Tenchi broke the news to the other girls at dinner. He stood, and met the
eyes of each, one by one. The absence of Washu was usual, and Tenchi did
not worry too much about it. It would have been harder with her around.
"Everyone. I want you all to know that I love you each very much in your own way. However, it is time for me to make my decision. My decision. This was spurred not by gods, nor goddesses, battles, nor glory. This, my friends, is a decision of my heart. My true love can go to but one and one alone, for to divide it amongst you all would be, to say the least, unfair to each and every one of you. Sasami," Sasami looked up, surprised, then blushed, "Sasami. I love you. In a way, I love you more than anyone else here. But it is the love of myself to a little sister I never had. I know that, yes, even you wished for me to choose you, but I just cannot think of you in that way. I love you far too much for that." Sasami looked away, disappointed.
"I respect your decision, Tenchi. I will accept it with honor."
"Mihoshi," Tenchi went on, "You. You are wonderful. You're beautiful, lucky, everything many could want. But you are not the right woman for me. I think you, as well as I, knew this already."
"Yes Tenchi. But I still like you a lot!" She smiled winningly. Tenchi smiled back and moved on.
"Ayeka." Tenchi smiled at her, and she smiled back, but there were tears glistening in her eyes.
"Yes Tenchi. I so hoped that you would choose me. I loved you so much. but I realize why it must be. Why I cannot be the one. the one for you. I. I loved you so terribly much." Tenchi smiled at her again.
"So my choice. My choice, of all of you, is Ryoko. She won my heart with her newfound honesty, even if she herself didn't realize it. She has often tried to lie, to pretend. but I cannot deny her sincerity now. Ryoko, I love you very much. I love you, I believe, almost as much as you do me, though I cannot prove it. Ryoko, you are my chosen."
Ryoko burst into tears of joy and ran to Tenchi, who took her in a tender embrace. Again and again he whispered into her ear, "My Ryoko. my Ryoko." when they finally parted, Ryoko smiled and wiped away her tears.
"I love you Tenchi. With all of my heart, my being, I love you."
~~~~~~~~
Washu burst out of her lab, ran to Tenchi, who was waiting outside, and crashed full into him with a bearish hug, knocking him on to the floor. "You numbskull! You lack wit! What took you so long?" She shouted at him, fury apparent on her face "I. Uh." Tenchi stammered. "And more importantly, when am I going to be a grandmother?" her face changed instantaneously to a beaming smile from ear to ear, and Tenchi was suddenly reminded of the infamous "samples" she had attempted to. extract from him.
"Uh. I. don't really know. Why don't you ask Ryoko?" He made an attempt at a smile.
"Because she says, I quote, she is 'ready when you are.' Just like she's always been. You hurt her very much."
"I. know that. But I don't know how I can possibly make it up to her. There's no way to erase the pain that is just now becoming visible to me in her eyes. I, the idiot I am, never saw it... Never looked at her. I was too distracted by dreams of glory and respect, and most of all, peace, at Ayeka's side to consider love as a deciding factor at all. Though I didn't think that at the time of course, that's the truth."
"You hurt her more than you can possibly know."
"I understand, but I cannot fathom the amount of pain I must have caused her, and it hurts me very much."
"I know how you feel," There were tears in Washu's eyes now, "I know how you feel... I. I am her mother... and I have been there for her even less than you have."
~~~~~~~
Hours later, Tenchi found himself sitting underneath the cherry grove's eaves with Ryoko, his back to her favorite tree, contemplating the future and talking as lovers will.
"Tenchi."
"Yes, Ryoko?"
"Do you really love me? Really, truly, like in the storybooks?"
"Of course."
"Will you marry me, Tenchi?"
"I. I'm only 17."
"When we're older, then?"
"I. have to think about it first. This isn't a split second decision."
"Why not?"
"Well, marriage entails that we." Tenchi blushed a bright scarlet and gave a boyish grin.
"OH! That!" Ryoko giggled.
"Ryoko! Cut it out!" Tenchi shouted, but he was still smiling.
"Everyone. I want you all to know that I love you each very much in your own way. However, it is time for me to make my decision. My decision. This was spurred not by gods, nor goddesses, battles, nor glory. This, my friends, is a decision of my heart. My true love can go to but one and one alone, for to divide it amongst you all would be, to say the least, unfair to each and every one of you. Sasami," Sasami looked up, surprised, then blushed, "Sasami. I love you. In a way, I love you more than anyone else here. But it is the love of myself to a little sister I never had. I know that, yes, even you wished for me to choose you, but I just cannot think of you in that way. I love you far too much for that." Sasami looked away, disappointed.
"I respect your decision, Tenchi. I will accept it with honor."
"Mihoshi," Tenchi went on, "You. You are wonderful. You're beautiful, lucky, everything many could want. But you are not the right woman for me. I think you, as well as I, knew this already."
"Yes Tenchi. But I still like you a lot!" She smiled winningly. Tenchi smiled back and moved on.
"Ayeka." Tenchi smiled at her, and she smiled back, but there were tears glistening in her eyes.
"Yes Tenchi. I so hoped that you would choose me. I loved you so much. but I realize why it must be. Why I cannot be the one. the one for you. I. I loved you so terribly much." Tenchi smiled at her again.
"So my choice. My choice, of all of you, is Ryoko. She won my heart with her newfound honesty, even if she herself didn't realize it. She has often tried to lie, to pretend. but I cannot deny her sincerity now. Ryoko, I love you very much. I love you, I believe, almost as much as you do me, though I cannot prove it. Ryoko, you are my chosen."
Ryoko burst into tears of joy and ran to Tenchi, who took her in a tender embrace. Again and again he whispered into her ear, "My Ryoko. my Ryoko." when they finally parted, Ryoko smiled and wiped away her tears.
"I love you Tenchi. With all of my heart, my being, I love you."
~~~~~~~~
Washu burst out of her lab, ran to Tenchi, who was waiting outside, and crashed full into him with a bearish hug, knocking him on to the floor. "You numbskull! You lack wit! What took you so long?" She shouted at him, fury apparent on her face "I. Uh." Tenchi stammered. "And more importantly, when am I going to be a grandmother?" her face changed instantaneously to a beaming smile from ear to ear, and Tenchi was suddenly reminded of the infamous "samples" she had attempted to. extract from him.
"Uh. I. don't really know. Why don't you ask Ryoko?" He made an attempt at a smile.
"Because she says, I quote, she is 'ready when you are.' Just like she's always been. You hurt her very much."
"I. know that. But I don't know how I can possibly make it up to her. There's no way to erase the pain that is just now becoming visible to me in her eyes. I, the idiot I am, never saw it... Never looked at her. I was too distracted by dreams of glory and respect, and most of all, peace, at Ayeka's side to consider love as a deciding factor at all. Though I didn't think that at the time of course, that's the truth."
"You hurt her more than you can possibly know."
"I understand, but I cannot fathom the amount of pain I must have caused her, and it hurts me very much."
"I know how you feel," There were tears in Washu's eyes now, "I know how you feel... I. I am her mother... and I have been there for her even less than you have."
~~~~~~~
Hours later, Tenchi found himself sitting underneath the cherry grove's eaves with Ryoko, his back to her favorite tree, contemplating the future and talking as lovers will.
"Tenchi."
"Yes, Ryoko?"
"Do you really love me? Really, truly, like in the storybooks?"
"Of course."
"Will you marry me, Tenchi?"
"I. I'm only 17."
"When we're older, then?"
"I. have to think about it first. This isn't a split second decision."
"Why not?"
"Well, marriage entails that we." Tenchi blushed a bright scarlet and gave a boyish grin.
"OH! That!" Ryoko giggled.
"Ryoko! Cut it out!" Tenchi shouted, but he was still smiling.