Conversations
Chapter 2
Under a Tree
*****
It began much the same as any other day in the Masaki household. Lately Tenchi had been allowing Ryoko to sleep in his room, as long as she promised not to try anything while she was there. He knew she slept better if someone else, anyone else, was near her at night. He also felt he was getting to know her better because of some of the talks they had as they were falling asleep; although he did try to keep them as impersonal as possible, at least concerning his and Ryoko's relationship. He felt that, out of respect for him, she did to.
This morning however, as he and Ryoko descended the stairs, Tenchi saw that Ayeka had managed to beat them downstairs. This was something that didn't happen very often, as Ayeka was a late riser and he was usually up early to work in the fields. Ryoko always got up with him to move to her own bed, so as to avoid the confrontation that was about to happen; although the rest of the household knew that Ryoko had been spending the nights in Tenchi's room. They all chose to keep quiet about it for the similar reasons.
Tenchi really didn't need this in the early morning when he wasn't quite awake yet. He closed his eyes and waited for the explosions to follow.
*****
Ayeka stood in the center of the living room, her face bright red. "Lord Tenchi, I don't understand why you allow that woman to take such liberties with you. And as for you Ryoko, why do you continue to pursue that type of relationship with Lord Tenchi, when it's obvious that he doesn't wish it?"
Tenchi looked over at Ryoko expecting an angry glare aimed at Ayeka. Instead he saw a calm, composed look on her face. Ryoko slowly walked over to where Ayeka stood. She looked Ayeka over from head to foot with a steady gaze.
"Princess, we really need to talk," she said calmly. She looked over at Tenchi. "Just talk. Nothing violent." Then before anyone could speak, she grabbed Ayeka and teleported from the room. The rest of the family looked at each other in silence
*****.
Ryoko and Ayeka reappeared on Funaho's little island. Ayeka's expression was one of outrage. "Miss Ryoko, how dare you…" she managed to squeak out.
Ryoko pointed to one of Funaho's exposed roots. "Sit," was all she said. Ayeka saw that Ryoko was not in a mood to argue, so she sat. Ryoko seated herself on another root, facing Ayeka.
Ryoko spoke softly to the princess. "Ayeka, we need to come to an understanding. I don't want you to say a word until after I'm done talking, then you can rant and rave or say whatever you want. And I'll sit here quietly and listen. I told Tenchi there wouldn't be any violence, so I won't allow any. I'll just leave if you try anything and Tenchi'll know that it's not my doing." She paused. "Are you willing to accept these terms?"
The indignation slowly drained from Ayeka's expression. She nodded.
"Good," Ryoko nodded as well. "There are some things I need to get off my chest."
Ayeka snickered.
"Princess…" Ryoko warned.
"Sorry," Ayeka apologized.
"Ayeka," Ryoko began, "do you remember the night I tied you up and tried to sneak into Tenchi's room?" Ayeka nodded. "Well," Ryoko continued, "you also remember that Washu and Ryo-ohki were already in his room when Sasami went in." The princess nodded again.
"Well, the sleeping arrangement that Tenchi and I have is something like that. I sleep in his bed and he's been sleeping on a futon on the floor. I don't think you realize it, but occasionally Washu or Sasami, sometimes both, join us and sleep in the bed with me. It's kind of like a slumber party."
Ryoko stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts.
"I have bad dreams Ayeka. Horrible nightmares when I'm alone in the dark. Tenchi knows this. That's why he's been letting me stay in his room. I didn't think that you'd let me stay with you and Sasami, and when I tried to stay with Mihoshi, she snored and tossed around so much that I couldn't get to sleep at all. And being alone at night with Washu is out of the question because I still don't completely trust her. And I don't think that woman ever sleeps anyway."
Ryoko looked at Ayeka to gauge her reaction. All she saw was an attentive look. Damn, she's hard to read, Ryoko thought. I wonder if I'm getting through to her at all?
"Ayeka, you know you could join us some nights if you want. Tenchi wouldn't mind, as long as we don't fight or try to seduce him. Although you would have to share the bed with me and maybe whoever else joined us that night."
"Miss Ryoko, I don't know what to say," Ayeka managed to get out.
Ryoko looked at her sharply. "Please Ayeka, I'm not quite done yet."
Ayeka folded her hands back on her lap and looked politely at Ryoko.
Ryoko watched her for a minute, still trying to read her expression, then started to speak again. "Ayeka, I don't hate you. In fact, I consider you my best friend aside from Tenchi. No, more than that. I think of Sasami as a little sister and you as a sister closer to my age. You see, I've never had a true family before, and I have one now. I really, really like the one I have. All of you. I'll understand if you don't feel the same, but I want you to understand how I feel. Tenchi knows I feel like this. Sometimes we talk at night before we fall asleep."
Ryoko stopped and looked down at her feet. "I guess that's about all I've got to say. Your turn now."
Ayeka sat with the carefully neutral expression that she had maintained throughout Ryoko's speech. But inside she was stunned by what Ryoko had just revealed to her. Although intellectually she understood that Kagato had been responsible for the destruction on Jurai, she still equated Ryoko with the demon that caused it. Now that demon had stated that she held no hate for the treatment that Ayeka had given her and that she thought of Ayeka as a sister that she, Ryoko, had never had. She needed to reevaluate her perceptions of Ryoko. Badly needed to reevaluate them. But first she needed to dig a little deeper, if Ryoko would allow it.
"Miss Ryoko," Ayeka started.
Ryoko held up her hand to stop her. "Ayeka, if you don't mind, could you drop the `Miss' part. It sounds so formal. Just call me Ryoko."
"All right then, Ryoko," Ayeka replied, "I will start by apologizing to you now, then later I will apologize to Lord Tenchi, for my outburst this morning. If you don't mind, I have some things I want to clear up as well."
Ayeka frowned and bowed her head. She felt she was going to have a hard time explaining this without making Ryoko mad.
"Ryoko, you must understand that while I know you have been pardoned and I know that you were not responsible for what you did, I am still frightened by you. I see you as the powerful being that destroyed much of my planet. In a way, keeping you from Lord Tenchi is a form of revenge for what you did to Jurai. This is wrong and I will attempt to stop doing it for that reason. But, Lord Tenchi is still a point of contention between us and I will not give up on him." With those words, she brought her head up to look Ryoko in the eye.
Much to Ayeka's surprise, Ryoko grinned, "I wouldn't have it any other way princess."
Ayeka cleared her throat and continued. "On a personal level, I do like you as well Ryoko, it's just that I have a hard time seeing past the `Demon of Jurai'. Although I would not go so far as considering you a sister… yet we have had friendly moments together and I have enjoyed those very much. You are a friend; I just wish I could get past the memories. You must understand that while more than 700 years have passed since then for you, I spent most of those years in cold sleep, so the memories of that day on Jurai are still the recent past to me."
Ryoko thought for a moment and saw the truth in this.
Ayeka had stopped talking and was looking at Ryoko. It seemed that much of Ryoko's tension had drained away. She thought this might be a good thing. Now for the difficult part.
"I also have a problem with the fact that if Lord Tenchi chooses you and he becomes Emperor, the people of Jurai may not accept him with you, the Demon of Jurai, as Empress. This could cause great civil and political unrest and could tear the Empire apart. As a member of the royal family, I can not, I will not allow that, regardless of my personal feelings for the parties involved."
Ayeka could tell from the look on Ryoko's face that she hadn't considered that aspect yet.
"Please don't take that personally Ryoko," Ayeka then said, "As I said before, I do like you as a friend and if Lord Tenchi does declare for you, I will bow to his wishes and remain your friend and his, but I will not allow my people to suffer for it in any way. I will also explain this to Lord Tenchi, if the situation ever requires it, but for now I think it would be best not to throw that onto him."
Ryoko looked at Ayeka with a new understanding. This discussion was all that she had hoped for so far. She now believed she understood Ayeka's motivation and thought that she could work with it. If it meant there would be less fighting between them, especially if those fights were a lot less violent, then Tenchi would be happy. It was all she could ask for from the princess.
Ayeka saw that Ryoko was deep in thought and relaxed silently on her root to wait until Ryoko was ready to reply.
"Ayeka, I..." was all that Ryoko could manage at the moment.
Ryoko knew what she had to do now. She suddenly stood up and took a deep breath. "Ayeka, I want you to look at me and consider what I'm about to say. I want you to take a good, long look and listen to me." She glanced at Ayeka to see if she was watching. Ayeka was looking right at her. It's now or never,Ryoko thought.
"First Princess Ayeka of the Jurai royal family," Ryoko stated. "You see standing before you the being known to some as the `Demon of Jurai'. It is known that the former management of said `Demon' was callous, unthinking and inhuman in certain actions. It should also be known that the former management has been permanently evicted and that the being known as the `Demon of Jurai' is under new management and this new management will try in every way not to repeat or even recall the actions and mistakes of the former management."
Ryoko paused, then continued in a lighter tone. "In other words, I am not Kagato and Washu said she has reprogrammed me so that I can no longer be controlled by any outside force. What you see before you is the real Ryoko. No more, no less."
Ayeka's mouth fell open in sudden understanding and she saw the hope in Ryoko's eyes. She knew what Ryoko was trying to do. Ryoko was trying to change her, Ayeka's, perception, using terms that were familiar to any political or business figure. And now that she thought about it, it just might work. If she could view Ryoko the Demon as a separate entity from Ryoko the person, she might get past her fear of her.
And then suddenly it clicked in her mind; the fear, the hate, was… not gone, but no longer directed at Ryoko. It seemed that Ryoko had succeeded. She could now see "Ryoko-the-Person" as separate from the "Ryoko-the-Demon". The "Demon" still scared her, but this Ryoko did not. And what was amazing was that it had happened so quickly, once she realized Ryoko was… well… just Ryoko, the person she had been living with for almost a year now. The best and most honest friend she'd ever had.
"Why, Miss Ryoko!" Ayeka giggled, "I never knew you had that kind of eloquence in you."
"Wadda ya mean Miss?" Ryoko growled good-naturedly.
"Sorry, I have a cold." Ayeka replied with a grin, knowing that "Ryoko-the-TV-addict" would get the reference.
Ryoko did, and she chuckled, "We seem to have more in common than just Tenchi."
"Now we only have to figure out a way to tell the others that we have made a peace of sorts, without giving them all heart attacks," Ayeka continued.
Ryoko chuckled. "They already know."
"Oh? How so?" Ayeka asked.
Ryoko looked up at Funaho's branches. "Tsunami knows through Funaho, so Sasami probably knows as well. That's why I chose this spot to have this talk. And Washu's probably been listening in through our mental link. And neither one of them can keep a secret, so Tenchi and Mihoshi'll know soon." Right `Mom'? Ryoko broadcast.
A mental Hmmph came back at her through the link and then she heard Washu reply; I never knew you had it in you either, Little Ryoko. I'm very pleased. You've matured a lot in the past few months. Oh, and Ryo-ohki has already made Tenchi aware. He was kinda expecting it you know, so it was easy for her to communicate it to him.
Ryoko chuckled again. Now if we can only get you to mature. she sent back. Aloud she said, "Come on Ayeka, let's go back to the house and have some breakfast. Do ya want me to teleport us, or would you rather walk?"
"Walk, I think." replied Ayeka. "It is a beautiful day Ryoko, and we should enjoy it."
"Yes, we should." agreed Ryoko as she offered Ayeka a hand to help her stand up.
It will be nice to have a friend or `sister' my own age to share thoughts and things with. This may work out very well after all. Ayeka thought to herself and smiled as Ryoko helped her up.
*****
As she looked out the window toward the shrine steps, Sasami smiled as she saw the two friends emerge from the trees, chatting and laughing over some shared joke. Oh, Tsunami, she thought, I hope that this is just the beginning.
It is little one, it is. came the faint reply from the goddess.
*****
To be continued
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