AN- Hiya! Yet another story I'm going to write, because I obviously can't get any ideas for 'Until Forever'! Argggghh! Anyway, I hope this one is good! It's and Ryo & Ten (Ryoko and Tenchi) romance! Hope it's good! R&R!
Disclaimer- I don't own Tenchi, in ANY WAY!
Dedication- To all the people who liked my songfic, Iris! Thank you for all of those wonderful Reviews! I didn't expect to get that many! ^^





If Only
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By beautiful_dreamer

"Ayeka..."

Ryoko sharply sucked in her breath, as her hand flew to her mouth. She nearly fell out of her floating position, as she heard the name of her worst enemy escape the sleeping Tenchi's mouth.

"Ayeka...please...." He begged his face serene and happy.

Ryoko just watched, her eyes moistening slowly.

What was he dreaming about? Was he dreaming about sharing a mystical kiss with the princess? Ruling the planet Jurai side by side? Making a family? Being a husband and king?

She wanted him to dream about her, dream about a future with her...

Not with the princess, not with Ayeka.

"Why?" She whispered, "Why her, and not me?"

'HELLO!!!' her mind screamed, 'You're a demon, a wanted criminal! While she's an innocent princess, an angel that flew right into Tenchi's open arms!'

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that..." She bitterly whispered out loud, to herself.

She was alone, or...alone with Tenchi. She always did this, she always watch him sleep. Maybe it was the fact, she couldn't get to bed, and was envious he could have such a wonderful sleep, were she could only get a few hours.

Or maybe, it was the fact she wished she could over hear him proclaim his love to her. He would whisper he loved her, and that would give her blissful hours of sleep for the rest of her life.

Also, it was the fact she wanted to know he was safe. Safe from pain, bad dreams and sadness. Safe from everything that tormented her at night. She wanted to know he was safe in his bed, dreaming about happy things.

She didn't want those dreams to lead to Ayeka, of course...but what say did she have in Tenchi's mind.

"Oh, Tenchi...if only...." She whispered again, afraid he would wake up and throw her out. She would go back to her room and be all alone. Alone with her memories and thoughts. Her wicked, wicked thoughts...

"Damn you, damn this world...damn my life...my stupid, pathetic life," she said, louder this time. Her voice was filled with angry sorrow and useless self pity. Kami Sama, whatever happened to the strong Ryoko? Why was she replaced by this lost soul?

Now, because of Tenchi...she had more sorrow to add to her life. He would naturally reject her...naturally cast her away as a nuisance. Naturally hated her guts, like everyone else...

If he only hated her from the moment she first saw him by the cave, if only he hadn't seen her and smiled. If he only accepted her, as everyone else had...a monster with no heart.

"If only, you didn't show me what loving someone felt like..." She felt a tear slide down her soft cheek. She didn't need to know what it felt like; she didn't deserve this emotion more than the devil did.

She would be a stonehearted woman...no, not a woman...a stonehearted monster. She would not care what she felt, not care what others felt. She would be free of this torment, she was entangled with now...

If only, he didn't smile. He didn't save her, time after time. If only she stayed in that damn cave, alone and afraid.

She wanted to leave everything, start a new life in deep space.

"But, you know what's stopping me? You are, Tenchi..." She told him, as if he was listening. He smiled, still dreaming of good thoughts.

"Ayeka..." He whispered, "I really like you, I think I..."

Ryoko smacked his face hard, her eyes a blaze with fury. The sound echoed through his room, as she pulled her hand back.

What a jerk, dreaming about Ayeka when she was pouring her heart out to him! He acted, like...she had no feelings! Had no heart to break, had no soul to shatter and rip apart?

Tenchi sat up fast, and grabbed his Tenchi-Ken from the side table.

"You...how could you be so...selfish?" asked Ryoko, her hand cradling the one use to slap his face.

He put the Tenchi-ken down, as he focused his eyes on her form.

Tenchi was so shocked, he was unable to find his voice to ask her why she slapped him? It was so unlike Ryoko, to hurt him physically or emotionally. It was so unreal, like a dream...

Oh, his dream...

Ayeka was there, in his arms. He couldn't control his voice or his movements. He blurted out his proclaim of love, and kissed her softly on the mouth.

It was a beautiful dream, yet...

It felt wrong.

He didn't love her, he only liked her as a friend. That was it, end of story. She didn't need him, she wanted things he couldn't give. They just didn't match up to be the perfect couple everyone wanted.

Ryoko was getting more enraged, his silence triggering her anger right on the dot. What was his problem? Was he too much of a coward to face her? She was nothing but a mere...demon.

A demon. A demon people were scared of, and Tenchi was a person.

"Oh, Kami Sama..." Ryoko whispered, as the fact dawned to her. He was scared of her, plain old scared.

But of course he would be, most sane people were. She was a demon, not to mention a pirate...the most wanted pirate in the universe. She latched on to him, whenever she had a chance...proclaimed her love to him every day...

The only thing that hurt Ryoko was that the fact he was afraid didn't dawn to her sooner.

Tenchi blinked, as he noticed the sudden change of emotion in Ryoko's golden orbs. He noticed the udder sadness, that implaced the fury that blazed so much in her eyes.

His hand went to his cheek, were it throbbed and stung. It didn't hurt so much, as he remembered the other times he had been hit or hurt.

"Why are you in my room?"

Ryoko looked back at him, and sneered. She was slowly dying of heartbreak infront of him, and all he could ask was why she was in his room? Oh, she would tell him why...she was going to tell him, everything.

"Tenchi, you know why I'm here...I tell everyday why I'm here..." She whispered, sitting beside him on the bed. She was glaring through her sadness at him, he was so stupid and naive.

Oh, Tenchi...you didn't think you could shed so much pain on someone? Ryoko thought to herself.

"No, I don't know...and I don't know why you slapped me or why you called me selfish!" He shouted, his anger rising also. She had no right to be angry with him, when he didn't do anything!

"I slapped you, because I wanted you to feel pain too! After all the pain you cause me, what's a mere slap!" She shouted back, her voice breaking. She was going to cry, not to get on his good side but because she needed to get it out.

"What do I do to cause you pain? I let you sleep under my roof, I let you eat my food! I put up with your seduction! What did I ever do to make you feel pain!" Tenchi screamed his own eyes filling with tears. He knew he did cause her pain, but he was too angry to let her know she was right. He caused her pain, every second he was with Ayeka, every time he told her to get away or off of him...every time he neglected to tell her, she was special to him.

Oh Kami Sama, she was special to him. He wanted to wipe the tears that were trailing down her face. Kiss her quivering lips, hold her shaking body. He wanted to call her his, wanted it so bad...

"You do hurt me! You hurt me because I love you so much and you don't even share a tiny bit of that with me!" She sobbed, her hand grabbing a fist full of Tenchi's blanket. "You know what, Tenchi? I would give up forever, give up anything you desire...just to hear your voice say I love you, Ryoko..."

"I know you would," was his only replay, but that said a lot to both of them. He knew she would, he knew she would die happy if he merely smiled at her.

He wanted to tell her, but he didn't know if it was love he felt...

"Then why don't you? Is it because I'm a pirate? A demon?" She asked, her voice breathless from all the crying she was going through.

"No, your no demon...demons don't cry and feel love like you do,"

"THEN WHAT IS IT!? Wh-Why can't you look me in the eye, and tell me you love me? Why can't you hold back your flinch, when I hug you?"

Because, I'm scared I wold never be able to let you go, Tenchi thought to himself. He was never going to tell her that, though. He was too much of a coward, and that was killing her slowly.

He was causing them both pain, shattering both of their hearts each minute he neglected to listen to his own.

"Please, tell me..." She begged him, "tell me so I can change, and be better for you..."

Tenchi couldn't take it any longer, he needed to assure her it wasn't her fault. It was HIS fault. His fault for everything...

"I love the way you are..." He whispered so softly, he barely could hear himself.

Ryoko stopped dead, and thanked her mother for giving her such keen sense of hearing. He loved the way she was? She barely held in her smile, just those words made her heart flutter around in her chest.

"I love the way your bold, the way your so fun to be around...I like the way you hug me, though sometimes it isn't the appropriate time..."

"Then why? Why don't you love me? She asked, her voice breaking once again. Too many emotions, too many feelings were over flooding her heart and soul so fast.

"I know, I can never be like Ayeka. I can never have her grace, her smile. I can never have her gentle nature. I'm not the most beautiful girl in the universe, my hair is wild...my ears are big. I have eyes like a cat! I know I wont be the ideal Japanese wife, the perfect cook. I know I'm too pushy, but I can change! I would change anything I can, to make you happy!" Ryoko told him, as she looked into the depths of his brown eyes.

"Why do you love me? Why not someone better?" Tenchi asked her, looking back into her eyes with the same intense stare she was giving him.

"I love you, because you're the person I want to be like. You're so kind, so...passionate. I have never met anyone with such...love coursing through their eyes!" She smiled, softly, "Remember the cave I was imprison in?"

Tenchi nodded, about to ask what that had to do with their conversation but stopped.

"I first saw you there, when you were a small boy, nothing but a baby in your mother's arms. I was so lonely, so afraid of the memories that haunted me day in and day out...so, I developed a way to walk outside the cave as a ghost ,"

"No one could see, so I was still lonely, but my memories of destroying and killing were less severe as I enjoyed the beauty of the Masaki Shrine. One day, when you and your mother walked by...you saw me. Oh Tenchi, you know what...you even smiled!" Ryoko said, her eyes filling with tears of happiness.

Tenchi grabbed her hands, encouraging her silently to continue the story.

"I watched you grow. I watched you cry at your mother's death, and I tried to comfort you. As you grew older, my love turned to a different kind. I loved you like a woman loves a man," Ryoko squeezed his hands, "And I still do, and always will..."

Tenchi remembered the feeling he had, when he ran to the cave to cry for his mother. Remembered feeling a hand try to brush tears away form his cheeks, as he sobbed. He remembered the scent of Sakura blossoms in the air, as he fell asleep to the comfort so close to his mother's.

The same scent Ryoko beside him wore.

He loved her, loved her before he knew...loved her more now, that he knew. He had to tell her, had to express his love to her.

But how do I tell her?

'Hey, Moron! It takes...3 words?' his brain told him.

3 words...

"I..."

Ryoko looked up, but her eyes went back to his hands that still held hers. He wasn't going to tell her nothing, except to get out of his room. Why would he believe anything she told him?

She needs to hear those words, she needs that happiness...and so do I....

I love her...

Say it, Tenchi!

JUST...

SAY....

IT!!!!!!!

Tell her you love her, love everything about her! Tell her, you will always love her! Love her more each day! Never love anyone the way you love her now! Just say you...

....Love her....

Well, here goes...

"Ryoko?"

She looked up, and pulled her hands from his grasp. He felt hollow then, not having the feeling of her hands in his.

SAY IT, TENCHI!

"I...love..."

Tenchi took her hands back into his, it gave him more courage to finally tell her...

"I love you,"

Ryoko glanced into his eyes, her own giant orbs of surprise.

"You...love...." She started, but her voice was muffled as Tenchi pulled her in a tight embrace.

"Kami Sama, I loved you from the moment I met you...I just didn't know how to tell you..." he whispered, his body falling down to his bed.

He was so tired...

"Ryoko, lets talk about this more in the morning..." He told her, kissing her forehead.

"Tenchi, can I just...have a kiss?" She asked, her voice so soft and scratchy from all the crying she went through.

Tenchi laid her on her back, as he bent over her. He brushed away her bangs, as he gently traced his finger over her lip. He loved the way they felt, so soft and warm. He bent his head down slowly, and captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

Ryoko would be addicted to the taste of his lips, for she had never tasted anything like them. They tasted so sweet, so soft...so warm.

He pulled away, laying down beside the pirate and pulling her into his arms.

"Tenchi..."

"Huh? Let's go to bed, Ryoko...I'm tired and you feel so nice beside me..."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Ryoko smiled even wider, as she kissed his lips softly again.

"I...wanted to thank you for...loving me..." She whispered, her finger drawing imaginary lines in his chest.

"You don't have to thank me, Ryoko..."

"I know, but...I will anyway..."

"All I want, in return...is for you to love me forever..."

Ryoko pressed deep into his embrace, "That can be arranged..."

Tenchi smiled, happy to see her in a happy mood.

"Oh...Tenchi...."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I slapped you, I was being nothing but a monster...I..."

"Hush now, Ryoko...It doesn't hurt..."

"But, it's swelling up!"

"I deserved it, Ryoko...please, can we go to bed?"

"I feel so horrible..."

"Forget about that, and think about...our future, together..."

Ryoko's eyes gleamed with unshed tears of happiness, "Together..."

"Lets get some sleep, ok?"

"Are we going to be married?"

Tenchi chuckled, and pulled her closer to his embrace again.

"Ryoko, well talk about this in the morning, ok?"

Silence was all that met him, she was already asleep with a smile playing softly on her lips.

Tenchi almost laughed, his heart was so full of joy! He brushed back some of her silky cyan hair and gently kissed her forehead.

"Ashiteru, Ryoko..."

With that, Tenchi brought the blanket over them, snuggled in closer to his love, and closed his eyes.

This time, his dream was filled with the one person he wanted to be in his thoughts forever....

Ryoko.

~*~*~*~The End ~*~*~*~

AN- I know, the characters were out of character a bit...but that's that way I imagine Ryoko and Tenchi will be like getting together! ^^ R&R!!!!!!! PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Visit my site, I'm going to post it up there ...with MUSIC!! Yay! If you have any fiction you would like posted up, send it to my email! pink_chick19@hotmail.com! ^^ Or tell me the name of your story, in a review (That's if your registered here). I'll gladly post it, even if it isn't Tenchi Muyo! I like any anime fan fiction I can get my hands on! Hehehe! Umm...also! Fan art! Please send fan art! I love fan art! Ok, I better go! Hehehe! Ja !!!!






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