Disclaimer: The cast of Tenchi Muyo belongs to AIC and
Pioneer. This
story is not used to make any kind of profit, it is
just for people to enjoy. Thank you
A/N: Sorry everyone I seem to be having trouble with the
formatting. I'll try to get this one right
and fix the others, sorry about that.
Oh and sorry the wait was so long and it's kinda short…summer school
sucking up a lot of time. Well that's
it and hope you enjoy 8 )
No Need For Practice and
Revelations
Lunch
passed by uneventfully much to Tenchi's chagrin. He did notice something though.
Aeka and Ryoko weren't eating like they usually do. In fact the two weren't even fighting with
each other, which Tenchi thought was absolutely mind boggling. But, rather then look a gift horse in the
mouth, Tenchi thought about what awaited him after lunch. He could already imagine all the bumps and
bruises that were about to form on his hands, arms, legs and not to mention his
head. Sighing quietly he resigned
himself to his fate and started his trek to the shrine.
"That
was a great lunch as always Sasami, I'll be back in a bit after training with
grandpa" he called back sighing one more time before he passes through the
front door.
"Ok
Tenchi, don't get too hurt today" replied the cheerful little girl, as she
hoped that grandpa would take it easier on him today.
Walking
up the steps of the shrine, Tenchi was again caught in his relelations. I really need a break from all
this. Just a little vacation with me,
some soda, and my sketch pad. Oh and
lets not forget quiet. Like today at
lunch, I need more lunches like that.
Without
realizing it, Tenchi found himself half way up the steps to the shrine. At the top stood grandpa with his bokken
resting on his shoulders.
"Tenchi,
you're late" chastised grandpa. "We are
going to have to make up for this in practice today. But I must cut practice a little bit short so we will have to
work extra extra hard."
Oh
great…today I am gonna be in a whole new world of hurt…
Inwardly
Tenchi sighed, he knew this was coming along with probably a life lesson. But before he could follow that thought any
closer, as he was nearing the top of the stairs he heard his grandpa's battle
cry in front of him. Looking up he saw
the flash in his Yosho's glasses as a white streak flew down towards him with
the bokken tip pointed at his chest.
Trying
to force himself to think clearly, Tenchi managed to barely side step to the
right of grandpa's charge. But sadly
that wasn't enough to save the young man.
Grandpa had taken the bokken and was now swinging it in a arc around his
left side aiming right for the back of Tenchi's head. The blow had stunned the young boy and left him for the moment
without a thought. And before he knew
what was happening he could feel all the impacts of the bokken all over his
backside. Mini explosions of pain were
registering into his brain. And when he
started to turn around he instantly regretted doing so and thought that it
might be better to look away. The sight
that Tenchi so feared manifested itself in what appeared to be three bokkens,
one heading for both sides his shoulders and one towards the middle of his
chest. Reeling backwards Tenchi
struggles to catch his breath.
"Tenchi,
focus on the battle at hand. Your inner
spirit is in too much turmoil. In going
to a place where you know a battle will take place; you must cleanse your
mind. When you come to the shrine for
training you should know that you need to be ready to practice. Just like the battleground of life, you must
ALWAYS be prepared. Even if you are
unsure of your decisions, you must think about your choices with a clear
mind. Come, let us go up to the shrine
and we can finish your training for the day.
Sighing
quietly Tenchi resigned himself to the task at hand. After accepting the bokken from his grandfather Tenchi slips into
a defensive stance. And after what
seemed like endless minutes, neither combatants have moved.
Man
why doesn't grandpa attack? Maybe he
wants me to attack first…
Seeing
Tenchi lose his focus was all that Yosho needed. Like a panther Yosho crossed the gap between him and Tenchi with
lightning speed. If Tenchi hadn't seen
the reflection off Yosho's glasses, Tenchi would never have been able to
deflect the uppercut swing the elder Masaki was delivering. Focusing once again he put all his efforts
into the unfolding battle. Pushing off
Yohsho's bokken, Tenchi takes a small hop backwards; landing deftly on his
feet, in one swift motion he settles into a half crouch before springing
forward. The tip of his bokken pointed
leading towards the stomach of Katsuhito. Had the
opponent been anyone other then Yosho, Tenchi's attack would have had a high
chance of connecting and disabling his opponent. With a resounding "crack" Tenchi's bokken was forced down towards
the ground. Looking up and expecting to
see the worst he sees Grandpa standing to his left and his bokken sliding along
the length of his own, heading quickly towards his head. Letting his instincts take over, Tenchi
leaned backwards to try to avoid the incoming blow. A split second later he realized that he was going to get hit in
the head still. He would most likely
end up sprawled on back which was now covered with fresh bruises. With the desperation of a dying man, Tenchi
pushed himself into a last minute back flip, pushing out with his legs as hard
as he could, arching his back and trying to get maximum extension. As he was rolling his body over, he could
see grandpa's swing go over to the spot where his face used to be. Landing awkwardly on his hands didn't help
make the situation any better for the young prince. Dropping his legs to the ground, Tenchi settles in a very low
crouched stance. His left leg leading
and bokken resting in his right hand, the tip pointing somewhere behind
him. Tenchi pondered his next move, and
after a fraction of a second which he said a silent prayer he charges. Springing again with another charging
attack, this time he snaps his bokken in a perpendicular position across his body,
left hand behind the blade thrusting outwards.
Although not completely surprised by the attack Katsuhito was impressed
by his grandson's speed. Holding his
bokken parallel to his body he easily blocks Tenchi's attack and jumps
backwards to gain some room for his next attack. Upon landing Grandpa charges forward aiming for Tenchi's
stomach. Seeing this attack at the last
moment, but not being fast enough, Tenchi takes a blow to his side. The impact was more then he could take. The pain quickly spread throughout the rest
of his body as his vision starts to dim.
Everything around him slowed down, staggering and dropping down to one
knee and using his bokken for support he breathes heavily trying to clear his vision.
"Tenchi, you must remember that every
action or lack there of will have its consequence. Your reckless attacks although very good have detrimental effects
if you do not connect. Do not forget
that every action has a number of possible reactions. You should judge which action you need to take accordingly. Another thing, these lessons are not just
used for fighting, they are also life lessons too. That will be all for today, and please tell Sasami that I won't
be coming down for dinner today. I have
some work I have to do at the shrine."
And with that Katsuhito turned around
and left to go back to his shrine office.
"Oh and Tenchi one last thing, be focused tomorrow, we will be working
even harder."
Oh great, just what I need, at least
now I can let Washu know ahead of time that I will be in her lab. Sighing quietly At least grandpa has a
sense of humor…at least I hope.
Slowly and a little unsure of his steps,
Tenchi staggers down the shrine stairs.
Each step for him feels heavier and heavier. I need to sit down just for a little bit…just to catch my
breath. Looking around Tenchi finds
a tree a few feet from the step that he is on.
With a loud sigh and a painful groan our battered hero manages to settle
down into a semi-comfortable position.
Sitting with one knee close to his chest and the other folded under it,
drifting off to sleep he dreams again of a unnamed woman.
-At the same time in the women's bath…
"AH-CHOOOOO"
"Bless you Kiyone, you know maybe you
should put on some more clothes or something, you wouldn't want to catch a cold
would you? I have some cough medicine
if you want…in fact you should take that right away or maybe we should visit
Washu, she is always making something cooky in her lab…"
"Mihoshi…WE'RE IN THE BATH, IT'S
HOT!!!! I DON'T NEED MEDICINE AND I
DEFINATLY DON'T NEED TO SEE WASHU!!!!"
Out of breath, and the Mihoshi vein pulsating furiously, Kiyone tries to
calm herself down by sinking down lower into the bath, letting the warm waters
calm and soothe her body. Closing her
eyes she can feel her muscles starting to relax.
I swear we are on a mini-vacation
and this girl is causing me so much stress that I can't even relax for a
minute. I wonder how Tenchi is doing
with his practice…
At the thought of Tenchi, the teal
haired officer can feel the heat rising to her cheeks. God this is so embarrassing, I'm acting
like a little girl…all this blushing and giggling…gah this isn't me!
"See Kiyone you're all red, are you sure
you aren't running a fever? And why are
you smiling like that? Maybe I should
get Washu or at least a thermometer.
You never can be too careful you know…"
"Mihoshi, really I'm fine. I'm just a little tired that's all."
"But Kiyone…"
"Mihoshi" came the quiet
interruption. At this point Kiyone was
looking down at the water, and what she said was so quiet that even Mihoshi
knew it was serious. "Mihoshi…what is
it about Tenchi that draws you to him?
I mean why do you and the other girls like him so much. Mihoshi has known Kiyone long enough to
realize that when Kiyone uses that soft tone of voice it meant that there was
something serious on her mind.
"Ummm…well Kiyone, this is sort of
embarrassing, I mean…well what I'm trying to say is…" breathing deeply, Mihoshi
tries to explain again…"well you see Kiyone, Tenchi…he's a sweet boy, I mean
who would put up with all of us? I mean
we are a like a big family now and he brought us together. One space pirate and her ship, two
princesses, one mad scientists and two GP's.
You notice he never yells at us well that isn't true, he yells ad Aeka
and Ryoko sometimes but that is because they're always blowing something up
with their fighting. I mean he gets
nervous sometimes but I guess that is part of what makes Tenchi, Tenchi. Umm Kiyone can I ask you something now?"
"Sure, go ahead Mihoshi" Although I
am sure I already know what you want to ask me…
"Do you know what you're getting Tenchi
for his birthday?"
Upon hearing the question made a rather
large bead of sweat form on the back of teal haired detective's head. "Ummm no Mihoshi…I completely forgot. It's in two days right?"
"Yup, well you better hurry Kiyone,
cause Aeka and Ryoko will probably try to use this opportunity to impress
him…so if you want to have a chance with him you better hurry and find
something good for him too."
If it was possible for Kiyone's face to
turn any redder, it would have. After
registering what Mihoshi had said, the vein on Kiyone's head started pulsating
at an awkward beat. If it beat any
harder it would have probably burst. By
now Kiyone's face had turned from red to now an angry purple. "EXACTLY WHAT ARE YOU SAYING MIHOSHI!!!??"
"Well…ummm…Kiyone…you don't have to be
angry. Everyone likes Tenchi one way or
another. You don't have to be shy about
it you know…hehehe." Then with a thoughtful
look she asked her partner "I wonder how Ryoko or Aeka will take the news that
you like Tenchi now too…"
Before she could say another word a
primal scream cut her off. The house
shook, the birds stopped chirping…and there was dead silence. When Mihoshi dared to open her eyes she saw
that she was alone in the bath.
I hope she knows what she is getting
herself into… and with that last thought Mihoshi went to get dressed, after
all it was almost time for Space Police Police Man.
Back in the forest Tenchi had woken up
from his restful nap. But as soon as he
stood up he regretted his decision to stop earlier. Umph, great now my whole body feels like it is going to fall
apart. I swear I think grandpa takes
this training stuff too seriously. I
mean ok we had to go Jurai and I had to fight Kagato, but still…everything is
ok now right? No more women crashing
down at my house…thank the gods, and no more being kidnapped. Everything is almost normal now…well as
normal as it can get around here. Maybe
everyone won't mind if I take a day off and get away. Just to relax and find myself…
Looking down at his watch he realizes
that if he doesn't hurry and make it to the bath he won't be out in time for
dinner…and no one in the Masaki house dared to bring on the ire of the little
green haired princess. Groaning through
his teeth Tenchi picks up his pace thinking about an angry Sasami with a big
wok as his inspiration to make him home.
…meanwhile at the docks
Kiyone just needed some time alone. But she couldn't deny what her partner
said. In fact everything she said was
true. She would have to deal with Aeka
and Ryoko, she couldn't keep her feelings for him held up inside her much
longer. They say if you keep your
emotions inside you for too long you become cold and unfeeling. And after a while you forget what it is to
love and be loved. Could that be
happening to me? Am I forgetting what
it is like to care for someone…to really care?
No way that can't happen to me, I'm Kiyone, the one everyone depends on,
the one who's suppose to be strong and independent…I don't need anyone…I'm fine
just the way I am…. What Kiyone was
about to admit next was something she wouldn't, couldn't tell anyone, but she
figured if she was going to try to be honest to Tenchi, she would have to start
being honest to herself. I am
lonely…. With this last thought,
Kiyone let out a sigh and she could have sworn at the same time the chill of
the afternoon air got a few degrees colder.
