as well as thin wisps of her curly golden hair were plastered on her cheeks as she spoke.
"Did I hear someone say that lunch was ready?"
"Wow Mihoshi, we were beginning to think that you had died. You haven't moved from that spot since breakfast." crooned Ryoko
"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Ryoko..." came Aeka's retort, still trying to keep her composure while placing the chopsticks next to the dinnerware.
Ryoko and Mihoshi both gave quizical stares, a testiment to their knowledge of Earthly phrases, or the lack there of in this case.
"But Aeka, this house is made of wood, not glass, unless you're talking about the windows..."
"Never mind..." the princess sighed, shaking her head.
"...and I don't think that Grandfather would allow rocks in the house..."
"...Mihoshi..."
"...Ryoko isn't even holding stones, so I don't understand why you would accuse her of such a thing. Just because she broke a window one time..."
Aeka, getting more irritated by the second, spun on her heals and faced the young officer, clutching the last pair of chopsticks in her grip.
"MIHOSHI! IT WAS JUST A METAPHOR!!!"
"Oh...what's a metaphor?"
The two women face faulted, dumbfounded that a Galaxy Police Detective could be so inept.
"How does Kiyone do it?" Ryoko quietly asked the princess.
"With great difficulty, I would imagine." She replied, rubbing her temples as if to quell an oncoming migrane.
"Wait a minute, where's Sasami?" Mihoshi asked, suddenly aware that there was no food on the short, stalky table.
"She went upstairs to fetch Tenchi," was the answer that followed, "they should be down shortly."
With the table set and ready for the meal that Sasami had prepared, the three women sat down and tried to make idle chit chat. However, as soon as one of them asked Mihoshi how Kiyone was doing on her long awaited (and much needed) vacation, the young officer would begin to cry, howling about how she missed her partner.
After Tenchi was returned to his rightful place in time, Kiyone had decided that she just needed to get away for a while. It was well known through out the house (as well as everyone at headquarters) that the more competent of the two agents hardly (if ever) took time out of work, and when she did, Mihoshi usually followed, like a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of a shoe.
With Aeka's and Ryoko's reassurance that her colleague would return soon, Mihoshi was back to her bubbly self, regailing the two women with jokes she had heard from the comedy show she had stayed up to watch last night. Even though Mihoshi didn't exactly understand why the jokes were so funny, she still laughed along with them.
It wasn't long before Tenchi and Sasami had come down the stairs to join them, with Ryo-Ohki following close behind, both were carrying the promise of yet another great creation by the small child.
They gingerly placed the cookware on the table as everyone smiled, taking in the sweet smells, anticipating the moment when they would all savor the taste of Sasami's cooking.
But before the youngest princess took the covers off of the pots, Tenchi noticed two of the remaining members of the family weren't present.
"Hey, where's Grandpa and Dad?"
"Sorry Tenchi," answered Aeka, "but your Grandfather will not be joining us for lunch today. I already brought him a plate earlier so he could eat at the shrine."
"And Dad was called to the office. Something about a project..." the pirate interjected.
Aeka, incenced at both being interupted and from the insinuation of the remark, shot a disapproving glance at Ryoko.
"And who are you to call him Dad?" the princess spat at her, the reverence she held for the woman earlier almost completely gone.
"And who are you to say otherwise?"
A slight coughing sound was made from across the table.
Both women stopped their bickering to notice Sasami shaking her head with disapproval while Tenchi just stood there, looking as if he were clearing his throat. The two ladies quietly took their seats, their disagreement quelled for the moment.
Just as they were about to start eating, a loud explosion was heard coming from Washu's subspace laboratory. The backfire was so great that it knocked everyone over and sent the cabbit hurdling across the room.
"Is everyone alright?" Tenchi asked, picking himself up off the floor.
"I think so," came the response from the two Jurian females.
"What the hell was that?!" Ryoko shot out as she picked up her ship and long time companion.
After a brief pause, the door in the hallway suddenly flew open, causing it to be almost completely embedded into the drywall.
'This doesn't sound good,' was the single thought shared by all.
The group watched as Washu entered the dining room, covered from head to toe in black soot, the ends of her wild mane of long, spikey red hair dragging on the floor as she stormed in. The purple scarf that she usually wore was no longer keeping her tresses up, but instead hung loosley around her shoulders, scorched to almost impossible recognition.
"As if I need to ask, but do any of you remember entering my lab without my permission?"
They all stared at her quizically as they shook their heads in a negative fashion, that is, except Mihoshi.
The seemingly brainless female looked vacantly at Washu, explaining that just yesterday she had blown a fuse as well as the toaster oven (apparently while trying to heat up a Pop-Tart). She further clarified that while she was trying to find the fuse box, she had not only inadvertently flipped some switches, but also bumped into quite a few of Washu's gadgets.
"So that's what happened to the toaster." Sasami remarked, feeling guilty that she suspected Ryoko had broken it while trying to make a midnight snack.
"I tried to fix everything...." Mihoshi pleaded.
Without warning, the red-headed scientist lunged at the girl, grabbing a fist full of her pink chanelle sweater, and screamed in her face with such rage that it even scared Ryoko.
"YOU TRIED TO FIX EVERYTHING! COMPLICATED WORKS OF SCIENTIFIC GENIUS AND YOU TRIED TO FIX EVERYTHING!"
Tenchi, who was completely shocked that Washu would get so infuriated to the point of violence, lept from the table and grabbed hold of Washu in an effort to restrain her. Finally, after several attempts to pull her off of Mihoshi (with the help of Aeka and Ryoko, of course), he was able to subdue the situation before it became deadly.
"Now, tell us what happened," he asked in the most calming voice he could muster.
Washu straightened her shirt and smoothed her hair back. As she started to explain, she kept an angry eye on the lab-infultrating clutz.
"I was testing one of my greatest inventions, a rather interesting piece of inginuity," she claimed, patting herself on the back as she always does.
"But right as it reached maximum capacity, it blew up! I was thrown clear across my lab! When I analized the data to find the problem, not only did I discover a slight crack in one of the plasma tubes, but it also appeared that SOMEONE tried to patch it up with a substandard polymer coating."
"I don't remember using that..." Mihoshi giggled.
"NAIL POLISH YOU STUPID MORON!" screamed Washu, the flame that was her anger began to pique once more.
"Well, I always use clear nail polish to repair all of Kiyone's nicknacks, so I figured it wouldn't hurt...."
Washu's fury grew at her words, and again jumped forward to continue her assault, determined to finish the job.
"I AM THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC GENIUS IN THE UNIVERSE. I'VE CREATED WEAPONS CAPABLE OF DISTROYING WHOLE GALAXIES AND SHIPS THAT CAN REGENERATE THEMSELVES IN THE BLINK OF A NANO-SECOND. BUT EVERYTIME I INVENT A FORCEFIELD DESIGNED TO KEEP FEEBLE MINDED IDIOTS SUCH AS YOURSELF OUT, YOU ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO BREACH IT! WHY?! HOW!?"
The Galaxy Police Officer simply smiled, "Guess I'm just lucky like that..."
"UUUGGGGHHHHHH!" Instead of grabbing the twit by the sweater and shaking her, Washu began strangling her so that the detective started to turn blue.
After about two minutes of trying to pry the red-head off of her victim, and almost twenty minutes of reassuring her that Mihoshi meant well (along with the promise that they would all keep a closer eye on her), they once again resumed their attention to the feast before them. Fortunately, all the cookware was undisturbed during all the commotion and was thankfully still warm.
The next hour passed by without much incident, except for the occasional growl from Washu and whimper from Mihoshi.
One by one they finished eating, praised Sasami for another wonderful lunch, and entered the kitchen to deposit their dishes on the white, tiled counter top.
"Ryoko, could you please help me with the dishes?" Sasami asked, filling one of the basins of the double sink with soap and hot water.
"But 'Days of Our Passion' is on and I wanna find out who the father of Yukira's baby is." the former outlaw whined.
"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaassseeee?" the pig-tailed princess implored. "If Aeka promises to tape it for you, will you help me?"
Before Ryoko could plead her case, the pearl of the Jurian Noble family sauntered in, ready to assist her young sibling with the chore.
"Aeka, if Ryoko helps me this time would you please record her favorite show?" Sasami asked in her most polite voice.
Aeka contemplated her sister's request for a moment. It wasn't often she got to watch that particular soap opera, seeing as how she was usually the one who had to help her sister in the kitchen after everyone had eaten. She had to depend on Ryoko to give her a full report on what had happened during the program, and even then it wasn't the same. Besides, she wasn't 100% sure she could trust Ryoko not to break the dishes, let alone clean them properly. A kitchen was not exactly the best place for Ryoko to be left alone in, especially with an impressionable young girl such as Sasami. But she really wanted to watch the program without interruption, even if it meant the sacrifice of one or two saucers.
"I guess I could go along with that."
"See! I told you she would. Please..."
Ryoko glanced at the little princess, whose pink doe eyes where silently screaming for her to stay and help.
"Oh, alright. But you better keep up your end of the bargain, princess."
Aeka stood tall and proud, appearing as the ideal example of womanly perfection, and announced that it was not within her blood to break a promise, no matter how small. With the soft rustling of her lavender and azure colored kimono, the older princess departed company and headed for the livingroom.
Doing her best Aeka impression, Ryoko repeated the last comment, punctuated with a raspberry. As she turned to face the smallest princes, she was handed a small white swaddling of cloth.
"What's this for?" the pirate asked, examining the item with incredulity.
"It's an apron. You've seen me wear it hundreds of times."
"I knew that, I was only teasing!" Ryoko remarked. It was embarrassing enough to feel inadequate when it came to ordinary chores (thanks to Aeka's constant nit-picking), but it was worse when someone younger than you had to tell you what even the smallest things were.
Ryoko studied the garment, trying to figure out what part of it was the front. Noticing that the older woman was having trouble, Sasami walked over and started to help her put it on.
Ryoko silently cursed herself for being roped into helping with the dishes. Damn her for having a soft heart when it came to those big pink eyes.
Of all the people she had met in her life, Sasami was the only one capable of coercing anybody into doing her bidding without intimidation. The only other person she would even consider accomidating was Tenchi, and even he couldn't motivate her all the time, and when he did convince her to help out, usually a fight would break out between her and the eldest princess.
Yet, there was something about this young child; she seemed to comprehend everything around her when most girls her age couldn't even fathom the complexities of growing up, let alone those of the entire universe. She also had the uncanny ability to sympathize with most of the people she came into contact with, as well as their situations. Sasami did not judge those around her, instead she would actually take the time to get to know them, to actually listen to what they had to say. Whether it was Tsunami's influence on this small child or not, it was still comforting to know that there was someone Ryoko knew that could look past all the ugliness and see the real person underneath.
Ryoko assumed her position next to Sasami, who started placing the soup bowls and cups into the soapy water. Her train of thought derailed for the moment, the spikey haired beauty grabbed a sponge and proceeded to scrub the dishes, being careful not to chip the delicate porcelin edges.
Unfortunately, the woman neglected to notice Washu pop into the kitchen, carrying several dishes that the rest of the group had forgotten about. At that precise moment, Ryoko decided that was the perfect time to gripe about manual labor.
"I don't understand why we have to wash these by hand. I mean, you would think the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe would invent something to make it easier. Some genius..."
But before Ryoko could finish her statement, she quickly snapped her jaw shut when she turned her head and saw two large emerald eyes staring back at her.
Sasami tried to suppress her laughter as the scientist glared at her daughter.
"You were saying," Washu quipped, a bit perturbed that Ryoko would even consider questioning the little genius's abilities, even if she was only grumbling about washing dishes 'the old fashion way'.
"Oh, nothing..." the pirate replied, trying to mask her fear with a cracked smile. She stayed rooted to the sink, waiting for the moment when she would be changed into a water sprite, or something much worse. Knowing the scientist's mood today, anything was possible.
"Really..." was all Washu could say, as she dumped the dishes she had into the sudsy water, causing a small tidal wave to slap against the sink and soak through the front of Ryoko's apron as well as her blue and olive-toned dress underneath.
"Ah, I feel better already!" the redhead exclaimed, stretching her arms over her head. "I think I'll go take a nice long and cozy bath before I start my repairs."
The little woman cackled fiendishly as she disappeared into one of her subspace portals.
Sasami, still trying to squelch a serious case of the giggles, turned to her counterpart who had now beemed a bright red. The woman wasn't upset at not having been told Washu was there, but rather it was the fact that she now had to finish her chore with wet, soppy clothing.
"Ryoko, it could have been a lot worse."
"True, but how would you like it if you were splashed with dirty dish water?" And with that, Ryoko cupped her hand into the sink and with one swift motion, doused the young girl.
Sasami retaliated by placing her hand in the sink and splashing the pirate, causing her outfit to be almost completely saturated in the front. This helped lighten Ryoko's mood, and soon both of them were laughing and bespattering each other with sink water.
In the Livingroom
The glow from the television screen danced on the walls as the sound of romantic measure mirrored the reaction of those within. Two lovers intertwined within each other's arms, frozen in time as the passion between them grew to a fevered pitch.
Aeka's attention was no longer focused on the scene before her. She was caught up in a fantasy of her own. In her mind's eye she envisioned a room extravagantly decorated in rare silks and gauze-like fabrics that hung from gold painted rods suspended from a cathedral ceiling, the flames from what seemed to be hundreds of candles lightly flittered from the wisper of the breeze as it drifted through large open windows. In the center of it all was a very large bed on a slightly raised platform, painstakingly embellished in the same textiles that adorned the space around it.
A seductive, masculine voice came from the shadows on the other side of the room, carried by the warm summer zephyrs.
"I wanted everything to be perfect."
"It is..." she wispered, afraid to say more for fear of ruining this moment.
Tenchi stepped into the candle light, his bare chest lightly glistening as he slowly approached. Never in a hundred years had she seen such a fine specimen of pure masculinity. His taught, moderately bronzed skin clung to every curve, every muscle, much like the statues that lined many of Jurai's private gardens at the royal palace.
"Not exactly perfect..." he continued, finally coming face to face with the sovereign beauty.
Without another word, he kissed her. It was tender at first, their lips lightly touching, but as their passion grew it became deeper, more frenzied.
The world around them seemed to disappear into a flurry of sensations, the sounds of their heavy breathing almost completely obscuring the ballad of many crickets outside this florid haven. Aeka's skin tingled at every touch of his hands, fireworks exploded behind her eyelids as she felt his chest through her white satin negligee.
Just as their fervor was about to unfold into a heated avidity of crumpled bedsheets and discarded clothing, Tenchi abruptly broke the kiss and looked at her with a far away stare. His voice, which was alluring and deep just a moment before, was now replaced with an almost girl like squeal.
"Ryoko...no...stop..."
Aeka was involuntarily snapped out of her daydream by the sound of Sasami's shrieking. Upon hearing the commotion, she lept up from the couch and turned the corner that led to the kitchen, visibly upset that she had been disturbed in such a manner.
Aeka's blood started to boil as she surveyed the exhibition before her. The floor and almost all of the appliances were covered in water, a sponge and dish towel lying in the middle of the room, also thoroughly soaked. However, the most disturbing sight beheld by the princess was the image of a sodden pirate hovering in front of a nearly depleted sink basin, the facet on full blast, dangling a young child over it.
"I'm not letting you go 'til you say uncle..." Ryoko teased.
Aeka was not truely aware of the nature behind the spectacle she was witnessing. Her rage was so great that she did not here Sasami's laughter as she begged Ryoko to let her go, instead the only sound she could register was the ringing of her ears as her powerful shield crackled into existance.
Memories of the Royal Palace on her home planet being attacked filled her head; people running for their lives, children crying for their mothers, lovers holding each other close as if it were their last chance to do so. She hated Ryoko for so long for what she had done to her people, detested the pirate for taking her beloved away from her in her time of need. The space pirate wreaked havoc and mayhem where ever she went, and no one was safe from her wrath, especially when Kagato was not far behind. But she had almost completely forgiven Ryoko when it was told that it was not the woman's fault. She had been under the complete control of a mad-man hell bent on galactic domination.
Suddenly a realization hit her, Ryoko was never under Kagato's control. She was an active participant in the destruction of many planets and the deaths countless innocent lives, she had to be. After all, here she was, terrorizing a small child on her own volition. It was a lie, it was all just one terrible lie, and she felt foolish for have been taken in by the whole thing.
All this cogitation only took a fraction of a second as the princess let out a blood curdling scream and fired an energy bolt at the former pirate.
Before Ryoko could react to the high-pitched tone, she was struck down by the blast, causing Sasami to hit her head on the counter top as she was released. Ryoko, still trying to recover from the discharge, noticed the child laying on the floor. A large gash across her forhead was trickling blood into the water that surrounded her small frame as she lay lifeless.
"SASAMI!!"
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Author's Notes: I know a lot of people are gonna say that Tenchi Forever
is not based on the first OVA, but I always liked the first OVA best. I
figured that if I were to ever write a story or fanfic continuing
Tenchi Forever, I would incorporate the first series. Anyway, it's my
first fic and I hope you like it. I have another chapter coming along
soon. I figure it's gonna be a long story line. Tell me what you think.
I would love to hear from you. Mistress Ryoko