Ryoko awoke quietly, looking around the room. What? Why'd I wake
up? she grumbled, and looked at her alarm clock. 2:30. No, it didn't go
off... so why?... Oh yeah! It's Ayeka day. She smiled and got up from her
bed, then walked down the stairs as softly as she could, then slowly went
into Washu's lab and closed the door soundlessly behind her. She walked
briskly over to the equipment, and looked down at the interface. Sure
enough, the red light was flashing. The connection to Jurai was definitely
open. OK. it is. about midday on Jurai. She'll be there. Ryoko tapped the
light once with her forefinger.
"Print Identified." The metallic voice of the computer stated, "Connection opened. Please wait."
Ryoko rapped her fingers on the keyboard softly. Come on, princess. I'm waiting. Suddenly the screen flashed to life, showing the bright face of the first crown princess of Jurai.
"Hello there Ryoko! How're you doing this bright day?"
Ryoko laughed. "Fine, but it isn't day here, of course. How have you been keeping up?"
"Very well, thank you," Ayeka said with a smile, "But the suitors are dull, as always. It's good to talk to a friend now and then." Ryoko grinned, and thought back to her own wedding day with Tenchi.
Four years ago:
Ayeka was sitting off to the side of the ceremony, a tissue in hand. She was absorbed in her own thoughts almost completely, so that she did not notice the person coming up behind her until she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
She whirled, and shouted, "Go away! I'm not in the mood to talk with..." she gasped, realizing finally who it was that had surprised her. "Ryoko? What?"
Ryoko looked at her sad eyes and found within them the very emotions she had felt, not so long ago, when Tenchi had still not known about her. barely acknowledged her existence. "Ayeka... I don't want you to be upset about this."
Ayeka turned away petulantly, like a small child. "Really? You think I'll just be happy that I can't ever find someone like Tenchi again?"
Right then, Ryoko realized what she had to say. "Ayeka. I know how you feel. I can see it. Lost, afraid... worse, alone. It's okay to feel that way." For a moment, she almost told Ayeka Yosho's most precious secret, his true features, but decided against it. "There will be another. Just as we found each other, you'll find someone else. I know it."
Ayeka abruptly turned about again, buried her head in Ryoko's shoulder, and bawled like a day old calf. "I know, I know! But I loved him more than anyone else before. Ever! Except only... only Yosho... but I cannot have him either. My god, Ryoko... I'm so afraid..."
"Hey, it's okay, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm there for you."
"You mean it? Really? After everything I did to you?"
"Well... Yeah. I do."
"Oh thank you, Ryoko! Thank you! I know I cannot stay here... but you promise to keep in touch?" Ayeka looked up at Ryoko, her tear streaked eyes glowing happily.
"Yeah. Of course." Ryoko smiled back at her.
Back to present:
"Ryoko? You kind of zoned out for a minute there."
"Um... yeah. Sorry 'bout that."
"So as I was saying, there isn't something you're hiding from me, is there? Every time I mention suitors, you kind of look guilty about something."
"No, nothing, really." Ryoko smiled disarmingly. She had promised Yosho she would keep his secret until he saw fit to tell everyone.
"Okay, if you're sure." There was a knock in the background, and Ayeka turned to face her bedroom door. "Coming!" she said irritably, then turned back to the screen. "More suitors. Sorry, I've got to go."
"Sure. Bye!"
"See you!"
The link closed, and Ryoko stepped back from the monitor. Slowly, she stepped back out of Washu's lab and into the living room. Abruptly, there came a cry from upstairs. "Oh well," she muttered. "Better now than when I'm asleep." She walked up the stairs and opened the door to the room right next to hers and Tenchi's. There, in a tiny crib, sat a little, golden-eyed baby. "Hello, Reibun. How are you doing tonight?" The small babe smiled back at his mother. "Good. Do you want some milk?" He drooled a little, and Ryoko picked him up, and went to the regular business of breast-feeding.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ryoko awoke again, this time because of a crying from Reibun's room. She slid out of bed and walked next door. The first thing she noticed was the window. Open , the cold breeze from outside sent a cold chill down her spine. She walked over and closed it, then went to the crib. "Are you okay now? I wonder who opened that window."
Suddenly, a shape slid out of the shadows. "He'll be fine now. I opened the window, I needed a way to get you in here. But although he's okay, *you* are coming with me."
~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi got out of bed quickly. He noticed that Ryoko was not still there, and wondered, because she usually slept in a while after he got up because of her nighttime duties, what with Reibun and all. He walked downstairs, but she wasn't in the kitchen or the dining room. He checked in the living room, the library, the garage, but she wasn't anywhere. Tenchi began to get nervous. He walked to the cherry grove, and through the gardens, but still, he could not find her. He went back inside and looked in Sasami's room, the bathrooms, even both of the onsens. He looked in Reibun's room, frantically searching for any clue to where she was, but nothing was to be found of her. Suddenly he smiled. of course! It's "Ayeka day." She'll be in Washu's lab. He walked downstairs, opened the door, and looked directly into the panicked face of the little scientist.
"Where's Ryoko?" Tenchi asked nervously.
"Tenchi... she's... gone..."
"WHAT?" he shouted. "FIND HER, DAMNIT!" He grabbed Washu by her shoulder's and shook her.
"I... did..." Washu's eyes began to well up with tears.
"WELL? WHERE IS SHE?"
"You... don't want to know..."
"YES I DO!" Tenchi shouted "WHERE THE HELL IS MY WIFE?"
"She's... on a pirated Jurain flagship..."
"A... pirated.?" Tenchi frowned, "You don't mean... stolen?"
"Yes."
"No..." he cried softly, falling to his knees. "No... Not Ryoko... No... No no no no no no no!" His shoulders shook with sobs.
"Tenchi... don't worry." Washu pulled him to his feet. There was a fire in her eyes, and its intensity frightened Tenchi a bit. "We *will* get her back. And the bastard that did this will pay. I swear upon my choushin honor. We will get her back!"
"Print Identified." The metallic voice of the computer stated, "Connection opened. Please wait."
Ryoko rapped her fingers on the keyboard softly. Come on, princess. I'm waiting. Suddenly the screen flashed to life, showing the bright face of the first crown princess of Jurai.
"Hello there Ryoko! How're you doing this bright day?"
Ryoko laughed. "Fine, but it isn't day here, of course. How have you been keeping up?"
"Very well, thank you," Ayeka said with a smile, "But the suitors are dull, as always. It's good to talk to a friend now and then." Ryoko grinned, and thought back to her own wedding day with Tenchi.
Four years ago:
Ayeka was sitting off to the side of the ceremony, a tissue in hand. She was absorbed in her own thoughts almost completely, so that she did not notice the person coming up behind her until she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
She whirled, and shouted, "Go away! I'm not in the mood to talk with..." she gasped, realizing finally who it was that had surprised her. "Ryoko? What?"
Ryoko looked at her sad eyes and found within them the very emotions she had felt, not so long ago, when Tenchi had still not known about her. barely acknowledged her existence. "Ayeka... I don't want you to be upset about this."
Ayeka turned away petulantly, like a small child. "Really? You think I'll just be happy that I can't ever find someone like Tenchi again?"
Right then, Ryoko realized what she had to say. "Ayeka. I know how you feel. I can see it. Lost, afraid... worse, alone. It's okay to feel that way." For a moment, she almost told Ayeka Yosho's most precious secret, his true features, but decided against it. "There will be another. Just as we found each other, you'll find someone else. I know it."
Ayeka abruptly turned about again, buried her head in Ryoko's shoulder, and bawled like a day old calf. "I know, I know! But I loved him more than anyone else before. Ever! Except only... only Yosho... but I cannot have him either. My god, Ryoko... I'm so afraid..."
"Hey, it's okay, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm there for you."
"You mean it? Really? After everything I did to you?"
"Well... Yeah. I do."
"Oh thank you, Ryoko! Thank you! I know I cannot stay here... but you promise to keep in touch?" Ayeka looked up at Ryoko, her tear streaked eyes glowing happily.
"Yeah. Of course." Ryoko smiled back at her.
Back to present:
"Ryoko? You kind of zoned out for a minute there."
"Um... yeah. Sorry 'bout that."
"So as I was saying, there isn't something you're hiding from me, is there? Every time I mention suitors, you kind of look guilty about something."
"No, nothing, really." Ryoko smiled disarmingly. She had promised Yosho she would keep his secret until he saw fit to tell everyone.
"Okay, if you're sure." There was a knock in the background, and Ayeka turned to face her bedroom door. "Coming!" she said irritably, then turned back to the screen. "More suitors. Sorry, I've got to go."
"Sure. Bye!"
"See you!"
The link closed, and Ryoko stepped back from the monitor. Slowly, she stepped back out of Washu's lab and into the living room. Abruptly, there came a cry from upstairs. "Oh well," she muttered. "Better now than when I'm asleep." She walked up the stairs and opened the door to the room right next to hers and Tenchi's. There, in a tiny crib, sat a little, golden-eyed baby. "Hello, Reibun. How are you doing tonight?" The small babe smiled back at his mother. "Good. Do you want some milk?" He drooled a little, and Ryoko picked him up, and went to the regular business of breast-feeding.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ryoko awoke again, this time because of a crying from Reibun's room. She slid out of bed and walked next door. The first thing she noticed was the window. Open , the cold breeze from outside sent a cold chill down her spine. She walked over and closed it, then went to the crib. "Are you okay now? I wonder who opened that window."
Suddenly, a shape slid out of the shadows. "He'll be fine now. I opened the window, I needed a way to get you in here. But although he's okay, *you* are coming with me."
~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi got out of bed quickly. He noticed that Ryoko was not still there, and wondered, because she usually slept in a while after he got up because of her nighttime duties, what with Reibun and all. He walked downstairs, but she wasn't in the kitchen or the dining room. He checked in the living room, the library, the garage, but she wasn't anywhere. Tenchi began to get nervous. He walked to the cherry grove, and through the gardens, but still, he could not find her. He went back inside and looked in Sasami's room, the bathrooms, even both of the onsens. He looked in Reibun's room, frantically searching for any clue to where she was, but nothing was to be found of her. Suddenly he smiled. of course! It's "Ayeka day." She'll be in Washu's lab. He walked downstairs, opened the door, and looked directly into the panicked face of the little scientist.
"Where's Ryoko?" Tenchi asked nervously.
"Tenchi... she's... gone..."
"WHAT?" he shouted. "FIND HER, DAMNIT!" He grabbed Washu by her shoulder's and shook her.
"I... did..." Washu's eyes began to well up with tears.
"WELL? WHERE IS SHE?"
"You... don't want to know..."
"YES I DO!" Tenchi shouted "WHERE THE HELL IS MY WIFE?"
"She's... on a pirated Jurain flagship..."
"A... pirated.?" Tenchi frowned, "You don't mean... stolen?"
"Yes."
"No..." he cried softly, falling to his knees. "No... Not Ryoko... No... No no no no no no no!" His shoulders shook with sobs.
"Tenchi... don't worry." Washu pulled him to his feet. There was a fire in her eyes, and its intensity frightened Tenchi a bit. "We *will* get her back. And the bastard that did this will pay. I swear upon my choushin honor. We will get her back!"