Chapter 2: Maybe Someday
I stared at Tenchi, still loving him even after what he had done to me. How could he? I asked myself. How could he choose Ayeka over me? Ryoko, the beautiful, powerful, rich woman…and he chose Ayeka, that whining, ugly princess?
Apparently Tenchi realized his mistake too, because 'his fiancé' had just announced that she didn't give a damn about him and walked out the door. I hope you're happy now, Tenchi.
I wasn't about to abandon him just because of this, though. I mean, feelings can change, right?
Wrong, Ryoko. Tenchi ran after Ayeka, pitifully calling her name.
"Ayeka! Ayeka! Come back!" Sasami and Ayeka were standing outside of the house, and climbing into a Jurai transport ship. Tenchi wasn't thinking straight, or he could have used Tenchi-ken to control it, but I wasn't about to point that out to him.
Sasami had, apparently, been real. She had liked living here, had been friends with us, and she was crying her poor heart out now.
"Ayeka," She begged. "Please don't make us leave!"
"What, you want to stay here? Be disowned, like Yosho?" Ayeka asked distainfully. Sasami shook her head and looked at us for forgiveness as they walked into the ship. Soon, they were gone.
Tenchi wept for a while and I, knelt to comfort him. Even me, a space pirate, can be more comforting than Tenchi. He just lay there, in the dirt, helpless.
That bitch. I thought. How could she do this? Even I wouldn't do this to Ayeka! Dammit, how could she?
"Ryoko." Tenchi was talking to me. I helped him stand up. "Ryoko, I need you to do something for me."
"What?" Anything, Tenchi. Anything for you.
"I need you to take me to Jurai." Anything but that.
"What? So you can visit that bitch? So she can hurt you more? Tenchi, she doesn't love you. You heard her."
"She may have changed, could be different…"
"You know that's not true."
"Prove me wrong." 'Take me to Jurai, Ryoko. Take me there so Ayeka can beat you again.' I sighed, knowing that he had won.
"Ryo-Ohki!" I called out. Ryo-Ohki jumped into the air and turned into a spaceship. Tenchi and I were beamed inside, and I sat down at the controls. "Ryo-Ohki, take us to Jurai."
I had been sitting there, in that ship, for many hours, with Tenchi sleeping behind me. I had heard him talking in his sleep, and it was almost as painful as before. "Ayeka." He would mutter repetitively, "Ayeka." Not "Ryoko", not "I'm sorry", not "I was wrong." Tenchi was never wrong. I should know that by now.
Why was I even staying with him? He had hurt me, badly, and still I loved him. What was wrong with me? It would be so easy, to just have Ryo-Ohki eject him, still sleeping into space…
But I couldn't do that to Tenchi. Not to the Tenchi that had helped me survive, had given me a place to live, and had taught me about normal life. Not even to a Tenchi that loved Ayeka.
I grabbed a bottle of saki that I had stored on Ryo-Ohki. Drank the whole thing. And another. More, drunk so bad that I almost forgot about my problems. Nothing worse in the galaxy than a drunk Ryoko.
Tenchi yawned and sat up. "G' Morning, Ryoko." He said sleepily.
"Good Morning, Tenchi!" I hiccupped. Tenchi glared at me suspiciously.
"Ryoko…you haven't been drinking, have you?"
"Uhhh…who, me?" Nice one, Ryoko! He's sure to believe that!
"Ryoko, its alright if you have been…"
"Nope, not me."
"Yes you have."
I giggled. "Okay, you caught me!"
"Ryoko…can I have some?" I stared at Tenchi. Tenchi, asking for saki? Never.
"Umm…sure…." I handed him a bottle and he gulped it down. He only drank two, but I guess Tenchi can't take much alcohol. He could barely stand and was telling me obscene jokes, which I was laughing at like they were the funniest things ever.
Finally, he got this look in his eye, kind of like Nobiyuki does when he gets a view down my shirt. He walked over to me and looked at me for a moment before he kissed me. I was to drunk to think about it, so I returned the favor. Eventually things got going, and, well, you don't need to know the rest. If you don't know, I'm thinking that you really need to get laid.
Later that day, we woke up together and both had the worst headaches. My headache was gone, and I was about to suggest that we do that again, when Tenchi spoke.
"Ryoko…I'm sorry about that….what just happened."
"Why are you sorry, Tenchi? I had a good time!"
"I took advantage of you…"
"So?"
"I still love Ayeka, Ryoko. Last night, I was trying to forget that. It doesn't change anything!"
"What? So now this life is some kind of sitcom, a big joke on Ryoko? Funny. Haha, Tenchi."
"Ryoko. I'm sorry."
"No more sorrys, Tenchi! I'll take you to Jurai, and then goodbye forever!"
We finally reached Jurai, and I dropped Tenchi off at one of the checkpoints. I hadn't spoken to him since my last announcement, but we had heard from Mihoshi and Kiyone. They had told us that they, Nobiyuki, and Yosho were wondering where we were. I responded with a message telling them the story, also saying that I would like to talk to Washu.
Washu decided that she would talk to me in person, and transported herself to Ryo-Ohki.
"Hello, Mother." I said bitterly.
"What's troubling you, Ryoko?"
"Washu, I'm looking for something that will make me forget Tenchi. I don't want anything to do with him anymore."
"Do you really want to do that?"
"Yes, I do."
"Ryoko, dear, but that will make you forget Earth, your friends-"
"If Ayeka is in that category, she's not my friend. I'd like to forget her too."
"Alright. Here." Washu handed me a small pink capsule with a crab on it, and a glass of water. I stuck the pill in my mouth and swallowed it with the water.
"Ryoko, I have to warn you." Her voice was coming from far away…what? "Ryoko, you will fall asleep for a while, maybe a month or two. The pill may block your memories, but the blockade can be broken…Be careful, dear. Until we meet again, Ryoko."