To be a Princess, Day 6 - Tenchi Confronts Ryoko
Tenchi awoke the next morning and while his dream had not been that nice it had not really been that bad. He knew the truth of what was going on, but how to tell her and how to tell everyone else how he felt was not going to be easy. As he started moving about he noticed that not even Sasami was up yet, so he decided to get cleaned up first then hopefully start on the chores and training early so that he could spend more time later trying to tell her how he felt.
After getting cleaned up he noticed that Sasami was still not up so he checked in on her and Ayeka and they were both still sound asleep. He crept back downstairs and made a few sandwiches to take with him, and then left a note for the others that he started on his chores early and he would not join them for breakfast and he may not for lunch. Quickly grabbing his things he left the house to start his day, even before the sun had broken over the horizon.
For most of the day he worked the fields and Trained with his grandfather. He used his training now to prepare his mind and his words. He knew what he wanted to say to Ryoko, but he did not know if he could or even how. Ryoko also spent most of the day thinking and wondering why he wanted to talk to her and what about? She had seen him asleep on the couch for the past two nights and she could not figure out why.
For the most part she avoided Ayeka and only made short appearances with Washu for lunch after she discovered that Tenchi had left early and would not be back till later. The day seamed to progress much more slowly than either of them had really wanted. Ryoko was anxious to hear what Tenchi wanted to tell her, and from his smile and his touch it had to be a good thing, but there was still a part of her that thought it was something horrible.
About an hour before dinner Tenchi returned to the house to get cleaned up as he thought he really smelt bad from his long practicing and chores. He returned downstairs cleaned and refreshed but not relaxed yet. He still had to endure dinner and then somehow tell Ryoko what was on his mind. Dinner progressed the way it had been with Ryoko serving the others before she served herself. For the entire dinner he kept his head down or he would glance up at there others between looks at Ryoko. Finally though the dinner was over and when Ayeka left to go upstairs Tenchi approached Ryoko.
He could feel a lump in his throat as he tried to ask her to go for a walk, but finally after a few hard swallows and clearings of the throat he was able to ask her, "are you ready?" Ryoko also was very nervous but gave him a smile and nodded her head. The two the proceeded outside and began to walk around the lake.
Tenchi was fighting hard with himself to bring up what he wanted to say to Ryoko. Yesterday he had asked her to take a walk with him and she accepted happily. He had spent the whole day arguing with himself not over why he did it but now that he had done it what was he going to say. Even during his training he thought about her. But now as they walked along beside the water he was not sure what to say. It was Ryoko's voice that disrupted his thoughts for the moment.
"It sure is nice out." Ryoko did not like the silence either as she felt it was almost better if he was yelling at her than this horrible silence. She thought of many things to say but that was not one until she had said it.
"Yes, but I wanted to talk to you about something." Tenchi was preparing himself mentally for what was to come, usually when he tried to talk about his feelings then someone was going to get hurt.
"Oh? And what is on your mind?" She was starting to worry.
"Well, um, Ryoko. I, I want you to listen carefully, cause I am not good at this..." he had overheard Ayeka telling her the other day that she would never be a princess so he guessed that Ryoko was just trying to prove her wrong. But how was he going to say what was on his mind without it hurting her. "Before you get upset I just want to say I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" At hearing this she was worrying a lot not getting upset.
"As I was coming to the house the other day I heard Ayeka saying something about you being a princess." He took a deep breath waiting for her to scream but instead she stopped walking and looked at him in fright. The fear he saw from her nearly killed him. "I want you to know she is wrong about many things about you, but unfortunately she is right that you aren't a princess." As he said it he felt like he was trying to rip out his own heart.
Ryoko was beginning to cry as he said that then looked at him defiantly, "I can be a princess if I want to!"
Before he could hold back his tongue he snapped back, "but I don't want you to be!" He placed a hand over his mouth as he said that.
"What did you say?" Her eyes were beginning to show anger, anger at him for what he just said.
Pulling his hand away from his mouth he spoke again, but what he wanted to say did not come out the way he thought it would. "I don't want you to be angry with me, but I don't want you to be a princess. I want my Ryoko back." He had spoken without thinking and when he had said the last part he knew she would be happy or extremely upset.
The words did visibly shake her and he thanked any gods that were listening that she did no look angry anymore. "What, what do you mean 'your' Ryoko?" When he had said that her eyes became huge and she felt like her heart has stopped.
"Please listen for a minute, I, I have heard several call you many names from demon to monster to princess, but you are none of those to me. You are, well..." he tried to form the words but he was not sure if he should continue, but the look on her face told him he better before she runs away. "When I look at you I do not see any of those things that they call you, I see something else, something special to me."
On the verge of tears she asked him with a weak voice, "what do you see?"
Tenchi thought about how to say it, but he resolved that he had better act fast before this moment is gone. He then took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek. "I see an angel. One that passes through my heart and soul as easily as she does walls and doors." A tear fell down her cheek that he quickly whipped away with his hand. As his fingers moved across her cheek she swore that they were lit on fire.
"What, what are you saying?" Ryoko was hopeful that this meant that he loved her but she desperately wanted to hear it, even more than she told herself that she did.
"My angel, my Ryoko, I am saying that I, I love you." With it finally said he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He had been fighting with himself for a long time about how he really felt for her. Ever since he saw her at his school he had felt something but he was not sure what. And for so long he suppressed it while trying to keep the peace. Now that he had said it a peace came over him that was close to euphoric.
Ryoko was in heaven, not only had he said he loved her but he called her an angel! A demon being called an angel and he was actually kissing her! Out of his own free will! When some of the surprise wore off she began to kiss back and they slowly wrapped their arms around each other and pulled close into a loving embrace.
When they finally separated she saw a grin on his face and she could not suppress the grin on hers. "Will you do me a favor now?" She did not even give it a second thought before she said yes. "Will you drop the disguise now? I want to see you as you were." She did stop to think about this because dropping her disguise would mean losing her bet with Ayeka, but he had told her he did not want a princess, but his angel. Nodding slightly she phased back into her normal clothes and her hair returned to its spiky style.
After she reverted to normal the first thing he did was run his fingers through her hair. At his touch she let out a small whimper not even realizing it. To her it felt so good to have him doing this, and felt even better knowing that he preferred her like this. He stood there for a moment caressing her hair before pulling her into another kiss, as after the first one he hungered for more.
For several moments they kissed and held each other tight before a night wind blew against them causing her to shiver. When he felt her shiver he broke off the kiss much to his and her displeasure. "My Angel, could you do me one more favor?"
Grinning wildly she asked, "what do you want?"
He reached down and picked her up in his arms cradling her against him. When he did this she giggled for a moment and just held him close to her as she kicked her feet playfully. "We are a ways from the house, would you teleport us back to our room?"
She stopped laughing and looked at him. "Did, did you say 'our' room?"
"I did? Well, yea I guess I did." He smiled and chuckled nervously as he realized what he had said. He may be getting more confidant, but he was still nervous and his words were leaving his mouth faster than he could think through everything he was saying. But deep down, it is what he wanted even if it was a but faster than he really wanted at this moment.
She pulled him close and kissed him once more before she teleported them both to their room as he called it. When his eyes re-adjusted to the light he sat on his bed with her still in his arms. "Well Tenchi, we are here what did you want to do?" He could easily tell what she wanted, but he was not ready for that, yet. He wanted it to be special and not before he could announce it to everyone.
"Um, Ryoko, I, I just wanted to be with you more, and, um, well you seamed to be getting cold out there, and..." he could not believe how badly he was falling over his own words. "I am not ready for what you're thinking about. Please, just stay here with me for a while?"
She looked sad but he didn't tell her no, just not right now. Smiling she rested her head against him, as he just wanted to be with her. She thought it was sweet that he did not want just her body but her as well. Even though she wanted him and wanted to show him how much she loved him. For now she just rested peacefully in her loves arms. She listened to his breathing, and his heart beat. The pounding of it was so rhythmic and soothing.
As he held her he had many thoughts running through his mind. First off he thought himself an idiot for turning her down again because he was really getting aroused from all of their kissing. Also in his mind was now what should he tell Ayeka, and how will she handle it. Would she be mad, would she understand or would she try and kill Ryoko? He knew that both girls had strong feelings for him, but every time he looked at Ayeka he saw a sister, and a good friend. And though he loved her it was not the same love he felt for the angel in his arms now.
He looked out the window at the stars for a moment and wondered if Ryoko was forced to leave would he go with her and then where would they go? How would they live? The answer to the first was easy, if Ryoko were forced to leave he would go with her without a second thought. However, he was not sure how they would live out there in space. Many things captured his mind, bust when he had not heard anything from Ryoko in a while he looked back at her.
The moonlight was showing through his window illuminating her face as she slept against him. He knew now more than ever that she was an angel, and more importantly his angel. If anyone tried to harm her or put her down he resolved right then to never allow it again. He pulled her close to him again as he moved to lie down in his bed with her still in his arms. As he lay there still holding her he kissed her on the forehead and told his angel goodnight. Then he too drifted off to sleep.