Tenchi Muyo- A chaotic love story

Part 6: Love and loss...


Disclaimer: A guy owns the rights to Tenchi Muyo. Or a chick.
With Japanese names, you can never tell...

Authors note: It took me a long time to write this chapter...because
it's the saddest thing I've ever written...in an emotional way. I
must have rewritten this chapter at leave five times before I came to this...
Regardless to say, each time I wrote the ending, I cried a bit...
Well...Enjoy.


Washu's voice: "Previously...on the Chaotic Love Story...
Ryoko has fled...but what was once sorrow turns to madness...
They say the mind bends to adjust to the hardships of life...
but sometimes the mind bends so far it snaps right in two..."



The air was thick with dismay and heavy with emotion as
Tenchi and Ayeka delivered the news of Ryoko's sudden departure.
All eyes were downcast, and brows were furrowed in deep and
wondering thought.
"...Ryoko has fled...As much as I am troubled...I can see
all the reason why..." Tatsuhito rubbed his chin.
"Yes, Grampa...we all know why she left...But the real
question is...how can we get her back...?" Tenchi has his back to
everyone, staring out the window at the night, his arms folded
demurely behind his back.
It was Washu whom spoke. "...Not likely."
Tenchi turn his head slightly, his eyes tired.
Washu cleared her throat. "Ryoko has for all accounts
lost all her marbles over this...I'm sure we all understand how
fragile she truly is..."
Everyone had to nod at that, even Ayeka.

"Yes...she is fragile under all that gruff she puts out."
Tenchi said. "...But, there's nothing we can do for the moment...
just hope and pray that Ryoko comes back on her own accord...which
is unlikely..."
"I agree..." Tatsuhito said. "I say we all get a good nights
sleep...everything will look less gloomy come morning..."
"Somehow, I doubt it, Brother..." Ayeka sighed and folded her
hands in her lap.
"I agree with grampa..." Tenchi said, finally removing his
gaze from the window. "It's late...and the hour isn't making this
any easier on us...We'll talk about it again in the morning..."




Tenchi found himself once again in front of a window, but this
time it was in the darkness of his own room. The full moon was out...
Tenchi felt cold...
His ears perked as he heard his door open.
"Tenchi...?" Ayeka's voice called out.
He turned to face her. "Couldn't sleep either, hmm?"
Ayeka shook her head. "I...I'm getting a very bad feeling, Lord
Tenchi...I can't stop thinking something bad will happen..."
"I understand, Ayeka...I'm gettin' it too..." Tenchi hugged his love
close. "I'm getting it too..."





Come noon the next morning, the spirits of the Masaki residents
were lighter as the day went on...if not quieter.
All had gotten on with their own chores and routines...Tenchi tended to
the garden...Sasami was busy tending to the vegetables for dinner...Tatsuhito
was cleaning the shrine...And Ayeka was tending to the laundry.
Ayeka clipped one of Sasami's shirts to the line, her eyes far away...
Still, somewhere in her heart, she still felt uneasy...

"Having fun, princess?" A voice shook her from her thoughts...

Ayeka looked up.

"Ryoko!" Ayeka gasped.

Ryoko grinned down at her where she perched on the roof, dressed in her
red and black battle number...

"..M...Ms. Ryoko..." Ayeka took a step back. "S...so you decided to
come back..."
"How perceptive..." That grin Ryoko wore was growing wider...
Ayeka cleared her throat and tried to look dignified...
"Well...All and good, I suppose...Now life can get back to normal..."
Ryoko let out a deep chuckle...
"Oh...life's gonna get a little more interesting..." There was a glint in the
space pirates eyes that made Ayeka shiver. "...When I take yours!"

Ryoko vanished in a flash and was soon over Ayeka, delivering a quick
kick to her head. Ayeka, whom barely had a nanosecond to respond, roll onto the
ground, a symphony of cannons going off in her skull.

Ryoko slowly hovered to the ground, a crimson energy blade materializing in
her hand. "...I always warned you not to mess with me, little priss..." Ryoko
growled. "You took what was mine...and now you'll..."
Ayeka got up on her hands and knee's, her head stinging from the blow.
"Killing me...won't make Tenchi love you any more than he does! In fact..."
Ayeka wobbled onto her legs. "Doing so will only make him want you dead!"
"You ready to put your money where your mouth is?" Ryoko issued her challenge.
"Whether Tenchi will love me or not is not his choice...he'll have no choice but to..."
"You've gone insane, Ryoko..."
"Have I? ...I have nothing to lose..."
"Then you should have stayed in space..."
"I've come for your head, Ayeka...that's all I want..."

The minature guardian logs began to form around Ayeka, crackeling with little
electric currents.
"then...Have at you...Ryoko..."





Tenchi wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished planting the last few
seedlings...In a month or so, the family could look forward to a bountiful harvest.

Suddenly, he noticed a flock of birds make a mad dash from the tree's near
the house, followed by an explosion
Tenchi stood a moment in thought, then turned on his heels and ran for
the house.
"Ryoko!"



Ayeka tasted something bitter in her mouth as she lay in the aftermath of
Ryoko's bombardment...She noticed the spatter of red on the dirt.
"C'mon princess!" Ryoko hissed. "Ya gotta have more fight than that!"
Ayeka tried to get back up...her left arm felt numb...
"Fine then...I'll finish this early..." Ryoko brought her blade up.
"Nice knowing you...Ayeka..." The blade rose above Ryoko's head...

...Tenchi-ken...glowing a bright white, found itself not but a hairs
width from Ryoko's neck.
"Put it down." Tenchi ordered in a serious tone.
Ryoko held for a second, eyeing the glowing saber that threatened to
liberate her cyan haired head from her shoulders. Reluctantly, the red blade
she held lowered.
"Good..." Tenchi stepped back, but kept the blade trained on the space
pirate. "...I hoped you'd come back...but not like this...Revenge...is that the only
outlet you have?"
Ryoko didn't answer...she just shot Tenchi that stare...

"...I've chosen Ayeka...There's nothing you can do or say that could possibly
change my mind about that..." Tenchi said, helping Ayeka to her feet.
"...Why did you choose her over me, Tenchi...?" Ryoko asked quietly. "I thought...
we had something..."

Tenchi paused and thought... "...I do love you...I love all of you...That's
what made this so hard...But I've made my choice...and I stand by it..."
He propped Ayeka against him, who gringed from the pain in her body.
Ryoko just stared at him.
"That's how it is, Ryoko...I...Suggest you get used to it." He closed his eyes
and led Ayeka away.


Ryoko stood there...watching them leave...

'They say that the mind bends to adjusts to the hardships of life...'

A fire burned inside her...

'And sometimes...the mind bends so far it snaps in two...'



"Die!!!" Ryoko screamed as she flew at the couple.
Her energy sword was trained on Ayeka...one feel swoop...

Unfortunately...Tenchi was first to act. On reflex, he pushed
Ayeka aside as he spun to face the driven Ryoko.

Tenchi-Ken ignited...

Ryoko's blade made it's move...

A flash...

A sound...the sound of a hot energy blade entering soft flesh...

A blood choked gasp...





Ayeka stared in disbelief as the dust settled...

Tenchi's jaw was clenched tightly as Ryoko's saber cut into his left
shoulder... blood coating the cloth of his shirt.

Ryoko...fell against Tenchi...Tenchi-Kens blade...sticking out of
her back...the blade sizzeling with her blood...
He had driven her through...The momentum of her attack had thrusted
her onto the blade like a kabob...

Tenchi's eyes stared back at hers...both an image of pain, though
Ryoko's was ten times greater...
"R..Ryoko...?!" Tenchi gasped, disigniting Tenchi-Ken, making
the pirate fall completely against him.
"T...Te..." Ryoko choked as the copper taste of blood filled her
mouth, the crimson fluid escaping her lips.
Tenchi managed to ease her onto her back, his eyes full of despair.
"Ayeka! Get help!!" He yelled at Ayeka.
Ayeka, whom stood mortified the whole time, merely nodded and dashed
off towards the house best she could, despite her condition...

"Ryoko..." Tenchi paniced, kneeling by her, doing his best to keep
her left side connected to the rest of her, not caring that he was a bloody
mess. "Ryoko...speak to me...please...."
Ryoko stared back at her with almost empty eyes, the yellow turning
a dull pale color...
"Te..chi..." she managed...
"Ryoko...I'm sorry..." Tears filled his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt
you...I'm sorry!"
Her bloody, wet, good hand cupped his cheek shakily.
"I...I...L...love...." she tried.
"Ryoko?"
"I...Love......" the hand rested limply against his cheek.
"Ryoko?....Ryoko?!" Tenchi shook her gently...trying to get
some sign of life... "Ryoko!!! Ryoko!!!"
Her eyes stared back at him lifelessly...
"..." The tears flowed freely from Tenchi's eyes...
With a shaky hand...he reached over and shut her eyes...
He bent over her paling face, wiping the blood from her lips...
As morbid as it seemed...
"...I loved you too...Ryoko..."
...He kissed her...

He hugged the lifeless doll that was Ryoko, holding her close as he
waited for someone to come.
"G...Goodbye...Ryoko..."


"I'm sorry..."




To be continued...