Tenchi Muyo: Thursday: Dawn's Early Chat
On Earth another conversation was being held about the Galaxy police. Nobuyuki had not slept very well and after discovering that Tenchi and Ryoko were not back yet he ventured to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He was joined shortly by Mihoshi who could not sleep as well. They talked for a few hours about things, mostly about her grandfather. She told him how he had trained her early in the ways of the GP and even bent a few of the rules to get her into the force early. With pride she told him, "In every way he influenced me, and I wanted to be just like him. I caught many criminals and was able to help others piece together some tough cases. When Kiyone and I were assigned together I was happy and we had a lot of fun."
"Then what happened?" Nobuyuki sounded truly interested in what she was saying and after she looked at his face she saw that he was actually listening to her. She thought it strange that he listened so closely where just last week she had tried to talk to someone but no one listened and when she talked to him he had fallen asleep while she talked.
She shook her head sadly to expel those thoughts as they were all different this week, and because the memory of what happened was very painful. "I have told everyone about our last case together, but what I didn't tell everyone is that while she did fall into the ultra energy it was not as a self sacrifice." She took a shaky breath as if to settle her self before continuing. "What happened is that I tripped on something or I just tripped myself and knocked her over the railing." Tears began to form in her eyes as in her mind she could still hear her partner screaming her name as she fell.
He reached out his hand and placed it on her shoulder. "That, that sounds like you blame yourself." She looked up at him and she saw a concern in his eyes. Crying now she lunged herself at his shoulder and wept for some time. For his part he did not try to push her away, as he knew she needed to get it out or it would consume her again.
Between sobs she managed to say to him, "But, it is. I, I killed her!" She cried harder as he just placed his arms around her in an attempt to calm her down. As she cried he just held her close and moved her so that he cradled her in his lap.
It had been a long time since he had tried to help anyone, much less a female. The last person he actually tried to help was his son, but every time he tried to help it just ended up making things worse. The last female he had tried to console had been his wife. He continued to hold the crying blonde as she remembered those last few moments that she had seen Kiyone. "You," his voice cracked as he tried to speak, but he tried to continue anyway. "You, may think that, but you didn't." He found it hard to talk as her emotional state had affected him as well and remembering his wife at this time was not helping either. "Accidents just happen, nobody knows why. You didn't kill her." She looked up at him; the look of pain stirred something inside him. He quickly added, "you're not the type to hurt people. It, it was just an accident." He pulled her back into an embrace; her crying seamed to slow as she thought about what he had said.
While they had been talking Sasami had come downstairs and had heard everything that had been said. Staying just outside their sight to not interrupt them, she thought about the changes that had recently happened. She knew that Tsunami had a hand in some of it, but she did not know how strong a part. Now it seamed to the little princess that because of Tsunami Tenchi had finally chosen whom he loved, Mihoshi has had an emotional breakdown, and things were not over yet. Silently she wished that no one had to suffer through this, but Tsunami told her "I'm sorry my child. If it were in my power I would make all the choices for them and save them the hurt. But from great hurt come changes that greatly strengthen them. One day you will understand better, but for now, please trust me."
She did not know if she should considering the things that have happened so far this week. But Tsunami was a goddess and Sasami knew that she had a plan in store for those she cared for. Slowly she responded to Tsunami, "OK, I will trust you. But it still hurts to see this."
"I know Sasami. And thank you." Sasami felt Tsunami close off communication for now, but she never really left her. The little princess hoped that in the future she would truly understand. And when she became one with Tsunami she was sure that all of these things would be revealed to her. It was not long before Ayeka had woke up and tried to come downstairs as well, but Sasami kept Ayeka back out of sight of Mihoshi and Nobuyuki as well so that Mihoshi would not feel rushed or embarrassed about what had just happened.
After a few moments they heard movement from where they were. Peering around the corner carefully Sasami could see him laying her down on the couch and covering her up with a blanket. She guessed that Mihoshi must have cried herself to sleep so she and Ayeka finally went downstairs to make a late breakfast. He however did not say anything about what had happened only she had not been resting very well lately. Neither princess felt it appropriate to pry into why at this time so they just accepted it and went into the kitchen.
Washu, however, had seen the whole conversation between the two and she also wondered about what was going on, but she pushed it aside for now. Now she had more important things to discover. Namely, why had Tsunami said that her sister would remember soon, and why had Sasami called her sister, and where the gems came from? She had told Clay the truth when she talked to him on his ship. She did not know where they came from but she has had them since she joined the academy. She had known about Tenchi and Ryoko's delay in returning as well but for her daughters privacy and to keep that from disrupting her thoughts she had placed a field around her lab effectively blocking off her communication with anyone.
For all of her technology and computers she just could not discover what the answer was. Almost growling she pointed a finger at her computer, "Why won't you tell me what I want!" She sat back upright and sighed. "This just isn't working." Washu leaned back on her floating pillow, trying hard to think of the answer that seemed just beyond her grasp. "Let's see, I've had those gems since before I can remember. Tsunami says that they hold the memories of her sister. And, Sasami call me sister, was that a mistake? Did she think I was Ayeka? No, she knew, she knew I was coming to ask her to help. Did Tsunami tell her?" Leaning back she placed her arms behind her head.
Washu spent a lot of time in silent contemplation it seamed that everything was pointing to her being a goddess and even Tsunami's sister, but how could that be possible? She kept thinking that if she had been a goddess then why was it so easy for Kagato to lock her up and if she was a goddess then what would that make Ryoko? For the next several hours she mulled things over in her head completely shut off from the rest of the world for now. Even her lab had been disconnected from the Masaki house so that even Mihoshi could not get in.
Tenchi had Ryo-Ohki stay on the dark side of the moon since Ryoko seemed to still be asleep. However she did not stay that way for long. He still held her in his arms as she began to wake up. "Mmmm"
"Sleep well my love?" His voice was very low, and she may not have heard it if he had not said it right in her ear.
"Oh, yes." She looked up at him smiling happily.
"We are behind the moon right now. I wanted to, um, talk to you about something."
She pushed herself up onto her elbows so that she rested over him looking into his face. "Oh, what did you want to say?" Se looked at him sweetly and the grin on her face spoke volumes of how happy she was at this moment.
He could not help but smile at his love. He was distracted by the closeness right now as certain parts of her were touching him in a way that was starting to divert his mind away from what he wanted to ask her. Trying hard to get his mind back under control he asked her almost too quickly, "So, um, did you want to go with me to Jurai or stay on earth?"
Here eyes blinked a few times in response before her eyes started open wide, "You, you want me to go with you to Jurai?"
"It's up to you, we can stay here or we can go there." He placed a hand on her cheek as he spoke to her, as he hoped to make sure she stayed calm during this, but it was not helping him, or at least certain parts of him stay calm.
"But, they hate me there! You saw how the counsel felt about me!" Tears began to well up in her eyes as she remembered how they looked at her and how they hated her.
Wiping away her tears Tenchi pulled her close to him again, holding her tight against his body. "Ryoko, I'm sorry. I, I was just thinking about what Tsunami said, she said there I can help a lot of people and she thought you have lived with hatred long enough. I just thought, if you went there as queen they might not say much."
Her body froze, no movement no breathing nothing for a few moments other then her heartbeat. He could feel her heart pounding against her chest and his. She pushed up from him to look at his face, at this moment he was not able to tell what she was thinking. "What?" Her only word her only utterance to him at this point, but her eyes started searching his for an answer, one that seamed to be the very thing that her life depended on.
Tenchi looked within himself, "She knows I love her, I have already asked her to marry me, this won't be much different. But will she want to go to a place where they hate her? Will she feel comfortable there or will it bring back bad memories. Since the Emperor had offered the throne to him anyone that he married would be the Queen, but would she be happy?" He pictured Ryoko as a queen, dressed up in flowing robes like what he had seen Funaho and Misaki in when they came to visit. She would make a beautiful queen, so with his thoughts in order he smiled up at his love.
Ryoko was not sure what to expect, after the night that they had shared he seamed to be growing distant. He had that look, that far away look for a few moments, but seamed like hours. The thought to run away was beginning to look good when she saw him smile about something. Curiosity got the better of her so she stayed right where she was. Quizzically she raised an eyebrow as if to ask what again.
Placing his hands on her shoulders as it to hold her still he asked a very important question, "I, well you know I love you, but would you, um," he was not sure how to ask, but he knew he had better ask and soon. "Would you rather stay on earth as my wife or on Jurai as my Queen?" For a second time this morning he felt all movement and sounds from her stop except her heartbeat, which he swore stopped for a moment. "Ryoko, you know I love you and want to marry you, but if I go to Jurai then you will be queen there. Would you be happy there as the Queen?" He added that in just to make sure she understood what he wanted but he was still mad at asking it wrong the first time.
His thoughts stopped for a moment, as did the rest of him when she began to speak. "You, you want me, to go there? After, after what I did?" She did not seem to be able to grasp going back there. He mind raced with thoughts of what to do, she first wanted to run away as going back there would be too painful, but she thought it might be nice.
Tenchi himself was not all that thrilled with leaving earth, he had thought many times about following his father's footsteps, or his grandfather. He had known that if he returned to Jurai he would be in for a number of shocks, mainly from the duties and the change in lifestyle. He found himself longing for his old life even before he had made the change. Looking at her face again he saw the fear there, he had seen with Ayeka what she had done the last time she was there. He knew what felt right in his life then, "Or," his voice cracked for a moment so he just spoke to her mentally, "or, would you rather be a priests wife and life a life just me and you in the hills?"
She looked back at him then a gentle smile escaped her lips as she looked at him. Many things were crossing her mind but the most dominate one was that he really did love her and he wanted to not only make her happy but he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, alone! The gentle smile became broader until it threatened rip her apart. Her fangs began to gleam in the light. A single tear formed in her eye, "yes!" Her word was simple but conveyed such feeling that he smiled as well and began to kiss his finance.
Quickly he rolled her over so that she was beneath him, his hands wrapped around her as their mouths met in joyous celebration of what had just happened. Their fates decided and the future looking bright the two of them spent the rest of the day behind the moon just enjoying each others company, not once did the thought of food cross their minds. Ryo-Ohki did think a few times about it, but feeling how happy Ryoko was she thought better of interrupting, at least for now. Instead she allowed herself to sleep peacefully, for now and dream of her one true love, carrots.
