~ Tenchi Forevermore ~
by Kitten
Tenchi's POV(at beginning)
I never thought that only three simple words could mean so much. To anybody at all; but they did matter. Even the smallest sentence can change a life time, and change that person's life style as well. It all started when. . .
"Tenchiiiiii! . . . Please Tenchi! Please?" Ryoko begged.
Tenchi continued to ignore her, slowly eating his breakfast. He yawned and dished the rice into his mouth with his chopsticks. Ryoko huffed and then grew a sharp smile. "But are you sure you can trust me all by myself?" she cooed. She wrapped her arms around Tenchi's waist and hugged him tightly. "Tenchi. . . . Please?" Ryoko purred seductively.
"Ah!!! Let go of me!!" Tenchi shrieked. He struggled to get away, but Ryoko's hold only tightened. "But Tenchi! . . .I can't help myself!" she laughed. Tenchi kicked and screamed with all his might, trying to get away from her before she did something drastic!
"Tenchi! Tenchi! Tenchi! T-"
"Miss Ryoko!!!! Just what do you think you're doing?!?!?!" Ayeka shrieked wildly.
Ryoko glared daggers at her and phased out. Tenchi fell over to the ground since Ryoko was the only thing there that had been holding him up. "Yeoooowwwwwww!" he yelled, bumping his head on the counter top. "Lord Tenchi!!!" Ayeka yelped, rushing over to him, "Are you alright?!!!"
"Ugh. . . I've been better. . ." Tenchi groaned. Ayeka sighed annoyingly and helped him back to his feet. "What did that monster do to you now?" she spoke angrily. "I hope she didn't do any bodily harm! Or she'll have to answer to me!" Ayeka spoke as roughly as she could.
Tenchi rubbed the sore spot on his head. "It's alright Ayeka. You'd think I'd be used to it by now!" he laughed. It wasn't that big of an idea. He had been in a lot of worse positions. "Hey, could you help me with these dishes, Ayeka? I think Sasami is still asleep and she probably wouldn't mind if I went ahead and washed them." he smiled.
Ayeka nodded and walked over to the counter and pulled the dishes into her hands. She stepped over to the sink along with Tenchi and gently placed the dishes in the soapy water.
"Well, what did that creature want? Or was she just pestering you again?" she questioned him. Ayeka crossed her arms against her chest and sighed angrily. "Tenchi, I can't bear to see that, that monster around you!! . . . If she ever, ever touches you again I'll -"
"Good morning!!!" chirped a happy Washu. She was wearing her long, dull red nightshirt and her hair was up and tucked away. Washu walked towards Tenchi, rudely pushing Ayeka aside in the process. "Miss Washu! I-"
"Uh uh, uh! It's Little Washu!" Washu smiled.
"If you thi-"
"LITTLE WASHU!!!!!"
"Alright, alright. Little Washu." Ayeka groaned.
"That's better!" Washu grinned ear to ear.
"What is it, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked her as she came to his side. Tenchi continued to hand wash the dishes as he spoke. "Well, Tenchi dear, could you?. . . Would you? . . ."
"Of course, Washu. I'll be your test subject for today."
"Actually, I was going to ask you to do my laundry for me!" Washu spoke cheerfully.
Tenchi face faulted. "Uh, sure Little Washu." he smiled nervously.
"Okie Dokie Artichokie! Here's my shirtsunderwearbrasheadwrapsslips, ecetera, ecetera, ecetera!" she spoke very fast and handed him all of her clothing, which was about a six foot high pile! Washu grinned from ear to ear and walked out of the room. Tenchi only sighed and walked out into the entrance and outside with Washu's laundry piled in his arms.
Meanwhile . . .
"Mihoshi! What have you been doing all while I was gone?!?!?!?"
Mihoshi turned around from the sofa she was sitting on and saw Kiyone standing in the doorway, holding two bags full of groceries. "Oh. . . hi Kiyone. I was going to. . .but. . ."
"It's always but! But this! But that! When will you ever learn-" Kiyone's sentence was cut off by a beeping sound. It was coming from the band on her wrist. "Oh no!" Kiyone ran into the small kitchen as fast as she could and dropped the groceries on the counter. She then ran back into the main room of the apartment that she and her roommate shared.
"C'mon Mihoshi! Duty calls!"
Mihoshi nodded and made her way out the door after her partner.
"Mihoshi! The door?!?!?!?"
"Oh yeah! Thanks Kiyone!". . .
***
"Neannhhhhh! Mneowwww! Meeeeeeeeeew."
"Okay, Ryo-Ohki! Alright girl." Sasami rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked into the kitchen. She sighed and opened the refrigerator, got out a carrot and handed it to the small Cabbit on her shoulder. Ryo-Ohki chirped with glee and jumped off Sasami's shoulder. She sat down on the counter top and happily munched on the carrot. "Meoooooooow. . ." she purred.
"Oh my goodness! Look at the time! . . . We must've slept in too much, Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami yelped, realizing the time on the clock. She sighed annoyingly and bopped her head with her fist.
"Meowwwwwwww. ." Ryo-Ohki sighed pleasurably, enjoying her breakfast.
***
Tenchi picked up the piece of lingerie by the end of his fingers and dropped it into the soapy water tub. "Iiiiick!" he groaned. "This is definitely the last time I EVER volunteer to do laundry!" He poured the soap onto the articles of clothing and let it sit, making sure the dirt and stains were completely gone. Tenchi stood up and picked up the basket of wet clothes and carried them to the clothesline. He carefully picked each clothing article up and delicately placed them on the line, one by one.
"Tenchiiiiii. . ." he heard an all too familiar voice behind him purr. Sure enough, it was. . .
"Ryoko, what do you want this time?" Tenchi spoke annoyingly.
Ryoko floated over to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Tenchi. . . I just want to spend an entire weekend with you at a tropical resort! Just you and I! It'd be so heavenly and romantic! . . .Is that too much to ask for?" she spoke dreamily as she began to play with Tenchi's hair.
Tenchi ignored her fingers in his hair as he pulled the dry laundry from the line and folded it, putting it in an empty basket along with others. "Look, that's the exact same thing you asked me this morning during breakfast. I already said no!"
"But Tenchiiiii, don't you know how I feel about you?!" Ryoko pleaded and let his hair alone.
"Yes! I know all too well!" Tenchi yelled back at her, practically begging her to leave him alone.
"But Tenchi!" Ryoko stepped in front of the clothesline, so that he could only focus on her.
"Ryoko," Tenchi picked up the basket of folded, clean laundry and started carrying it to the back door. "I'm sorry, but I don't think it would be-"
"What if I promise?"
Tenchi stopped walking and looked back at Ryoko. "Tenchi, . . . what if I promise that... I won't do anything?" she asked innocently.
"I'm sorry Ryoko, but I still don't think that would work out. You and I both know that you can't control yourself."
"I'll try! I promise I-"
"Then what's the point of going?! If you aren't planning anything, then why do you want me to go with you?!" Tenchi yelled sternly.
"Tenchi! You can trust me! I promise! . . . Tenchi, in all my whole life, I've never felt so. . . so weird about someone! I just want someone to love. . . . Someone to hold me on cold winter nights, someone to tell me that everything will be all right, someone to wakeup beside each morning and know that they love you too, someone to be the father of my children, someone to spend the rest of my life with, someone to love, Tenchi. . . . You are that someone!!!!" Ryoko poured her heart out, truthfully meaning every word she said.
Tenchi frowned. "Why can't she understand that I don't love her? I can't love her. It just wouldn't work out! We're two very different people; each with a different understanding of life. I'm sorry Ryoko, I just don't feel the same way." Tenchi thought to himself.
"Ryoko, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I just don't feel that way about you. . .I-. . I don't love you." Tenchi spoke calmly.
Ryoko sighed sadly. "I didn't mean to put you in the spotlight, Tenchi. I-. . I'm sorry. . ." Ryoko spoke quietly and phased out.
Tenchi sadly sighed and walked inside.
***
"Tenchi, just the person I wanted to see!"
"Oh, hi Little Washu. I'm almost done with your laundry. Here's the clean ones so far." Tenchi spoke as he sat the laundry basket on the counter top.
"Good, I need my under garments! All my other ones are dirty!" she smirked. Washu was only wearing a towel and a head wrap as well.
"So I see." Tenchi sweat dropped.
"Well, hurry and get to those other clothes!!!" Washu yelled impatiently.
Tenchi nodded and ran back outside.
***
Ryoko sat on the tree branch, softly crying to herself. She had her knees pressed up against her body and she was hiding her face in the skirt of her kimono. A tear drop fell to the ground beneath her and landed on a familiar Cabbit.
"Tenchi. . . I can't help it. . . I love you. . ." Ryoko whispered.
"Neannnnnhhhhhh!!! Mewwwwwwwww?"
Ryoko looked beside her and saw Ryo-Ohki smiling up at her. "Oh, it's you Ryo-Ohki. I'm sorry. . . I probably sound like one of those airheads on soap operas. Don't I?"
Ryo-Ohki shook her head and jumped up on Ryoko's knee. "Meeeeeeeeeeeow. . .": she purred gently and licked Ryoko's finger. Ryoko smiled, still with tears in her eyes and scratched behind the Cabbit's ear. Ryo-Ohki purred in delight, also flopping her paw steadily in a funny fashion.
Ryoko soon stopped petting her and sighed, putting a hand to her heart. "No matter what Tenchi, nothing will ever make me stop loving you. . . . You'll be in my heart. . . forever. . ." she whispered gracefully.
Ryo-Ohki looked up at her friend and frowned. Why was she so upset, and why was she crying? She stood up on her hind legs and nuzzled against Ryoko's neck. "Neeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. . " she purred sweetly. Ryoko smiled again and hugged the small creature next to her.
Ryoko closed her eyes and soon fell to sleep, Ryo-Ohki in her arms. . .
Twenty minutes later. . .
Ryoko flickered her eyes open and looked around. She was still up in the tree, sitting high above the ground. Ryo-Ohki was still in her arms as well. "Meeeeeeeeeeew. . " it purred lovingly. Ryoko smiled and started to stand up when she completely froze. She softly gasped and gazed at her surroundings, only her eyes were moving.
"What is it?" she asked herself. Nothing was seen, nothing was heard at all. Just the wind rustling against the green leaves of the tree she stood upon. But there was something, someone there. Ryoko could feel it! Like the eyes of someone watching her, but their existence was gone. A spirit, an eerie feeling of death, a premonition of what was to come.
Everything was silenced, nothing was heard at all, not even the wind. Ryoko's and Ryo-Ohki's breathing patterns were the only noises there. . . . . . . Suddenly, a beam ripped through the sky, it's light shining so brightly that it made the two figures upon the tree squint their eyes.
The golden light beam zigged and zagged through the sky above them, ripping through clouds and everything that was in it's pathway. It made no sound until it stopped, there was a bright flash and a high-pitched screech and then, the earth began to shake! Ryo-Ohki hissed and screeched wildly, warning that frightening display to leave.
"What the hell?!" Ryoko screamed. The ground shook so violently that she fell right off the branch she stood upon. Ryoko landed on the grass and dirt below with a thump. She gasped a yelp of pain when she hit the ground, her foot touching the ground before her body and breaking her ankle. Ryo-Ohki, seeing Ryoko fall, flew down to help her. "Meeeeooooooooooow?!?!?!?" Ryo-Ohki came to her side and pawed at her leg.
Without warning, the ground's shaking stopped, and everything was calm. . . . Ryoko weakly sat up and grasped her ankle where it hurt. She sighed exhaustedly and looked up at the sky. The golden beam that had ripped through the sky was gone, the weird screeching was no longer heard. The whole earth was calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
Ryoko put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Another flash proceeded and everything went black around her. . . . .
***
"Phew!" Tenchi sighed, "I'm finally done!" He walked back inside the house, the laundry completely finished.
He was suddenly stopped when something grabbed a hold of his leg. "Tenchi!!!! Heeeeelp me! I don't know what to do anymore! Please! Tenchiiiiiiiiiii!"
"Agh! Mihoshi! What are you doing?!" Tenchi yelped in reply. Mihoshi stopped crying and looked up at him, her eyes full of tears.
"Mihoshi, what's going on here?" Tenchi questioned her. "Where's Kiyone?"
"Tenchiiiiiiii!!!! It's awful! Simply awful! Kiyoneeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" she wailed in agony.
Mihoshi stood up and walked over to the window Tenchi had entered from. "Did you see that?!" Mihoshi spoke fearfully. Tenchi shook his head, "What? What is it?"
"Earlier there was a bright flash and then everything went dark and now it's nice again!" Mihoshi whispered.
"Actually, come to think of it! I did! ...I thought it was just an eclipse. But I-" Tenchi's sentence was cut off by a huge rumbling and the ground started vibrating. He fell over, landing on the hard wooden floor. Mihoshi fell over too, falling onto the soft sofa.
Sasami had just been coming out of her room upstairs and she was walking down the stairs when the earthquake started. She screamed as she roughly fell down each step, landing at the bottom in a screech of pain. Ayeka who'd been upstairs like Sasami could be heard screaming as well.
The moving soon stopped and Tenchi moaned in pain. "Aughhh.... What in the?..."
He grabbed his beating head and tightly closed his eyes. After he could think again, he looked around the room. Everything was a complete mess! Broken dishes and other dinnerware had literally flown out of the kitchen and shattered everywhere! Tables, chairs, and shelves had fallen over, the items that had been on them scattered around the room.
Tenchi heard groans of pain coming from the overturned sofa behind him. He crawled over to it and lifted it up, finding Mihoshi underneath. "Mihoshi! Are you okay?!" He asked, shaking her.
She finally came to and frowned at him. "I'm all right...at least I think so." she sighed. "Nothing's broken!" she smiled and laughed. Tenchi sweat dropped and half smiled, half frowned. He heard crying coming from across the room and looked over his shoulder, seeing Sasami in a crumpled mess at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sasami!" Tenchi panicked and rushed over to her. He lifted her up and rested her unconscious body in his arms.
"C'mon Sasami! Please wake up, please... Please wake up!" Tenchi coaxed the little girl.
After fifteen minutes of much aggravation and to no avail, Tenchi stood up and carried Sasami over to the couch. Seeing that it was still overturned, he put the limp body down and sat it up, and placed Sasami on it, propping a pillow under her head. He stood up again and went into the kitchen to pour some cold water.
Tenchi sighed and turned on the sink, filling water into a glass cup he'd found on the floor that was miraculously not in pieces. "What in God's name was that all about?" he asked himself. "Last time I checked, earth quakes don't come very often around here!" he frowned. He continued to think, and by now the water was overflowing out of the cup.
"Oh my gosh! What happened to the others?!" he cried.
Tenchi ran out of the kitchen and handed Mihoshi the cup of water. "Here! Take this cloth and dampen it in the water! See if you can bring Sasami to!" He handed her the cup of water and a handkerchief that he'd pulled out of his pocket. Tenchi ran up the stairs, happy that there was nothing to trip over.
But when he reached the top, there were plenty of messes to clean up. "Ayeka! ...Ayeka! Where are you?!"
He heard moaning coming from Ayeka's room, full knowing it was her. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. There was most likely something on the other side. "Ayeka! Are you in there?!" he asked stupidly.
"Oh Tenchi!" a small voice cried. Tenchi could hear rummaging and moving around inside. No doubt, the room was probably a mess and she was having trouble trying to get through. "I was so afraid! What happened?!" Ayeka choked out.
"I- I don't know...I.. The door! Ayeka, open the door!"
"Tenchi, I can't!"
"For goodness sake, why not?!" he yelled at her.
"It's blocked! During the earth quake, the furniture fell and ...I-Well I can't get out!"
Ayeka sighed and thought for awhile. "Maybe if, ... I know I can!...
I can do it!"
She moved to the side of the first piece of furniture, placed her back against it and pushed as hard as she could. It eventually moved over and she was able to approach the second and last obstacle, a very tall and heavy bookshelf. She put each hand on each side of it and with all the strength she could muster, pushed it over. It landed with a hard and loud crash, splitting and breaking the shelf in pieces.
Ayeka managed to get the door open enough that she could slide through. Doing so, she smiled, pleased of her accomplishment. "I did it! .. I did it, Tenchi!" she yelped with joy and flung herself at him, hugging the life out of him. Letting go, she backed off and smiled smugly. "I knew I could. I bet Ryoko couldn't do that!…I'd like to see the grim look on her face if she were here now! Why I'd-"
"Ryoko! I forgot all about her!"
"That's nice. Wish it would happen more often." Ayeka rolled her eyes and sighed.
"We've got to see if she's alright."
"Why on earth would you waste your time on that demon woman?!"
Tenchi didn't answer, he didn't want to start a fight right now; they had bigger matters to attend to! "Tenchi, what about the others? Are they alright?"
"Well, actually… your sister, she-"
"Sasami!" Ayeka shrieked and ran down the hall and out of his sight. Tenchi sighed and walked down the hall way. He came to the steps that led to the living room, seeing that Ryoko was now here. "Tenchi! Did you see-"
"Tenchi! Sasami's not waking up! I think she's-"
"Mihoshi! Don't you dare even think it!" Ayeka scolded her.
"You guys, she's just unconscious. Here," Tenchi walked over and sat down on the sofa next to Sasami's body. Taking the cup of water, he simply splashed it on her face. She immediately sat up screaming, "Ah! What was that?!"
***
"Who are you?!…What do you want from me?!…"
"…."
"Why the hell won't you answer me?!" Kiyone kept screaming at him, but to no avail. He wouldn't answer her; and she wasn't even sure what she saw was real in the first place! Kiyone was in this starry atmosphere, and it was as if she were floating in space. There was this shadowy, yet faint face looking down at her, smiling evilly.
It laughed cruelly at her, daring her temper to rise.
"Why won't you tell me who the hell you are?!"
Opening his mouth to speak, he recited,
"I will not answer your inquiry, but listen to this…
One was before,
Of incredible stength.
And was destroyed
By a boy, a child of youth.
Then out of the darkness
A new one became.
Even mightier than the first.
He would come to overthrow
To claim his throne of the universe.
Beware this admonition,
For all will fear.
Don't think it a petition,
But a foretelling of the future that is near. . .
"A poem?! What are you talking about?! I don't underst-" Kiyone's voice cut off, no longer being able to speak. And she felt her body beginning to fade away; but as it did so, she heard the masculine voice once again…
"Forget…but remember," it whispered into her soul, "Remember…remember…
***
"Where's Kiyone?! Kiyoneeeeeeeeeee!" Mihoshi wailed pathetically.
"Mihoshi! Will you please?! We have more important matters to attend to!" Ayeka shouted and help Sasami stand up. "Did you hurt your head or anything, dear?"
"I don't know-Ow! It hurts! Oh, It hurts so badly!" she cried painfully and grabbed her head. "Ayeka! Make it stop!" she wailed and buried her head in her sister's chest. "Sasami…shhh…It should be alright. You just got a little bit roughed up falling down that dreadful staircase. I don't see any blood or cuts…" Ayeka held her younger sister tightly and comforted her.
"Tenchiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!"
Tenchi looked behind him, just in time to see Ryoko throwing herself at him. She caught hold of his waist and stood there, her knees on the floor. Holding onto him as tight as she could, she looked up at him with fearful eyes. "Tenchi, I was so scared! Protect me!"
"Ryoko! Let go of me-AH!"
Ryoko snickered to herself as she quickly pulled back her hands. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"Get up!" he whispered in an aggravated tone. Ryoko smiled and got up, patted Tenchi on the head and walked outside.
"I sware! If I weren't holding Sasami right now, I'd beat the living daylights out of that monster woman!" Ayeka sneered. "If only she'd just leave this place and let us all live our lives like normal people! Only then would the rest of us be content."
"I'm tired…" Sasami yawned.
"Oh no you don't! You can't go to sleep right now, Sasami. You might have a concussion." Ayeka retorted. Sasami nodded and leaned against her sister, hoping that she wouldn't notice that she'd already begun to drift off.
Mihoshi walked over to the door and looked outside. "Where are you Kiyone?" she sniffed.
*SPLASH!*
Tenchi heard the loud splash coming from the lake outside, and ran out the door. Coming to a stop, he saw Yugami, in the middle of the lake, and of course, Kiyone, who was just standing there and looking at it in disbelief.
To be continued. . .
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