I never even knew about America. I thought the earth was composed of where I walked every day and that was it. I knew about Tokyo and the cities between Okayama and Tokyo. The Earth was so small. I didn't know about other countries or anything. None of the other planets are like that. Most planets usually consist of one government run by some monarch and rebels and anarchists made their own little refugee groups in the boondocks of their planets. But I didn't know that Earth was so complicated. Tenchi would tell me little things about the other countries. He would tell me about their coustoms and why some of his music is in a language called English. He told me that his school taught English. I guess I got a little interested in the language. All those funny words and things like that. Some of their words even had two meanings but was spelled the same. Tenchi said they were homonyms. Everything was strange to me but once I improved he gave me book of American poetry. It was written by a man named Robert Frost. I flipped through the pages.
"What kind of kanji is this?" I stared at it disgustedly
Tenchi laughed "It's not kanji Ryoko, they're called letters. Each letter has a sound and each sound makes up a word."
"Like kanji?" I didn't like this at all. I learned how to speak it. I didn't learn how to read it.
"Don't worry. You'll get better at it." Tenchi closed the book "It's dinner time now. Let's join the everyone else, ne?"
I left the livingroom and proceeded to the kitchen. I wasn't really hungry. My desire to figure out how to read this English language was the only thing on my mind.
As weeks progressed I learned how to read it. I started out basic and moved onto bigger and more difficult reading tasks. By the end of the month I was ready to try that poetry book again.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both..."
As I read each line spoke to me. I wanted to understand this more than anything. It was such a pretty poem. I related the poem to myself. Was I at two roads in my life? Which road would I choose? I though about it for a bit. There was no real decision making situations in my life rather than whether I sould drink Saki or relax in the onsen first.
"And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;"
I spent the night just trying to figure out if my life was as complicated as the poet's. I had depth. I was a person so why didn't I have a divided road? And if I had a road.. which road would I choose? My life was easy. I had all I wanted and took what I needed. I had no responsibilities, no obligations and no stress. If my life was so great, why didn't I want it?
"You're studying hard Ryoko." Washu smiled proudly. "I never knew you cared so much about poetry."
I didn't pay much attention to her, "Yea I guess." One day I knew I would have two roads to choose from. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be prepared to make a decision that could change my life. I would choose the life more suited to me. It would have to be something that made me happy. All I ever wanted was to be happy.
"Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim"
The house was noisy. Tenchi was teaching Sasami and Aeka some new dance moves her learned from school. They were all excited about going to the carnival that was coming up next weekend. I didn't really care much for it. If you've been to one carnival you've been to them all. My mind remained on the poem. My roads. Where were my roads? The noise finally got the me. Picking up my book, I walked outside and found a nice spot on the roof to continue my thinking. The book sat at my side as I took a few moments to catch my head. I lied back against the roof's tiled surface and gazed up at space. I wouldn't admit it but I missed space so much. My life began up there and my life still is up there. But I love Tenchi. Maybe one day he'll come to space with me and I'll show him all my favorite places. Then I'll kiss him so hard his dad will feel it! I started to laugh a little until something felt wrong. There were white sparks, then shooting pain. A few dark spots then I blacked out.
I woke up in Washu's lab the next morning. It had to be the next morning because it was way too bright for it to not be sunrise.
Washu stood up and walked over to me. "Ryoko you're sick."
"I kinda figured that one out by myself."
"No.. you're *sick*" Washu stressed the sick.
"Ok so... make me better." I tried to sit up but my back was killing me.
Washu sighed and paced back and forth. "Ryoko you don't understand. It's not just a cold you're suffering from. It's this planet. At first you were fine. Perhaps because you were taking it easy and not engaging in much activity but now you're starting to humanize yourself and that's killing you."
I burst out laughing. Ok Washu has definately lost her mind! I'm dying! I don't die! I can't die! I WILL NOT DIE! I buried my face in my hands and tried to catch my breath. "So what do I do?"
"You have to go back to space for a while."
"Define a while Washu." This was starting to sound like more than I was willing to do.
"At the least... I mean with all the deterioration not to mention the factoring of the past seven hundred years and to calculate the time you've spent here and the battle with Kagato and your hyperactivity with Aeka..."
"Spit it out Washu!"
"About eighty years. If you want to get back to normal. Your body is losing it's strength too quickly. I don't even understand why completely but you need to get back in your old habits..." Washu narrowed her eyes "Without getting back into your *old* habits."
I extended my hand and Washu helped me sit up this time. The pain was more than I could bear. I wouldn't let anyone see me like this. I decided it would be better to stay in Washu's lab for the time being and just think. I couldn't just leave! Tenchi was here! If I left Aeka would have a chance with him. And if she won his heart I might as well die anyway.
"Can't you build something Washu? Maybe some simulated outer space contraption that could make me better?"
Washu frowned "I couldn't recreate such a complicated life in space as yours was. You're the most difficult being I've ever crossed paths with Hakubi Ryoko."
"Dammit I can't leave Washu! I just can't!"
"Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Thought as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,"
All I remember after that was Washu saying that I slipped into a coma. I could hear I just couldn't respond and that was making me madder which, in turn, only made me weaker. I just lay there motionless. At least my pain went away. Ryoko, the great and feared space pirate was laying in a coma. She was vulnerable. She was dying.
Tenchi came to visit me a few times. He would talk to me all the time. He still told me things about school and English. And he told me how everyone was doing outside of the lab. He would hold my hand. I think I would've given anything to grip his back just once. One day he brought my poetry book back for me. He would read it to me sometimes. Why couldn't I respond? Just please let me respond!
One night Tenchi came in. Usually Sasami and Aeka would come in and say something then leave and he would stay behind but this time he came in by himself. I don't know where Washu was. All I know was I was half dead in bed and Tenchi took my hand. I could feel it. I tried so hard to grip his hand but I couldn't. I'm not dying. I'm not leaving him.
"Ryoko... A lot has happened since you've been sick. You've been in this coma for a little over a month now. I know you can hear me so listen to me. At first when Washu told me that you were sick and you needed to return to space and occupy yourself with things that made you happy I told her no. Washu and I fought night and day about you returning back to space. I thought if you went there you would just end up in trouble again. I didn't want you to be in trouble. You were fine here. I thought you were strong enough to deal with this. Aeka and Sasami managed to humanize themselves. But I guess that different beings have different make-ups, ne? Ryoko I just didn't want you to leave. I thought it was because I didn't want you to get in trouble them come rushing back to Earth with the entire Galaxy Police militia on your tail and there'd be more trouble than this planet was able to handle. But I realized that I would miss you too much. And that's why I didn't want you to leave." Tenchi brushed his hand against the side of my face. I wanted to cry so badly. "Listen Ryoko. I want... no I need you to get better. I need you to at least wake up. You have to get in Ryo-Ohki and go back out there. You don't have to break laws. All you have to do is get stronger. You could train and still read and do anything you want to do... providing it's legal. I couldn't live with myself if you died. I ... I love you too much to see you just waste away. The great space pirate Ryoko can't die like this."
I felt the tears stream out of my eyes. It was the first time I was able to respond to someone's actions. I struggled so hard to move but it hurt. I fought it anyway. I was going to get up, get better and get back to Tenchi. But it hurt!
Tenchi took my hand again. This was it. This time I'm going to do what I've been trying to do for so long. I gripped his hand gently. His hand started shaking a little. I gripped tighter to steady it.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice trembled
I used my other hand to cover my eyes. I opened them slowly. I could see a little bit of light pour in from a door. I moved my hand and turned to see Tenchi. He was crying. I couldn't take it anymore. I burst out into tears.
"And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!"
Washu helped me sit up for the first time in over a month and a half. It took every ounce of energy I had to sit up but I managed to do it. Everyone smiled at me. What's everyone smiling for? I'm not going to die! But I'm still not going to leave.
"Ryoko take this opportunity to leave now." Washu was wiping the sweat off of my brow
"You're crazy. I can't leave."
"Ryoko stop being so damn difficult! It's eighty years! It's only eighty years for christ's sake!" Washu looked a bit worried
"Eighty years without Tenchi is eighty years too long." I wasn't giving this up for anything.
Tenchi leaned against the door. "Washu, do you think I could talk to Ryoko in private?"
Washu shrugged "If you can get her to go then, by all means, go for it."
Washu left the room. Tenchi sat down on the bed and looked me directly in the eyes.
Tenchi took my hand. I was a bit stunned. He took my hand but I wasn't in the coma. Wasn't he afraid that I was going to take it the wrong way and assumed he loved me and wanted to be with me?
"Ryoko, you heard everything I told you when you were in that coma." Tenchi said lowering his head
"Yea I did."
"I meant everything. I meant that I love you and that I don't want you to die like this. I don't want you to die at all."
I just sat there silent. I thought for a second then I spoke "But I don't want to leave you. You know I love you!"
"I have an idea Ryoko." Tenchi looked up at me.
He leaned over and whispered, in my ear, his plan for me.
"Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back."
Two days later I was finally strong enough to walk at least. I left the lab and tried to go back to normal but I just couldn't. I had this permant grin affixed to my face and no one understood why. Ryo-Ohki met me outside. Sasami finally stopped hugging me. I looked at Aeka and nodded.
"Come home soon Ryoko." Aeka said with a tear in her eye.
"It's not over yet Aeka. I'll definately be back."
Ryo-Ohki ran out to the lake. She turned back and gave Sasami a sympathetic meow as she hopped to the very tip of the lake's waters and gazed down at her own reflection. It would be the last time she'd be a cabbit for a while.
Katsuhito and Noboyuki stood by the steps of the shrine. They waved at me.
"I'll see you around."
Tenchi appeared at the door of his house. I was a bit nervous about everything. We made that deal in the room that night and it was all a matter of time before he proved that he would follow through on his part. I was going back into space. I was going to get better. He loved me. I think I could've died completed had I died anyway.
I stared at Ryo-Ohki who was waiting for me. I stared at Tenchi who was looking at me. Everyone was ready for me to make my choice. Would I stay or would I go?
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:"
Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki... the choice. Ryo-Ohki to my left. Tenchi to my right. My life to my left. My love to my right. Two roads. My two roads. One road will lead me to a healthy life. I'll go back and see my friends. I'll see my enemies and I'll see all the things that made me happy while I was growing up. It was paradise for me. I wanted to be there. But on the other hand the other road had future happiness that I couldn't imagine. The man I loved. We would get married. We'd have five kids and pets and a huge house in the mountains. He'd come home from work and I would shower him with love and affection until my dying day. That was also paradise for me. I wanted to be there too. And so, I took my first step. The second step would tell everyone whether I would head to my left or to my right. I stepped foward. And then stepped foward again. Ryo-Ohki turned and followed me. Tenchi nodded at his father and his grandfather. He smiled at Aeka and Sasami. He mouthed "thank you" to Washu and then he walked behind me. He took my hand and smiled at me.
"Everything will be fine." He said after kissing my hand.
Ryo-Ohki was ready. Tenchi was ready. I was ready. I let him go ahead of me.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,"
I went straight down the middle.
Tenchi met me on board the Ryo-Ohki.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do? You're leaving your home and your family for me."
"You are my family and wherever I am, as long as you're there, is home for me." Tenchi took me in his arms.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. We would be gone for eighty years. Tenchi and I would live together. We'd meet my friends. We'd have children. We'd meet my enemies. We'll build a house when we got back. I'd show him the things I did that made me happy when I was growing up. And we'd get married. I had the best of both worlds.
"I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
And that has made all my difference.
"What kind of kanji is this?" I stared at it disgustedly
Tenchi laughed "It's not kanji Ryoko, they're called letters. Each letter has a sound and each sound makes up a word."
"Like kanji?" I didn't like this at all. I learned how to speak it. I didn't learn how to read it.
"Don't worry. You'll get better at it." Tenchi closed the book "It's dinner time now. Let's join the everyone else, ne?"
I left the livingroom and proceeded to the kitchen. I wasn't really hungry. My desire to figure out how to read this English language was the only thing on my mind.
As weeks progressed I learned how to read it. I started out basic and moved onto bigger and more difficult reading tasks. By the end of the month I was ready to try that poetry book again.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both..."
As I read each line spoke to me. I wanted to understand this more than anything. It was such a pretty poem. I related the poem to myself. Was I at two roads in my life? Which road would I choose? I though about it for a bit. There was no real decision making situations in my life rather than whether I sould drink Saki or relax in the onsen first.
"And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;"
I spent the night just trying to figure out if my life was as complicated as the poet's. I had depth. I was a person so why didn't I have a divided road? And if I had a road.. which road would I choose? My life was easy. I had all I wanted and took what I needed. I had no responsibilities, no obligations and no stress. If my life was so great, why didn't I want it?
"You're studying hard Ryoko." Washu smiled proudly. "I never knew you cared so much about poetry."
I didn't pay much attention to her, "Yea I guess." One day I knew I would have two roads to choose from. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be prepared to make a decision that could change my life. I would choose the life more suited to me. It would have to be something that made me happy. All I ever wanted was to be happy.
"Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim"
The house was noisy. Tenchi was teaching Sasami and Aeka some new dance moves her learned from school. They were all excited about going to the carnival that was coming up next weekend. I didn't really care much for it. If you've been to one carnival you've been to them all. My mind remained on the poem. My roads. Where were my roads? The noise finally got the me. Picking up my book, I walked outside and found a nice spot on the roof to continue my thinking. The book sat at my side as I took a few moments to catch my head. I lied back against the roof's tiled surface and gazed up at space. I wouldn't admit it but I missed space so much. My life began up there and my life still is up there. But I love Tenchi. Maybe one day he'll come to space with me and I'll show him all my favorite places. Then I'll kiss him so hard his dad will feel it! I started to laugh a little until something felt wrong. There were white sparks, then shooting pain. A few dark spots then I blacked out.
I woke up in Washu's lab the next morning. It had to be the next morning because it was way too bright for it to not be sunrise.
Washu stood up and walked over to me. "Ryoko you're sick."
"I kinda figured that one out by myself."
"No.. you're *sick*" Washu stressed the sick.
"Ok so... make me better." I tried to sit up but my back was killing me.
Washu sighed and paced back and forth. "Ryoko you don't understand. It's not just a cold you're suffering from. It's this planet. At first you were fine. Perhaps because you were taking it easy and not engaging in much activity but now you're starting to humanize yourself and that's killing you."
I burst out laughing. Ok Washu has definately lost her mind! I'm dying! I don't die! I can't die! I WILL NOT DIE! I buried my face in my hands and tried to catch my breath. "So what do I do?"
"You have to go back to space for a while."
"Define a while Washu." This was starting to sound like more than I was willing to do.
"At the least... I mean with all the deterioration not to mention the factoring of the past seven hundred years and to calculate the time you've spent here and the battle with Kagato and your hyperactivity with Aeka..."
"Spit it out Washu!"
"About eighty years. If you want to get back to normal. Your body is losing it's strength too quickly. I don't even understand why completely but you need to get back in your old habits..." Washu narrowed her eyes "Without getting back into your *old* habits."
I extended my hand and Washu helped me sit up this time. The pain was more than I could bear. I wouldn't let anyone see me like this. I decided it would be better to stay in Washu's lab for the time being and just think. I couldn't just leave! Tenchi was here! If I left Aeka would have a chance with him. And if she won his heart I might as well die anyway.
"Can't you build something Washu? Maybe some simulated outer space contraption that could make me better?"
Washu frowned "I couldn't recreate such a complicated life in space as yours was. You're the most difficult being I've ever crossed paths with Hakubi Ryoko."
"Dammit I can't leave Washu! I just can't!"
"Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Thought as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,"
All I remember after that was Washu saying that I slipped into a coma. I could hear I just couldn't respond and that was making me madder which, in turn, only made me weaker. I just lay there motionless. At least my pain went away. Ryoko, the great and feared space pirate was laying in a coma. She was vulnerable. She was dying.
Tenchi came to visit me a few times. He would talk to me all the time. He still told me things about school and English. And he told me how everyone was doing outside of the lab. He would hold my hand. I think I would've given anything to grip his back just once. One day he brought my poetry book back for me. He would read it to me sometimes. Why couldn't I respond? Just please let me respond!
One night Tenchi came in. Usually Sasami and Aeka would come in and say something then leave and he would stay behind but this time he came in by himself. I don't know where Washu was. All I know was I was half dead in bed and Tenchi took my hand. I could feel it. I tried so hard to grip his hand but I couldn't. I'm not dying. I'm not leaving him.
"Ryoko... A lot has happened since you've been sick. You've been in this coma for a little over a month now. I know you can hear me so listen to me. At first when Washu told me that you were sick and you needed to return to space and occupy yourself with things that made you happy I told her no. Washu and I fought night and day about you returning back to space. I thought if you went there you would just end up in trouble again. I didn't want you to be in trouble. You were fine here. I thought you were strong enough to deal with this. Aeka and Sasami managed to humanize themselves. But I guess that different beings have different make-ups, ne? Ryoko I just didn't want you to leave. I thought it was because I didn't want you to get in trouble them come rushing back to Earth with the entire Galaxy Police militia on your tail and there'd be more trouble than this planet was able to handle. But I realized that I would miss you too much. And that's why I didn't want you to leave." Tenchi brushed his hand against the side of my face. I wanted to cry so badly. "Listen Ryoko. I want... no I need you to get better. I need you to at least wake up. You have to get in Ryo-Ohki and go back out there. You don't have to break laws. All you have to do is get stronger. You could train and still read and do anything you want to do... providing it's legal. I couldn't live with myself if you died. I ... I love you too much to see you just waste away. The great space pirate Ryoko can't die like this."
I felt the tears stream out of my eyes. It was the first time I was able to respond to someone's actions. I struggled so hard to move but it hurt. I fought it anyway. I was going to get up, get better and get back to Tenchi. But it hurt!
Tenchi took my hand again. This was it. This time I'm going to do what I've been trying to do for so long. I gripped his hand gently. His hand started shaking a little. I gripped tighter to steady it.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice trembled
I used my other hand to cover my eyes. I opened them slowly. I could see a little bit of light pour in from a door. I moved my hand and turned to see Tenchi. He was crying. I couldn't take it anymore. I burst out into tears.
"And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!"
Washu helped me sit up for the first time in over a month and a half. It took every ounce of energy I had to sit up but I managed to do it. Everyone smiled at me. What's everyone smiling for? I'm not going to die! But I'm still not going to leave.
"Ryoko take this opportunity to leave now." Washu was wiping the sweat off of my brow
"You're crazy. I can't leave."
"Ryoko stop being so damn difficult! It's eighty years! It's only eighty years for christ's sake!" Washu looked a bit worried
"Eighty years without Tenchi is eighty years too long." I wasn't giving this up for anything.
Tenchi leaned against the door. "Washu, do you think I could talk to Ryoko in private?"
Washu shrugged "If you can get her to go then, by all means, go for it."
Washu left the room. Tenchi sat down on the bed and looked me directly in the eyes.
Tenchi took my hand. I was a bit stunned. He took my hand but I wasn't in the coma. Wasn't he afraid that I was going to take it the wrong way and assumed he loved me and wanted to be with me?
"Ryoko, you heard everything I told you when you were in that coma." Tenchi said lowering his head
"Yea I did."
"I meant everything. I meant that I love you and that I don't want you to die like this. I don't want you to die at all."
I just sat there silent. I thought for a second then I spoke "But I don't want to leave you. You know I love you!"
"I have an idea Ryoko." Tenchi looked up at me.
He leaned over and whispered, in my ear, his plan for me.
"Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back."
Two days later I was finally strong enough to walk at least. I left the lab and tried to go back to normal but I just couldn't. I had this permant grin affixed to my face and no one understood why. Ryo-Ohki met me outside. Sasami finally stopped hugging me. I looked at Aeka and nodded.
"Come home soon Ryoko." Aeka said with a tear in her eye.
"It's not over yet Aeka. I'll definately be back."
Ryo-Ohki ran out to the lake. She turned back and gave Sasami a sympathetic meow as she hopped to the very tip of the lake's waters and gazed down at her own reflection. It would be the last time she'd be a cabbit for a while.
Katsuhito and Noboyuki stood by the steps of the shrine. They waved at me.
"I'll see you around."
Tenchi appeared at the door of his house. I was a bit nervous about everything. We made that deal in the room that night and it was all a matter of time before he proved that he would follow through on his part. I was going back into space. I was going to get better. He loved me. I think I could've died completed had I died anyway.
I stared at Ryo-Ohki who was waiting for me. I stared at Tenchi who was looking at me. Everyone was ready for me to make my choice. Would I stay or would I go?
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:"
Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki... the choice. Ryo-Ohki to my left. Tenchi to my right. My life to my left. My love to my right. Two roads. My two roads. One road will lead me to a healthy life. I'll go back and see my friends. I'll see my enemies and I'll see all the things that made me happy while I was growing up. It was paradise for me. I wanted to be there. But on the other hand the other road had future happiness that I couldn't imagine. The man I loved. We would get married. We'd have five kids and pets and a huge house in the mountains. He'd come home from work and I would shower him with love and affection until my dying day. That was also paradise for me. I wanted to be there too. And so, I took my first step. The second step would tell everyone whether I would head to my left or to my right. I stepped foward. And then stepped foward again. Ryo-Ohki turned and followed me. Tenchi nodded at his father and his grandfather. He smiled at Aeka and Sasami. He mouthed "thank you" to Washu and then he walked behind me. He took my hand and smiled at me.
"Everything will be fine." He said after kissing my hand.
Ryo-Ohki was ready. Tenchi was ready. I was ready. I let him go ahead of me.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,"
I went straight down the middle.
Tenchi met me on board the Ryo-Ohki.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do? You're leaving your home and your family for me."
"You are my family and wherever I am, as long as you're there, is home for me." Tenchi took me in his arms.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. We would be gone for eighty years. Tenchi and I would live together. We'd meet my friends. We'd have children. We'd meet my enemies. We'll build a house when we got back. I'd show him the things I did that made me happy when I was growing up. And we'd get married. I had the best of both worlds.
"I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
And that has made all my difference.