Disclaimer: All of these characters are mine. They were my idea and AIC and
Pioneer are using them without my permission! Oh wait a minute, that's
backwards. I have absolutely no claim to these characters, although all
characters introduced within this series are my own creations. Oh, and go ahead
try and sue me! It won't work, because I don't have any money!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Um, on second thought, if it's all the same, I'd rather not be sued. It's not
like I'm making any money off of this.
I'd like to thank Masami, Cav, Dav, and Happosai for their help making this fic
as good as I can get it, ESPECIALLY Cav. I'd also like to thank everybody at
the #TenchiFF chat room, for their help, support, and suggestions.
This is my first attempt at an epic fic. I've learned that putting a character
through extreme emotional pain can make for a good story. So if I put your
favorite character through hell, it's nothing personal, and everyone will get
their turn. However, I promise that in the end, everyone will be happy. Send
comments and criticism to bkuhn@ucsd.edu
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Tenchi Muyo!
To Love and to Hate
by Brook Kuhn
Episode 1:
Love Found, Love Lost
"Was I out of my head? was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an invitation, It was hard to find.
Don't matter what I say, only what I do,
Never mean to do bad things to you.
So quiet but I finally woke up,
If you're sad, then its time you spoke up, too."
- "Out of My Head" Fastball
Sasami rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Where am I? she thought, Why
does it seem familiar? It occured to her that it was odd that this place could
be familiar, when it was so empty.
Sasami's eyes went wide. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
"Tenchi? Aeka?" Sasami called out, "Where are you? I'm scared!" She
began to run, but she tripped on her robes and fell. For what seemed like
forever, she fell through the emptiness. Finally, a pair of arms reached out
and caught her.
"Ryoko!" Sasami smiled, resting her head on Ryoko's shoulder, "Thank
goodness you're here." The smile faded from Sasami's lips. Something wet
landed on her shoulder. Pulling away from Ryouko, she saw the demoness crying.
There was a large hole in Ryoko's chest, where her heart would have been. But
the hole ran completely through her, and was empty save for the blood that
seeped from the wound and stained Sasami's clothing.
"Ryoko!" Sasami cried, but Ryoko gave no response. The tears that ran
down her cheeks were the only sign that she still lived. Sasami pulled herself
from Ryoko's arms. "Don't die, Ryoko!" Sasami begged, "I'll find help! Just
don't die!" Sasami turned around, looking for someone, anyone, who could help.
Aeka stood by a stone pool, an island of light in the darkness. She
stared at her feet, lost in concentration.
"Sister!" Sasami cried, "Ryoko's hurt!" Aeka looked up, but not at
Sasami. Her attention was drawn to a figure made of shadow. Sasami couldn't
make out any details on the figure, but he seemed strangely familiar.
The shadow approached, and Aeka's hands dropped to her kimono's sash. She
began to unfasten it, very slowly, as if it were an exceptionally difficult act.
As the shadow entered the edge of the light, Aeka finally managed to remove the
sash, and she pulled her kimono open, revealing her naked breast.
The shadow reached out for her, when suddenly, there was a flash of light,
and Tenchi was there, clashing blades with him. Tenchi pulled back and thrust
the Master Key into the figure's heart.
Everything seemed to lurch as space disoriented itself. Tenchi and the
shadow became one. They didn't exactly merge, though. It was as if they had
never been separate. The glowing green blade, which seconds ago had been lodged
in the chest of the shadow that was Tenchi was now sheathed in Aeka's breast.
Tenchi, his face pale with horror, slowly pulled back the sword. Aeka did
not move. The sword left a hole in her chest identical to the one in Ryoko's.
Tenchi stared at his hands, stained red with Ryoko's blood. Meanwhile, the
blood of Aeka, crept its way down the blade to join Ryoko's on Tenchi's hand.
Tenchi screamed in rage and terror. Sasami ran to his side, but it was
too late, Tenchi had plunged his sword into his own heart and collapsed on the
floor. Sasami cried as she held his head in her lap.
***
"Sasami, wake up!" Aeka said, desperately trying to wake her writhing
sister. "Wake up! *Please* wake up!" Suddenly Sasami wrapped her arms around
Aeka with such strength and intensity that it would have made their mother
proud.
"Aeka!" Sasami cried, "You're all right! I was so scared!" Sasami
broke down and began to cry on Aeka's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sasami," Aeka said, holding Sasami tightly against her.
"Everything's all right. I'm not going anywhere." Aeka held Sasami until she
fell asleep again.
***
"Good morning, Sasami!" Tenchi said as a very groggy Sasami came down the
stairs. "You sure slept in." Sasami looked at the clock. Was it really so
late?
"Oh, she said disappointedly, "and I wanted to cook you a big breakfast."
"Don't worry, Sasami," Kiyone said, "Mihoshi and I are taking care of it."
"THE RICE IS BURNING!" Mihoshi wailed, "THE RICE IS BURNING!"
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone said, "I thought you were watching it!"
"Well, I was, but then I sort of, well, you know, forgot."
"Idiot," Kiyone said, trying to salvage what was left of the rice.
"Dad," Tenchi said to Noboyuki, who was currently sorting some files in
his breifcase, "Is everything prepared for tonight?"
"Uh-huh!" Noboyuki said, giving his son a thumbs up.
"Why?" Ryoko said, phasing in with her arms already around Tenchi, "What's
tonight?"
Tenchi pulled away from Ryoko and went to get his backpack from the
closet. "Sorry, Ryoko, it's a surprise. You'll find out tonight."
"But Tenchiii," Ryoko whined.
"Ryoko," Noboyuki said, "It won't work. We Masaki men know how to keep
a secret. Now not another word about it."
"Breakfast is ready!" Mihoshi announced as she and Kiyone placed the
food on the table. Despite Mihoshi's slip, it wasn't too burnt. "Let's eat!"
she said, as she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
***
"Hiya, Tenchi," Amagasaki said. Tenchi looked up to see his large
friend leaning over him.
"Hi," Tenchi replied.
"So how was your summer? Did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, my teenage daughter appeared out of nowhere on the steps to my
grandfather's shrine and dragged me into a battle with the incarnation of
darkness." Tenchi said this as if it were the most ordinary summer of his life.
"Oh," Amagasaki laughed, "That boring, huh?"
"Same as always. Me and grandpa practice and do chores all day," Tenchi
lied. He found it amusing that he could tell the truth and people would just
pass it off as a joke. People believed what they wanted to believe.
"Yeah, but at least now you've got all those beautiful women living with
you, now." Tenchi groaned. Amagasaki learned of the girls when he came by to
drop off some homework for Tenchi when he was sick. Amagasaki didn't seem to be
able to accept the fact that Tenchi wasn't sleeping with any of them and
constantly grilled him for details. It was the same principle, Tenchi realized.
Amagasaki believed what he wanted to. Tenchi just thanked God that he didn't
know Mayuka was real and waited for the inevitable question. "So, who have you
slept with?"
"I told you, I'm not sleeping with any of them. They're just some
friends and relatives staying with us."
"Was it Ryoko?"
"No," Tenchi said. Ryoko confused Tenchi. She seemed to be almost a
walking contradiction. Soft, yet hard, kind, yet cruel at the same time, an
innocent child, and a ruthless warrior together in one body. He knew Ryoko had
strong feelings towards him. After all, she had risked her life to avenge him
when she thought he had died, but he wasn't sure if that meant she *loved* him.
She constantly flirted with him, but Tenchi got the feeling it was just a game,
but there were those occasional moments where Tenchi felt like he could see
straight into her heart. But then she was back to her normal self, leaving
Tenchi to wonder if the entire thing was just his imagination. He just wished
she would be a little more consistant.
"Aeka?"
"No way." Aeka was just as complicated as Ryoko. He liked her, but he
had absolutely no idea how she felt about him. There had been some kind of
chemistry when they had to take shelter in that cabin almost a year ago, but
since then, not much had happened. Aeka seemed to be a master at hiding her
true feelings. Ryoko confused him because she seemed to contradict herself.
Aeka confused him because he simply never knew what was on her mind.
"Mihoshi."
"Are you deaf?" He wasn't even really interested in Mihoshi. Sure,
she was beautiful, and a kinder soul would be hard to find, but she was just a
friend, and she didn't seem that interested in him, either.
"Kiyone."
"Get real." Tenchi's relationship with Kiyone was crystal clear. They
had a kind of friendship. But Kiyone would often bug him to be more decisive,
which confused Tenchi, but at least he knew where he stood with her. Just
friends, and NEVER anything else.
"Well," Amagasaki thought for a moment, "That can only mean one thing."
"Yes," Tenchi agreed, "That I'm not-"
"You're getting it on with Sasami."
"GET A LIFE!" Tenchi yelled, hitting Amagasaki so hard that he crashed
into the wall. God! Tenchi thought to himself, only Amagasaki would be
sick enough to even *suggest* such a thing!
"Oh my! Should we call for help?" a girl whispered to her friend.
"Don't worry, that happens every year. I went to high school with them,
and it always happened there, too. Amagasaki and Tenchi are actually friends."
"That's friendship?"
"You know how guys are. And besides, Amagasaki brings it on himself, so
don't feel sorry for him."
Tenchi sighed. They were right. This exact same scenario had repeated
itself for some time. Tenchi liked Amagasaki, he was a good person, if not a
little perverted, but he always seemed to say the most horrible things from time
to time. Those who did not learn from the past were doomed to repeat it, and
Amagasaki just wouldn't learn. Tenchi sighed and continued through the day.
He would have thought that school would be a welcome relief from the chaos of
his home, but he found himself missing the girls, and the wait for classes to
let out became unbearable.
***
"Please, Tenchi?" Ryoko said, "Tell me! I wanna know what it is!"
"Yeah, Tenchi," Sasami said enthusiastically, "What is it?"
"I keep telling you. It's a surprise."
"Tenchi," Noboyuki said, "We're ready to go, so you can give them a
hint." Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. Ryoko had been bugging him about his
plans for tonight ever since he got home, and Sasami wasn't much better.
"I'm surprised no one figured it out. Doesn't anyone remember what
happened two years ago tonight?" he asked. Everyone was silent.
"I've got it!" Mihoshi exclaimed excitedly, snapping her fingers, "Wasn't
that when Ryoko destroyed the Ryu-oh?"
"Uh-huh," Tenchi said, "It was two years ago that I met Ryoko, and Aeka,
and Sasami. And that's when all of this really started to happen. I guess this
is sort of our anniversary, and it's a very special day to me. I don't know why
I never thought of it before, but I want to share this day with you, so I
thought we'd all go out for the evening."
"Oh, Tenchi!" Ryoko cried, jumping up to him and hanging off his neck.
"Wow!" Mihoshi said, "That's great!"
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said. She looked at Ryoko, but to Ryoko's
surprise, she didn't get mad, she just got this weird smile on her face.
"Ouch!" Ryoko said, as a she felt a quick, sharp jab of pain in her
hand. Examining it, she saw a bright red spot. If she hadn't known better, she
would have sworn Aeka pinched her. But Aeka was too far away.
"Let's go, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said, taking his arm, and walking out the
door with him. Ryoko glared daggers at her back. She HAD done this, but...
how? One of Aeka's force field generators appeared in front of her for a
second, then disappeared. So that's how she did it! Ryoko glared as she
followed them. She'd get back at her.
"Okay, everybody into the van," Noboyuki said.
"Come on, Mayuka," Tenchi said, picking up his daughter.
After a brief fight over who got to sit where, Noboyuki started the van
and they headed off.
"Um, dad?" Tenchi asked, "This isn't the way to the restaurant."
"I know," Noboyuki smiled, "Our reservations aren't for another hour. I
have a surprise of my own." Noboyuki took them down various small roads and
Tenchi wondered what his father had planned. He hoped it wouldn't be *too*
embarrassing.
Noboyuki finally stopped and they piled out of the van. Tenchi looked
around. They were at the edge of a forest that ran down the hillside.
"This way," Noboyuki said, a large grin plastered on his face. He led
them down into the forest, until they came across an old path. In front of
them, they could see the entire city, and the sun setting behind the mountains
in the distance. It was so beautiful. Tenchi wondered why his father had
brought them here.
"I used to come here to get inspiration," Noboyuki explained, "Then,
after I met Achika, we'd come here to watch the sun set. This has always been a
very special place for me, and now I want to pass it on to you, Tenchi."
"I-I'm honored, dad," Tenchi said. He stared as the sun went down
painting the sky orange, and red, and yellow. He was overwhelmed both by the
sheer beauty of what lay before him, and the significance it held for his
father. Shifting Mayuka in his arms, he walked forward to get a better view.
Sasami came up to his side, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He
looked down at her, and she smiled and giggled. Ryoko and Aeka stepped up on
either side of him. Ryoko lay her head on his shoulder, and Aeka took his free
hand in hers. Both of them let out a sigh of contentment simultaneously.
Ryo-ouki hopped up onto his free shoulder. In his peripheral vision he saw
Mihoshi and Kiyone on one side, and Washuu and his grandfather on the other.
A wide smile crept onto Tenchi's face. This was so perfect. He
couldn't thank his father enough. Everyone he loved was right there beside him.
Tenchi couldn't remember ever being so happy, even when his mother was still
alive. He sighed. *Almost* perfect, he decided.
"Why the long face, Tenchi?" Noboyuki asked, "You're surrounded by
beautiful women, so cheer up!"
"I know," Tenchi said, "And I *am* happy. I just wish... I wish mother
was here."
"Don't worry, Tenchi. I'm sure she's watching us right now." He
pointed up to the colored sky. "There's more than just stars up there."
"Wise words," Katsuhito said.
"I-" Tenchi started, but immediately cut himself off, not quite sure
what he was trying to say. "Do you think she'd be proud of me?"
"I know she would," Noboyuki said, "There's no way either of us could
ever not be proud of you."
"Thanks, dad," Tenchi said, "That means a lot to me." It was then that he
realized that Noboyuki was sitting down in front of them with a large clipboard
in his hands. "Dad? Why aren't you up here with us? What are you doing?"
"Capturing an important moment forever," Noboyuki replied as he
continued to sketch.
"Don't you normally use a camera for that?" Tenchi asked, surprised at
the level of intensity Noboyuki showed.
"Some things are just to important to trust to a machine. Like family."
Tenchi thought about that for a moment, and decided his father was right. They
were a family, albeit an odd one. But he loved each of them as much as he could
possibly imagine loving a sister. They stood there, watching the sun dip below
the horizon, while Noboyuki continued to sketch in details. By the time he was
finished, the sun had completely set.
"Well," he said, standing up, "We'd better go, or we'll miss our
reservations."
"Can I see, father?" Sasami said, trying to catch a glimpse of the
paper Noboyuki held. Noboyuki quickly lifted it above his head and out of
Sasami's reach.
"Nope. Sorry, Sasami. But the only person I have ever let see my
unfinished work was Achika. Now everybody, back in the van."
***
Noboyuki smiled as the waiter left with their order.
"Dad," Tenchi said, "I'm fairly sure the waiter knows Japanese. You
didn't have to try to order in English. What if you got the orders wrong?"
Noboyuki laughed. "Don't worry, I know a fair bit of English."
Tenchi was tempted to point out that he knew a fair bit of English, too,
and had never encountered some of what Noboyuki had said, but he held his
tongue. They were in a nice, fancy restauraunt, and he wasn't going to make a
scene by arguing with his father.
"So," Mihoshi said, "How long will it be until dinner is ready?"
Tenchi shrugged. "It'll be a little while, probably half an hour."
"Well, I could use my Temporal Displacer," Washuu said, "We'd jump foward
to when dinner was ready in an instant!" Everyone turned to look at her. "I
was just kidding," she said, a large bead of sweat forming on her head, "I
wouldn't really mess around with time just so we could eat sooner."
They made small talk for a while, until their food arrived. As Tenchi
had suspected, his father had screwed up the orders. Mihoshi was expecting
lasagna, got spaghetti. Ryoko' steak turned out to be a ceaser salad. And
Sasami, who had cheerfully ordered a hamburger, recieved something else.
"Um, excuse me," Sasami said, tugging on the waiter's sleeve, "What's
this?" She indicated the steak on her plate.
The waiter turned to her. "Oh, that's your veil chop."
Sasami blinked. "What's veil?" she asked.
The waiter told her.
Tears began to fill Sasami's eyes. "Oh no! How could they? Poor little
lamb!" Sasami turned and began to cry into Aeka's shoulder.
The waiter looked around nervously, fully aware of the attention Sasami's
outburst had attracted. Sheepishly, he picked up the plate. "I'm sorry, I
must have gotten the order wrong. I'll get you something else, okay?"
Sasami looked up at him with teary eyes, and the waiter quickly departed.
He brought Sasami an order of vegetarian lasagna, and apologized again.
"We'd better leave a big tip," Tenchi said. He wondered how realistic of
him it was to hope for a nice quiet evening. Oh well, he said to himself, At
least you can't say your life is boring.
Mihoshi grinned at the pile of noodles in front of her. Either she forgot
that this wasn't what she ordered, or she simply didn't care. Her face started
to become worried though, as she look around her plate.
"Um... Where are the chopsticks?" she asked.
"This is Western style food, Mihoshi. You twist the noodles around the
fork and eat them like that," Tenchi explained. He turned to Ryoko, "How's your
salad?"
"Let's find out," she smiled, scooping up a large forkfull. A piece of
chicken fell from the fork, and Tenchi, more out of reflex than anything else,
caught it in midair. Sheepishly, he held it up to Ryoko, who smiled, then ate
the chicken out of his hand, sucking on his fingers as she did.
"Yummy!" she smiled. The entire situation caused Tenchi to turn a deep
crimson.
Aeka steeled herself to keep her attention on her chicken dinner. This
is a special night to Tenchi, she reminded herself, And if anyone ruins it, it
will *not* be me. In an effort to distract herself, she slipped some of her
food to Ryo-ohki, who had teleported under the table. The cabbit hopped onto
Aeka's lap, and purred softly, as Aeka rubbed her belly, while feeding bits of
chicken to her.
Aeka nearly jumped when Tenchi tapped her on the shoulder. "How's your
chicken?" he asked. Aeka couldn't help but smile. Tenchi was trying so hard
to make sure the evening went well.
"I'm not sure. A greedy little cabbit keeps eating mine," she said,
smiling at Ryo-ohki.
Ryo-ohki looked up at her and mewed curiously. Aeka laughed, and tickled
the cabbit, who squirmed and disappeared under the table, only to be picked up
a second later by Sasami.
Tenchi smiled as he turned back to his own meal. Things seemed to be
going well.
***
"I want to thank you, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said as he drove the van back
home, "Tonight was simply wonderful."
"I'm glad everybody enjoyed it," Tenchi said. He glanced in the rear-
view mirror at the various unconscious forms. "I think most people enjoyed it
a little *too* much."
"Hmmm, we certainly know how to put away the sake in this group, don't
we?" Aeka said, thinking back to another time. She was only thinking out loud,
Tenchi was not supposed to hear, but he did.
"Well, you didn't drink very much, but I guess that's why you're still
awake."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't. I think you'd be very lonesome if you had to
drive home with no one conscious to keep you company."
Tenchi mentally winced. He was fishing for some sign of how Aeka felt,
but he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Then he thought of another
possible attempt. He didn't like it, because it might upset her, but even then
she might let something slip, and give him some idea, *any* idea how she felt.
"I just thought, well, normally you seemed to be a pretty heavy
drinker," Tenchi said. He hoped she wouldn't be *too* upset. Aeka could be an
emotional time bomb sometimes.
"What?" Aeka said, obviously somewhat upset, but more nervous than
anything else, "W-What makes you say that?" Aeka blushed furiously. Tenchi
didn't seem to mind people drinking, but she wanted him to have high opinions of
her, and she did *not* want him to know about Jurai. Tenchi still couldn't read
anything from her response, her nervousness might be because of him, or simply
her pride as a princess, but at least she wasn't angry.
"Well, um, last summer, at the onsen, you really packed it away. I, uh,
I guess I just thought that was normal for you." Idiot! he yelled at himself,
Why are you putting her through this? Just so you can find out if she likes
you? God, what an ego!
"Yes," Aeka said blushing further. Thinking back, she couldn't believe
she had done that in front of Tenchi. She had been depressed, and had *needed*
to drink, although now she was regretting showing that weakness in front of
Tenchi. Still, she had only felt the need to drink like that twice since she
had come to Earth. "I only drink like that when I'm really upset, and tonight,
I could never be depressed." Tenchi pulled up into their driveway.
Tenchi sighed. Damn, this is frustrating! It's hard enough for me to
get time alone with one of the girls. I might not get another chance like this
for a long time. Ah, what was I expecting? A signed declaration of love?
Idiot! "Why don't you go-"
Looking back, Aeka could never figure out exactly why she did what she
did. Perhaps it was the serenity of the night. Perhaps it was the feelings
that had been building up on top of one another throughout the evening. Maybe
it was just because she wanted to do so for so long, and she simply finally did.
Whatever the reason was, when Tenchi turned to talk to her, Aeka leaned over and
kissed Tenchi on the lips.
Her face turned bright red as she realized what she had just done, and
she bolted out of the van and away toward the house. Tenchi just stared as she
fled, his hand subconsciously reaching up to touch his lips where she had kissed
him. Rather unprepared to get exactly what he had been hoping for. "Well," he
said to himself, "I suppose that answers *that* question." He turned around to
wake up the others.
***
Meanwhile, Aeka fled. Her face was red, and tears was in her eyes.
What was she thinking? She was a princess. She was not supposed to give
herself to emotional outbursts. A princess was to remain calm and contained.
Damn it all! she thought. She didn't want to be calm and she didn't want to
be contained. She wanted to run to Tenchi and tell him how she felt, to wrap
her arms around him and never ever let go. But she was a princess, and was
supposed to be in control at all times. Never before had it been so apparent
that by maintaining that control over her emotions, she had lost control over
her life.
Tenchi, she thought, Please, learn what you can from that kiss. It was
all I could do to give it to you. Some stupid part of me won't allow me to do
anything more. So from here on, it's up to you.
Aeka pushed open the door, and was attacked.
She barely got a look at the man who waited behind the door, before he
wrapped his arms around her and began to crush the life out of her. She could
not form a barrier between them, for there was no space. She could not use her
force field generators, for she would end up striking herself as well. She
could not even scream, for the air had been forced out of her. It was a perfect
attack, and Aeka was utterly defenseless. She closed her eyes and waited for
the end.
She was released and collapsed to the ground.
"Sister!" The man exclaimed kneeling beside her. Aeka unleashed a blast
that sent the man flying across the room and crashing into the couch.
"How dare you!" she snarled, "Invade the sanctuary of.... 'Sister'?"
Aeka trailed off as what he had called her finally registered in her head.
"Who are you?"
"Aeka," Funaho said, entering the room, "I'd like you to meet your
younger brother, Akito. Please forgive him. He's rather emotional, and tends
to forget his own strength at times." Aeka looked at Akito as he climbed dazed
off of the couch. He was very tall, and skinny, although Aeka knew first-hand
how strong he was. As he stood, his, deep, dull red hair fell in front of his
eyes. With an irritated look, he brushed it aside, only to have it fall right
back where it was. He was handsome, like his father, but unlike the emperor,
who's appearance was dignified and regal, Akito had a somewhat clumsy look about
him, although it did not detract from his looks.
"Hello, Akito," Aeka said, blushing, "I'm sorry about attacking you like I
did, but I thought that you-"
Akito bowed in respect for her. "Don't worry about it, Aeka. It's
nothing."
"But surely you must be hurt," she insisted.
"No, I'm fine. I may look like a pile of sticks, but I'm actually
pretty tough. Are you all right, Aeka? You're crying. I didn't hurt you, did
I?" Aeka stiffened. She had let her guard down, and then there was the sudden
attack, and she hadn't gotten the chance to recover.
Fortunately, Funaho intervened. "Aeka, the others are waiting upstairs,
you should greet them." Aeka, happy for the easy way out, complied. "We will
talk about this later, in private," Funaho whispered to her. Aeka nodded
wordlessly and began to ascend the stairs.
***
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, softly shaking her.
"Hmmm... Tenchi," Ryoko murmered."
"Wake up, Ryoko." Her eyes slowly opened, and when she saw Tenchi's face,
she smiled. "Come on, the others are already gone."
The smile fell from Ryoko's lips, and she stared at him for a moment.
Tears gathered in her eyes, and flowed down her face.
"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Tenchi asked. But Ryoko simply disappeared.
Tenchi couldn't figure out what might have caused such a reaction. He stared at
the ground, racking his brain for some explanation. And that's when he saw it.
Red, shining on the tips of his fingers, was Aeka's lipstick, it must
have come off on his lips, and then onto his hand when he touched the spot she
kissed. Was that the reason? Did that mean that she... God, of all the
times to finally figure out how she felt!
"Ryoko!" Tenchi called out into the night, "Ryoko! I can explain!"
But if Ryoko heard him, she didn't let him know. Tenchi ran into the woods,
calling out Ryoko's name.
***
At the top of the stairs, Aeka wiped the tears from her eyes. She took a
deep breath, and forced herself to be calm. She couldn't let her parents see
her like this. She was a princess, and she had to act as her station demanded,
regardless of what she felt. She must appear pristine, and in control. She
couldn't let anyone know how she truly felt.
Except Funaho. She knew, and yet, that did not disturb Aeka. Quite the
opposite, really, for Aeka was longing for that promised talk, to let it all
drop and pour her heart out. She knew Funaho would understand, she didn't fear
being judged by her. Maybe it was because Funaho was once an ordinary person,
before she became royalty. Maybe it was simply because she was Funaho.
Her mask back in place, the First Princess of Jurai looked around. The
hall was dark. Cracks of light came out of the guest room at the far end of the
hall, but oddly enough, a flickering light emerged from beneath the door to
Tenchi's room. He must have left his TV on, she decided, I'll just turn it
off for him. She slid open the door, and her jaw dropped when she saw what was
going on inside.
"What?" Azusa said incredulously, "I blocked that! How do you do moves
like that?"
Aeka stared at her father, who sat cross-legged on the floor, a video
game controller in his hands. He looked extremely frustrated. Misaki, however,
seemed to be having much more fun.
"It's simple, dear. You just rotate from down to forward twice and press
the punch button," Misaki said.
"You call that simple?" Azusa asked as he fumbled around with the
controls, "I don't even know which character I am!" Aeka stifled a laugh. It
reminded her of when Sasami tried to teach Katsuhito how to play. And she was
worried about dropping *her* guard. Forcing the smile from her face, she
cleared her throat, announcing her presence.
Azusa jumped when he saw her. He dropped the controller and stood away
from the TV.
"Aeka! Don't you know to knock before entering a room!" he said in a
vain attempt to gain control over the situation.
"Super Combo Finish!!!" the television declared. Azusa's hands tensed
involuntary, and the vein in his forehead began to budge, but he remained
perfectly still.
"Sorry, father," Aeka said, bowing, "But I thought Lord Tenchi had merely
left his television set on. Oh, and I believe that move is done like this," she
said, picking up the controller to show him. "Down. To forward. Down. To
forward. Punch."
"Oh, I see," Azusa said. Then he realized what he was doing, and
returned to forcefully ignoring the video game. "I-I don't know what you're
talking about!" he insisted.
"Aunt Funaho sent me to tell you we had returned. I'm sorry no one was
here to greet you, but we did not know you were coming. You sent no message."
"It is not important," Azusa said, finally regaining his regal composure,
"It is good to see you again, my daughter." Aeka began to bow to him, but he
suddenly embraced her. "I've missed you these years, Aeka." Aeka tentatively
returned the hug, quite unprepared for this to come from her father.
"Hey, do you mind," a groggy voice said, "I'm trying to sleep." Aeka
turned to face the person who stood in the door. And nearly fell over in shock.
Before her stood the perfect image of her brother when he was only fourteen
years old. Aeka blinked and looked again. It wasn't her brother. For one
thing, the person was female, but the resemblance to Yosho was incredible.
"Who- Who are you?" Aeka asked. The girl yawned, and stretched.
"Oh, hi Aeka. I'm Kanako. Nice to meet you," Kanako said. Azusa glared
at her for a second. "I mean, hello, sister, it is a pleasure to finally meet
you," she said with a quick bow.
"Aeka," Azusa said, "This is my youngest daughter by Funaho."
"Hello, Kanako," Aeka said, bowing, but not quickly, like Kanako had done,
but formally and slow, as a princess should.
"So, have you met Akito yet?" Kanako asked.
"Yes," Aeka said. Something about Kanako bothered her, but what it was
she couldn't quite figure out.
"And you're still in one piece?" Kanako said with an impish grin, "I'm
impressed."
"Yes, Akito is rather strong."
"'Rather' strong? 'Rather?' Try, 'incredibly.' He's had several genetic
enhancements. He's one of the strongest men on the Jurai. Far stronger than
anyone in his weight class."
"Genetic enhancements?" Aeka asked. Genetic enhancements were frowned
upon, and only people enlisted in the military were allowed to have them. So
how could Akito have gotten them?
"Yep. Enhanced muscle structure, infrared retinal cones, accelerated
regeneration, the works. That's where the red hair comes from. If you tweak
your DNA too much, side effects like that show up."
"I know that!" Aeka snapped, "How is it that he was allowed to have these
enhancements performed on him?"
"I allowed him to have them for his own protection," Azusa told her, "I
have declared him my heir."
"Your heir? But I though heirs were only declared if the emporer was sick
or..." Aeka looked at nervously at her father, who confirmed her suspicions.
"Yes, Aeka. We are at war."
***
"There you are, Ryoko," Tenchi said. He crossed the stones to the Space
Tree Funaho. Ryoko must have heard him, but she didn't turn around.
"Go away," Ryoko said, she still sat, facing away from him. Tenchi sat
down behind her.
"Please, Ryoko, let me explain." Tenchi tried to grab her shoulders, to
make her face him, but she shrugged away from him.
"There's nothing to explain. I'm just in the way."
"Ryoko, no..."
"I told you to go away. Why are you even trying to cheer me up? You hate
me, remember?"
Tenchi's face hardened. "Ryoko, that's unfair. I didn't mean it, and I
apologized for saying it."
"No, you didn't. And why should you have, you only spoke the truth. I
know that now. I'm sorry, Tenchi. I was just in the way. I didn't know how
you felt."
"Ryoko, *I* don't know I feel. I didn't even realize how you two felt
about me until tonight. No, that's not true. I did know, I just didn't admit
it to myself. I don't know why, I guess I was just scared. But I don't hate
you Ryoko, I can tell you that."
"Don't lie to me Tenchi. You hate me, you said it yourself. You've
always hated me. Looking back I can see it's true. You're always yelling at
me, because I always upset you. Why *should* you like me. Why should anyone
like me."
"Ryoko..."
"Good bye, Tenchi. I'm leaving. I should have left a long time ago, but
I was too blinded by hope. I hope you and Aeka are happy together. I really
mean that. I'll leave you now. You don't want me. No one wants me. I'll
leave for good." Tenchi's heart froze. Ryoko's words echoed in his head.
'Leave for good'? What does she mean by.... God, she couldn't mean she'd...
"No, Ryoko. I won't let you do this."
Ryoko whirled around to face him, eyes filled with anger and pain. "Why
not? So you can torment me by making me watch you and Aeka together? I'm
leaving and there's nothing you can do about it!" Ryoko leapt into the air.
"No, Ryoko," he said, drawing the Master Key, "I can't let you leave, not
like this. I'm sorry, Ryoko," He held up the sword and concentrated. The
jewels glowed, red at first, but then green. He hated doing this, but he had no
choice. He couldn't let Ryoko leave like this.
Cold hands grabbed Ryoko, and pulled her back down to the earth. Hands
so cold that they burned. For so many years Kagato had controlled her. She
had been freed, but it appeared that freedom was a lie, for the very one who had
freed her had now enslaved her. And it was a thousand times more painful than
it had been before.
Under the control of the gems, Ryoko descended back to Tenchi. She looked
at him, her gaze spoke of unbearable pain and unfathomable hatred.
"Tenchi," Ryoko said softly, her voice cracking. Tears gathered in her
eyes. "How could you? How could you do this to me? Do you truly hate me so
much?"
He tried to reach for her, but she flinched away from him in terror. "I'm
sorry, Ryoko," Tenchi said, tears running down his own cheeks, "I hope someday
you'll forgive me." He tried to reach for her, but she flinched away from him
in terror. Then, mercifully, she fell into unconsciousness
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I hope you liked "Love Found, Love Lost." Remember, C&C is the food and
drink of fan fic writers, so please email me at bkuhn@ucsd.edu Even if it's just
to say "you rule" or "you suck" I'd like to know.
Pioneer are using them without my permission! Oh wait a minute, that's
backwards. I have absolutely no claim to these characters, although all
characters introduced within this series are my own creations. Oh, and go ahead
try and sue me! It won't work, because I don't have any money!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Um, on second thought, if it's all the same, I'd rather not be sued. It's not
like I'm making any money off of this.
I'd like to thank Masami, Cav, Dav, and Happosai for their help making this fic
as good as I can get it, ESPECIALLY Cav. I'd also like to thank everybody at
the #TenchiFF chat room, for their help, support, and suggestions.
This is my first attempt at an epic fic. I've learned that putting a character
through extreme emotional pain can make for a good story. So if I put your
favorite character through hell, it's nothing personal, and everyone will get
their turn. However, I promise that in the end, everyone will be happy. Send
comments and criticism to bkuhn@ucsd.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tenchi Muyo!
To Love and to Hate
by Brook Kuhn
Episode 1:
Love Found, Love Lost
"Was I out of my head? was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an invitation, It was hard to find.
Don't matter what I say, only what I do,
Never mean to do bad things to you.
So quiet but I finally woke up,
If you're sad, then its time you spoke up, too."
- "Out of My Head" Fastball
Sasami rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Where am I? she thought, Why
does it seem familiar? It occured to her that it was odd that this place could
be familiar, when it was so empty.
Sasami's eyes went wide. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
"Tenchi? Aeka?" Sasami called out, "Where are you? I'm scared!" She
began to run, but she tripped on her robes and fell. For what seemed like
forever, she fell through the emptiness. Finally, a pair of arms reached out
and caught her.
"Ryoko!" Sasami smiled, resting her head on Ryoko's shoulder, "Thank
goodness you're here." The smile faded from Sasami's lips. Something wet
landed on her shoulder. Pulling away from Ryouko, she saw the demoness crying.
There was a large hole in Ryoko's chest, where her heart would have been. But
the hole ran completely through her, and was empty save for the blood that
seeped from the wound and stained Sasami's clothing.
"Ryoko!" Sasami cried, but Ryoko gave no response. The tears that ran
down her cheeks were the only sign that she still lived. Sasami pulled herself
from Ryoko's arms. "Don't die, Ryoko!" Sasami begged, "I'll find help! Just
don't die!" Sasami turned around, looking for someone, anyone, who could help.
Aeka stood by a stone pool, an island of light in the darkness. She
stared at her feet, lost in concentration.
"Sister!" Sasami cried, "Ryoko's hurt!" Aeka looked up, but not at
Sasami. Her attention was drawn to a figure made of shadow. Sasami couldn't
make out any details on the figure, but he seemed strangely familiar.
The shadow approached, and Aeka's hands dropped to her kimono's sash. She
began to unfasten it, very slowly, as if it were an exceptionally difficult act.
As the shadow entered the edge of the light, Aeka finally managed to remove the
sash, and she pulled her kimono open, revealing her naked breast.
The shadow reached out for her, when suddenly, there was a flash of light,
and Tenchi was there, clashing blades with him. Tenchi pulled back and thrust
the Master Key into the figure's heart.
Everything seemed to lurch as space disoriented itself. Tenchi and the
shadow became one. They didn't exactly merge, though. It was as if they had
never been separate. The glowing green blade, which seconds ago had been lodged
in the chest of the shadow that was Tenchi was now sheathed in Aeka's breast.
Tenchi, his face pale with horror, slowly pulled back the sword. Aeka did
not move. The sword left a hole in her chest identical to the one in Ryoko's.
Tenchi stared at his hands, stained red with Ryoko's blood. Meanwhile, the
blood of Aeka, crept its way down the blade to join Ryoko's on Tenchi's hand.
Tenchi screamed in rage and terror. Sasami ran to his side, but it was
too late, Tenchi had plunged his sword into his own heart and collapsed on the
floor. Sasami cried as she held his head in her lap.
***
"Sasami, wake up!" Aeka said, desperately trying to wake her writhing
sister. "Wake up! *Please* wake up!" Suddenly Sasami wrapped her arms around
Aeka with such strength and intensity that it would have made their mother
proud.
"Aeka!" Sasami cried, "You're all right! I was so scared!" Sasami
broke down and began to cry on Aeka's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sasami," Aeka said, holding Sasami tightly against her.
"Everything's all right. I'm not going anywhere." Aeka held Sasami until she
fell asleep again.
***
"Good morning, Sasami!" Tenchi said as a very groggy Sasami came down the
stairs. "You sure slept in." Sasami looked at the clock. Was it really so
late?
"Oh, she said disappointedly, "and I wanted to cook you a big breakfast."
"Don't worry, Sasami," Kiyone said, "Mihoshi and I are taking care of it."
"THE RICE IS BURNING!" Mihoshi wailed, "THE RICE IS BURNING!"
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone said, "I thought you were watching it!"
"Well, I was, but then I sort of, well, you know, forgot."
"Idiot," Kiyone said, trying to salvage what was left of the rice.
"Dad," Tenchi said to Noboyuki, who was currently sorting some files in
his breifcase, "Is everything prepared for tonight?"
"Uh-huh!" Noboyuki said, giving his son a thumbs up.
"Why?" Ryoko said, phasing in with her arms already around Tenchi, "What's
tonight?"
Tenchi pulled away from Ryoko and went to get his backpack from the
closet. "Sorry, Ryoko, it's a surprise. You'll find out tonight."
"But Tenchiii," Ryoko whined.
"Ryoko," Noboyuki said, "It won't work. We Masaki men know how to keep
a secret. Now not another word about it."
"Breakfast is ready!" Mihoshi announced as she and Kiyone placed the
food on the table. Despite Mihoshi's slip, it wasn't too burnt. "Let's eat!"
she said, as she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
***
"Hiya, Tenchi," Amagasaki said. Tenchi looked up to see his large
friend leaning over him.
"Hi," Tenchi replied.
"So how was your summer? Did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, my teenage daughter appeared out of nowhere on the steps to my
grandfather's shrine and dragged me into a battle with the incarnation of
darkness." Tenchi said this as if it were the most ordinary summer of his life.
"Oh," Amagasaki laughed, "That boring, huh?"
"Same as always. Me and grandpa practice and do chores all day," Tenchi
lied. He found it amusing that he could tell the truth and people would just
pass it off as a joke. People believed what they wanted to believe.
"Yeah, but at least now you've got all those beautiful women living with
you, now." Tenchi groaned. Amagasaki learned of the girls when he came by to
drop off some homework for Tenchi when he was sick. Amagasaki didn't seem to be
able to accept the fact that Tenchi wasn't sleeping with any of them and
constantly grilled him for details. It was the same principle, Tenchi realized.
Amagasaki believed what he wanted to. Tenchi just thanked God that he didn't
know Mayuka was real and waited for the inevitable question. "So, who have you
slept with?"
"I told you, I'm not sleeping with any of them. They're just some
friends and relatives staying with us."
"Was it Ryoko?"
"No," Tenchi said. Ryoko confused Tenchi. She seemed to be almost a
walking contradiction. Soft, yet hard, kind, yet cruel at the same time, an
innocent child, and a ruthless warrior together in one body. He knew Ryoko had
strong feelings towards him. After all, she had risked her life to avenge him
when she thought he had died, but he wasn't sure if that meant she *loved* him.
She constantly flirted with him, but Tenchi got the feeling it was just a game,
but there were those occasional moments where Tenchi felt like he could see
straight into her heart. But then she was back to her normal self, leaving
Tenchi to wonder if the entire thing was just his imagination. He just wished
she would be a little more consistant.
"Aeka?"
"No way." Aeka was just as complicated as Ryoko. He liked her, but he
had absolutely no idea how she felt about him. There had been some kind of
chemistry when they had to take shelter in that cabin almost a year ago, but
since then, not much had happened. Aeka seemed to be a master at hiding her
true feelings. Ryoko confused him because she seemed to contradict herself.
Aeka confused him because he simply never knew what was on her mind.
"Mihoshi."
"Are you deaf?" He wasn't even really interested in Mihoshi. Sure,
she was beautiful, and a kinder soul would be hard to find, but she was just a
friend, and she didn't seem that interested in him, either.
"Kiyone."
"Get real." Tenchi's relationship with Kiyone was crystal clear. They
had a kind of friendship. But Kiyone would often bug him to be more decisive,
which confused Tenchi, but at least he knew where he stood with her. Just
friends, and NEVER anything else.
"Well," Amagasaki thought for a moment, "That can only mean one thing."
"Yes," Tenchi agreed, "That I'm not-"
"You're getting it on with Sasami."
"GET A LIFE!" Tenchi yelled, hitting Amagasaki so hard that he crashed
into the wall. God! Tenchi thought to himself, only Amagasaki would be
sick enough to even *suggest* such a thing!
"Oh my! Should we call for help?" a girl whispered to her friend.
"Don't worry, that happens every year. I went to high school with them,
and it always happened there, too. Amagasaki and Tenchi are actually friends."
"That's friendship?"
"You know how guys are. And besides, Amagasaki brings it on himself, so
don't feel sorry for him."
Tenchi sighed. They were right. This exact same scenario had repeated
itself for some time. Tenchi liked Amagasaki, he was a good person, if not a
little perverted, but he always seemed to say the most horrible things from time
to time. Those who did not learn from the past were doomed to repeat it, and
Amagasaki just wouldn't learn. Tenchi sighed and continued through the day.
He would have thought that school would be a welcome relief from the chaos of
his home, but he found himself missing the girls, and the wait for classes to
let out became unbearable.
***
"Please, Tenchi?" Ryoko said, "Tell me! I wanna know what it is!"
"Yeah, Tenchi," Sasami said enthusiastically, "What is it?"
"I keep telling you. It's a surprise."
"Tenchi," Noboyuki said, "We're ready to go, so you can give them a
hint." Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. Ryoko had been bugging him about his
plans for tonight ever since he got home, and Sasami wasn't much better.
"I'm surprised no one figured it out. Doesn't anyone remember what
happened two years ago tonight?" he asked. Everyone was silent.
"I've got it!" Mihoshi exclaimed excitedly, snapping her fingers, "Wasn't
that when Ryoko destroyed the Ryu-oh?"
"Uh-huh," Tenchi said, "It was two years ago that I met Ryoko, and Aeka,
and Sasami. And that's when all of this really started to happen. I guess this
is sort of our anniversary, and it's a very special day to me. I don't know why
I never thought of it before, but I want to share this day with you, so I
thought we'd all go out for the evening."
"Oh, Tenchi!" Ryoko cried, jumping up to him and hanging off his neck.
"Wow!" Mihoshi said, "That's great!"
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said. She looked at Ryoko, but to Ryoko's
surprise, she didn't get mad, she just got this weird smile on her face.
"Ouch!" Ryoko said, as a she felt a quick, sharp jab of pain in her
hand. Examining it, she saw a bright red spot. If she hadn't known better, she
would have sworn Aeka pinched her. But Aeka was too far away.
"Let's go, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said, taking his arm, and walking out the
door with him. Ryoko glared daggers at her back. She HAD done this, but...
how? One of Aeka's force field generators appeared in front of her for a
second, then disappeared. So that's how she did it! Ryoko glared as she
followed them. She'd get back at her.
"Okay, everybody into the van," Noboyuki said.
"Come on, Mayuka," Tenchi said, picking up his daughter.
After a brief fight over who got to sit where, Noboyuki started the van
and they headed off.
"Um, dad?" Tenchi asked, "This isn't the way to the restaurant."
"I know," Noboyuki smiled, "Our reservations aren't for another hour. I
have a surprise of my own." Noboyuki took them down various small roads and
Tenchi wondered what his father had planned. He hoped it wouldn't be *too*
embarrassing.
Noboyuki finally stopped and they piled out of the van. Tenchi looked
around. They were at the edge of a forest that ran down the hillside.
"This way," Noboyuki said, a large grin plastered on his face. He led
them down into the forest, until they came across an old path. In front of
them, they could see the entire city, and the sun setting behind the mountains
in the distance. It was so beautiful. Tenchi wondered why his father had
brought them here.
"I used to come here to get inspiration," Noboyuki explained, "Then,
after I met Achika, we'd come here to watch the sun set. This has always been a
very special place for me, and now I want to pass it on to you, Tenchi."
"I-I'm honored, dad," Tenchi said. He stared as the sun went down
painting the sky orange, and red, and yellow. He was overwhelmed both by the
sheer beauty of what lay before him, and the significance it held for his
father. Shifting Mayuka in his arms, he walked forward to get a better view.
Sasami came up to his side, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He
looked down at her, and she smiled and giggled. Ryoko and Aeka stepped up on
either side of him. Ryoko lay her head on his shoulder, and Aeka took his free
hand in hers. Both of them let out a sigh of contentment simultaneously.
Ryo-ouki hopped up onto his free shoulder. In his peripheral vision he saw
Mihoshi and Kiyone on one side, and Washuu and his grandfather on the other.
A wide smile crept onto Tenchi's face. This was so perfect. He
couldn't thank his father enough. Everyone he loved was right there beside him.
Tenchi couldn't remember ever being so happy, even when his mother was still
alive. He sighed. *Almost* perfect, he decided.
"Why the long face, Tenchi?" Noboyuki asked, "You're surrounded by
beautiful women, so cheer up!"
"I know," Tenchi said, "And I *am* happy. I just wish... I wish mother
was here."
"Don't worry, Tenchi. I'm sure she's watching us right now." He
pointed up to the colored sky. "There's more than just stars up there."
"Wise words," Katsuhito said.
"I-" Tenchi started, but immediately cut himself off, not quite sure
what he was trying to say. "Do you think she'd be proud of me?"
"I know she would," Noboyuki said, "There's no way either of us could
ever not be proud of you."
"Thanks, dad," Tenchi said, "That means a lot to me." It was then that he
realized that Noboyuki was sitting down in front of them with a large clipboard
in his hands. "Dad? Why aren't you up here with us? What are you doing?"
"Capturing an important moment forever," Noboyuki replied as he
continued to sketch.
"Don't you normally use a camera for that?" Tenchi asked, surprised at
the level of intensity Noboyuki showed.
"Some things are just to important to trust to a machine. Like family."
Tenchi thought about that for a moment, and decided his father was right. They
were a family, albeit an odd one. But he loved each of them as much as he could
possibly imagine loving a sister. They stood there, watching the sun dip below
the horizon, while Noboyuki continued to sketch in details. By the time he was
finished, the sun had completely set.
"Well," he said, standing up, "We'd better go, or we'll miss our
reservations."
"Can I see, father?" Sasami said, trying to catch a glimpse of the
paper Noboyuki held. Noboyuki quickly lifted it above his head and out of
Sasami's reach.
"Nope. Sorry, Sasami. But the only person I have ever let see my
unfinished work was Achika. Now everybody, back in the van."
***
Noboyuki smiled as the waiter left with their order.
"Dad," Tenchi said, "I'm fairly sure the waiter knows Japanese. You
didn't have to try to order in English. What if you got the orders wrong?"
Noboyuki laughed. "Don't worry, I know a fair bit of English."
Tenchi was tempted to point out that he knew a fair bit of English, too,
and had never encountered some of what Noboyuki had said, but he held his
tongue. They were in a nice, fancy restauraunt, and he wasn't going to make a
scene by arguing with his father.
"So," Mihoshi said, "How long will it be until dinner is ready?"
Tenchi shrugged. "It'll be a little while, probably half an hour."
"Well, I could use my Temporal Displacer," Washuu said, "We'd jump foward
to when dinner was ready in an instant!" Everyone turned to look at her. "I
was just kidding," she said, a large bead of sweat forming on her head, "I
wouldn't really mess around with time just so we could eat sooner."
They made small talk for a while, until their food arrived. As Tenchi
had suspected, his father had screwed up the orders. Mihoshi was expecting
lasagna, got spaghetti. Ryoko' steak turned out to be a ceaser salad. And
Sasami, who had cheerfully ordered a hamburger, recieved something else.
"Um, excuse me," Sasami said, tugging on the waiter's sleeve, "What's
this?" She indicated the steak on her plate.
The waiter turned to her. "Oh, that's your veil chop."
Sasami blinked. "What's veil?" she asked.
The waiter told her.
Tears began to fill Sasami's eyes. "Oh no! How could they? Poor little
lamb!" Sasami turned and began to cry into Aeka's shoulder.
The waiter looked around nervously, fully aware of the attention Sasami's
outburst had attracted. Sheepishly, he picked up the plate. "I'm sorry, I
must have gotten the order wrong. I'll get you something else, okay?"
Sasami looked up at him with teary eyes, and the waiter quickly departed.
He brought Sasami an order of vegetarian lasagna, and apologized again.
"We'd better leave a big tip," Tenchi said. He wondered how realistic of
him it was to hope for a nice quiet evening. Oh well, he said to himself, At
least you can't say your life is boring.
Mihoshi grinned at the pile of noodles in front of her. Either she forgot
that this wasn't what she ordered, or she simply didn't care. Her face started
to become worried though, as she look around her plate.
"Um... Where are the chopsticks?" she asked.
"This is Western style food, Mihoshi. You twist the noodles around the
fork and eat them like that," Tenchi explained. He turned to Ryoko, "How's your
salad?"
"Let's find out," she smiled, scooping up a large forkfull. A piece of
chicken fell from the fork, and Tenchi, more out of reflex than anything else,
caught it in midair. Sheepishly, he held it up to Ryoko, who smiled, then ate
the chicken out of his hand, sucking on his fingers as she did.
"Yummy!" she smiled. The entire situation caused Tenchi to turn a deep
crimson.
Aeka steeled herself to keep her attention on her chicken dinner. This
is a special night to Tenchi, she reminded herself, And if anyone ruins it, it
will *not* be me. In an effort to distract herself, she slipped some of her
food to Ryo-ohki, who had teleported under the table. The cabbit hopped onto
Aeka's lap, and purred softly, as Aeka rubbed her belly, while feeding bits of
chicken to her.
Aeka nearly jumped when Tenchi tapped her on the shoulder. "How's your
chicken?" he asked. Aeka couldn't help but smile. Tenchi was trying so hard
to make sure the evening went well.
"I'm not sure. A greedy little cabbit keeps eating mine," she said,
smiling at Ryo-ohki.
Ryo-ohki looked up at her and mewed curiously. Aeka laughed, and tickled
the cabbit, who squirmed and disappeared under the table, only to be picked up
a second later by Sasami.
Tenchi smiled as he turned back to his own meal. Things seemed to be
going well.
***
"I want to thank you, Lord Tenchi," Aeka said as he drove the van back
home, "Tonight was simply wonderful."
"I'm glad everybody enjoyed it," Tenchi said. He glanced in the rear-
view mirror at the various unconscious forms. "I think most people enjoyed it
a little *too* much."
"Hmmm, we certainly know how to put away the sake in this group, don't
we?" Aeka said, thinking back to another time. She was only thinking out loud,
Tenchi was not supposed to hear, but he did.
"Well, you didn't drink very much, but I guess that's why you're still
awake."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't. I think you'd be very lonesome if you had to
drive home with no one conscious to keep you company."
Tenchi mentally winced. He was fishing for some sign of how Aeka felt,
but he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Then he thought of another
possible attempt. He didn't like it, because it might upset her, but even then
she might let something slip, and give him some idea, *any* idea how she felt.
"I just thought, well, normally you seemed to be a pretty heavy
drinker," Tenchi said. He hoped she wouldn't be *too* upset. Aeka could be an
emotional time bomb sometimes.
"What?" Aeka said, obviously somewhat upset, but more nervous than
anything else, "W-What makes you say that?" Aeka blushed furiously. Tenchi
didn't seem to mind people drinking, but she wanted him to have high opinions of
her, and she did *not* want him to know about Jurai. Tenchi still couldn't read
anything from her response, her nervousness might be because of him, or simply
her pride as a princess, but at least she wasn't angry.
"Well, um, last summer, at the onsen, you really packed it away. I, uh,
I guess I just thought that was normal for you." Idiot! he yelled at himself,
Why are you putting her through this? Just so you can find out if she likes
you? God, what an ego!
"Yes," Aeka said blushing further. Thinking back, she couldn't believe
she had done that in front of Tenchi. She had been depressed, and had *needed*
to drink, although now she was regretting showing that weakness in front of
Tenchi. Still, she had only felt the need to drink like that twice since she
had come to Earth. "I only drink like that when I'm really upset, and tonight,
I could never be depressed." Tenchi pulled up into their driveway.
Tenchi sighed. Damn, this is frustrating! It's hard enough for me to
get time alone with one of the girls. I might not get another chance like this
for a long time. Ah, what was I expecting? A signed declaration of love?
Idiot! "Why don't you go-"
Looking back, Aeka could never figure out exactly why she did what she
did. Perhaps it was the serenity of the night. Perhaps it was the feelings
that had been building up on top of one another throughout the evening. Maybe
it was just because she wanted to do so for so long, and she simply finally did.
Whatever the reason was, when Tenchi turned to talk to her, Aeka leaned over and
kissed Tenchi on the lips.
Her face turned bright red as she realized what she had just done, and
she bolted out of the van and away toward the house. Tenchi just stared as she
fled, his hand subconsciously reaching up to touch his lips where she had kissed
him. Rather unprepared to get exactly what he had been hoping for. "Well," he
said to himself, "I suppose that answers *that* question." He turned around to
wake up the others.
***
Meanwhile, Aeka fled. Her face was red, and tears was in her eyes.
What was she thinking? She was a princess. She was not supposed to give
herself to emotional outbursts. A princess was to remain calm and contained.
Damn it all! she thought. She didn't want to be calm and she didn't want to
be contained. She wanted to run to Tenchi and tell him how she felt, to wrap
her arms around him and never ever let go. But she was a princess, and was
supposed to be in control at all times. Never before had it been so apparent
that by maintaining that control over her emotions, she had lost control over
her life.
Tenchi, she thought, Please, learn what you can from that kiss. It was
all I could do to give it to you. Some stupid part of me won't allow me to do
anything more. So from here on, it's up to you.
Aeka pushed open the door, and was attacked.
She barely got a look at the man who waited behind the door, before he
wrapped his arms around her and began to crush the life out of her. She could
not form a barrier between them, for there was no space. She could not use her
force field generators, for she would end up striking herself as well. She
could not even scream, for the air had been forced out of her. It was a perfect
attack, and Aeka was utterly defenseless. She closed her eyes and waited for
the end.
She was released and collapsed to the ground.
"Sister!" The man exclaimed kneeling beside her. Aeka unleashed a blast
that sent the man flying across the room and crashing into the couch.
"How dare you!" she snarled, "Invade the sanctuary of.... 'Sister'?"
Aeka trailed off as what he had called her finally registered in her head.
"Who are you?"
"Aeka," Funaho said, entering the room, "I'd like you to meet your
younger brother, Akito. Please forgive him. He's rather emotional, and tends
to forget his own strength at times." Aeka looked at Akito as he climbed dazed
off of the couch. He was very tall, and skinny, although Aeka knew first-hand
how strong he was. As he stood, his, deep, dull red hair fell in front of his
eyes. With an irritated look, he brushed it aside, only to have it fall right
back where it was. He was handsome, like his father, but unlike the emperor,
who's appearance was dignified and regal, Akito had a somewhat clumsy look about
him, although it did not detract from his looks.
"Hello, Akito," Aeka said, blushing, "I'm sorry about attacking you like I
did, but I thought that you-"
Akito bowed in respect for her. "Don't worry about it, Aeka. It's
nothing."
"But surely you must be hurt," she insisted.
"No, I'm fine. I may look like a pile of sticks, but I'm actually
pretty tough. Are you all right, Aeka? You're crying. I didn't hurt you, did
I?" Aeka stiffened. She had let her guard down, and then there was the sudden
attack, and she hadn't gotten the chance to recover.
Fortunately, Funaho intervened. "Aeka, the others are waiting upstairs,
you should greet them." Aeka, happy for the easy way out, complied. "We will
talk about this later, in private," Funaho whispered to her. Aeka nodded
wordlessly and began to ascend the stairs.
***
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, softly shaking her.
"Hmmm... Tenchi," Ryoko murmered."
"Wake up, Ryoko." Her eyes slowly opened, and when she saw Tenchi's face,
she smiled. "Come on, the others are already gone."
The smile fell from Ryoko's lips, and she stared at him for a moment.
Tears gathered in her eyes, and flowed down her face.
"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Tenchi asked. But Ryoko simply disappeared.
Tenchi couldn't figure out what might have caused such a reaction. He stared at
the ground, racking his brain for some explanation. And that's when he saw it.
Red, shining on the tips of his fingers, was Aeka's lipstick, it must
have come off on his lips, and then onto his hand when he touched the spot she
kissed. Was that the reason? Did that mean that she... God, of all the
times to finally figure out how she felt!
"Ryoko!" Tenchi called out into the night, "Ryoko! I can explain!"
But if Ryoko heard him, she didn't let him know. Tenchi ran into the woods,
calling out Ryoko's name.
***
At the top of the stairs, Aeka wiped the tears from her eyes. She took a
deep breath, and forced herself to be calm. She couldn't let her parents see
her like this. She was a princess, and she had to act as her station demanded,
regardless of what she felt. She must appear pristine, and in control. She
couldn't let anyone know how she truly felt.
Except Funaho. She knew, and yet, that did not disturb Aeka. Quite the
opposite, really, for Aeka was longing for that promised talk, to let it all
drop and pour her heart out. She knew Funaho would understand, she didn't fear
being judged by her. Maybe it was because Funaho was once an ordinary person,
before she became royalty. Maybe it was simply because she was Funaho.
Her mask back in place, the First Princess of Jurai looked around. The
hall was dark. Cracks of light came out of the guest room at the far end of the
hall, but oddly enough, a flickering light emerged from beneath the door to
Tenchi's room. He must have left his TV on, she decided, I'll just turn it
off for him. She slid open the door, and her jaw dropped when she saw what was
going on inside.
"What?" Azusa said incredulously, "I blocked that! How do you do moves
like that?"
Aeka stared at her father, who sat cross-legged on the floor, a video
game controller in his hands. He looked extremely frustrated. Misaki, however,
seemed to be having much more fun.
"It's simple, dear. You just rotate from down to forward twice and press
the punch button," Misaki said.
"You call that simple?" Azusa asked as he fumbled around with the
controls, "I don't even know which character I am!" Aeka stifled a laugh. It
reminded her of when Sasami tried to teach Katsuhito how to play. And she was
worried about dropping *her* guard. Forcing the smile from her face, she
cleared her throat, announcing her presence.
Azusa jumped when he saw her. He dropped the controller and stood away
from the TV.
"Aeka! Don't you know to knock before entering a room!" he said in a
vain attempt to gain control over the situation.
"Super Combo Finish!!!" the television declared. Azusa's hands tensed
involuntary, and the vein in his forehead began to budge, but he remained
perfectly still.
"Sorry, father," Aeka said, bowing, "But I thought Lord Tenchi had merely
left his television set on. Oh, and I believe that move is done like this," she
said, picking up the controller to show him. "Down. To forward. Down. To
forward. Punch."
"Oh, I see," Azusa said. Then he realized what he was doing, and
returned to forcefully ignoring the video game. "I-I don't know what you're
talking about!" he insisted.
"Aunt Funaho sent me to tell you we had returned. I'm sorry no one was
here to greet you, but we did not know you were coming. You sent no message."
"It is not important," Azusa said, finally regaining his regal composure,
"It is good to see you again, my daughter." Aeka began to bow to him, but he
suddenly embraced her. "I've missed you these years, Aeka." Aeka tentatively
returned the hug, quite unprepared for this to come from her father.
"Hey, do you mind," a groggy voice said, "I'm trying to sleep." Aeka
turned to face the person who stood in the door. And nearly fell over in shock.
Before her stood the perfect image of her brother when he was only fourteen
years old. Aeka blinked and looked again. It wasn't her brother. For one
thing, the person was female, but the resemblance to Yosho was incredible.
"Who- Who are you?" Aeka asked. The girl yawned, and stretched.
"Oh, hi Aeka. I'm Kanako. Nice to meet you," Kanako said. Azusa glared
at her for a second. "I mean, hello, sister, it is a pleasure to finally meet
you," she said with a quick bow.
"Aeka," Azusa said, "This is my youngest daughter by Funaho."
"Hello, Kanako," Aeka said, bowing, but not quickly, like Kanako had done,
but formally and slow, as a princess should.
"So, have you met Akito yet?" Kanako asked.
"Yes," Aeka said. Something about Kanako bothered her, but what it was
she couldn't quite figure out.
"And you're still in one piece?" Kanako said with an impish grin, "I'm
impressed."
"Yes, Akito is rather strong."
"'Rather' strong? 'Rather?' Try, 'incredibly.' He's had several genetic
enhancements. He's one of the strongest men on the Jurai. Far stronger than
anyone in his weight class."
"Genetic enhancements?" Aeka asked. Genetic enhancements were frowned
upon, and only people enlisted in the military were allowed to have them. So
how could Akito have gotten them?
"Yep. Enhanced muscle structure, infrared retinal cones, accelerated
regeneration, the works. That's where the red hair comes from. If you tweak
your DNA too much, side effects like that show up."
"I know that!" Aeka snapped, "How is it that he was allowed to have these
enhancements performed on him?"
"I allowed him to have them for his own protection," Azusa told her, "I
have declared him my heir."
"Your heir? But I though heirs were only declared if the emporer was sick
or..." Aeka looked at nervously at her father, who confirmed her suspicions.
"Yes, Aeka. We are at war."
***
"There you are, Ryoko," Tenchi said. He crossed the stones to the Space
Tree Funaho. Ryoko must have heard him, but she didn't turn around.
"Go away," Ryoko said, she still sat, facing away from him. Tenchi sat
down behind her.
"Please, Ryoko, let me explain." Tenchi tried to grab her shoulders, to
make her face him, but she shrugged away from him.
"There's nothing to explain. I'm just in the way."
"Ryoko, no..."
"I told you to go away. Why are you even trying to cheer me up? You hate
me, remember?"
Tenchi's face hardened. "Ryoko, that's unfair. I didn't mean it, and I
apologized for saying it."
"No, you didn't. And why should you have, you only spoke the truth. I
know that now. I'm sorry, Tenchi. I was just in the way. I didn't know how
you felt."
"Ryoko, *I* don't know I feel. I didn't even realize how you two felt
about me until tonight. No, that's not true. I did know, I just didn't admit
it to myself. I don't know why, I guess I was just scared. But I don't hate
you Ryoko, I can tell you that."
"Don't lie to me Tenchi. You hate me, you said it yourself. You've
always hated me. Looking back I can see it's true. You're always yelling at
me, because I always upset you. Why *should* you like me. Why should anyone
like me."
"Ryoko..."
"Good bye, Tenchi. I'm leaving. I should have left a long time ago, but
I was too blinded by hope. I hope you and Aeka are happy together. I really
mean that. I'll leave you now. You don't want me. No one wants me. I'll
leave for good." Tenchi's heart froze. Ryoko's words echoed in his head.
'Leave for good'? What does she mean by.... God, she couldn't mean she'd...
"No, Ryoko. I won't let you do this."
Ryoko whirled around to face him, eyes filled with anger and pain. "Why
not? So you can torment me by making me watch you and Aeka together? I'm
leaving and there's nothing you can do about it!" Ryoko leapt into the air.
"No, Ryoko," he said, drawing the Master Key, "I can't let you leave, not
like this. I'm sorry, Ryoko," He held up the sword and concentrated. The
jewels glowed, red at first, but then green. He hated doing this, but he had no
choice. He couldn't let Ryoko leave like this.
Cold hands grabbed Ryoko, and pulled her back down to the earth. Hands
so cold that they burned. For so many years Kagato had controlled her. She
had been freed, but it appeared that freedom was a lie, for the very one who had
freed her had now enslaved her. And it was a thousand times more painful than
it had been before.
Under the control of the gems, Ryoko descended back to Tenchi. She looked
at him, her gaze spoke of unbearable pain and unfathomable hatred.
"Tenchi," Ryoko said softly, her voice cracking. Tears gathered in her
eyes. "How could you? How could you do this to me? Do you truly hate me so
much?"
He tried to reach for her, but she flinched away from him in terror. "I'm
sorry, Ryoko," Tenchi said, tears running down his own cheeks, "I hope someday
you'll forgive me." He tried to reach for her, but she flinched away from him
in terror. Then, mercifully, she fell into unconsciousness
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I hope you liked "Love Found, Love Lost." Remember, C&C is the food and
drink of fan fic writers, so please email me at bkuhn@ucsd.edu Even if it's just
to say "you rule" or "you suck" I'd like to know.