Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending: Katsuhito Learns to Live Again.
This is a continuation of "Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending." This takes place over twenty years after "Nobuyuki's Pain and Joy." I do not own or hold the rights to any of the characters or activities that have gone on through any of the TM episodes, as they are the Property of AIC and Pioneer. I want no money or fame out of this, nor do I want a lawsuit so please go easy on me.
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Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending: Katsuhito Learns to Live Again.
It has been well over twenty years since that day. And he found it strange that he now felt so lonely. Reaching back in his memory he remembered the day he was first joined. That day seemed like more than a lifetime ago, which in fact it should be. Considering when he was first joined was over eight-hundred-years ago in all honesty it could be considered several lifetimes. At least according to those that inhabited the planet he has called home for so long. Born of Jurai, but not of Jurai; that's what so many had called him. His home had been among the stars long enough for him to learn the art of sword fighting as he was, and still is by all accounts the son of the Azusa.
His father had married an off-worlder as she was called and had a son, by the sheer act of marrying Funaho he went against traditions that went back thousands of years. As the boy grew up on Jurai he became aware of the way people felt about him and he took it as a challenge to show them they were wrong. Fate though handed him something very different. A space pirate attacked him home and killed many in the process of destroying his home and planet. The shoulders were unable to push her away, but something in him told him that he could. And he did. He fought the pirate and was able to force her off his home, but that wasn't good enough. He had to make her pay for it, make her pay for destroying his home and killing so many.
Weather it was fate or just some odd chance he chased the pirate across the stars to this planet called Earth. Here is where it all started, here is where his father had fallen in love with a woman and as some said, cursed Jurai by having a son with her. Here he was able to defeat the mighty Ryoko, the space pirate that could case the weak to fall just at her name alone. But he fought her and won. At least he thought he did, for it was after he took away her power and she was just a girl before him did he himself fall. Not for love or being wounded, but his heart felt pity. She cried and begged him to take her life and after he had stabbed her several times and she did not die, he began to look at his own hands.
His hands were stained with blood, her blood. Several times he cursed her and sliced into her with his sword, but she refused to die. Strangely, she seemed to ask for more. If it had not been for the awakening of something inside him, he would have thought she enjoyed pain. In fact, he realized that she asked for more because she knew she was beaten and she wanted to suffer for all the wrongs that she had done. She wanted to die. Bringing up his sword for one final stroke as she lay before him weeping he fell to his knees and the sword fell from his hands. "I can't." He told her. It was shortly after that moment that they both fell unconscious.
He was revived later aboard his craft. Ryoko had been put in one of the cells as well but she was unconscious still, but alive. Praying to Tsunami gave him little peace, as he knew that even with this victory people would not accept him and then he realized that if he were to let her go, then he would be an outcast or worse. The people barely tolerate his mother and if he let Ryoko go then the people would demand his life for hers. But he could not kill her; something prevented him from doing it. 'No one would understand,' he told the sleeping Ryoko. It was then that his tree came up with the plans and he set about creating a holding are for Ryoko.
At first, he was going to stay on Earth to watch her to make sure that nothing could set her free. It was during this first hundred years that he fell in love with this planet. With his sword sealing the pirate and providing her enough energy to live he did not know how long he would live as well. Making plans he decided to live off the land for a time, but then he became aware that her gems were keeping his tree and him alive as well as her. Using the damaged and discarded pieces of his ship, he built a home for himself after seeing the way the natives built their homes. His tree settled into a home of sorts too. A new land and a new hope. Here he was just Yosho, and not an outcast, a bastard of Jurai.
For the fist few years he said he was staying, only to make sure no one released Ryoko. But then it became more. He had more freedom, more everything. No one was forcing him to do his studies and no one was trying to force protocol and royalty down his throat. But most of all there was peace. Years wore on and many came to the shrine to pray as he found it easier to fit in among the people saying he was a priest of sorts. This forced him to learn the local customs and using more of his craft he designed and built the shrine that still stands today. Though he no longer stands watch over Ryoko, her cave is still there.
Sitting up and moving over to the window, he looked out. In the courtyard, he could see his grandson greeting visitors along with his wife, the space pirate Ryoko as they tended the shrine. Gone were the wild days where she would destroy planets and homes, now she was a homemaker herself. In the years to follow the time that Tenchi released Ryoko the shrine priest was able to learn many more things about the pirate, things that was only hinted at in his dreams. In his dreams all those years, he kept seeing a man with white hair that would constantly beat Ryoko. It was from these dreams that Yosho learned the truth, Ryoko was helpless against Kagato and he forced her to do all those things so long ago. When he discovered that he felt guilty for what he had done to her. But that was in the past and he could not change it.
Instead, he did his best to make a better future for his grandson and granddaughters. He half chuckled as he remembered how Tenchi married Ryoko and then later married Ryo-Ohki as well. That was a surprise to everyone but was accepted gladly. It was easy to see that he loved them both. And now the aging Yosho had one other reason to be happy. The dreaded space pirate and demon Ryoko, who was now not only a member of the Royal Family of the planet she nearly destroyed. But she was also a mother, as about five years ago his great granddaughter, Rei Masaki was brought into this world from the love that Tenchi and Ryoko had.
Moving away from the window the old priest looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Now the old man that looked back on him was not a disguise or a clever ruse, but it was real. Though he did not look quite as old as before he also did not look that young now either. After looking at his reflection, he looked out the bathroom window out to where his space tree used to be, then up to the sky. 'Take care of them Funaho.' Though he could no longer feel the space tree, he knew that it would take care of them. Moving back to his office to go over more of his papers, he let his mind wander for the moment.
It was many years ago that he talked to Nobuyuki in front of Funaho. Nobuyuki had talked to Washu before while Mihoshi was still in space, and she talked to Katsuhito so that both knew about his son-in-laws concerns about growing old. He had thought about it much himself and after talking to him that day it was decided that Nobuyuki would go through the bonding with Funaho. His tree was willing though it was saddened to part with Katsuhito, but it knew his heart. They kept it silent until the wedding and then right after the wedding the bonding was held. He began chuckling as he recalled how Mihoshi threatened his life as that left Nobuyuki to weak to do anything other than sleep on their honeymoon.
"Hay old man!" He looked up to see Ryoko there at the door. "Mom wants to talk to ya, but she wants to know if you want her to come up here or will you go down there?"
"Yes, I'll go down there." He got up from his small desk and proceeded to go down the many stairs to the house and then into the house. He stopped along the way when he saw Ryo-Ohki playing with Rei on the couch. The child's spiky mane of hair suggested who her mother was though her hair was a dark brown instead of cyan. He watched them for a moment and he smiled. He suddenly remembered a time that did not seem to long ago when Ryo-Ohki was not very happy to be around a baby. After the girl was born Washu had shown them all how to properly care for a child, the two girls quickly learned, and they loved taking care of Rei almost as much as they loved picking on Tenchi.
There was something else that he felt for the girl Ryo-Ohki. He felt pity, for even now, as he watched Ryo-Ohki play with the child he could see a strange pain there. She was not human though she felt as human as the others around her. And since she was not human, she could not have children. When Ryoko became pregnant, it had taken him and Washu some time to explain it to her. Even after it was explained, it took some time to explain to her why she could not have a child as well. Washu had tried explaining it saying that the child could be born from her like Ryoko's or born from an egg like Ryo-Ohki was before.
Shaking his head he opened the door to Washu's lab, and approached the eccentric scientist. "Ah hello there Katsuhito!"
"Hello Washu, what is it that you needed?"
"Straight to the point I see," she said while snickering. "It's just this." She hit a switch and a video screen popped up with Nobuyuki & Mihoshi's face on it.
"Ah so they finally sent us a message," he chuckled then prodded Washu to play it.
"Hello there Miss Washu!" they both said.
Nobuyuki began speaking and it was apparent he was a little nervous about something, but he was extremely happy. "Miss Washu, would you share this with my father in law and then with everyone else? Good thanks. Well we've been traveling through space and have been enjoying it a lot. Oh thanks for the ID cards and the credit chip. We could have been in trouble without them. Anyway we have an announcement to make!"
"I'm pregnant!" Mihoshi nearly screamed causing both viewers to cover their ears. She stepped back from the video to show not only her head and shoulders but now from the waist up. She had a slight bulge to her stomach and was rubbing it tenderly.
"Again?" he asked turning to Washu, who just nodded. This would make their third child. Tenchiro was their oldest and was born before their first anniversary which meant that at the time of the wedding she had to have been with child, though no one said a word about it. As their first son grew, Mihoshi became pregnant again with their second son Nabauri and now their third. Washu just looked at Mihoshi indignantly as some how Mihoshi had the easiest of births and barely felt any pain whatsoever. This of coarse earned grumbles from not only Washu, but her two daughters as well.
"I know you're probably wondering why it took us so long to find out, but in truth we had guessed she was for a while. Funaho had been telling me in my dreams too that she though Mihoshi was as well, so I finally found a place…"
"With my help!" She was beaming and began to nearly dance before Nobuyuki gathered her in his arms from behind so he could place his hands on her stomach as well.
"Yes, with Mihoshi's help we found a place and she was tested. And, well you know the rest!" He paused for a moment as he thought of what he wanted to say next. "Dad, I wanted to say thank you again for Funaho, she misses you but she keeps remembering your heart. I don't know how to thank you enough."
"We went to visit my grandfather and I've formally resigned," piped in Mihoshi trying to change the subject to give her husband time to clear his thoughts. "He wasn't surprised though, but he did want to talk to Nobuyuki a lot. Oh and my old partner has finally been reinstated back to his old position."
Nobuyuki laughed and added, "Yea it seems that when Central found out about his actions in space they were going to court-martial him, but with a plea from Mihoshi they just busted him back to the academy and made him go through it again."
Katsuhito and Washu both laughed over that, they were both happy about the changes, and the recording lasted for a mew more minutes before it paused. "Now Katsuhito this is where it stopped earlier. I've seen up to this point and it won't let me go any further."
"Oh, and why is that?"
She pointed to the screen and it had their names on it along with a message saying it needed a voiceprint to continue. "I've tried everything I can think of to get around it but it won't let me and…"
"Why should it? Funaho knows my voice and if it is for me I should think I need to be the one to hear it right?"
"Oops, okay." She suddenly realized that she had said that out loud. Curiosity was pushing her to find out so she really couldn't help herself, and plus she felt that it was in part about her so she wanted to know what it was first. Looking back at him, she noticed that he was just looking at the screen not moving or saying anything to get it to play. "Well? Aren't you gonna say something?"
He cast a glance at her then smiled. "Something." He chuckled and the video began playing again.
"Dad, I have a question for you? Funaho has known your heart for some time, but you have never expressed your feelings why? She thinks you're still a bit shy, and yes she showed me some of her memories of when you were younger." Katsuhito visibly shook at the memories himself. "But she's worried about you, and after getting her to explain it to me I am too. How come you've never told her how you felt? After sharing her memories of you we're starting to think that you'd prefer death to expressing your feelings again."
"No! Stop!" Katsuhito suddenly spoke but the video continued undaunted while Washu looked at him strangely.
"Dad, we just want you to be happy. You've given me Funaho to extend my life so I could be with Mihoshi, and in doing that, you were able to fulfil Funaho's desire to return to space. We just want you to be happy. Please dad, just tell her how you feel." Nobuyuki stopped as he gathered Mihoshi in his arms again. "Please tell everyone we said hello and the good news as well. We will return to Earth, but it won't be until after the baby's born."
Both said their good-bye's as Washu watched in stunned silence how Katsuhito changed from the stern silent priest to a helpless emotional person for a moment. As the video ended, he was pulling himself together. "Katsuhito?" She called pensively not knowing what he would do next.
He knew what his son is law was refereeing to, as he had tried to keep it a secret for a while and finally he nearly forgot about it altogether. But apparently, Funaho was not about to let it stay forgotten. His fists were clenched in anger, but not at them. 'They are only trying to help, but why this, and why now?' It took several minuets before he was aware that someone was calling his name and just a moment longer to realize that she was worried about him.
"Katsuhito, what's wrong?" He looked over at her and she recoiled from him at his stern face.
Softening his face he thought about it, 'If I tell her then all I have done is made useless, but I cannot rightly tell her nothing.
"What were they talking about and tell who your feelings? Do you still love Ayeka?"
He scoffed at that and told her, "No this has nothing to do with her. I do love Ayeka, but she is my little sister. I've watched over her for many long years and when she was just a child, I held her in my arms when she cried. She knows how I feel about her."
"Then it's Sasami? Or… You don't still have feelings for Ryoko do you?" She was surprised over this and things running through her mind at the moment pointed to any number of things, unfortunately all were wrong.
A laugh escaped him as he turned to Washu. "When I left Sasami was very young and I had barely been able to spend any time with her. I was being taught not only about life in the court but of fighting as well. And as for your daughter I have spent many restless nights hoping to someday find a way to apologize."
"So it is her!" Washu crowed.
"You are wrong," he said with a smile, "I only wish to apologize, but I think Tenchi has made up for all the wrongs she has suffered. I would only be a reminder of that past."
"Then who are they talking about!" She was getting exasperated and just a little annoyed that he wasn't telling her what she wanted to know and even more so that she could not guess.
"Hello Little Washu!" Both Washu and Katsuhito turned to see three intruders, Tenchi, Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki and beside them trotted Rei. Her hair seemingly bouncing as she hopped from one foot to the other as her parents came to a stop.
"Hello there," Washu said cheerily not letting them know something was wrong, "what can I do for you?'
"We're here to fight!" Ryoko said happily.
"Not for fighting, practicing," corrected Ryo-Ohki.
"Whatever, I just get to blow things up!" Ryoko laughed as she made her way to the room Washu had set up for their practicing. She had constructed it with Tsunami's help for inside their weapons and powers were contained. Even Tenchi's Light Hawk Wing's were unable to penetrate the walls. Tsunami had been reluctant to build such a place as if word was ever to et out that the Light Hawk Wing's could be contained then it might be the end of Jurai's power. However, at Tenchi's urging and Washu's pleading she relented. Washu hated calling it a room, as it is a pocket dimension and she loved to tell them every scientific term she could use to describe it. However, no matter how she described it they insisted on calling it a room or in some cases a training room.
Since she created this room, the three of them had practiced their sword fighting, this time with their energy weapons and energy blasts. While they fought as Ryoko called it Washu would watch over Rei and would tutor her in some of her studies. Washu had declared that no member of her family would grow up thinking that space travel was a fantasy like the earth schools taught. So even now she was being taught things that no earth student would ever know. What surprised them all was that the child was able to retain anything she was taught and more. Katsuhito had laughed when Washu had announced; 'it's because of her superior genes from my side that make her so smart!' Tenchi too had started being tutored by her after his earth schooling was over. He was joined with his wives and the three of them soon had Washu running ragged trying to find anything to keep them occupied. Many times she had suggested that they go to the Royal Science Academy where they would get more structured schooling only to have one of them taunt her by saying, 'what's wrong? Can't you handle us?'
As soon as Washu left to take them to the training room Katsuhito left the lab and returned to the normal world. He made his way up the stairs and then turned aside to the spot that used to hold his space tree, Funaho. Kneeling beside the empty pond, he began to think as he had for so long. 'Funaho, why did you do this? I am old and I'm tired. I may have once held the light of love but that was long ago.' In his mind, he could still remember what his tree had told him, 'As long as your heart aches you can find love and happiness. The day your heart stops aching then you, stop loving and you stop living.'
He knew what she meant by that, though it had taken him quite some time to understand. When you are young your heart aches to play, then later your heart aches to be with someone. And still later, your heart aches over something else entirely. It is when the heart stop is when it stops aching. But now his heart ached over two things. He was tired and felt too old to continue while he also ached to love and to live yet again.
"Yosho."
He looked up to see Tsunami before him on the water. Bowing low he asked, "What can I do for you?"
"I have asked Funaho to reveal your heart to Nobuyuki, it is by my wishes that he knows and it is his wish to see you happy again that moved his hand in this."
"But why? I have lived long enough and I'm ready to return to my wife. We have been separated for too long."
"And what of Nobuyuki? Has he not been separated from his first wife? Should he have not been given a second chance to learn to live again?"
"But I am old, and tired of such things."
"Only because you allow yourself to be. Now Yosho, Sasami has asked me to give you two more bits of advice to add to the long list of things you have learned over your life. The first is to never argue with a woman as you will always loose, and the second is never argue with a goddess that can see your heart plainer than you can." Before he could respond, the goddess was gone.
"Never argue with a woman, my wife used to say that too." He chuckled as he remembered many of the tings that she used to say that would bring a smile to his face.
When Tenchi had heard about Mihoshi's first pregnancy he was a bit shaken, but he came around to the idea that he was going to be a brother to someone. So, when he found out about her being pregnant again he gave it little thought though he thought it strange that his child would be older than his brother would. Tenchi and his grandfather had a good laugh over that later that evening and they enjoyed the idea of there being another Masaki, even if this one would be born in the stars. "Tenchi, this will be a special event. This will be the first Masaki born in space." The two then toasted Nobuyuki's, Mihoshi's and the baby's health over some sake. Mihoshi's first child had been born on Earth while the second was born on Jurai because Funaho had not been ready for space travel then.
Days passed slowly and each day Washu would ask him about Nobuyuki's message and each time he would find a way out of it. The rest of the family watched the exchange and thought it funny, but they did not understand the full meaning behind it. But also as time passed it seemed to wear on Ryo-Ohki and she became more irritable than normal. Finally, he called her to his office for some tea and to find out what was wrong. When she arrived her thoughts were hidden and her face guarded, so he though he might have to try hard to pry it out of her but as the doors closed and before the first cup was poured she burst into tears.
"Why? Why can't I have a child too? Do I just have to sit by and watch as she gets to have all the kids?"
Needless to say he was quite taken by surprise at her outburst, but not the questions. "Ryo-Ohki, there are several reasons for it."
"I know. Washu keeps shoving them down my throat, every time. But why would that be so bad? So, what if my child was born in an egg? I… I want to have a child with him too." Her face was downcast as tears flowed freely. Over the years, she had learned how to hide her emotions for a short time, but she had never been good at handling pain, especially this amount.
"Tell me, have you talked to him about it? What has he said?" She would have looked down further if it was possible but she just muffled a reply. When he asked her to repeat it she looked up slightly, told him that she was scared to talk to him about it, and embarrassed. "You should not feel that way…"
"Yea but I do!"
"I know, you need to talk to him, I know Tenchi cares for you and if you were just to talk to him he would be understanding. Also I don't think is would be so bad, but tell me do you want a child because you're jealous?"
She looked up at him with indignation and anger that caused him to lean back. "I love them both and I know what you're thinking. You think that Ryoko uses that to show she's better than me or that he loves me more, well you're wrong." She began to cry as she continued, "I was there… I was there when she called for her mommy; I was there when she called for her daddy. They came running and embraced her. The love that I could feel from them had flooded me with new emotions and feelings."
"So you want what they felt?"
She nodded her head as if she were admitting to a murder. "I want someone to call me mom, I want to be a mom, not just a sitter or a aunt. I never had a mom; I never had anything other than a creator and a master. Now I have friends, love, and a home. Is, it wrong to want more?"
"You sound ashamed about this?"
"Shouldn't I be? After all I have got I still want more."
"I do not believe it is wrong. You love him and her and your heart has expanded to include their child. I do not think it's wrong to want a child. I do question your motives though. Have you though of how the world will look at your child? What if is looks like a cabbit and not human at all? And What if it is some strange mix…" A hand on his throat silenced his voice as she lifted him effortlessly off the ground.
"It as you say will be my child and his. If no one else loves it, I will. I don't care what it would look like."
"Ryo-Ohki?" She suddenly turned to see Tenchi there by the door. She dropped Katsuhito and stepped back in fear and shame. "Ryo-Ohki, come here please." She looked up to his eyes, there were not cold or cruel but filled with love and compassion. They compelled her to come closer. Slowly she stepped forward to him. When she was close enough, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Is this what you want? To have a child?" Again she nodded her head, but she no longer looked at his face.
"Tenchi, now is a time for decision, I do not know how long you have been listening or what all you have heard, but her heart is right, though her feelings are confused." He spoke while rubbing his neck where she had held him.
"Thanks grandfather. Though, I have only been here long enough to see her grab you. Ryoko was scared when she felt something strange from Ryo-Ohki." He then turned his attention to the girl in his arms. "I did not know this is what you wanted. After Washu's explanation you seemed dead set against it."
"I thought you didn't want one from me?" The tears and sadness in her voice were unmistakable.
"No, and like you said it will be our child, if no one else loves it we will." She looked up at him confused and wondering, but soon it gave way to a large smile. "Yes, I would be happy to be the father of your child, though I am worried about the future we will face it together."
"That's right!" Suddenly the two of them were caught in a hug from Ryoko as she materialized into the room. As the three of them hugged, Katsuhito slipped out of the room to think.
From the other room, he could still hear them talking and it still amazed him how his grandson had changed over the years. Before he made his choice, he had been very nervous about love and especially anything having to do with sex. But he was in the other room just a moment ago talking about having a child with someone and during the whole time he never blushed or even got a nosebleed. 'Things sure have changed.'
Because of Ryo-Ohki's decision to have a child with Tenchi, Washu was kept busy in her lab and was not able to get out as much as she wanted. This also meant that she was not able to ask him about the message from Nobuyuki. He found it amazing that with her being such a scientific genius she did not make the connection that it was her his son in law had been talking about. 'Why can't they leave me alone about it,' he grumbled. But each time he avoided it, she had been around asking him about it or there was something nearby that reminded him of it.
Even he was unsure when these feelings first hit; maybe it was that first time she had come to dinner in her adult form or during one of their many talks together. But one thing was sure; the strange and eccentric scientist had unknowingly touched his heart. Funaho had been the one to first suggest that he take her out on a date, but he had turned it down. At the time, he had been trying to keep a low profile while teaching Tenchi. He kept trying to say he was too old to get involved in something like that again, but then again she was over twenty thousand years old. Slowly every one of his arguments had been reduced to just, "I can't go through that again."
In some ways, he envied Nobuyuki as he has found another love. He knew how much he had loved Achika and he had seen them together often enough. After her death, Katsuhito was sure it would be the end of him, but somehow he managed to live on. And now he was with another and if all went well then they would be together for a thousand years or more instead of maybe twenty, if he had remained on Earth.
It was nearly three weeks since they received the message from Nobuyuki about Mihoshi and tonight like the nights before he could get no rest. At first, he thought it was just from the shock or surprise, but lately he's been wondering about that. Being Juraian, he will still live many more years as long as he takes care of himself, but what of his heart? Nobuyuki had managed to find love and live again and Funaho had thought that he could too, otherwise she would not have said anything about it. Even Nobuyuki had told him before, "I'm old and my heart aches for the past, and now for the future. But I couldn't tell her. Now she's gone and I may never get to tell her. I let too much time pass, I let happiness slip away from me again."
The time that he spoke of would have been lost if not for Washu. She had started sending requests for Mihoshi to return to her patrol and maybe to earth, but permission had to come from Jurai and not her. So messages were sent to Jurai but a response was slow in coming. Nobuyuki almost gave up hope as none other than Mihoshi turned down many of the requests! But he had to keep trying and to talk to her just once more and so he kept at it until she returned. 'And the rest is history,' he thought while he laughed. 'Have I let too much time slip between us? Have I lost my chance?' Turning to his stack of papers he went through them but stopped as one had his handwriting, but he did not remember writing it. "You loose all chance when you give up and you keep a chance while you still believe." He spoke the words aloud to himself as he pondered them. It was not his best work and yet he did not even remember writing it.
"I see you're ever the optimist." He looked up to see Washu at the door.
"Hello Little Washu, what may I ask brings you to the shrine tonight?"
"Oh the same thing that's kept me coming up here for the past few weeks. Tell me, who was Nobuyuki talking about?"
"You don't give up do you?"
"Nope!" She laughed and then reminded him, "I have to know everything and like you just said 'You loose all chance when you give up,' well I don't give up easily! So tell me!"
He just looked back at her, realized the truth in his words, and not only that, but he has grown lonely since loosing Funaho. With all the love around him, many would have thought this was only a matter of time, as it was bound to happen. He has spent many nights debating things with Washu over the years and only now did he realize that his feelings for her had changed despite his efforts to stifle them. "Do you really wish to know?" She just nodded her head and stood defiantly before him. "Very well if you must know it is you." He spoke in a serious tone and directed his gaze at her to make sure she understood.
"Ha!" She crowed while jumping up and down pointing a finger at him. "I knew you had feelings for her! Oh just wait till I…." Her voice stopped suddenly as did her whole body, as she was so sure she knew who it was that he still had feelings for. But it was not who she thought, in fact he said it was her! She stood up straight suddenly. "Oh no you don't! You're not going to do that; you're not going to play with my feelings. No! I won't let you…." She turned and ran away and before he could move to his feet, he lost the sound of her running.
"She's used her portal," he said sadly and then sat down again. 'What am I to do? I've finally told her and she ran away.' Reaching down almost absent-mindedly he picked up a stack of papers and began to tap them on the table trying to get them into a neater stack. The top paper got his attention and he read the words again, 'You loose all chance when you give up…' He looked back at the door and setting the papers aside he headed out of his office. Before his thoughts caught up to where he was going, he was already halfway down the stairs. 'What am I going to do now? I am not sure what I feel or even what to say.'
For the rest of the day and well into the night, he thought about what he would do. He felt he was too old to fall in love again but something burned in his heart that he had neglected for a long time. This feeling he had pushed down and put aside so many times before, but now it would not be pushed aside. The sight of Washu running out of his office nearly in tears had unlocked something that he had kept buried, and right now, he felt afraid. Never before had he felt this scared, even when he raced off to face Ryoko, he had not felt this afraid. Anything and everything he could think of he did to push away this feeling. It was not until nearly midnight that he realized the time. Looking back over his papers he found that he had done nothing for the past several hours, other than straighten them over and over again.
Pushing the papers away he went to his room and tried to rest, but his thoughts would not give him peace and sleep would not come to him that night. Lying in bed, he watched the clock tick off the seconds then minutes and finally hours until the light of morning began to brighten the room. With a heavy sigh he left his bed and began to get things ready for the day. Unfortunately, his concentration was a stranger to him while he thought of yesterday. He realized after attempting to go through one of his kata's that he had to see Washu. The attempted kata had left him with a good bruise where he had miss-stepped and then mishandled the bokken.
Sighing he resigned himself to the task of talking about his thoughts and feelings, though he dreaded actually trying to express them. What's worse than just talking about them was to who he had to talk to, because he had told her that he had been hiding feelings for her, and she ran off. He was not sure exactly why she had done that and it worried him that she did not feel the same. When he entered the house, he made his way for Washu's lab door, but on the way, he could hear voices in the kitchen.
"I really don't know why or how Ryo-Ohki," Tenchi said,
"Yea it's not like we planned it, but it just happened," added Ryoko,
"I know, it's just that… it's just that you two seem so close because of it, and I was just wondering what it's like." She seemed sad but not really upset over it. Katsuhito at this point was not sure what they were talking about until she added more. "I was just wondering that since you have a gem that allows us to talk why can't we do the same for Tenchi and me?"
"I don't see why not," he heard Tenchi say. "Truthfully I wondered when or if you'd want to do something like that before." The girl nearly squealed to which Ryoko just laughed and Tenchi added, "It's not really fair that we have a link and I don't have one with you yet, but I was afraid that you'd not want one."
Katsuhito chucked at this and opened the door to Washu's lab. He was surprised and relieved to find that it still was connected to her lab. Proceeding inward, he was surprised to find a sunny and bright atmosphere along with a small stream that went over a fall. There beside the stream was Washu typing away at her computer in her child form, but once the door closed she stopped, but did not turn to him. 'Now what?' He told himself.
Without even turning around she addressed him, though her voice remained stable and monotone. "Ah Lord Katsuhito, what may I do for you?"
"I need to speak to you," he told her while trying to figure out what he was going to say.
"Is there a problem or a hole that needs fixing?" She remained distant using the same voice.
"Yes there is a problem." He steadied himself for what he would do or say next. He knew that there was a problem and that it needed to be fixed, but how would be another story.
With her back still to him she tensed up and asked, "Ok which one destroyed a wall and where is it?"
"It has nothing to do with a wall, well not one of those walls." She remained quiet and still faced away from him. He approached her placed a hand on her shoulder. The move caused her to jump slightly, but she still would not face him. "I, Washu I…" He turned her towards him and that is when he noticed her red eyes. The tear streaks evident on her normally cheerful face. "I never meant to hurt you," he said in a hushed whisper.
She finally looked up at him, and her normally joyous expression was lost. All he could see were years of pain and hurt, hurt that he had brought back somehow. Kneeling before her he looked into her hurt, devastated eyes, and asked, "What did I do? I never wanted to hurt you."
He head just nodded as she tried to keep from looking directly at him. "You… you didn't know. I never told you."
"Told me what, please would you tell me now?"
Lowering her head she began her tale, she told him of how she had fallen in love once, and how they were happy for a time. Then it all changed, his family found out about it and he left her taking their son with him. Since then, she's tried to keep everyone away from her, but then she started having feelings for someone again. At first, it started slow and he eventually won her over, but it didn't last. Then he not only betrayed those feelings but he imprisoned her and kidnapped Ryoko as well.
"Kagato?" He asked quietly.
"Yes, at one time I thought he cared for me, but it was all a lie." She then finally looked him in the eyes and he could see the deep hurts she had suffered that she tried to keep hidden. "So when Nobuyuki said you had feelings for someone I thought of everyone else, but me. I don't want to feel that again. I can't go through that again." Unshed tears from thousands of years ago came to the surface at once and she began to cry, more heavily than she wanted to and especially in front of him. Katsuhito just gathered her in his arms and held her as she cried.
Ryoko phased in for a moment then saw that Katsuhito was taking care of her she left without saying a word. But the look she gave him plainly said that he had better take care of her. He acknowledged her look and her meaning but he refused to take his attention far away from the woman in his arms. She had been in her child form when he entered, but as she spoke her form changed to that of a woman. More importantly, a woman that appeared to be older than she had shown herself to Tenchi once.
The two stood for some time as she cried. He continued to hold her and would occasionally rub her back or anything else he could think of to sooth her. It finally started to make sense to him, why she was so scared and why she began crying. Twice before she allowed herself to love someone and both times it ended horribly for her. Since those times she had cut off those feelings and would not allow herself to feel that way towards anyone. Even with Ryoko her relationship was strained and he understood finally why she acted so cold to Ryoko before. She didn't want to show emotion, to show love, as she was afraid. The greatest scientific genius in the universe was afraid of being hurt.
A few tears came to his eyes as well as he came to understand her. The two were alike in many ways, ways that he had not thought about. She was escaping the pressures of life in her experiments and hurts by her child disguise, while he had run from his duties and hid on earth as an old man. They were runners and escaped things rather than facing them. And as such they had taught their families to do the same. Tenchi and Ryoko both suffered for a long time as they followed the lead given them by Washu and himself. All had run and hid from things, which just caused more pain and hurt later.
"Washu," he started in a tone he had not used for what seemed like ages ago. "I'm sorry." She looked up at him, tears still flowing freely as his voice was filled with a warmth and tenderness that she had not heard from him before. "I've been used to hiding and running from things for too long. Funaho knew what she was doing by telling that to him."
"What…" her voice cracked and was barely audible as the tears had choked out most of her ability to speak.
"I've harbored feelings for you for some time, though I can't remember just when I felt this way. I'm still uncertain how deep the feelings are, and I've not paid enough attention to them to even tell what they are."
As he spoke she tensed up in anticipation of the worst, he was saying he felt for her and that he did not feel for her as well. This was hard for her to accept and deal with, but he still held her in a warm embrace. The feel of him holding her seemed to alleviate some of her worries, but he still had not said what was on his mind. "Do you?" She croaked out, still her voice was hard to use and forcing the words seemed to take more strain that any amount of words she used before.
One of his hands moved from her back to her cheek as he tilted her head to look at him. He held her gaze for a while before speaking again. "I don't want to hurt you, yet I don't want to lie to you. What I feel for you I have only felt a few times in my life, and each time I have been hurt as well." Slowly tears started to fall from his eyes as he remembered the past. "This… this may seem hasty, but my heart feels a love it has not felt for many years."
"Do… do you mean?" Her voice slowly returning as a hope began to build inside her. 'Does he really mean it?'
"Words are just not… they are just not able to express… to say all that I am beginning to feel again." His thumb rubbed across her lips as he tried so hard to express what he was feeling. The emotions were not new, but he's pushed them away for so long that they carried a freshness that was hard for him to express.
Finding no words good enough to explain what he was feeling, he removed his thumb from her lips and replaced it with his lips. At the moment his lips met hers it was like the confusion and weariness he's felt for so long has been lifted. Apparently, she felt it as well as she returned the kiss with much vigor and passion. Pulling away he looked at her eyes, they were now bright and a shine had come to them that seemingly erased the pain that they had so recently shown.