Chapter Four - Tenchi's Choice
Tenchi sat in his room, thinking. He had so much fun with everyone, that he was having a hard time deciding who to choose. As he thought about it, he realized that with most of them, it was like he had been spending time with friends. The ones he had really felt close to were Washu and Ryoko. He knew he would never forget flying with her.
He rolled over and looked out the circular window to the moon-lit lake below. The reflection of moonlight was calming, and he found himself struggling to stay awake. By now, he was sure everyone was wondering who he would choose. He wouldn't mind choosing Washu, but to do that would to be going against her wishes, and he didn't want to do that. He sat up when he saw Ryoko exit the house. She whirled and danced with Ryo-ohki darting between her feet. He could almost hear the cabbit's happy miyaa-ing. He could see Ryoko's mouth open with laughter. He smiled gently. He did love her. He always had, but he had been turned off by the fact that she always hung on him and always fought with Ayeka. Ryoko stopped dancing, as if she sensed someone was watching her. She looked up in his direction and smiled. He waved at her.
Within seconds, Ryoko and Ryo-ohki were in his room with him. Ryoko seated herself on the edge of his bed. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Not at all," he replied.
"Have you decided?" she asked, sounding less eager than he expected. Her ears were drooped in concern. She knew how hard this was for him.
"Almost," he replied. He edged closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Her body tensed for a moment before relaxing in his embrace. She thought for certain he had chosen someone else as he planted a tiny kiss on the top of her head.
"I had so much fun with you, Ryoko," he said, holding her close. "More fun than I had with anyone else." He chuckled nervously. "I think I would have had more fun with Washu-chan if she hadn't been so serious."
Ryoko laughed softly. "She has a tendency of doing that when you least expect it," she chuckled. Tenchi nodded. Ryoko snaked her arms around Tenchi's neck, resting her head on one of his slim shoulders. "I had a lot of fun with you, too, Tenchi," she said. Her voice was so soft, he had to strain his ears to hear it.
"Ryoko," he said softly. "I think I've made my decision."
***
They went down together to find everyone waiting expectantly for Tenchi's decision. Even Nobuyuki had come from the city, excited by the prospect that his son had finally chosen one of the girls. He and Katsuhito were seated together on the couch with Ayeka beside her brother on the end. Sasami and Washu were seated on the floor beside Mihoshi. Ryo-ohki miya-ed happily and ran to Sasami, making herself comfortable on her head. Washu smiled at him encouragingly, as if she were telling him to go for it. Ryoko took a seat next to her mother on the floor.
Tenchi cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. This was it. He had to tell everyone what he had decided. He knew everyone would be happy for him, maybe even Ayeka. He pushed his nervousness aside as he finally started speaking. "I just want you all to know that this was probably the toughest decision in my life." Katsuhito grinned. "But I think it was worth it. I had a great time with all of you, and it was really hard to pick just one of you. I love you all!" He looked at Sasami, deciding he would say something to each of them before he told them his decision. "Sasami-chan, I had a wonderful time talking to you. We really need to take some time every day just to talk or play."
The blue-haired princess nodded with a grin.
"Ayeka," he said, looking at Sasami's sister. "Thank you for telling me about Jurai. It was really interesting. Maybe I'll go there someday."
Ayeka smiled and nodded.
"Ryoko, thank you so much for showing me what it's like to fly. I never thought I'd get the chance, but you proved me wrong." He turned to Mihoshi. "Mihoshi, I had a lot of fun with you. Something I've noticed about you, is that someone can think they know you really well, and then you go and surprise them. No matter what anyone tells you, never change." He gaze then turned to Washu, whose smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Washu, thank you for the wonderful meal. Now that I come to think of it, you and I are kind of similar to a mother and son, and I like that relationship. You teach me a lot of things, and I know I can always come to you if I need a good opinion on something."
A tear slipped from Mihoshi's eye. She was so touched! Washu handed her a handkerchief, which she used to dry her eyes and blow her nose. "Keep it," the genius said when Mihoshi tried to give it back.
"Well, like I said, the decision was tough, but I choose Ryoko," he said. He helped Ryoko from the floor and she hugged him. Everyone was smiling, even Ayeka.
As they all began to congragate in the kitchen for the celebration Sasami had put together, Ayeka stopped Ryoko.
"It looks like the best woman won," she said. "I probably will not be staying here, but I want to wish you good luck. Take care of him," she told her.
Ryoko smiled. "I would have been happy for you if he had chosen you," she told her.
"I know," Ayeka replied. They shook hands before joining the others in the kitchen.
Everybody was talking and eating. Washu watched, almost giddy with excitement. Some of that, she had to admit, had come from her daughter, who was just so relieved that she finally had Tenchi. She didn't really pay attention to any of the conversation, as she was rather deep in her own thoughts. She was so happy that Tenchi had chosen Ryoko, but deep down, so far down that she almost didn't know it was there, she was disappointed he hadn't chosen her, even though she had told him not to. 'Why do I feel this way?' she asked herself. Why can't I just be happy that Ryoko has someone who will never hurt her intentionally? She looked deep into her cup of tea and saw her husband walking away with their son in his arms. A tear slipped down her cheek unnoticed. She drank her tea in a hurry, regardless of the fact that it was very hot and had burned her throat, and with a small request to be excused, she made a bee-line for the lab.
Once the door had closed behind her, Washu sunk to the floor with a sob, not knowing where all this was coming from, but feeling relieved at the release she felt as she cried on the floor. All the emotions that she kept bottled up inside demanded to be freed as her shoulders shook with the intensity of her sobbing
She didn't even here the rattle of her door crab as someone entered. She felt two firm hands grab her shoulders. She looked up and saw Katsuhito's old, wizened face.
"How, how did you?" she asked between sobs.
"I noticed something wasn't right with you," he said. He pulled the child- like scientist against him and offered her a shoulder to cry on, which she gladly took. "What is this, all of the sudden?" he asked, securing his arms around her as she cried.
"I don't know," she sobbed.
Katsuhito gently stroked her long, spiky, red hair, content just to let her get all her tears out. He sat with her for nearly twenty minutes before the tears finally ran dry. She sat up, wiping the remains of the tears from her eyes. The shoulder of Katsuhito's shrine robe was soaked. He offered her a hanky and she finished wiping her eyes and blew her nose. "Keep it," he said. "Now, what seems to be the problem," he asked, settling down for a talk.
Washu sat still for a moment, gathering her thoughts. It was so out of character for her to just burst into tears without knowing why. "I had been thinking that I'm happy that Ryoko has Tenchi because he would never hurt her," she said in a whisper so soft, Katsuhito had to lean closer to her to hear. "I remembered my husband, who I had met at the Imperial Academy, how he had to leave me." She pushed back the tears as she felt them return. "I know he didn't want to hurt me, but he did. I missed him and the baby so much." She lowered her head. "Why do these things have to happen?" she shouted, looking up. "What did I do to deserve that?"
Katsuhito put a hand on Washu's trembling shoulder. "You didn't do anything to deserve that," he said softly. "Unfortunately, life is that way. We have to take what is given to us without questions, or wondering why things happen the way they do." He squeezed her gently. "You have suffered a lot at the hands of fate, but you have taken it all into stride." He paused. "You buried those emotions, didn't you?" he asked. The red-headed scientist nodded. "Did you realize that someday you would have to deal with them?" he asked.
"Of course I did, but this is supposed to be a happy occasion. I'm supposed to be happy that Ryoko found someone who would treat her like a goddess. I'm not supposed to be crying over it," she said.
"Part of you may be jealous," Katsuhito suggested.
Washu turned away. "Yeah," she said, "I suppose so. Maybe I'm asking myself why I can't have that kind of happiness." She looked at Katsuhito over her shoulder. "I'm so alone," she said. "So alone, and I never realized it until now." "I will stay with you as long as you wish," Katsuhito said. Washu nodded, resting her head on his steady shoulder. He held her in silence before he finally spoke, "I know some of the pain you hold. In the course of my long life here on earth, I had many people that I held dear that I had to watch pass on. I thought that perhaps being here would make my life shorter, but that was not the case. I sympathize with you, and I know how you feel," he said softly. Washu nodded drowsily. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked. She nodded again.
***
"It's so beautiful tonight," Ryoko commented, resting her head on Tenchi's slim chest as they sat together on the roof.
"All the stars look so beautiful," he commented.
"Washu was acting really strangely," Ryoko commented. Tenchi nodded. She didn't tell him that she had actually felt what Washu was feeling, which was a rare occurrence for her. After all, her bond with Washu really only went one way. Washu knew what she was thinking and feeling, and all Ryoko could really do was talk to her telepathically. She snuggled closer to Tenchi as a cool breeze whispered over her. She was happy, watching the stars with him. It was such a beautiful night. So perfect. She smiled in contentment.
Tenchi looked down from the stars to look at Ryoko. A peaceful feeling had been upon him ever since that afternoon. He was happy that she had him now and didn't have to drape herself all over him to prevent Ayeka from getting to him. When she snuggled closer, he smiled, drawing his arms closer around her. He was happy with his decision, and he only hoped that Ayeka would get over it soon.
The happy couple continued to watch the stars. When Tenchi saw a shooting star streaking across the dark night sky, he silently wished that this moment would never end. Ever.
Owari
Tenchi sat in his room, thinking. He had so much fun with everyone, that he was having a hard time deciding who to choose. As he thought about it, he realized that with most of them, it was like he had been spending time with friends. The ones he had really felt close to were Washu and Ryoko. He knew he would never forget flying with her.
He rolled over and looked out the circular window to the moon-lit lake below. The reflection of moonlight was calming, and he found himself struggling to stay awake. By now, he was sure everyone was wondering who he would choose. He wouldn't mind choosing Washu, but to do that would to be going against her wishes, and he didn't want to do that. He sat up when he saw Ryoko exit the house. She whirled and danced with Ryo-ohki darting between her feet. He could almost hear the cabbit's happy miyaa-ing. He could see Ryoko's mouth open with laughter. He smiled gently. He did love her. He always had, but he had been turned off by the fact that she always hung on him and always fought with Ayeka. Ryoko stopped dancing, as if she sensed someone was watching her. She looked up in his direction and smiled. He waved at her.
Within seconds, Ryoko and Ryo-ohki were in his room with him. Ryoko seated herself on the edge of his bed. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Not at all," he replied.
"Have you decided?" she asked, sounding less eager than he expected. Her ears were drooped in concern. She knew how hard this was for him.
"Almost," he replied. He edged closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Her body tensed for a moment before relaxing in his embrace. She thought for certain he had chosen someone else as he planted a tiny kiss on the top of her head.
"I had so much fun with you, Ryoko," he said, holding her close. "More fun than I had with anyone else." He chuckled nervously. "I think I would have had more fun with Washu-chan if she hadn't been so serious."
Ryoko laughed softly. "She has a tendency of doing that when you least expect it," she chuckled. Tenchi nodded. Ryoko snaked her arms around Tenchi's neck, resting her head on one of his slim shoulders. "I had a lot of fun with you, too, Tenchi," she said. Her voice was so soft, he had to strain his ears to hear it.
"Ryoko," he said softly. "I think I've made my decision."
***
They went down together to find everyone waiting expectantly for Tenchi's decision. Even Nobuyuki had come from the city, excited by the prospect that his son had finally chosen one of the girls. He and Katsuhito were seated together on the couch with Ayeka beside her brother on the end. Sasami and Washu were seated on the floor beside Mihoshi. Ryo-ohki miya-ed happily and ran to Sasami, making herself comfortable on her head. Washu smiled at him encouragingly, as if she were telling him to go for it. Ryoko took a seat next to her mother on the floor.
Tenchi cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. This was it. He had to tell everyone what he had decided. He knew everyone would be happy for him, maybe even Ayeka. He pushed his nervousness aside as he finally started speaking. "I just want you all to know that this was probably the toughest decision in my life." Katsuhito grinned. "But I think it was worth it. I had a great time with all of you, and it was really hard to pick just one of you. I love you all!" He looked at Sasami, deciding he would say something to each of them before he told them his decision. "Sasami-chan, I had a wonderful time talking to you. We really need to take some time every day just to talk or play."
The blue-haired princess nodded with a grin.
"Ayeka," he said, looking at Sasami's sister. "Thank you for telling me about Jurai. It was really interesting. Maybe I'll go there someday."
Ayeka smiled and nodded.
"Ryoko, thank you so much for showing me what it's like to fly. I never thought I'd get the chance, but you proved me wrong." He turned to Mihoshi. "Mihoshi, I had a lot of fun with you. Something I've noticed about you, is that someone can think they know you really well, and then you go and surprise them. No matter what anyone tells you, never change." He gaze then turned to Washu, whose smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Washu, thank you for the wonderful meal. Now that I come to think of it, you and I are kind of similar to a mother and son, and I like that relationship. You teach me a lot of things, and I know I can always come to you if I need a good opinion on something."
A tear slipped from Mihoshi's eye. She was so touched! Washu handed her a handkerchief, which she used to dry her eyes and blow her nose. "Keep it," the genius said when Mihoshi tried to give it back.
"Well, like I said, the decision was tough, but I choose Ryoko," he said. He helped Ryoko from the floor and she hugged him. Everyone was smiling, even Ayeka.
As they all began to congragate in the kitchen for the celebration Sasami had put together, Ayeka stopped Ryoko.
"It looks like the best woman won," she said. "I probably will not be staying here, but I want to wish you good luck. Take care of him," she told her.
Ryoko smiled. "I would have been happy for you if he had chosen you," she told her.
"I know," Ayeka replied. They shook hands before joining the others in the kitchen.
Everybody was talking and eating. Washu watched, almost giddy with excitement. Some of that, she had to admit, had come from her daughter, who was just so relieved that she finally had Tenchi. She didn't really pay attention to any of the conversation, as she was rather deep in her own thoughts. She was so happy that Tenchi had chosen Ryoko, but deep down, so far down that she almost didn't know it was there, she was disappointed he hadn't chosen her, even though she had told him not to. 'Why do I feel this way?' she asked herself. Why can't I just be happy that Ryoko has someone who will never hurt her intentionally? She looked deep into her cup of tea and saw her husband walking away with their son in his arms. A tear slipped down her cheek unnoticed. She drank her tea in a hurry, regardless of the fact that it was very hot and had burned her throat, and with a small request to be excused, she made a bee-line for the lab.
Once the door had closed behind her, Washu sunk to the floor with a sob, not knowing where all this was coming from, but feeling relieved at the release she felt as she cried on the floor. All the emotions that she kept bottled up inside demanded to be freed as her shoulders shook with the intensity of her sobbing
She didn't even here the rattle of her door crab as someone entered. She felt two firm hands grab her shoulders. She looked up and saw Katsuhito's old, wizened face.
"How, how did you?" she asked between sobs.
"I noticed something wasn't right with you," he said. He pulled the child- like scientist against him and offered her a shoulder to cry on, which she gladly took. "What is this, all of the sudden?" he asked, securing his arms around her as she cried.
"I don't know," she sobbed.
Katsuhito gently stroked her long, spiky, red hair, content just to let her get all her tears out. He sat with her for nearly twenty minutes before the tears finally ran dry. She sat up, wiping the remains of the tears from her eyes. The shoulder of Katsuhito's shrine robe was soaked. He offered her a hanky and she finished wiping her eyes and blew her nose. "Keep it," he said. "Now, what seems to be the problem," he asked, settling down for a talk.
Washu sat still for a moment, gathering her thoughts. It was so out of character for her to just burst into tears without knowing why. "I had been thinking that I'm happy that Ryoko has Tenchi because he would never hurt her," she said in a whisper so soft, Katsuhito had to lean closer to her to hear. "I remembered my husband, who I had met at the Imperial Academy, how he had to leave me." She pushed back the tears as she felt them return. "I know he didn't want to hurt me, but he did. I missed him and the baby so much." She lowered her head. "Why do these things have to happen?" she shouted, looking up. "What did I do to deserve that?"
Katsuhito put a hand on Washu's trembling shoulder. "You didn't do anything to deserve that," he said softly. "Unfortunately, life is that way. We have to take what is given to us without questions, or wondering why things happen the way they do." He squeezed her gently. "You have suffered a lot at the hands of fate, but you have taken it all into stride." He paused. "You buried those emotions, didn't you?" he asked. The red-headed scientist nodded. "Did you realize that someday you would have to deal with them?" he asked.
"Of course I did, but this is supposed to be a happy occasion. I'm supposed to be happy that Ryoko found someone who would treat her like a goddess. I'm not supposed to be crying over it," she said.
"Part of you may be jealous," Katsuhito suggested.
Washu turned away. "Yeah," she said, "I suppose so. Maybe I'm asking myself why I can't have that kind of happiness." She looked at Katsuhito over her shoulder. "I'm so alone," she said. "So alone, and I never realized it until now." "I will stay with you as long as you wish," Katsuhito said. Washu nodded, resting her head on his steady shoulder. He held her in silence before he finally spoke, "I know some of the pain you hold. In the course of my long life here on earth, I had many people that I held dear that I had to watch pass on. I thought that perhaps being here would make my life shorter, but that was not the case. I sympathize with you, and I know how you feel," he said softly. Washu nodded drowsily. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked. She nodded again.
***
"It's so beautiful tonight," Ryoko commented, resting her head on Tenchi's slim chest as they sat together on the roof.
"All the stars look so beautiful," he commented.
"Washu was acting really strangely," Ryoko commented. Tenchi nodded. She didn't tell him that she had actually felt what Washu was feeling, which was a rare occurrence for her. After all, her bond with Washu really only went one way. Washu knew what she was thinking and feeling, and all Ryoko could really do was talk to her telepathically. She snuggled closer to Tenchi as a cool breeze whispered over her. She was happy, watching the stars with him. It was such a beautiful night. So perfect. She smiled in contentment.
Tenchi looked down from the stars to look at Ryoko. A peaceful feeling had been upon him ever since that afternoon. He was happy that she had him now and didn't have to drape herself all over him to prevent Ayeka from getting to him. When she snuggled closer, he smiled, drawing his arms closer around her. He was happy with his decision, and he only hoped that Ayeka would get over it soon.
The happy couple continued to watch the stars. When Tenchi saw a shooting star streaking across the dark night sky, he silently wished that this moment would never end. Ever.
Owari