SHATTERED MIRROR
Part 9: Goodbye Forever
by Emily "Mink" Koh
---
DISCLAIMER: "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki" is (c) 1992, AIC and Pioneer
Ltd. I don't own it. "Shattered Mirror" is (c) 2000-2001, Emily "Mink"
Koh (mink249@aol.com). Do not repost elsewhere without permission.
Sponsored by caffeine, Winamp, and Orikasa Ai CDs. :
---
"Ah-ha. So this is where you're hiding out."
Amber eyes darted suspiciously to Kiyone in the doorway of the empty
guest room. "I didn't know you had the blueprints to the Jurain palace
with you," Kiyone mumured calmly, and paused.
"How did you find me?" Ryoko growled. She was in the corner of the
guest room, immersed in the shadows, and refused to come out.
// How typical of a guilty person, // Kiyone thought to herself quietly.
// Or of someone in pain... the only recluse. // She smiled at herself
and said out loud, "After all, I /am/ a Galaxy Police officer, aren't I?
I'm supposed to have a knack for these things." She paused. "And
besides, it would probably help that you and Ryo-chan are linked."
"... That little /rat/," Ryoko said hatefully. "She'd --"
"If you're worried about her ratting out your location, you needn't
worry," Kiyone said coolly, taking a seat on a nearby chair. "Why
don't you come out here and we can talk? Besides, Ryo-chan
promised me she wouldn't give out your location to anyone else
besides me."
"What are you, my psychologist?" Ryoko's voice was become
closer to a dangerous threatening tone but Kiyone didn't flinch.
"I just want to talk. Together. About what happened --"
"Forget it. And now, why don't you be a good little police officer
and tell me who sent you here to find me? I expected to see Washu
trailing me, or Aeka, or even that moronic Terran boy."
Taken aback, Kiyone blinked. "'Moronic Terran boy'? Now there's
a new nickname for Tenchi-kun... since when did you become so
bitter about him? I thought you and Aeka-san were always drooling
over him --"
"*Were*, Kiyone. That's the keyword here," Ryoko said darkly. "I
guess Tenchi finally found the one he wants in his life, and I'm not in
it. I'll leave it at that for you."
Kiyone's tone became crisp. "No one sent me here, for the record.
I came here of my free will -- can't we just talk about what happened?
I just want to explain --"
"There is NOTHING to explain!" Ryoko shrilled. "Why don't you
get that? What happened, happened! You can't change that!"
"... I didn't do it," Kiyone whispered to herself, and her voice grew
louder. "I didn't do it, Ryoko, I swear... you probably don't believe me
and I understand that. But... just hear me out. This is the honest
truth -- I never meant to do it."
There was silence on Ryoko's part, and Kiyone continued.
"I was notified by the Galaxy Police that a local space pirate gang's
hideout was discovered. And according to what they pieced together
through the items there and bartenders, the gang wanted *your*
hide. You apparently were indebted to them."
"Ah. Yoroshiku's gang," came a murmur from the shadows.
"They somehow found out your location -- Earth. And they also
knew that you were residing with Terrans... their plan was to take
a hostage, make you pay. Start a battle. All that fun stuff," Kiyone
said sarcastically. "The GP took the chance to actually find out
your location and the search for Ryoko -- which had been dropped
for quite a while -- had been rekindled.
"I found out once my boss informed me about it. He told me to
keep an eye out for Ryoko, and what could I say? 'Yes sir, she
and I live together now, and I'm sorry, but I can't arrest her'?" She
sighed. "And here, he was promising me a huge promotion.
First one to nail her got a hefty reward and a status promotion
by quite a lot."
"So you went for the promotion, then." It wasn't a question.
Kiyone ignored her comment. "Please understand... before coming
to Earth and joining this... this 'Tenchi family,' the GP was my life's
work. Everything I had was on it -- my success, my failures. It
was basically my foundation for sustaining this tedious life.
"And then, I came to Earth. And everyday was like... this amazing
Christmas or something -- there was always something exciting or
dangerous happening. Bad for the health, I guess," she chuckled
lightly. "And I finally learned the meaning of 'family.'"
Kiyone gave a sigh, and a lengthy pause before going on. "I took
you up to the mountains to warn you. Give you a clearance from
the area so you could take off with Ryo-chan, hide out in space or
somewhere else until the danger passed. That's why I asked you
to bring Ryo-chan with you."
"..."
"But the GP already zeroed in on you -- they had captured this
gang right before they entered the Earth's atmosphere, and the
gang themselves ratted out your location so that you'd be with
them in jail, too."
"Yoroshiku always was a pain in the ass," Ryoko said calmly.
"Is that all you're thinking about?" Kiyone said, exasperated.
"Did you hear anything I said except the ending?"
No response.
Kiyone leaned back into the chair, closing her eyes. Okay, so a
talk with Ryoko hadn't exactly awakened old friendships as she
had expected. What had she been thinking? After all, this was
*Ryoko* she was talking to.
She opened her eyes, and nearly fell backwards.
Ryoko sat across from her timidly, studying her -- not amiably,
but not with distaste either.
"God, you scared me," Kiyone muttered. "At least you're out of
the shadows now --"
"I know you didn't do it," Ryoko interrupted quietly.
"...?" Kiyone's eyebrow arched. "You do?"
"Of course. I knew from the beginning -- why I questioned the
truth, I don't know," Ryoko mumbled.
Kiyone felt a wave of relief -- but that relief was replaced by anger.
"If you knew from the beginning, why are you giving me all this shit
about how I did it?!" she asked, standing up adamantly. "Do you
know how many sleepless nights I've had, recklessly drowning in
my own guilt?"
"I needed someone to blame," Ryoko scowled. "And if you think
that's stupid, fine. I don't know what to think anymore -- everything
is just screwed up."
Kiyone became quiet, and sat down again.
"... It's not like I /wanted/ to blame you. Hell, I could've blamed
someone else, yes -- Yoroshiku, the GP. Why I didn't still is
confusing to me. Maybe I was just hurt -- hurt that you were
standing there, gaping, while I was being chased. Hurt that you
couldn't STOP the stupid GP. Why you couldn't tell them that
you couldn't work with them anymore -- you actually had a family
and they were arresting someone important to you."
Kiyone flinched. "Ryoko..." She attempted searching for yet
another excuse, and found none -- the ugly truth had been set
out. Why /hadn't/ she spoke up? Why couldn't she tell them --
"I was weak," Kiyone said softly. "And all I have to do is apologize
to you, I can't say anything else. I'm sorry." She paused. "But I'm
not weak anymore. I'm... changing. I'm going to back to Earth,
with Mihoshi-san, with Tenchi-kun -- with everyone. I've resigned
from Galaxy Police."
Ryoko crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow. "I suppose I can
accept your apology," she mumbled, which translated to, "I'm
sorry as well."
"But you're still weak," Kiyone accused, ruining the brief moment
of hope of a rekindled friendship.
"... Excuse me?" Ryoko snapped.
"... Come back to Earth with all of us," Kiyone suddenly said.
Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "Not to that hell. I've had enough hell in
my life, and I don't need to go there anymore."
Kiyone crossed her arms as well. "I see... is Earth hell, or is
seeing Tenchi-kun hell?"
Silence.
Then...
"Shut up."
Kiyone got up, getting ready to leave. "My time's up," she said. "I
think Sasami-chan prepare a ship to Earth tomorrow. So make up
your mind before then," she said rather cheerfully, hiding the dark
mood that had permeated the room moments before.
"I said I'm not going."
"Just think about it," Kiyone said, moving towards the door. "And...
about what you said? The whole ordeal with how Tenchi-kun found
someone in his life and it isn't you?" She shook her head. "I think
you're mistaken -- you'd be very surprised to know that you're very
much wanted in his life."
With that, Kiyone left the room, leaving Ryoko stunned and confused.
---
A pair of hands covered Aeka's eyes.
"Da~are da?" said a voice timidly.
"Sa... Sasami? Is that you?" Aeka said in surprise.
The hands lifted from Aeka's face, and her little sister beamed. "I'm
so glad you remembered my 'cute voice,'" she said, giggling. "What
are you doing out here, in the garden?"
The gentle roar of the small waterfall constructed by the pond gave
a playful gurgle as Sasami splashed her hands by it, and Aeka did
the same. "It gives me... a sense of peace, just standing out here.
Almost like a recluse from this nightmare," Aeka said.
"... You think it's a nightmare?" Sasami's tone had changed instantly
-- from cheerful to an almost hurt tone.
"Don't you? I mean, we're meeting up with old faces and all we do
is get friction against each other," Aeka said curtly. "Although... I
am glad to see you."
"... I don't think it's a nightmare," Sasami said firmly. "It's more of a
dream to me. All of us back together! And we're... sort of getting
along. In a sense." She paused. "And we'll all live happily ever
after at the end, anyway."
"What makes you say that?" Aeka said, chuckling. "That's nowhere
where we're heading."
"You'll see. The pieces will come together once more," Sasami said.
The subject drifted away, and Aeka breathed in the air calmly. Her
heart pounded quickly -- not in anticipation of anything, but in anger.
And sadness. She had never heard of a heart beating so fast due
to sadness, but it was happening now. Almost a thrill of madness
rushing throughout her nerves.
"... Tenchi-niichan 'picked' Ryoko-oneechan, didn't he?"
Sasami's voice was gentle and apologetic.
Aeka stared at her. "How... you..." She gave a bitter laugh. "Did
you suspect it, too, then? Am I the only one who's been blind
enough not to know that he loved her from the beginning?"
Sasami scuffled her feet. "He loves you too, Oneesama."
"Yes. Do you know what he said to me? 'I love you, Aeka-san --
but not the way you want me to. I love you -- not as a sister, but
maybe a little more than friend -- but not as a lover. That's how I
care about you." Tears brimmed her eyes and they overflowed
before she could stop herself. "That's what he said."
"Then you're special -- it's a special kind of love that he can't give
to me or even Ryoko-oneechan," Sasami tried cheering her up.
"One of a kind."
"But I don't want that kind of love!" Aeka whispered, and burst
into tears. Sasami hugged her gently, and spoke in a soothing
voice -- one that was both her's and Tsunami's.
"Let's look at it this way -- he finally 'chose' one of you, although I
hate using that word, Oneesama. He loves all of us. I don't think
he'll ever 'choose' a favorite. Ryoko-oneechan isn't necessarily his
favorite and neither are you or me. He's simply saying that he has
some feelings towards Ryoko-oneechan that he doesn't share with
you or me. And c'mon, Aeka-oneesama! He says he doesn't see
you in a sisterly way or even a friendly way -- 'a little more than a
friend,' right? An interesting twist -- I guess Ryoko-oneechan might
be a little ticked off at that, but that's one-of-a kind love!"
"One-of-a-kind, huh?" Aeka said, sniffling, her tears drying up.
"Exactly! No one else in our family shares that kind of love with
you and Tenchi-niichan. That says something, doesn't it? Who
cares if he 'love loves' Ryoko-oneechan. You're special!"
Aeka laughed sadly. "Thank you for the effort, Sasami. I'll try to
see things in that light from now on... you know, I wasn't really blind
like I said. I was trying to hard to win him over..."
"I know you were," Sasami said sadly. "I watched you. And then
some days, I hated seeing you all sad and grumpy. Some days,
I even wished that I wasn't friends with Ryoko-oneechan so I could
do mean things to her and set up stuff so Tenchi-niichan wouldn't
like her anymore. But... Ryoko-oneechan's a very special friend! I
knew I couldn't do that -- even if you are my sister and all."
"And I'm glad your better judgment saved you," Aeka said promptly.
"I would hate for you to turn against Ryoko-san because of me... I
still care about her, no matter how much we fight or argue."
"And I'm sure she does too. Ryoko-oneechan's just not too open."
"Except with Tenchi-sama," Aeka said softly.
Sasami pursed her lips, giving a half-smile. "Well, cheer up,
Oneesama. There /are/ other fish in the sea besides Tenchi-niichan
-- and they probably aren't as indecisive as he is!"
Aeka laughed. "I agree."
"So you see? This isn't a nightmare," Sasami said softly. "It's a
dream. Relieved of burdens. Finally set free. Right?"
Aeka smiled. "Certainly a dream in disguise, then."
---
"Kiyone-dono said she's in the empty guest room down the hall."
Washu looked at Kiyone for confirmation, who nodded. She, Kiyone,
and Tenchi were huddled in a hallway.
"Why are you telling me this?" Tenchi said softly. "You're her mother.
Shouldn't you talk to her first?"
"Kiyone-dono said it's best if you go talk to her," Washu said. "And
even if I am her mother, I certainly haven't behaved like one for a while.
And... you're closer to her. It doesn't matter if I can get in her head;
she's blocked me out somehow at the moment, anyway."
"... I don't know," Tenchi said uneasily. "I want to go talk to her --"
"Tenchi-kun," Kiyone said firmly. "I think Ryoko-san has a bit of an
misunderstanding at the moment. It's best if you go see her, and tell
her yourself."
"... Tell her? Now?!"
"Well, do you see any other better time for it?" Washu scowled.
Really! Sometimes, Tenchi-dono could be so indecisively stubborn!
"Exactly. Cheer her up. I guarantee you'll either be glomped by her,
strangled to death alive, and be graced with a smile," Kiyone said,
smiling. "And I highly doubt you'll be rejected."
Tenchi blanched, facefaulting. This scene seemed like something
out of this soap operas on TV where the guy needed a pep talk
before asking a girl out, or asking a girl to marry him, or asking a
girl -- well, just about anything.
"You /do/ want to rekindle the flame, don't you?" Washu murmured.
"What?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing," Washu said, smiling secretly. "Now, go on.
You don't need back-up for this unless she tries to kill you."
She gave him a forceful push, and Tenchi nearly fell. Stumbling
down the hallway, Tenchi sighed, heading towards the empty guest
room. // Trying to kill me? // he thought, hearing Washu's last
comment in his head again, and gulped. He certainly didn't want
that. Or rejection -- what if he got rejected by Ryoko because he
had taken too long to confess? // I have my reasons, though... //
He pushed the door to the empty guest room, greeted by darkness.
He scowled, looking for a light switch, and instead, found a mangle
of wires in the wall, and gulped again. Someone obviously didn't
want the light. Blindly groping towards the large curtains, he tried
to draw them back --
A flash of light was suddenly at his neck and heat licked his chin.
"What do you want?"
Tenchi gave a yelp, falling backwards, bringing the curtains with him.
They flew back, and light flooded in. A woman scowled, and Tenchi
blinked, rubbing his head.
Ryoko was in front of him, also having fallen on the ground, and her
lightsaber was clutched in her head. Tenchi's hand immediately
went towards his throat, and found his collar singed. He winced,
but went over to Ryoko quickly. "Are you okay?" he said, helping
her up.
Ryoko's voice became timid. "T-Tenchi?!" She drew back, and the
saber vanished. "... Did I hurt you?" Her voice was full of guilt.
"No. You didn't," Tenchi reassured her. "You just singed my
jacket a bit, but that's it. Nothing else."
The cyan-haired woman found her sanctuary amidst the shadows
in the back of the room again. "What do you want?" she asked,
returning to her original question.
"We need... to talk," Tenchi said nervously.
Ryoko laughed cruelly. "Talk. That's all anybody wants to do
with me. 'Let's talk, Ryoko. Let's talk about what happened. I
need to explain.' Words can't show me anything, Tenchi. Do
you understand? You can try to change things by talking... but
what happened, happened!"
Tenchi shut his eyes. He needed her to be quiet, to listen to
him. Now she was rattling off about something... about talking?
He sighed. He was feeling bolder than he had three years ago -- he
certainly didn't need to hear this from Ryoko. Not now, anyway.
Moving swiftly towards the shadows, his hand found her wrist and
he attempted to yank her out from the shadows.
"Let /go/ of me," Ryoko hissed, attempting to pull back her hand.
"Please... let's talk. We can solve this problem, I know we can.
All we need to do is just say... 'goodbye' to the past. Please,"
Tenchi begged. Ryoko's lack of cooperation was beginning to nag
him -- he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. She was so touchy,
and he understood her reasons, but...
He sighed. She was babbling again, about talk. Something about
how talk was cheap --
And then he found himself kissing her.
The shock swept over him, and he ended it abruptly, pulling back,
dropping his iron-grip on her wrist.
But she held him back.
"I'm sorry," Tenchi immediately apologized, stammering, his face
turning red. "I don't know what... I..."
Ryoko stifled an odd laugh. "I see. You didn't enjoy it?"
// Huh? //
Tenchi turned red again. "Wh-what kind of question is that!"
"An innocent one. What, I can't ask? If you want to know, I did."
// Of course I liked it... but... I don't know why I did it. To shut you
up? //
Ryoko narrowed her eyes at him. "Or was it to shut me up?"
// Was it? //
"... No," Tenchi said, after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
Ryoko smiled esoterically. "Don't you think Aeka would be upset
if she found you like this?"
"I thought you heard what I told Aeka-san," Tenchi said, confused.
"I /did/. Don't you think I regret it?" Ryoko snapped fiercely. She
released her grip on his hand this time, and timidly moved out of
the shadows. Tenchi stared at her -- her face was tearstained, and
an angry frown was etched on her brow.
"... You regret it?" Tenchi said, feeling sick.
"Of course! How would /you/ feel if you heard the person you cared
about tell another person that they loved them?" Ryoko shrilled,
scowling. She turned her face away, crossing her arms. "And
what are you doing here? Giving me my consolation prize?"
Tenchi gaped at her.
// She thinks...
// She thinks I said I loved Aeka-san? //
He began to laugh. It was a gentle laugh, not ridiculing, but the
woman in front of him was annoyed nonetheless. "What?" she
snapped irritably. "Are you laughing at me?"
Tenchi smiled, his laugh dying down. "Ryoko... you think I said
I loved Aeka-san?"
"... You do, don't you? 'Aeka-san, I love you,'" Ryoko mimicked.
"I guess you didn't hear the end -- I said, 'Aeka-san, I love you, but
not the way you want me to.'"
A heavy silence permeated the room, and Tenchi felt nervous again.
Ryoko was unpredictable -- there was no telling what she might do.
"... So what does that mean?" Ryoko said softly, sniffling. She
was drawing out of the shadows now, and Tenchi was suddenly
very aware of how close she was to him. Normally, he would've
kicked into panic mode, but this time... it was different.
"It means...," he began slowly and hesitantly.
Ryoko clung onto him, hugging him, and Tenchi held her tightly --
if a bit awkwardly. How odd it felt... but so very right. He soothed
her gently, running his hands through her mane of cyan hair.
"... Just don't say anything else. Please," Ryoko whispered.
"... I won't."
"And don't leave me. Don't leave me alone anymore."
"I promise. Remember? How I said we're saying goodbye to the
past..."
"Just shut up," Ryoko said good-naturedly.
---
EPISODE TEASER:
Ryo-ohki: Miyaaa~aa! Finally, we're going home to Earth... home
sweet home, miya! It seems everyone is happy... we're finally finishing
up solving our problems, miya!
Tenchi: But what about Sasami-chan? She seemed so down...
Ryo-ohki: Next time, on Shattered Mirror: "Fairy Tales," miya! It's
the final conclusion, miya!
Tenchi: Please come back to Earth with me, minna...
---
AUTHOR's NOTES:
Wow. o.O; Now I've firmly decided that I really dislike writing long
dialogues. Or rather, I get bored easily. And my ideas run all over.
Me... I'm not a fan of writing sappy T/R scenes. Why? Well, yes,
I do love the idea of them together, but it involves OOC situations...
let's also not forget that while SM has most of its characters OOC,
I try not to go overboard. Hence I've kept Tenchi's nervousness and
indecision-making around Ryoko a bit near the end, if somewhat
spoiling the moment for T/R fans. It's also best to imagine Ryoko's
voice being done by Orikasa Ai rather than Petrea Burchard for the
series, if you can imagine such a thing like I can do. ;)
The final chapter wraps up loose ends (hopefully) and will end this
lengthy series. Hopefully, you've all enjoyed the story. The ending
(which I've had in mind for a very long time) will maybe explain the
OOCness. Some readers may be disappointed at the ending...
hey, even though I had the idea, it sure makes me frustrated. But
I put it in anyway. [What *is* it, you must be wondering? Well,
you must wait!] Until then, tata!
Japanese vocabulary // side notes:
Yoroshiku: From the manga. Yoroshiku was a space pirate gang.
Uhh... one example is from vol. 10, I think. _o Or vol. 11 --
Mihoshi goes with Tenchi to visit her sick grandmother in space...
suspicious Ryoko and Aeka follow her (although Washu tells them
it's nothing and they don't believe her until Washu shows both girls
and Sasami the hospital scene). Ryoko/Aeka get sympathetic,
hoping for the best for Mihoshi (very funny scene there). But of
course, Yoroshiku interrupts. Ryoko/Aeka decide to fight off
Yoroshiku so Mihoshi doesn't have to perform her police duties.
dare da?: "who's this"? In this situation, it'd mean, "who am I?"
Happy reading. ^_^ [And excuse the delay for this chapter. I would
have had up earlier had Fanfiction.net's server not shut down for the
few days...]
-- Emily Koh
August 6, 2001
Part 9: Goodbye Forever
by Emily "Mink" Koh
---
DISCLAIMER: "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki" is (c) 1992, AIC and Pioneer
Ltd. I don't own it. "Shattered Mirror" is (c) 2000-2001, Emily "Mink"
Koh (mink249@aol.com). Do not repost elsewhere without permission.
Sponsored by caffeine, Winamp, and Orikasa Ai CDs. :
---
"Ah-ha. So this is where you're hiding out."
Amber eyes darted suspiciously to Kiyone in the doorway of the empty
guest room. "I didn't know you had the blueprints to the Jurain palace
with you," Kiyone mumured calmly, and paused.
"How did you find me?" Ryoko growled. She was in the corner of the
guest room, immersed in the shadows, and refused to come out.
// How typical of a guilty person, // Kiyone thought to herself quietly.
// Or of someone in pain... the only recluse. // She smiled at herself
and said out loud, "After all, I /am/ a Galaxy Police officer, aren't I?
I'm supposed to have a knack for these things." She paused. "And
besides, it would probably help that you and Ryo-chan are linked."
"... That little /rat/," Ryoko said hatefully. "She'd --"
"If you're worried about her ratting out your location, you needn't
worry," Kiyone said coolly, taking a seat on a nearby chair. "Why
don't you come out here and we can talk? Besides, Ryo-chan
promised me she wouldn't give out your location to anyone else
besides me."
"What are you, my psychologist?" Ryoko's voice was become
closer to a dangerous threatening tone but Kiyone didn't flinch.
"I just want to talk. Together. About what happened --"
"Forget it. And now, why don't you be a good little police officer
and tell me who sent you here to find me? I expected to see Washu
trailing me, or Aeka, or even that moronic Terran boy."
Taken aback, Kiyone blinked. "'Moronic Terran boy'? Now there's
a new nickname for Tenchi-kun... since when did you become so
bitter about him? I thought you and Aeka-san were always drooling
over him --"
"*Were*, Kiyone. That's the keyword here," Ryoko said darkly. "I
guess Tenchi finally found the one he wants in his life, and I'm not in
it. I'll leave it at that for you."
Kiyone's tone became crisp. "No one sent me here, for the record.
I came here of my free will -- can't we just talk about what happened?
I just want to explain --"
"There is NOTHING to explain!" Ryoko shrilled. "Why don't you
get that? What happened, happened! You can't change that!"
"... I didn't do it," Kiyone whispered to herself, and her voice grew
louder. "I didn't do it, Ryoko, I swear... you probably don't believe me
and I understand that. But... just hear me out. This is the honest
truth -- I never meant to do it."
There was silence on Ryoko's part, and Kiyone continued.
"I was notified by the Galaxy Police that a local space pirate gang's
hideout was discovered. And according to what they pieced together
through the items there and bartenders, the gang wanted *your*
hide. You apparently were indebted to them."
"Ah. Yoroshiku's gang," came a murmur from the shadows.
"They somehow found out your location -- Earth. And they also
knew that you were residing with Terrans... their plan was to take
a hostage, make you pay. Start a battle. All that fun stuff," Kiyone
said sarcastically. "The GP took the chance to actually find out
your location and the search for Ryoko -- which had been dropped
for quite a while -- had been rekindled.
"I found out once my boss informed me about it. He told me to
keep an eye out for Ryoko, and what could I say? 'Yes sir, she
and I live together now, and I'm sorry, but I can't arrest her'?" She
sighed. "And here, he was promising me a huge promotion.
First one to nail her got a hefty reward and a status promotion
by quite a lot."
"So you went for the promotion, then." It wasn't a question.
Kiyone ignored her comment. "Please understand... before coming
to Earth and joining this... this 'Tenchi family,' the GP was my life's
work. Everything I had was on it -- my success, my failures. It
was basically my foundation for sustaining this tedious life.
"And then, I came to Earth. And everyday was like... this amazing
Christmas or something -- there was always something exciting or
dangerous happening. Bad for the health, I guess," she chuckled
lightly. "And I finally learned the meaning of 'family.'"
Kiyone gave a sigh, and a lengthy pause before going on. "I took
you up to the mountains to warn you. Give you a clearance from
the area so you could take off with Ryo-chan, hide out in space or
somewhere else until the danger passed. That's why I asked you
to bring Ryo-chan with you."
"..."
"But the GP already zeroed in on you -- they had captured this
gang right before they entered the Earth's atmosphere, and the
gang themselves ratted out your location so that you'd be with
them in jail, too."
"Yoroshiku always was a pain in the ass," Ryoko said calmly.
"Is that all you're thinking about?" Kiyone said, exasperated.
"Did you hear anything I said except the ending?"
No response.
Kiyone leaned back into the chair, closing her eyes. Okay, so a
talk with Ryoko hadn't exactly awakened old friendships as she
had expected. What had she been thinking? After all, this was
*Ryoko* she was talking to.
She opened her eyes, and nearly fell backwards.
Ryoko sat across from her timidly, studying her -- not amiably,
but not with distaste either.
"God, you scared me," Kiyone muttered. "At least you're out of
the shadows now --"
"I know you didn't do it," Ryoko interrupted quietly.
"...?" Kiyone's eyebrow arched. "You do?"
"Of course. I knew from the beginning -- why I questioned the
truth, I don't know," Ryoko mumbled.
Kiyone felt a wave of relief -- but that relief was replaced by anger.
"If you knew from the beginning, why are you giving me all this shit
about how I did it?!" she asked, standing up adamantly. "Do you
know how many sleepless nights I've had, recklessly drowning in
my own guilt?"
"I needed someone to blame," Ryoko scowled. "And if you think
that's stupid, fine. I don't know what to think anymore -- everything
is just screwed up."
Kiyone became quiet, and sat down again.
"... It's not like I /wanted/ to blame you. Hell, I could've blamed
someone else, yes -- Yoroshiku, the GP. Why I didn't still is
confusing to me. Maybe I was just hurt -- hurt that you were
standing there, gaping, while I was being chased. Hurt that you
couldn't STOP the stupid GP. Why you couldn't tell them that
you couldn't work with them anymore -- you actually had a family
and they were arresting someone important to you."
Kiyone flinched. "Ryoko..." She attempted searching for yet
another excuse, and found none -- the ugly truth had been set
out. Why /hadn't/ she spoke up? Why couldn't she tell them --
"I was weak," Kiyone said softly. "And all I have to do is apologize
to you, I can't say anything else. I'm sorry." She paused. "But I'm
not weak anymore. I'm... changing. I'm going to back to Earth,
with Mihoshi-san, with Tenchi-kun -- with everyone. I've resigned
from Galaxy Police."
Ryoko crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow. "I suppose I can
accept your apology," she mumbled, which translated to, "I'm
sorry as well."
"But you're still weak," Kiyone accused, ruining the brief moment
of hope of a rekindled friendship.
"... Excuse me?" Ryoko snapped.
"... Come back to Earth with all of us," Kiyone suddenly said.
Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "Not to that hell. I've had enough hell in
my life, and I don't need to go there anymore."
Kiyone crossed her arms as well. "I see... is Earth hell, or is
seeing Tenchi-kun hell?"
Silence.
Then...
"Shut up."
Kiyone got up, getting ready to leave. "My time's up," she said. "I
think Sasami-chan prepare a ship to Earth tomorrow. So make up
your mind before then," she said rather cheerfully, hiding the dark
mood that had permeated the room moments before.
"I said I'm not going."
"Just think about it," Kiyone said, moving towards the door. "And...
about what you said? The whole ordeal with how Tenchi-kun found
someone in his life and it isn't you?" She shook her head. "I think
you're mistaken -- you'd be very surprised to know that you're very
much wanted in his life."
With that, Kiyone left the room, leaving Ryoko stunned and confused.
---
A pair of hands covered Aeka's eyes.
"Da~are da?" said a voice timidly.
"Sa... Sasami? Is that you?" Aeka said in surprise.
The hands lifted from Aeka's face, and her little sister beamed. "I'm
so glad you remembered my 'cute voice,'" she said, giggling. "What
are you doing out here, in the garden?"
The gentle roar of the small waterfall constructed by the pond gave
a playful gurgle as Sasami splashed her hands by it, and Aeka did
the same. "It gives me... a sense of peace, just standing out here.
Almost like a recluse from this nightmare," Aeka said.
"... You think it's a nightmare?" Sasami's tone had changed instantly
-- from cheerful to an almost hurt tone.
"Don't you? I mean, we're meeting up with old faces and all we do
is get friction against each other," Aeka said curtly. "Although... I
am glad to see you."
"... I don't think it's a nightmare," Sasami said firmly. "It's more of a
dream to me. All of us back together! And we're... sort of getting
along. In a sense." She paused. "And we'll all live happily ever
after at the end, anyway."
"What makes you say that?" Aeka said, chuckling. "That's nowhere
where we're heading."
"You'll see. The pieces will come together once more," Sasami said.
The subject drifted away, and Aeka breathed in the air calmly. Her
heart pounded quickly -- not in anticipation of anything, but in anger.
And sadness. She had never heard of a heart beating so fast due
to sadness, but it was happening now. Almost a thrill of madness
rushing throughout her nerves.
"... Tenchi-niichan 'picked' Ryoko-oneechan, didn't he?"
Sasami's voice was gentle and apologetic.
Aeka stared at her. "How... you..." She gave a bitter laugh. "Did
you suspect it, too, then? Am I the only one who's been blind
enough not to know that he loved her from the beginning?"
Sasami scuffled her feet. "He loves you too, Oneesama."
"Yes. Do you know what he said to me? 'I love you, Aeka-san --
but not the way you want me to. I love you -- not as a sister, but
maybe a little more than friend -- but not as a lover. That's how I
care about you." Tears brimmed her eyes and they overflowed
before she could stop herself. "That's what he said."
"Then you're special -- it's a special kind of love that he can't give
to me or even Ryoko-oneechan," Sasami tried cheering her up.
"One of a kind."
"But I don't want that kind of love!" Aeka whispered, and burst
into tears. Sasami hugged her gently, and spoke in a soothing
voice -- one that was both her's and Tsunami's.
"Let's look at it this way -- he finally 'chose' one of you, although I
hate using that word, Oneesama. He loves all of us. I don't think
he'll ever 'choose' a favorite. Ryoko-oneechan isn't necessarily his
favorite and neither are you or me. He's simply saying that he has
some feelings towards Ryoko-oneechan that he doesn't share with
you or me. And c'mon, Aeka-oneesama! He says he doesn't see
you in a sisterly way or even a friendly way -- 'a little more than a
friend,' right? An interesting twist -- I guess Ryoko-oneechan might
be a little ticked off at that, but that's one-of-a kind love!"
"One-of-a-kind, huh?" Aeka said, sniffling, her tears drying up.
"Exactly! No one else in our family shares that kind of love with
you and Tenchi-niichan. That says something, doesn't it? Who
cares if he 'love loves' Ryoko-oneechan. You're special!"
Aeka laughed sadly. "Thank you for the effort, Sasami. I'll try to
see things in that light from now on... you know, I wasn't really blind
like I said. I was trying to hard to win him over..."
"I know you were," Sasami said sadly. "I watched you. And then
some days, I hated seeing you all sad and grumpy. Some days,
I even wished that I wasn't friends with Ryoko-oneechan so I could
do mean things to her and set up stuff so Tenchi-niichan wouldn't
like her anymore. But... Ryoko-oneechan's a very special friend! I
knew I couldn't do that -- even if you are my sister and all."
"And I'm glad your better judgment saved you," Aeka said promptly.
"I would hate for you to turn against Ryoko-san because of me... I
still care about her, no matter how much we fight or argue."
"And I'm sure she does too. Ryoko-oneechan's just not too open."
"Except with Tenchi-sama," Aeka said softly.
Sasami pursed her lips, giving a half-smile. "Well, cheer up,
Oneesama. There /are/ other fish in the sea besides Tenchi-niichan
-- and they probably aren't as indecisive as he is!"
Aeka laughed. "I agree."
"So you see? This isn't a nightmare," Sasami said softly. "It's a
dream. Relieved of burdens. Finally set free. Right?"
Aeka smiled. "Certainly a dream in disguise, then."
---
"Kiyone-dono said she's in the empty guest room down the hall."
Washu looked at Kiyone for confirmation, who nodded. She, Kiyone,
and Tenchi were huddled in a hallway.
"Why are you telling me this?" Tenchi said softly. "You're her mother.
Shouldn't you talk to her first?"
"Kiyone-dono said it's best if you go talk to her," Washu said. "And
even if I am her mother, I certainly haven't behaved like one for a while.
And... you're closer to her. It doesn't matter if I can get in her head;
she's blocked me out somehow at the moment, anyway."
"... I don't know," Tenchi said uneasily. "I want to go talk to her --"
"Tenchi-kun," Kiyone said firmly. "I think Ryoko-san has a bit of an
misunderstanding at the moment. It's best if you go see her, and tell
her yourself."
"... Tell her? Now?!"
"Well, do you see any other better time for it?" Washu scowled.
Really! Sometimes, Tenchi-dono could be so indecisively stubborn!
"Exactly. Cheer her up. I guarantee you'll either be glomped by her,
strangled to death alive, and be graced with a smile," Kiyone said,
smiling. "And I highly doubt you'll be rejected."
Tenchi blanched, facefaulting. This scene seemed like something
out of this soap operas on TV where the guy needed a pep talk
before asking a girl out, or asking a girl to marry him, or asking a
girl -- well, just about anything.
"You /do/ want to rekindle the flame, don't you?" Washu murmured.
"What?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing," Washu said, smiling secretly. "Now, go on.
You don't need back-up for this unless she tries to kill you."
She gave him a forceful push, and Tenchi nearly fell. Stumbling
down the hallway, Tenchi sighed, heading towards the empty guest
room. // Trying to kill me? // he thought, hearing Washu's last
comment in his head again, and gulped. He certainly didn't want
that. Or rejection -- what if he got rejected by Ryoko because he
had taken too long to confess? // I have my reasons, though... //
He pushed the door to the empty guest room, greeted by darkness.
He scowled, looking for a light switch, and instead, found a mangle
of wires in the wall, and gulped again. Someone obviously didn't
want the light. Blindly groping towards the large curtains, he tried
to draw them back --
A flash of light was suddenly at his neck and heat licked his chin.
"What do you want?"
Tenchi gave a yelp, falling backwards, bringing the curtains with him.
They flew back, and light flooded in. A woman scowled, and Tenchi
blinked, rubbing his head.
Ryoko was in front of him, also having fallen on the ground, and her
lightsaber was clutched in her head. Tenchi's hand immediately
went towards his throat, and found his collar singed. He winced,
but went over to Ryoko quickly. "Are you okay?" he said, helping
her up.
Ryoko's voice became timid. "T-Tenchi?!" She drew back, and the
saber vanished. "... Did I hurt you?" Her voice was full of guilt.
"No. You didn't," Tenchi reassured her. "You just singed my
jacket a bit, but that's it. Nothing else."
The cyan-haired woman found her sanctuary amidst the shadows
in the back of the room again. "What do you want?" she asked,
returning to her original question.
"We need... to talk," Tenchi said nervously.
Ryoko laughed cruelly. "Talk. That's all anybody wants to do
with me. 'Let's talk, Ryoko. Let's talk about what happened. I
need to explain.' Words can't show me anything, Tenchi. Do
you understand? You can try to change things by talking... but
what happened, happened!"
Tenchi shut his eyes. He needed her to be quiet, to listen to
him. Now she was rattling off about something... about talking?
He sighed. He was feeling bolder than he had three years ago -- he
certainly didn't need to hear this from Ryoko. Not now, anyway.
Moving swiftly towards the shadows, his hand found her wrist and
he attempted to yank her out from the shadows.
"Let /go/ of me," Ryoko hissed, attempting to pull back her hand.
"Please... let's talk. We can solve this problem, I know we can.
All we need to do is just say... 'goodbye' to the past. Please,"
Tenchi begged. Ryoko's lack of cooperation was beginning to nag
him -- he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. She was so touchy,
and he understood her reasons, but...
He sighed. She was babbling again, about talk. Something about
how talk was cheap --
And then he found himself kissing her.
The shock swept over him, and he ended it abruptly, pulling back,
dropping his iron-grip on her wrist.
But she held him back.
"I'm sorry," Tenchi immediately apologized, stammering, his face
turning red. "I don't know what... I..."
Ryoko stifled an odd laugh. "I see. You didn't enjoy it?"
// Huh? //
Tenchi turned red again. "Wh-what kind of question is that!"
"An innocent one. What, I can't ask? If you want to know, I did."
// Of course I liked it... but... I don't know why I did it. To shut you
up? //
Ryoko narrowed her eyes at him. "Or was it to shut me up?"
// Was it? //
"... No," Tenchi said, after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
Ryoko smiled esoterically. "Don't you think Aeka would be upset
if she found you like this?"
"I thought you heard what I told Aeka-san," Tenchi said, confused.
"I /did/. Don't you think I regret it?" Ryoko snapped fiercely. She
released her grip on his hand this time, and timidly moved out of
the shadows. Tenchi stared at her -- her face was tearstained, and
an angry frown was etched on her brow.
"... You regret it?" Tenchi said, feeling sick.
"Of course! How would /you/ feel if you heard the person you cared
about tell another person that they loved them?" Ryoko shrilled,
scowling. She turned her face away, crossing her arms. "And
what are you doing here? Giving me my consolation prize?"
Tenchi gaped at her.
// She thinks...
// She thinks I said I loved Aeka-san? //
He began to laugh. It was a gentle laugh, not ridiculing, but the
woman in front of him was annoyed nonetheless. "What?" she
snapped irritably. "Are you laughing at me?"
Tenchi smiled, his laugh dying down. "Ryoko... you think I said
I loved Aeka-san?"
"... You do, don't you? 'Aeka-san, I love you,'" Ryoko mimicked.
"I guess you didn't hear the end -- I said, 'Aeka-san, I love you, but
not the way you want me to.'"
A heavy silence permeated the room, and Tenchi felt nervous again.
Ryoko was unpredictable -- there was no telling what she might do.
"... So what does that mean?" Ryoko said softly, sniffling. She
was drawing out of the shadows now, and Tenchi was suddenly
very aware of how close she was to him. Normally, he would've
kicked into panic mode, but this time... it was different.
"It means...," he began slowly and hesitantly.
Ryoko clung onto him, hugging him, and Tenchi held her tightly --
if a bit awkwardly. How odd it felt... but so very right. He soothed
her gently, running his hands through her mane of cyan hair.
"... Just don't say anything else. Please," Ryoko whispered.
"... I won't."
"And don't leave me. Don't leave me alone anymore."
"I promise. Remember? How I said we're saying goodbye to the
past..."
"Just shut up," Ryoko said good-naturedly.
---
EPISODE TEASER:
Ryo-ohki: Miyaaa~aa! Finally, we're going home to Earth... home
sweet home, miya! It seems everyone is happy... we're finally finishing
up solving our problems, miya!
Tenchi: But what about Sasami-chan? She seemed so down...
Ryo-ohki: Next time, on Shattered Mirror: "Fairy Tales," miya! It's
the final conclusion, miya!
Tenchi: Please come back to Earth with me, minna...
---
AUTHOR's NOTES:
Wow. o.O; Now I've firmly decided that I really dislike writing long
dialogues. Or rather, I get bored easily. And my ideas run all over.
Me... I'm not a fan of writing sappy T/R scenes. Why? Well, yes,
I do love the idea of them together, but it involves OOC situations...
let's also not forget that while SM has most of its characters OOC,
I try not to go overboard. Hence I've kept Tenchi's nervousness and
indecision-making around Ryoko a bit near the end, if somewhat
spoiling the moment for T/R fans. It's also best to imagine Ryoko's
voice being done by Orikasa Ai rather than Petrea Burchard for the
series, if you can imagine such a thing like I can do. ;)
The final chapter wraps up loose ends (hopefully) and will end this
lengthy series. Hopefully, you've all enjoyed the story. The ending
(which I've had in mind for a very long time) will maybe explain the
OOCness. Some readers may be disappointed at the ending...
hey, even though I had the idea, it sure makes me frustrated. But
I put it in anyway. [What *is* it, you must be wondering? Well,
you must wait!] Until then, tata!
Japanese vocabulary // side notes:
Yoroshiku: From the manga. Yoroshiku was a space pirate gang.
Uhh... one example is from vol. 10, I think. _o Or vol. 11 --
Mihoshi goes with Tenchi to visit her sick grandmother in space...
suspicious Ryoko and Aeka follow her (although Washu tells them
it's nothing and they don't believe her until Washu shows both girls
and Sasami the hospital scene). Ryoko/Aeka get sympathetic,
hoping for the best for Mihoshi (very funny scene there). But of
course, Yoroshiku interrupts. Ryoko/Aeka decide to fight off
Yoroshiku so Mihoshi doesn't have to perform her police duties.
dare da?: "who's this"? In this situation, it'd mean, "who am I?"
Happy reading. ^_^ [And excuse the delay for this chapter. I would
have had up earlier had Fanfiction.net's server not shut down for the
few days...]
-- Emily Koh
August 6, 2001