No Need for Tenchis
Chapter 3: Conclusion
Tenchi stood under the hot sun in the carrot fields, trying to think of where Ryoko might have gone. He tried to tell himself he was overreacting and that Red Tenchi wouldn't dare to make a pass at her, but based on what little he knew about Red's personality he had to assume he would. If the two of them did find a way to be alone together, he was sure they wouldn't just pass the afternoon playing Scrabble. Suddenly it hit him--there was a second room in the house that was in another dimension, a room Ryoko had invited him into before. It was the bathroom--the one that for him and his dad opened to a normal bath, but for the girls opened up into a huge onsen. Red Tenchi could easily take Ryoko in there, and no one would ever find them.
Cursing himself for not thinking of the bath when he was home, Tenchi took off for his house at a sprint. He was just coming in sight of the house, when he noticed two figures walking down the road that led to the town--and one of them was wearing a high school student's uniform just like his. Their backs were to him, and at this distance he couldn't tell who the girl was, but he ran to intercept them anyway, turning away from the house. From a hundred yards away, he saw it wasn't Ryoko--it was just Kiyone and one of the Tenchis.
"Hey!" Tenchi called, gasping for breath. The couple ahead of him turned around, and hurried back towards the real Tenchi, who doubled over as he started to see stars flickering in front of his eyes. Tenchi staggered forward, as his whole body suddenly felt impossibly heavy, like he was trying to carry a sumo wrestler on his shoulders. Running in the heat had taken more out of him than he'd thought, and he collapsed in the road, with barely the strength to reach out his arm to break his fall. He could hear Kiyone's and his voices getting closer as he fought to keep from slipping into unconsciousness. As the world swirled around him, part of him wondered if he had any business interfering with Ryoko at all. If she liked Red Tenchi better, who was he to stand in the way? If Ryoko was happier with Red, he had no business trying to keep them apart...
"Tenchi?" Forest Green Tenchi said, helping him sit up. Tenchi tried to look up but the world swirled around him, like he'd just stepped off of a merry-go-round.
"Keep your head down--give yourself a minute to relax," Kiyone said. "What happened?"
"Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Have you seen her?"
"She was with Red Tenchi when we left," Kiyone said. Tenchi felt sick. "Why do you ask?" Kiyone asked.
"No reason," Tenchi said weakly, trying to stand up. Forest Green Tenchi caught his arm and helped him stand. A cool breeze blew, helping to clear Tenchi's head. For the first time, he thought about what he would actually say to Red Tenchi and Ryoko if he found them together. Could he really blame either one of them? Red was just him, only a lot testier and more decisive. The more he thought about it, Red was really the perfect match for Ryoko--Red Tenchi seemed like the type to gladly go along on a life of adventure. None of the Tenchis were indecisive, except for the real one. Maybe, he thought, Washu had created better copies of himself than the original.
"What's wrong?" Kiyone asked.
"Nothing," Tenchi said quickly, turning and hurrying back down the road towards the house. He finally stopped running, slowed to a walk, and went past his home without looking at it, continuing on to the shrine. He walked up the steps to the shrine, feeling numb, like he was in a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. Ryoko was gone, probably perfectly happy without him (or at least without the original him) and there was nothing he could do about it. She had picked someone else--he had never thought it could happen, but now he realized how arrogant that had been. He hadn't courted her, never took her out to dinner, or bought her flowers, or really given her much encouragement. Miserable, Tenchi walked towards the shrine, and laid down on the stone tiles in front of it.
The sun was getting low on the horizon now, setting the few wisp-like clouds in the sky on fire in brilliant colors, but Tenchi didn't notice. He closed his eyes, picturing when he'd stood with Ryoko on the pier at San Francisco, thanks to another of Washu's inventions gone haywire. She had been beautiful--all the girls were beautiful, really, but that moment, Ryoko was particularly breathtaking. And he hadn't said anything, or done anything. He could have asked her out, or told her how much she meant to him, or probably even kissed her, but he hadn't. Now she was gone forever.
"Tenchi, you...you IDIOT!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the shrine, scaring away a flock of birds resting in the trees. He fought back tears as with his eyes closed, the echoes died away, leaving nothing but the sound of birds flapping away in the distance.
"What's wrong, Tenchi?" Ryoko's voice said, nearby. Tenchi opened his eyes, squinting to see a familiar figure standing over him.
"Ryoko..." he said, not believing his eyes. He sat up as she looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. He looked around, but didn't see any sign of Red Tenchi. Then it hit him--she'd come to say goodbye. "I understand, Ryoko," he said, managing a weak smile. "Red Tenchi's probably better than I am, anyway--he can make tough decisions. I don't des--" he stopped talking as Ryoko placed a finger over his lips.
"Tenchi, you know what I always wished I could change about you?" Ryoko said, as Tenchi's heart sank.
"That I was more--"
"Nothing," Ryoko replied, smiling. "Absolutely nothing. If there was, you think I'd have stayed here all this time, and put up with Aeka's whining?"
"You're not leaving with Red Tenchi, then?" Tenchi asked hopefully. Ryoko shook her head. Tenchi stood up and looked into Ryoko's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryoko."
"Why?" she asked.
"I never should have doubted you," he said, smiling. For a minute, neither one of them said anything, as they stood and looked at the brilliant sunset in front of them.
"Um...you don't have any plans tonight do you?" Tenchi finally asked.
"What did you have in mind, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"How about dinner?" Tenchi said.
"I'll cook for you if you want," Ryoko said enthusiastically. Tenchi sweatdropped, remembering that her cooking could kill most people from a hundred yards away.
"Well...why don't we go out to eat--just the two of us," Tenchi said. Ryoko looked surprised for a moment, then gave Tenchi a crushing hug.
"It's a date," Ryoko whispered in his ear, a happy smile on her face. Somewhere, the greatest scientist in the universe smiled.
Chapter 3: Conclusion
Tenchi stood under the hot sun in the carrot fields, trying to think of where Ryoko might have gone. He tried to tell himself he was overreacting and that Red Tenchi wouldn't dare to make a pass at her, but based on what little he knew about Red's personality he had to assume he would. If the two of them did find a way to be alone together, he was sure they wouldn't just pass the afternoon playing Scrabble. Suddenly it hit him--there was a second room in the house that was in another dimension, a room Ryoko had invited him into before. It was the bathroom--the one that for him and his dad opened to a normal bath, but for the girls opened up into a huge onsen. Red Tenchi could easily take Ryoko in there, and no one would ever find them.
Cursing himself for not thinking of the bath when he was home, Tenchi took off for his house at a sprint. He was just coming in sight of the house, when he noticed two figures walking down the road that led to the town--and one of them was wearing a high school student's uniform just like his. Their backs were to him, and at this distance he couldn't tell who the girl was, but he ran to intercept them anyway, turning away from the house. From a hundred yards away, he saw it wasn't Ryoko--it was just Kiyone and one of the Tenchis.
"Hey!" Tenchi called, gasping for breath. The couple ahead of him turned around, and hurried back towards the real Tenchi, who doubled over as he started to see stars flickering in front of his eyes. Tenchi staggered forward, as his whole body suddenly felt impossibly heavy, like he was trying to carry a sumo wrestler on his shoulders. Running in the heat had taken more out of him than he'd thought, and he collapsed in the road, with barely the strength to reach out his arm to break his fall. He could hear Kiyone's and his voices getting closer as he fought to keep from slipping into unconsciousness. As the world swirled around him, part of him wondered if he had any business interfering with Ryoko at all. If she liked Red Tenchi better, who was he to stand in the way? If Ryoko was happier with Red, he had no business trying to keep them apart...
"Tenchi?" Forest Green Tenchi said, helping him sit up. Tenchi tried to look up but the world swirled around him, like he'd just stepped off of a merry-go-round.
"Keep your head down--give yourself a minute to relax," Kiyone said. "What happened?"
"Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Have you seen her?"
"She was with Red Tenchi when we left," Kiyone said. Tenchi felt sick. "Why do you ask?" Kiyone asked.
"No reason," Tenchi said weakly, trying to stand up. Forest Green Tenchi caught his arm and helped him stand. A cool breeze blew, helping to clear Tenchi's head. For the first time, he thought about what he would actually say to Red Tenchi and Ryoko if he found them together. Could he really blame either one of them? Red was just him, only a lot testier and more decisive. The more he thought about it, Red was really the perfect match for Ryoko--Red Tenchi seemed like the type to gladly go along on a life of adventure. None of the Tenchis were indecisive, except for the real one. Maybe, he thought, Washu had created better copies of himself than the original.
"What's wrong?" Kiyone asked.
"Nothing," Tenchi said quickly, turning and hurrying back down the road towards the house. He finally stopped running, slowed to a walk, and went past his home without looking at it, continuing on to the shrine. He walked up the steps to the shrine, feeling numb, like he was in a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. Ryoko was gone, probably perfectly happy without him (or at least without the original him) and there was nothing he could do about it. She had picked someone else--he had never thought it could happen, but now he realized how arrogant that had been. He hadn't courted her, never took her out to dinner, or bought her flowers, or really given her much encouragement. Miserable, Tenchi walked towards the shrine, and laid down on the stone tiles in front of it.
The sun was getting low on the horizon now, setting the few wisp-like clouds in the sky on fire in brilliant colors, but Tenchi didn't notice. He closed his eyes, picturing when he'd stood with Ryoko on the pier at San Francisco, thanks to another of Washu's inventions gone haywire. She had been beautiful--all the girls were beautiful, really, but that moment, Ryoko was particularly breathtaking. And he hadn't said anything, or done anything. He could have asked her out, or told her how much she meant to him, or probably even kissed her, but he hadn't. Now she was gone forever.
"Tenchi, you...you IDIOT!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the shrine, scaring away a flock of birds resting in the trees. He fought back tears as with his eyes closed, the echoes died away, leaving nothing but the sound of birds flapping away in the distance.
"What's wrong, Tenchi?" Ryoko's voice said, nearby. Tenchi opened his eyes, squinting to see a familiar figure standing over him.
"Ryoko..." he said, not believing his eyes. He sat up as she looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. He looked around, but didn't see any sign of Red Tenchi. Then it hit him--she'd come to say goodbye. "I understand, Ryoko," he said, managing a weak smile. "Red Tenchi's probably better than I am, anyway--he can make tough decisions. I don't des--" he stopped talking as Ryoko placed a finger over his lips.
"Tenchi, you know what I always wished I could change about you?" Ryoko said, as Tenchi's heart sank.
"That I was more--"
"Nothing," Ryoko replied, smiling. "Absolutely nothing. If there was, you think I'd have stayed here all this time, and put up with Aeka's whining?"
"You're not leaving with Red Tenchi, then?" Tenchi asked hopefully. Ryoko shook her head. Tenchi stood up and looked into Ryoko's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryoko."
"Why?" she asked.
"I never should have doubted you," he said, smiling. For a minute, neither one of them said anything, as they stood and looked at the brilliant sunset in front of them.
"Um...you don't have any plans tonight do you?" Tenchi finally asked.
"What did you have in mind, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"How about dinner?" Tenchi said.
"I'll cook for you if you want," Ryoko said enthusiastically. Tenchi sweatdropped, remembering that her cooking could kill most people from a hundred yards away.
"Well...why don't we go out to eat--just the two of us," Tenchi said. Ryoko looked surprised for a moment, then gave Tenchi a crushing hug.
"It's a date," Ryoko whispered in his ear, a happy smile on her face. Somewhere, the greatest scientist in the universe smiled.