Chapter 7:
Tenchi walked down the stairs after retrieving the necessary items, which were now secured in his backpack. He took a quick detour to the kitchen and thanked his lucky stars that there was no one there. Making his way as quickly as possible, he was half way out the front door when Ayeka spotted and called him from the couch.
'Lord Tenchi.' She said getting up and walking over to him.
'Yes miss Ayeka, what is it?' Tenchi replied frozen in mid step. He fought hard not to become irritated at the constant interruptions.
'Well, I was just wondering if you would like to take a walk with me down to Funaho, since it's such a beautiful day.'
'Ah, jeez, I'd love to Miss Ayeka, but I'm kinda busy at the moment.' He thanked god that it was something he could avoid. The disappointment rushed over Ayeka's face, darkening her features and Tenchi quickly tried to make up for refusing her. It would soften the fact that he'd be spending the rest of the day with Ryoko when she found out and might even avert a potential fight.
'Don't worry, how about if we go after dinner, the view's much better at that time anyway.'
Immediately her face lit up again.
'Of course Lord Tenchi, I would be honoured.'
'Okay, see ya later.' He bounded out the door to make sure that no one else could stop him.
'I still don't understand how he manages to run so quickly.' Ayeka thought as she closed the door and walked back in.
Ryoko was sitting up in the cherry tree where she'd been looking around at the scenery for the past ten minutes. Since she woke up from her nap, she'd been trying to distract herself by taking it in, hoping to take her mind off 'things'; she tapped a few flowers and watched the petals drift and spiral down to the ground. She looked at the shadows cast by the trees and they confirmed her suspicion that she had missed lunch; it didn't matter, she wasn't hungry anyway. Having etched the scene into her mind as much as she could without going mad, she turned her attention to the nagging thoughts she was having about Tenchi, doing anything to take her mind off Washu.
'I was sure that he'd come and look for me… I know I
made it obvious that I didn't want him to, but now that he hasn't I feel
somehow… disappointed. I guess I kinda
enjoyed the attention he was giving me. Or do I really need someone to talk to?'
Tenchi spotted her from only a few metres, as the trees were so thick here. She was sitting with her back turned away from him, and seemed not to notice him. Tenchi paused to think about how best to introduce himself; should he be direct and call her from here, or should he sneak up on her? If he tried the first method, she might just teleport away and if he tried the second, she might hate him for it. He spent a few minutes running through various possibilities in his head and decided just to announce his presence when he was a bit closer and act like he didn't know where she was.
Ryoko was startled when she heard Tenchi call her name only a few metres away from her. She turned and spotted him looking around from tree to tree for her. Immediately she was torn between phasing out as fast as possible and staying. A few agonising moments of indecision passed before the urge to stay won and she sat in her tree, continuing to watch him.
Tenchi saw her a few moments later and waved to her.
'Hello there!' He called, walking over to stand by the tree. 'She hasn't gone anywhere, good.' She replied with a simple 'Hey Tenchi.' She was still wary about why he was here and how he had found her, but she never could hide from him for long, he was always able to find her if he wanted to.
Tenchi took his backpack off and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. Retrieving the item he threw it up to Ryoko yelling 'Catch!' She caught it and looked at the thing; it was a yellow ball about the size of her fist.
Tenchi saw the puzzled look on her face 'It's called a tennis ball.'
'I thought tennis was played with rackets.' She said floating down to land beside him.
'Yeah, but you can use the balls on their own; just to play catch with.' He smiled at her. 'Come on, there's a clearing right over there.' He walked a few steps then turned back 'Well? Are you just gonna stand there or are we going to go and play?'
Ryoko stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before a smile crept onto her face. She threw the ball back to Tenchi and ran off after him towards the clearing.
The clearing was large and roughly oval shaped, about a hundred metres in diameter, bounded by trees and covered with grass and the occasional patch of flowers. When Ryoko stepped into it, she saw Tenchi waiting for her a few metres to her left, his backpack on the ground next to him. Seeing her, he threw the tennis ball back and ran forward into the clearing. Ryoko threw the ball high in front of him so that Tenchi had to run hard to catch it. He fumbled with the ball when it hit his outstretched hands, almost bouncing away from him, but he managed to recover and ended up catching it with his left hand. Pointing to a spot near the centre of the clearing, he waited for Ryoko to start to run before throwing it high, just like she had done to him. She intercepted it with perfect timing, effortlessly plucking it out of the air with her right hand; she spun round with her hand stretched out, giving the ball a lot of momentum and threw the it low and hard back to Tenchi. He caught it, cushioning the force of the ball by bringing it into his chest.
They played with the tennis ball for another ten minutes, just running and catching. When Tenchi had enough, he manoeuvred them back over to the edge of the clearing where his backpack was. Catching the ball for the last time, he signalled Ryoko to join him as he bent down to his bag. He heard her phase next to him as he rummaged around for the next item.
'Did you have fun?' He asked smiling, his eyes not leaving the bag.
'Yeah!' She exclaimed.
'Good, because…' he found what he was looking for and brought it out of the backpack '…we're a long way from done.'
Ryoko examined the new object he'd brought out and saw no connection with playing.
'A plate? What are we going to do with that?'
'It's not a plate, it's a Frisbee. You throw them and catch them, just not like a tennis ball.' She looked at the Frisbee for a few moments, then her eyes went wide as she realised that she'd seen it, or at least one like it, before.
'I remember that.' She said concentrating. 'You used to play with that with your grandmother.'
Tenchi was surprised by her statement 'Uhh, yeah, I did. But how did you know that?'
'I used to watch you whenever you came near the cave.'
'But you were just a mummy then.'
'So you really don't remember….'
'Remember what?'
'Me.' Ryoko sat down next to Tenchi and looked across the clearing. 'Back when you were young, your grandmother used to take walks with you on her back.'
Tenchi vaguely remembered being taken about the forest by his grandmother, it was how he originally learned his way around this place.
'One day she took you up to the cave where I was held. Despite being imprisoned there, I still had some mental freedom and I could sense what was going on nearby. When I sensed the two of you, I projected a rather weak astral form of myself to see who had come to see the demon. That was the first time I saw you; just a small baby. But there was something different about you; you saw me, for the first time in seven hundred years someone saw me! From then on, whenever you came up to the cave with her, you could see me and hear me. You were too young to talk, which was a shame, still….'
Ryoko glanced over at Tenchi who was sitting wide-eyed, trying to take in this new information. She decided that he'd had enough; she didn't want to overload him.
'So if I remember,' she took the Frisbee from him 'you throw them like this….'
Ryoko put more force into throwing the Frisbee than was necessary, a lot more. It soared across the grass, gaining height until it was over the trees on the far side of the clearing, showing no signs of slowing down.
'Oops, better get that.' Giving Tenchi a quick smile, she phased out and appeared a few seconds later in the Frisbee's path, catching it with no effort. She phased out again, this time appearing on the far side of the clearing, Frisbee in hand.
'Well, are you just gonna sit there or are we going to play?' She mocked him just like he had done earlier. Tenchi picked up on her tone and jumped to his feet.
'Just don't throw it so hard this time!' He called back. Ryoko threw the Frisbee again, this time putting the correct amount of power into the throw, her aim however was off and Tenchi had to run hard to catch it, stumbling for a few paces after he did. Regaining his balance he threw it back to her, aiming so that she had to run for it, but not too hard.
The pair played with the Frisbee for a good hour; Ryoko's aim got better as she became more familiar with it, much to Tenchi's relief as all the running he was doing was beginning to wear him out. Deciding to address the dryness in his throat, he signalled Ryoko to stop and walked back over to his backpack, Ryoko phased in behind him.
'So what do we do now?' She asked wondering what he'd pull out next.
'Now, I need a cold drink; I'm boiling after all that running.' He pulled out two large bottles of water; they were cold enough to be covered in condensation. Handing one to Ryoko, he took a large swig from his own bottle, still crouching next to his bag.
'Wow, he must really be thirsty.' She thought to herself, taking a small sip from her own bottle. It was an unusually warm day for spring, and he was sweating buckets. An idea sprang into being and a devilish smile spread across her face.
'He's been pretty fun today, so he should be able to take this. Besides, if memory serves, I never did get him like I said I would.' Ryoko thought as she recalled a distant memory.
'Hey, Tenchi, what's that over there?' She asked, pointing to direct his attention away from her.
'Where is it?'
'Over near that tree.' Raising the bottle over his head, she formed an energy dagger as quietly as possible.
'Ryoko, there are a lot of trees, which one?' Tenchi glanced from tree to tree searching for whatever it was Ryoko was talking about unaware of what Ryoko was up to.
'No, I don't see anything… I think Yeow!' Tenchi screamed as the water hit him.
Ryoko had sliced the bottom of the bottle off using the dagger, allowing all of the water to spill onto him at once, soaking his upper body. He turned round and saw Ryoko still holding the bottle, struggling in vain to control her laughter. As soon as she saw his face, it was too much for her to take and she fell to the ground clutching her sides.
'Sorry Tenchi…' She managed in between fits 'But you said… you wanted… to cool off!'
'You're gonna get it for that!' He took the top off his water bottle and started for her. Ryoko jumped to her feet and ran with Tenchi chasing after her.
Ten minutes later and Tenchi hadn't managed to even get close to Ryoko. Now she had started taunting him, waiting for him to close in on her and then either phasing away or flying back just before he could get her. He was enjoying himself though; the combination of the warm sun and running was warming him up again. After a few near misses, his bottle was almost empty. Tenchi still had a trick up his sleeve-Ryoko wasn't the only one who could be sneaky.
Exhausting the rest of the bottle in another futile effort, he started back towards backpack, Ryoko taunting him all the way.
'What was that? I'm gonna get it? Well looks like you're all outta water.'
'You just got lucky, that's all.' He mumbled back.
'Don't feel bad, just because you're soaked and I'm not.'
Tenchi gave her a light scowl, one that showed he wasn't really angry with her. Reaching his bag yet again, Ryoko sat next to him as he rummaged around. He took a quick glance at her, making sure she was within his reach. A small smile spread across his face. Using the quick skills acquired in his training, he leaped and tackled Ryoko to the ground, pinning her with his weight, legs on either side of her waist, trapping her arms by her sides. He held a certain object out of her view.
'Tenchi! What the hell-' She started to protest, but Tenchi cut her off
'Ryoko, I said you were gonna get it… and I meant it.' He brought up another bottle of water and waved menacingly it above her.
'Oh no Tenchi, don't even think about it.'
He casually unscrewed the lid and slowly started to tip it, ignoring her.
'You'll be sorry.' She warned him.
In response he tipped the bottle all the way and watched as the water fell… then turned and sped upwards, hitting him in the face.
'What the hell?' Ryoko started laughing, 'Told you so.' he mentally slapped himself; she was using telekinesis. Rather than stop, he chose instead to break her concentration; Ryoko was getting soaked one way or another. All of a sudden he moved his face out of the stream of water and made the weirdest, most surprising face he could, opening his mouth wide, sticking his tongue out and opening his eyes as big as possible, making a goofy sound. It worked a like a charm and broke her concentration, the water fell back under the control of gravity and landed right on her. Now she was too distracted by the water to use telekinesis anymore and Tenchi took advantage of this by thoroughly drenching her.
When the bottle was empty, he jumped up and laughed at the sight before him: Ryoko's hair was flat now, too wet to spike up and her expression was that infamous 'I'll get you!' one. Tenchi realised that now was no time to hang about, as she was about to jump him.
'Err… Tag! You're it!' He shouted as he turned and ran as fast as possible. This time it was Ryoko who chased after Tenchi, who could tell she wasn't really upset, as she wasn't using any of her powers against him.
He managed to avoid her for another few minutes by making sharp turns and a few quick dives, but eventually Ryoko managed to tackle him by making a leap, catching his waist and bringing them down in a pile on the grass.
'Gotcha!' She exclaimed, still holding onto his waist.
'Okay, okay. You got me, now let me up.'
Rather reluctantly she complied and let go of him 'I don't want to, but if I don't he'll run off. I want to make this a weekly event.'
'Wow, she actually let go, I'm impressed. That's the closest she's come to hugging me in days. I wish she didn't let go so soon… what on Earth am I thinking? It's just because I'm used to it, it's just because I'm used to it. I don't enjoy those hugs, I do not enjoy her hugs.'
'So what now?' Ryoko asked him.
'Well I believe that I'm it, so… you'd better run.'
Another half an hour of running and they had both dried off to the point where they were only slightly damp. It was now that Tenchi decided to take a long break to try and recover some energy. Once again they both sat by his backpack and he produced another bottle of water.
'How did you manage to fit so much in there?' Asked a bewildered Ryoko.
'Well, Washu made some improvements to it.' Ryoko's smile faltered as she was reminded of her mother; she'd managed to forget about her and wanted it to stay that way. Tenchi noticed he reaction and chose to confront her about it now rather than put it off any longer, it was the reason he was here after all and he might not get a better opportunity.
'Ryoko,' his voice took on a serious tone 'what happened between you and Washu?'
'N-Nothing Tenchi, nothing happened.' She turned away from him, Tenchi tried a different approach.
'You know, I lost my mother when I was young.' He surprised her with this and she turned back to him.
'Yeah, I know you did.' Her voice carried a sadness that showed she knew how hurt he was by her death.
'I don't remember much about that day besides that, I remember going into her room in the hospital with my uncle, I stayed with him while dad and grandpa were with her. I remember walking into that room and knowing that something had happened. Dad just said that she passed away early in the morning. I hadn't heard those words before, but… somehow I got the meaning of it. I knew that she was gone… gone forever.'
Tenchi looked at Ryoko and could swear he saw tears beginning to form.
'I'm sorry Tenchi.' She said solemnly. 'I'm sorry for her kimono, and for not being able to do more for you when she died.'
'Hey Ryoko, it's okay, that's not what I meant.' He put his arm gently around her shoulder. 'You were there for me at the cave and that's more than enough. I always felt comforted there and now I know why.' He gave her a small smile.
'Listen; what I'm trying to get at is that… you should talk to Washu and sort something out. I don't want to see you lose your mother as well.'
Ryoko sighed. 'But Tenchi, there's a difference between your mother and mine…. Your mother loved you, mine doesn't love me.'
'Ryoko that's not true.' He said firmly. 'I know she doesn't act like it, but she truly does love you. I know because I've seen how she looks at you.'
Seeing Ryoko's puzzled expression, he decided to elaborate.
'Sometimes, I see her staring at you when you're asleep on the couch. It's never more than a few seconds, but the look on her face is always the same. Other times, when Ayeka says a particularly nasty thing about you, I see her flinch. I know it doesn't seem like much, but considering how well she hides her emotions, it must really affect her. She jokes and jokes about it, but I think that's just to cover herself. I know I'm kinda babbling here, but do you understand what I'm trying to get at?'
Ryoko nodded.
'Just talk to her, whatever happened upset both of you; she kept taking glances at you with sorrow in her eyes at breakfast this morning.'
Ryoko pondered his words for a few moments before she responded.
'I'll think about it, but I'm not promising anything.'
'That's all I ask. Now, should we call it a day? I think dinner'll be ready soon and it might get a bit chilly once the sun goes.'
'Can we do this again? I… really enjoyed myself today.' Ryoko asked sheepishly.
'Yeah, it was fun. How about same time next week?'
'Thanks Tenchi.' She gently leant over and gave him a hug that lasted only a few seconds. They both got up and headed back for dinner.
Scratch one more chapter. I tried to be a bit more descriptive with the play scenes etc, though I don't think it worked out particularly well. There are quite a few references to a particular episode just before Tenchi gets soaked, guess which one (it's not hard). What did you think about Tenchi's mother's death? Since their house was in the city, I always thought she would die in a hospital.
I like reviews and feedback, so have a heart and please post a review.
