Demoness- Hello everyone took me long enough but here it is. I did a little look back on my earlier chapters and realized I was much more descriptive and my entries were much longer. I shall try to live up to my earlier works once again. Now that that's out of the way shall we proceed?

If you don't know by now I do not own any of the characters from Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, and or Tenchi in Tokyo and so on. AIC & Pioneer copyrights them. I am only writing this for entertainment and the Ryoko and Hotsuma Legion. NOT for cash so please, please, pleeeeeeeeease don't sue me. I don't have much of value but my cute wittle puppy. A few graphic novels, and some Ryoko pics. And I will kill if anyone dare try to take those things from me! Ahem! If this story seems similar to your own or someone you know, don't tell me cause I don't give a damn anymore. Why are you even reading this? Go on and skip down to the story.

Of Dreams and Nightmares

Ryoko, Hotsuma, Washu, and Zero sat together underneath Funaho with the cool air of spring flowing through the strong leafy branches. The still night of spring was silent with only the insects lulling the countryside's inhabitants to sleep with their gentle chirping. The four laughed among themselves as they all tried to identify what could compare to Princess Ayeka's earlier shriek.

"A howling dog in pain." Zero said pouring out the next rounds of sake.

Hotsuma handed out the now full cups. "Perhaps towards the end she did sound like a dog. But what about the first sound? I could have sworn she shattered glass with that one." He remarked.

Washu took her cup laughing. "Mmm...Mariah Carey caught in a bear trap." Her responds caused an uproar of laughter.

Ryoko sighed as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. It had been such a long time since she had such a night. Do not mistake she did have her fun with Hotsuma, but always their was something missing...her family.

Ryoko yawned standing onto her feet. "I'm tired let's go to bed." She stated.

Washu looked onto her daughter with a brow hitched. "Why it's only...2:17 in the morning." Washu said after consulting her mental clock.

Ryoko yawned once again curling her tongue. "I have been reuniting, catching up on old news, celebrating, eating, drinking, and dance all day. I'm tired." Ryoko said counting off the day's activities by her nimble fingers.

"Unless I am wrong, which is impossible, the gems should provide you with all the energy you need. Meaning that you have no need for food, water, or rest."

Those words caught Hotsuma's attention. "So all those times Ryoko sleeps in?"

Washu nodded her head. "Is because she's just being lazy as always!"

Ryoko growled as she took hold of Washu's collar giving it a firm shake as she spoke. "Watch it mom, or I'll tell Tenchi and Ayeka how I managed to tattoo him."

Washu looked Ryoko into the eyes with a false-shocked yet sad expression. "Little Ryoko you wouldn't dare do that to your dear mother would you?" She asked pretending to wipe away a tear. "I thought I raised you not to snitch."

Ryoko's upper lip curled so that her fangs were noticeable to anyone who was watching. "The family who play pranks together suffers the wrath of a pissed off chipmunk voiced princess together."

It was at that moment Zero came into the conversation at the mention of family. "Well you did promise that you wouldn't ruin their wedding day."

"I said day I said nothing about their wedding night. Besides if what Washu says is right then today is the day after the wedding, promise kept!" Ryoko pointed out dropping Washu to the ground. With a final scratch and a yawn of goodnight Ryoko quickly vanished most likely heading back to the lab. Zero left not much later.

Hotsuma was readying to join Ryoko, as were his duties as teddy bear, when he suddenly found he could not lift off the ground. "Washu!" He turned towards the woman with her hair a smooth color of pale pink the in the moonlight. "Washu what are you doing?" He asked.

Washu stepped before him. "I wanted to talk with you for a moment. As you may know Ryoko is my daughter, she and Ryo-ohki are the most precious things...people to me." She corrected herself. "She may be tough as nails on the inside, but from years of service to Kagato has damaged her emotions, stunting the maturity to which they developed. Do you have any idea of what I'm telling you?" Washu asked the annoying nasally sound gone from her voice.

Hotsuma stood almost afraid of the 'child' before him. Her voice, it was so calm and serious. It disturbed him in a way that he felt if he should answer her and it wasn't to his liking she would do something unimaginable to him.

Hotsuma lowered his eyes so that he did not look at Washu. "She's more fragile that what everyone thinks." He answered.

Washu nodded. "You knew that already, or rather Yugi had some idea of it. Extreme emotions such as love and the loss of love are completely new and inexperienced for Ryoko, well at least with the memories that she has now. When Tenchi first betrayed Ryoko's love she was trying to figure out a way to handle the new feelings then you showed up offering Ryoko a chance to go back to the life Ryoko knew. So Ryoko rather going with what she knew than fight to handle something she didn't went with you."

"Making me her rebound." Hotsuma said with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Exactly. But whom can you blame for that Hotsuma?" Washu asked. Hotsuma once again was silent to the question as he closed his eyes. Washu merely went on. "Now as I said before Ryoko is very precious to me and I would kill for her if the occasion should ever call for it. Ryoko didn't tell the rest of the family but I know that when you were displeased with her you were glad to dispose of her."

Hotsuma's eyes snapped open as a saber of charged energy appeared aimed at his heart. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to restrain myself from killing you when you arrived. Neither Ryoko nor I will ever forget that you tried to kill her. For whatever reasons you failed be it you were too weak, which is the most likely cause, or be it of your own cause you tried to harm her." Washu diminished her saber. "But for whatever reasons Ryoko has allowed you to live and perhaps has even forgiven you. I respect my daughter's wishes. But know this Hotsuma if I even suspect that you will hurt her in the slightest manner emotionally or physically I will hunt you done and see to it that you suffer for all eternity my by own hands."

Washu turned her back on him and began heading away. As she began to step onto the stepping stones she stopped. "Good night Hotsuma." She said then she too vanished.

Little Washu's words repeated endlessly in Hotsuma's mind as he made his way back to the lab. True there was no excuse for what he had attempted to do to Ryoko. Deep reflections and doubts swam throughout his mind. He had tried to kill her, and at no point in his life could he consider himself as a good person. He had a certain enjoyment, or in other words a twisted pleasure with bloodshed and destruction. It could not be helped, that was the way Yugi had created him. What he did he did, what was done was done, nothing could be changed about that. And he couldn't go about pretending that he had not done what he had done or had attempted to do. As he thought about it he recalled what Ryoko had said during the wedding. 'The prince always marries the princess not the pirate.' And the good never had hands stained with blood.

Hotsuma sighed as he removed his jacket and shirt then crawled into bed next to Ryoko careful not to disrupt her seemingly peaceful slumber. Ryoko merely moaned in her sleep shifting her position so that she lay snuggled against Hotsuma's bare chest.

Hotsuma looked down on her. She looked so beautiful asleep in his arms, beautiful cyan hair paled in the darkness. He loved her more at that very moment. He didn't understand it, she knew he had tried to kill her, she had heard the treacherous words flow from his mouth. So why? With a final deep sigh Hotsuma removed his glasses then settled down to sleep.

~*~

As usual Ryoko slept through most of the morning missing Sasami's wonderful breakfast. Hotsuma looked from Ayeka to Tenchi noticing the anger blazing in Ayeka's ruby eyes and the embarrassment detectible on Tenchi's face.

"I woke up from hearing the queerest noise last night." Mihoshi said starting the conversation.

Sasami looked up. "You know what? I think I heard it too." She said feeding a carrot to Ryo-ohki.

"Me too." Added Kiyone.

Washu's emerald eyes grew with false interest. "Really? The lab is sound proof so we didn't hear a thing. What did it sound like?" She asked.

"Well it was more like two sounds." Kiyone stated.

Noboyuki butted in. "The first was like nails on a chalkboard, right?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Yeah, and the other was like an animal howling in pain."

Hotsuma could have laughed at the colors Ayeka's face was changing to with each word of description of her scream.

After breakfast Ayeka went on a rampage in search of Ryoko's whereabouts the first place she had checked was the lab. Ryoko was already gone by then and Hotsuma had a small idea that he could find her easily.

Of all the places Hotsuma searched for Ryoko, the trees, the lake, atop the roof and so on, he had not planned on finding her relaxing in a small clearing in the woods.

"Has that fire-breathing dragon quit looking for me yet?" Ryoko asked from her set on the ground.

Hotsuma stood beside her. "Not quite yet my dear, but I believe Tenchi shall calm her down soon."

Ryoko stood up and stretched. "Well I hope it's soon I'm starving!" She exclaimed patting her flat belly.

"If you wish I could go retrieve some food for you." Hotsuma suggested.

Ryoko's golden amber eyes looked onto him as if he were some sort of saint. "Would you?" She asked.

Hotsuma laughed at the darling look she was giving him. "But of course." He said.

Ryoko let out a cheer and wrapped her arms around Hotsuma. "You're wonderful." She said moments before she kissed him.

Hotsuma moaned in content deepening the kiss. Sometimes life just couldn't be any better. He had almost forgotten what Washu had spoken to him about the night before.

Hotsuma opened his eyes as they both parted. The small smile on his face disappeared with the shocked and hurt look in Ryoko's eyes.

"Hotsuma." Ryoko whispered. As she spoke a small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her lips to her chin. "Why?" She asked.

"What Ryoko? What do you mean?" He asked fear and confusion in his voice. He looked down into his hand to see his blue saber embedded deep within Ryoko's belly. Her deep crimson blood poured from the wound staining his hand and the hem of sleeves.

"And I thought...I could...trust you." She said losing strength in her legs she fell into his arms.

Hotsuma slowly brought her down to the ground. "No Ryoko, I didn't..." He stopped short finding it hard to explain. He stroked her head with his bloody hand leaving a strike of deep red among the beautiful cyan. "I didn't want to kill you. I didn't-"

Ryoko gasped for breath, "I knew you would try to kill me again." She muttered once before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and a horrible death rattle passed through her bloody lips.

"Ryoko? Ryoko. Ryoko!" Hotsuma shook her shoulders hoping to wake her. "RYOKO!"

~*~

Hotsuma suddenly sat up in the bed. His chest was moist and his lose golden yellow hair was clinging to his neck and shoulders. Disoriented his heart pounded madly against his ribcage as he breathed jagged gasp of air. Hotsuma looked about him carefully taking in where he was. When his eyes fell onto the still sleeping Ryoko. He watched the slow rise and fall for her chest to be sure. She wasn't dead, he hadn't killed her, there was no blood spilling from her belly or staining her lovely hair. She was alive.

Hotsuma laid back down encircling Ryoko in his strong arms. Again what Little Washu said before repeated word for word in his mind along with the horrible image of Ryoko dead in his arms. He wouldn't be going back to sleep for the rest of that night.

_______

End o' chapter, my lovelies