Unexpected Confrontation (#3)
A Tenchi & company short story by Gary Littlejohn
-------------------------------------------------
All Tenchi* characters and the like are trademarks of AIC/Pioneer.
I did not invent these characters, I simply thought up the situation
for them to be in.
--------------------
I couldn't have been more pleased with myself if I tried.
I sat in my bed, wide awake, my arms wrapped around my legs, thinking about
what had just happened. I had been waiting for years now for that one moment
of bliss. I had been a little deceptive, and a little conniving, but I got
what I wanted. I was used to getting what I wanted, of course.
Many thoughts suddenly rushed through my mind, and I thought hard on each one.
The first thought was of Ayeka. I wonder how she would react if she knew what
had happened... Well one thing's for sure, I'm not gonna tell her. That
would only cause trouble if I did.
Then I thought of Tenchi. I still couldn't believe he had let me do that. What
was even more surprising was that he was actually inviting me to sleep with
him. What did he mean by that? Surely not... no, there's no way he'd be ready
for anything like that yet. I know him so well, and I know he must have had some other
reason for saying those things. Maybe he was curious as to how I would react.
Whatever his reasons, maybe I'll never know.
Then I thought more deeply about Tenchi. He had never been with a woman before,
so he was a virgin, as pure as snow. Compared to my lecherous past*, anyway. I was
as filthy as they come. I had never thought back to those days, really, until now.
I had tried anything and everything there was. You couldn't name the position I had
not been in, you couldn't utter an act I had not done. In this moment of horrible
memory, I realized something which scared me beyond anything else. Have I been
taking Tenchi's purity away? Had I been trying to steal from him the last
of his youth? What if he doesn't want a woman who has done so many things? What
if he will be repulsed by the truth? Am I just damaged goods, unfit to present
to him? I was, and I knew it.
In that moment of revelation, I fell to the bed and cried.
After a few minutes with my tears, I decided to do something that I normally would not.
The next day, I would go to his room again, this time to confess to him
everything. I am not sure why I had decided on it, and I am not sure why
I felt it necessarry. Hell, we weren't even in a serious relationship.
But I loved him so much, I wanted him to know everything about me, just
like I knew everything about him. No matter how he reacted, I would take it
and be strong.
Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.
"It's open, come in." I beckoned. The door opened to reveal Sasami, a concerned
look on her face.
"Ryoko-oneechan**... I heard you crying. What's wrong?" She asked, her voice
innocent and genuine as always.
"It's nothing, Sasami. I'm fine." I said. "Don't worry about me."
She stood there silently for a moment and then stepped forward slightly.
"Ryoko-chan***.. I mean..." she held back, as if she was trying to say something. "What I
mean is that... I didn't mean to peek, but I was walking past Tenchi's room earlier,
and well... I saw..." she finally said, shying away at the end. I couldn't believe it.
She'd seen Tenchi and I kissing. Had she watched the whole thing?
"Well, Sasami, it was dark.. so maybe you just thought you saw something. Right?" I asked,
hoping she'd either believe me or get my hint.
"Ryoko-oneechan..." she whispered. "I promise not to tell anyone. Not even
my sister. It's just that I..." she stuttered. "I...."
I could hear the tears trying to come out from her voice, which was shaking. I
could tell she was holding back. This was something I had not expected at all.
Could it be that Sasami was in love with Tenchi, too? But she had never mentioned
anything about it. What was she trying to accomplish in telling me this?
I suppose when a heart is broken, some things just come out.
"Sasami..." I said, standing up and walking towards her. "I'm sorry. What happened
in there earlier was completely my fault. I'm sorry." I said, reaching out to hug her.
She looked up at me, almost angrily, and backed away from my embrace. "No, Ryoko. It
was Tenchi, too. He invited you to stay in there with him! I heard it!"
Ouch! Had she been standing at his door that long?! The situation was beginning to
scare me a little bit. I wasn't sure how to deal with this. If it were
Ayeka, I would know what to do, but this was Sasami!
"I swear, Ryoko." She sternly spoke "I will, from this day forth, try my hardest
to show Tenchi that I am a woman, too! This body of mine decieves the
eye, but I am Juraian****, never forget that! I am old enough to understand
the ways of the heart! And I understand my heart completely!
I love Tenchi so much, but I never acted because I felt I would only
get in the way of you and my sister, but no more! Believe me when I say this. I
will do my best to show Tenchi that I have so much to offer him! There will
be no way he will be able deny it... It's time for me to grow up!"
I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth! Never in all my time at
this house would I ever have suspected such harsh words to come from the tongue
of this fair, sweet princess! It was true though, it was obvious how much she loved
Tenchi. She cooked his meals, she kept him company, she comforted him. She
loved him so much, and it was right in front of all our noses from the very beginning!
"Sasami..." I said, at a loss for rational though. "I... I knew all along... but I
never suspected somehow. All I can say is that I am sorry."
Then, Sasami surprised me again. She lifted her head and smiled. That smile was
so huge and so powerful, it was as if she had lifted the biggest weight
off her back. Her energy erupted all around, I could feel it... Her heart.
"Ryoko. You won a kiss from Tenchi tonight, but that's only the beginning." she
laughed. "Eventually, you will see that in this battle, it will take more
than a kiss to win! I'll never give up!"
We both stood there quietly, and then suddenly began laughing out loud.
It was as if we had been possessed to do so, we fell to the floor laughing. There was
then a knock, and Ayeka's head popped in, her eyes groggy, still half asleep.
"What's going on in here?" she asked "There are those of us who need to sleep!"
She blinked. "Sasami! Why are you in here?"
"Don't worry, Sister!" Sasami laughed. "Let's go back to bed."
"Right..." said Ayeka, trudging back to bed.
"I'll never give up, Ryoko-oneechan. Never!" Sasami said, smiling at me.
I smiled back "Same here, kid! Get ready for a real fight if you're goin' up
against me!"
She walked to me and hugged me tightly. "Still friends forever no matter what?" she
asked. Now this was the Sasami I was used to. All in all, she really wasn't
that much different, even when she was serious.
"Of course, Sasami. I wouldn't dream of letting something like a man come between
us. I'm stronger than that!" I chuckled.
She smiled up at me, let go, and went back to her room.
All in all, this has been the most eventful evening I've had in a long time. I layed
down and went to sleep, thoughts of the coming "battle" running through my head.
"You know, Ryoko." I said to myself. "This might be your toughest fight yet!"
-----
* Refers to Ryoko's past as described in the series of novels titled "True Tenchi
Muyo" by Masaki Kajishima. Appearently, Ryoko had some spare time while working
for Kagato, and since she lacked a normal upbringing, she was not sure how to handle
her emotions or sexual drive when they began to emerge. Because of this, she
experimented with sex heavily for a while. Also according to the novels, Ryoko derives
no pleasure from sexual intercourse, or at least she didn't back then. (However, we do
know from episode 2 that she does derive pleasure from certain type of pain, and admits
to being a sadist - so it seems that S&M is her thing, heh!)
** Oneechan is a suffix in Japanese. It is like adding "Dear sister" to the beginning
of someone's name in English. In this case, Sasami is not literally saying that Ryoko
is her sister, but is using the suffix affectionately.
*** Chan is a suffix in Japanese. It implies great familiarity and a friendship with
the person whose name you add it to. Also, it's cute.
**** Juraians, after merging with a tree, age a lot slower than humans. Some people
say that Sasami was in stasis with her sister on board Ryo-Oh for 700 years, but I
prefer to think that they were not in Stasis the whole time. On top of that, many
years passed on Jurai between the time when Sasami was born and the time when Ryoko
attacked. Think of it this way... Sasami was born over 700 years ago. Let me put it
to you straight... people have said that they disagree that Sasami would be
romantically interested in Tenchi because of her age. Lighten up, people. She's about
800 years old. Deal with it. She's in the "Tenchi Race" too, whether you like it or not...
-----
To be continued
(C)2002 Gary Littlejohn
garylisk@yahoo.com - Comments welcome
A Tenchi & company short story by Gary Littlejohn
-------------------------------------------------
All Tenchi* characters and the like are trademarks of AIC/Pioneer.
I did not invent these characters, I simply thought up the situation
for them to be in.
--------------------
I couldn't have been more pleased with myself if I tried.
I sat in my bed, wide awake, my arms wrapped around my legs, thinking about
what had just happened. I had been waiting for years now for that one moment
of bliss. I had been a little deceptive, and a little conniving, but I got
what I wanted. I was used to getting what I wanted, of course.
Many thoughts suddenly rushed through my mind, and I thought hard on each one.
The first thought was of Ayeka. I wonder how she would react if she knew what
had happened... Well one thing's for sure, I'm not gonna tell her. That
would only cause trouble if I did.
Then I thought of Tenchi. I still couldn't believe he had let me do that. What
was even more surprising was that he was actually inviting me to sleep with
him. What did he mean by that? Surely not... no, there's no way he'd be ready
for anything like that yet. I know him so well, and I know he must have had some other
reason for saying those things. Maybe he was curious as to how I would react.
Whatever his reasons, maybe I'll never know.
Then I thought more deeply about Tenchi. He had never been with a woman before,
so he was a virgin, as pure as snow. Compared to my lecherous past*, anyway. I was
as filthy as they come. I had never thought back to those days, really, until now.
I had tried anything and everything there was. You couldn't name the position I had
not been in, you couldn't utter an act I had not done. In this moment of horrible
memory, I realized something which scared me beyond anything else. Have I been
taking Tenchi's purity away? Had I been trying to steal from him the last
of his youth? What if he doesn't want a woman who has done so many things? What
if he will be repulsed by the truth? Am I just damaged goods, unfit to present
to him? I was, and I knew it.
In that moment of revelation, I fell to the bed and cried.
After a few minutes with my tears, I decided to do something that I normally would not.
The next day, I would go to his room again, this time to confess to him
everything. I am not sure why I had decided on it, and I am not sure why
I felt it necessarry. Hell, we weren't even in a serious relationship.
But I loved him so much, I wanted him to know everything about me, just
like I knew everything about him. No matter how he reacted, I would take it
and be strong.
Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.
"It's open, come in." I beckoned. The door opened to reveal Sasami, a concerned
look on her face.
"Ryoko-oneechan**... I heard you crying. What's wrong?" She asked, her voice
innocent and genuine as always.
"It's nothing, Sasami. I'm fine." I said. "Don't worry about me."
She stood there silently for a moment and then stepped forward slightly.
"Ryoko-chan***.. I mean..." she held back, as if she was trying to say something. "What I
mean is that... I didn't mean to peek, but I was walking past Tenchi's room earlier,
and well... I saw..." she finally said, shying away at the end. I couldn't believe it.
She'd seen Tenchi and I kissing. Had she watched the whole thing?
"Well, Sasami, it was dark.. so maybe you just thought you saw something. Right?" I asked,
hoping she'd either believe me or get my hint.
"Ryoko-oneechan..." she whispered. "I promise not to tell anyone. Not even
my sister. It's just that I..." she stuttered. "I...."
I could hear the tears trying to come out from her voice, which was shaking. I
could tell she was holding back. This was something I had not expected at all.
Could it be that Sasami was in love with Tenchi, too? But she had never mentioned
anything about it. What was she trying to accomplish in telling me this?
I suppose when a heart is broken, some things just come out.
"Sasami..." I said, standing up and walking towards her. "I'm sorry. What happened
in there earlier was completely my fault. I'm sorry." I said, reaching out to hug her.
She looked up at me, almost angrily, and backed away from my embrace. "No, Ryoko. It
was Tenchi, too. He invited you to stay in there with him! I heard it!"
Ouch! Had she been standing at his door that long?! The situation was beginning to
scare me a little bit. I wasn't sure how to deal with this. If it were
Ayeka, I would know what to do, but this was Sasami!
"I swear, Ryoko." She sternly spoke "I will, from this day forth, try my hardest
to show Tenchi that I am a woman, too! This body of mine decieves the
eye, but I am Juraian****, never forget that! I am old enough to understand
the ways of the heart! And I understand my heart completely!
I love Tenchi so much, but I never acted because I felt I would only
get in the way of you and my sister, but no more! Believe me when I say this. I
will do my best to show Tenchi that I have so much to offer him! There will
be no way he will be able deny it... It's time for me to grow up!"
I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth! Never in all my time at
this house would I ever have suspected such harsh words to come from the tongue
of this fair, sweet princess! It was true though, it was obvious how much she loved
Tenchi. She cooked his meals, she kept him company, she comforted him. She
loved him so much, and it was right in front of all our noses from the very beginning!
"Sasami..." I said, at a loss for rational though. "I... I knew all along... but I
never suspected somehow. All I can say is that I am sorry."
Then, Sasami surprised me again. She lifted her head and smiled. That smile was
so huge and so powerful, it was as if she had lifted the biggest weight
off her back. Her energy erupted all around, I could feel it... Her heart.
"Ryoko. You won a kiss from Tenchi tonight, but that's only the beginning." she
laughed. "Eventually, you will see that in this battle, it will take more
than a kiss to win! I'll never give up!"
We both stood there quietly, and then suddenly began laughing out loud.
It was as if we had been possessed to do so, we fell to the floor laughing. There was
then a knock, and Ayeka's head popped in, her eyes groggy, still half asleep.
"What's going on in here?" she asked "There are those of us who need to sleep!"
She blinked. "Sasami! Why are you in here?"
"Don't worry, Sister!" Sasami laughed. "Let's go back to bed."
"Right..." said Ayeka, trudging back to bed.
"I'll never give up, Ryoko-oneechan. Never!" Sasami said, smiling at me.
I smiled back "Same here, kid! Get ready for a real fight if you're goin' up
against me!"
She walked to me and hugged me tightly. "Still friends forever no matter what?" she
asked. Now this was the Sasami I was used to. All in all, she really wasn't
that much different, even when she was serious.
"Of course, Sasami. I wouldn't dream of letting something like a man come between
us. I'm stronger than that!" I chuckled.
She smiled up at me, let go, and went back to her room.
All in all, this has been the most eventful evening I've had in a long time. I layed
down and went to sleep, thoughts of the coming "battle" running through my head.
"You know, Ryoko." I said to myself. "This might be your toughest fight yet!"
-----
* Refers to Ryoko's past as described in the series of novels titled "True Tenchi
Muyo" by Masaki Kajishima. Appearently, Ryoko had some spare time while working
for Kagato, and since she lacked a normal upbringing, she was not sure how to handle
her emotions or sexual drive when they began to emerge. Because of this, she
experimented with sex heavily for a while. Also according to the novels, Ryoko derives
no pleasure from sexual intercourse, or at least she didn't back then. (However, we do
know from episode 2 that she does derive pleasure from certain type of pain, and admits
to being a sadist - so it seems that S&M is her thing, heh!)
** Oneechan is a suffix in Japanese. It is like adding "Dear sister" to the beginning
of someone's name in English. In this case, Sasami is not literally saying that Ryoko
is her sister, but is using the suffix affectionately.
*** Chan is a suffix in Japanese. It implies great familiarity and a friendship with
the person whose name you add it to. Also, it's cute.
**** Juraians, after merging with a tree, age a lot slower than humans. Some people
say that Sasami was in stasis with her sister on board Ryo-Oh for 700 years, but I
prefer to think that they were not in Stasis the whole time. On top of that, many
years passed on Jurai between the time when Sasami was born and the time when Ryoko
attacked. Think of it this way... Sasami was born over 700 years ago. Let me put it
to you straight... people have said that they disagree that Sasami would be
romantically interested in Tenchi because of her age. Lighten up, people. She's about
800 years old. Deal with it. She's in the "Tenchi Race" too, whether you like it or not...
-----
To be continued
(C)2002 Gary Littlejohn
garylisk@yahoo.com - Comments welcome
