I don't own Tenchi. Don't sue me. That should cover the disclaimer.
Ryoko slowly stretched out her muscles and got out of her bed. "What time is it?" she looked around the room for a clock. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I slept like a baby." Suddenly, she grinned fiendishly. "And since it's early, I'll go wake up Tenchi. hmmm. how'll I do it this time?" She grinned again and snapped her fingers "I've got it." She phased into Tenchi's room with the grin still on her face.
~~~~~~~~
Tenchi opened his eyes and blinked away the sleep. He slowly turned over, then let out a blood curdling scream.
"RYOKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED!"
Ryoko grinned at him. "wakey wakey, sunshine. Was it good for you too?"
Why do you have to do this EVERY DAY! I wish you'd just."
"Hey," Ryoko interrupted, "I get the idea. Don't worry, I'm outta here." She grinned again and phased away.
Tenchi frowned. He wasn't in the mood for her tricks anymore. She had been so good about this lately that he thought she had grown out of it. After all, she was, in dealing with people, on an infant's level of experience. But that still did not excuse her. He thought that she had grown up enough not to do this.
"I guess I was wrong about her. Again." He grunted sullenly and began to put on his cloths.
Ryoko didn't show up for breakfast. Tenchi just grimaced, then sat down to eat. He finished without talking, stood, and walked out to the fields to do his chores. "what's wrong with him?" Ayeka wondered aloud. "I don't know," Yosho replied, "But it probably has something to do with Ryoko's being missing.
"Hmph! I should have known." Ayeka frowned petulantly. Yosho smiled, then walked out, back to the shrine. *I wonder.* he thought to himself *will Tenchi finally find out her secret?*
~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi was almost done with hoeing the fields to allow for the massive amount of carrots he'd need to plant to keep ryo-ohki happy and have some left over for the family. He sat down with his back against a tree to rest for a second when suddenly, he heard it. A faint sob, off in the distance, near the cherry grove. Slowly, he got up and crawled towards it, making as little sound as possible. The sob came again, and Tenchi decided that this wasn't someone he knew. It didn't sound like any of the girls, and Yosho certainly didn't cry. Slowly, slowly he made his way towards it until he was at the edge of the cherry grove. He looked up into the trees and there was. Ryoko!
All of the pieces came together at once in his mind. He had never heard Ryoko really cry before. She kept all her emotions so. bottled up inside her. This would also explain why she wasn't around before. But why was she so upset? What could be so saddening to her? He stood up and quietly called her name.
"Ryoko."
"What? Who's there?" She glared into the trees, "Come out, coward."
Tenchi stepped into the clearing, and she gasped. She turned and jumped down as if to leave, but Tenchi grabbed her hand.
"What's wrong? Tell me! I don't like to see you like this. This isn't you."
"That's the problem Tenchi! This is me! THIS IS ME! I'm weak! These stupid emotions, they take over and. and." she burst into tears. Tenchi pulled her to him and stroked her hair slowly, as if she were a frightened child.
"Shh. Shhh. It's okay Ryoko. It's okay. "
"NO!" she pulled away. "You. You're the real reason for this."
"What?" Tenchi frowned.
"Every time. Every time I say I love you, every time I show I love you, you push me away, tell me I'm not good enough. I used to think I could handle it, but now, with that damn Zero in here with me. Even the little things hurt. Every rejection, no matter how small they seem to you. THEY HURT!"
"Ryoko. Ryoko I."
"I don't know why you do it! Ayeka. she taunts me, pokes at me where I can feel it. Every time she does. every time I fight back. you side with her! You hurt me so much. so much, because that's what you mean to me! I love you with all my heart, and I can't do anything anymore without thinking of you! YOU! Your in my head all the time. I have to hide it. and it's hard! So hard to keep this away from you. Because I know. if I show my feelings. You'll hurt me again. but this time is the last. This time, I'm telling you how it feels to be me. Every day, to pour my love into you and every time to see it vanish into nothing! NOTHING! It drains me. and Ayeka. you love her for every little scrap she gives you!"
"Ryoko. no. you don't understand how it is at all."
Ryoko jumped into the air and prepared to phase away. "No. I do understand! I understand all too well how it is. But what I can't understand is why! I can't keep up this masquerade. I can't! I'm going to leave! I'll never have to deal with."
Tenchi roughly drew her to him again and kissed her full on the lips. When they finally parted Tenchi looked deep into her tear streaked eyes. *Ryoko. oh, how I wish I could erase your pain. but your true emotions captured my heart more surely than any one of your webs of lies could.*
"but. I don't understand. Why?"
"Ryoko." Tenchi smiled down at her, and gave a short laugh. It seemed as if the weight of a world had been taken off of his shoulders. "I, too, must perform. And I, too, am finished."
Ryoko slowly stretched out her muscles and got out of her bed. "What time is it?" she looked around the room for a clock. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I slept like a baby." Suddenly, she grinned fiendishly. "And since it's early, I'll go wake up Tenchi. hmmm. how'll I do it this time?" She grinned again and snapped her fingers "I've got it." She phased into Tenchi's room with the grin still on her face.
~~~~~~~~
Tenchi opened his eyes and blinked away the sleep. He slowly turned over, then let out a blood curdling scream.
"RYOKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED!"
Ryoko grinned at him. "wakey wakey, sunshine. Was it good for you too?"
Why do you have to do this EVERY DAY! I wish you'd just."
"Hey," Ryoko interrupted, "I get the idea. Don't worry, I'm outta here." She grinned again and phased away.
Tenchi frowned. He wasn't in the mood for her tricks anymore. She had been so good about this lately that he thought she had grown out of it. After all, she was, in dealing with people, on an infant's level of experience. But that still did not excuse her. He thought that she had grown up enough not to do this.
"I guess I was wrong about her. Again." He grunted sullenly and began to put on his cloths.
Ryoko didn't show up for breakfast. Tenchi just grimaced, then sat down to eat. He finished without talking, stood, and walked out to the fields to do his chores. "what's wrong with him?" Ayeka wondered aloud. "I don't know," Yosho replied, "But it probably has something to do with Ryoko's being missing.
"Hmph! I should have known." Ayeka frowned petulantly. Yosho smiled, then walked out, back to the shrine. *I wonder.* he thought to himself *will Tenchi finally find out her secret?*
~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi was almost done with hoeing the fields to allow for the massive amount of carrots he'd need to plant to keep ryo-ohki happy and have some left over for the family. He sat down with his back against a tree to rest for a second when suddenly, he heard it. A faint sob, off in the distance, near the cherry grove. Slowly, he got up and crawled towards it, making as little sound as possible. The sob came again, and Tenchi decided that this wasn't someone he knew. It didn't sound like any of the girls, and Yosho certainly didn't cry. Slowly, slowly he made his way towards it until he was at the edge of the cherry grove. He looked up into the trees and there was. Ryoko!
All of the pieces came together at once in his mind. He had never heard Ryoko really cry before. She kept all her emotions so. bottled up inside her. This would also explain why she wasn't around before. But why was she so upset? What could be so saddening to her? He stood up and quietly called her name.
"Ryoko."
"What? Who's there?" She glared into the trees, "Come out, coward."
Tenchi stepped into the clearing, and she gasped. She turned and jumped down as if to leave, but Tenchi grabbed her hand.
"What's wrong? Tell me! I don't like to see you like this. This isn't you."
"That's the problem Tenchi! This is me! THIS IS ME! I'm weak! These stupid emotions, they take over and. and." she burst into tears. Tenchi pulled her to him and stroked her hair slowly, as if she were a frightened child.
"Shh. Shhh. It's okay Ryoko. It's okay. "
"NO!" she pulled away. "You. You're the real reason for this."
"What?" Tenchi frowned.
"Every time. Every time I say I love you, every time I show I love you, you push me away, tell me I'm not good enough. I used to think I could handle it, but now, with that damn Zero in here with me. Even the little things hurt. Every rejection, no matter how small they seem to you. THEY HURT!"
"Ryoko. Ryoko I."
"I don't know why you do it! Ayeka. she taunts me, pokes at me where I can feel it. Every time she does. every time I fight back. you side with her! You hurt me so much. so much, because that's what you mean to me! I love you with all my heart, and I can't do anything anymore without thinking of you! YOU! Your in my head all the time. I have to hide it. and it's hard! So hard to keep this away from you. Because I know. if I show my feelings. You'll hurt me again. but this time is the last. This time, I'm telling you how it feels to be me. Every day, to pour my love into you and every time to see it vanish into nothing! NOTHING! It drains me. and Ayeka. you love her for every little scrap she gives you!"
"Ryoko. no. you don't understand how it is at all."
Ryoko jumped into the air and prepared to phase away. "No. I do understand! I understand all too well how it is. But what I can't understand is why! I can't keep up this masquerade. I can't! I'm going to leave! I'll never have to deal with."
Tenchi roughly drew her to him again and kissed her full on the lips. When they finally parted Tenchi looked deep into her tear streaked eyes. *Ryoko. oh, how I wish I could erase your pain. but your true emotions captured my heart more surely than any one of your webs of lies could.*
"but. I don't understand. Why?"
"Ryoko." Tenchi smiled down at her, and gave a short laugh. It seemed as if the weight of a world had been taken off of his shoulders. "I, too, must perform. And I, too, am finished."