The owner of Tenchi Muyo is actually Pioneer and AIC and some author, whom I give many thanks for creating such a wonderful universe and characters and a truly unique situation. Cheers.

however the ideas in this story are mine, if you wish to use them contact me FIRST at either ring_princess@hotmail.com or ring_princess2001@yahoo.com or cite me somewhere, Please!

Ryoko's Sacrifice

Chapter Ten: Torn Apart

by RingPrincess

Ayeka threw herself at the base of Funaho, cheek throbbing. Her body convulsed with the force of her sobs.

Funaho hummed, tiny threads of prismatic light splayed about Ayeka.

Ayeka didn't notice and she continued to cry. Funaho's bark dug into her arms and hands.

"Ayeka?" Katsuhito sat down next to her and rested his hand upon her shoulder.

Ayeka didn't acknowledge him; her shoulders began to shake harder.

Katsuhito frowned. "Sister, talk to me."

Ayeka's head came up slightly and looked towards him. "Why?"

"I want to help."

"Well, you can't." She spat, "Unless you can change Tenchi's mind."

"I don't understand."

"He chose HER, that piece of space trash."

"Ayeka." Katsuhito's voice was kind.

"Don't Ayeka me, brother." Ayeka wiped tears from her eyes. "You left me over seven hundred years ago, and Tenchi is leaving me now."

"I had to go and Tenchi isn't leaving you. He is staying right here. Tenchi rejected you, he didn't leave."

"He hates me."

"Tenchi doesn't hate you."

"He must, I opposed Ryoko's decision and he thinks that I would have killed Mayuka."

"Would you have?" Katsuhito's glasses reflected the light, hiding their deep maroon color.

Ayeka turned her head away. "I don't know." She began to sob again. "I don't know." She moaned.

Katsuhito drew her close and wrapped her in a hug and Ayeka threw her arms around him crying into his shoulder.

---------------------------

Ryoko was sleeping again when Tenchi finally left the room. He came down the stairs slowly, the Tenchi-ken still in his hand.

Washu paused in her conversation. "How is she?"

"Asleep." Tenchi nodded and headed back towards the kitchen.

Funaho followed him. "I'm sorry, Tenchi."

Tenchi sighed as he set the sword down on the table. "Don't be."

"I am, though." Funaho sat down at the table and stared at the sword. "I feel that if I hadn't said anything this wouldn't have happened."

"Love is hard to hide," Tenchi shrugged and opened the fridge. "I always knew one of them was going to get hurt."

"That is cruel, Tenchi." Funaho frowned.

Tenchi turned to her and Funaho suddenly realized how much this had been a strain on Tenchi. He had rings under his eyes and his face was unnaturally pale.

"You think I don't know that." He said tersely and shut the fridge door with a bit more force than necessary. "You think that I enjoyed remaining silent about my feelings or holding out from Ryoko because I didn't want to hurt Ayeka. I really tried not to lead her along, yet Ayeka has all these assumptions." Tenchi opened the can of Coke in his hand and looked out the windows.

Funaho was silent.

Tenchi sighed. "I returned Ryoko her gems, Lady Funaho."

"I know."

Tenchi turned to Funaho and pinned her with an intense stare. "I love Ryoko, Lady Funaho."

"I know."

Tenchi's muscles tensed and he looked beyond Funaho at Azusa and Misaski as they entered the kitchen. "That won't ever change." He scooped up the sword and left the kitchen to go outside.

"I know." Funaho whispered and her shoulders slumped and her hands came up to her face.

Azusa was staring after Tenchi, frowning deeply. "What was that all about?"

Misaski shook her head. "Poor Tenchi," she whispered.

Azusa looked over at his second wife and was confused for the second time that day. "Poor Tenchi, Misaski he has everything he could want."

"Yet his family has been hurt." Funaho whispered. "Family means a lot to Tenchi."

Azusa frowned deeper and his hand came up to stroke his beard.

--------------------------------

Tenchi walked along the edge of the lake, his feet kicking up sand and an occasional stone. The sun was setting in a brilliant display of colors that reflected off the calm surface of the lake. Tenchi finally sat down in the sand and drank his Coke, wishing it was something harder.

He placed his sword down next to him and with that hand picked up a handful of sand, letting it run through his fingers.

Washu came up and sat down next to him. She watched him pick up sand and sift it through his fingers.

"You followed me." His voice was quietly accusing.

"You shouldn't be alone." Washu whispered.

Tenchi gazed across the lake, towards Funaho. He knew that was where Ayeka was, she always went there when she was upset. "I was always competing with a ghost when I was with Ayeka."

"Yosho," Washu nodded. "She loved her brother very much."

Tenchi looked over at Washu and then back over the lake. "Would Ayeka have done what Ryoko did, you think?"

Washu frowned deeply and stared up at the sky, reveling in the bright colors the dying sun was painting the clouds. "I don't think she would have killed Mayuka, Tenchi."

"That isn't what I asked."

"That is what you really wanted to know."

"Washu," Tenchi shook his head and then fell silent.

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Ask, Tenchi."

"If she wasn't going to hurt May, why did you turn off her powers?"

"Well, perhaps not deliberately." Washu corrected herself.

"Every time Lady Funaho comes, she talks with you."

"She wants me to make more Ryoko's." Washu said candidly and glanced over at Tenchi to see

his reaction.

The sound of a aluminum can collapsing in on itself and Tenchi's hard glare at the sand.

"I will always tell her no." Washu murmured.

"They see her as a weapon."

"I think this trip has been very informative for them."

"Ryo-ohki?"

"What good with a Ryoko be without Ryo-ohki?" Washu laughed lightly. "Yes, you are very smart Tenchi, they also wanted me to create more Ryo-ohki's."

"Ryo-ohki is a person." Tenchi growled.

Washu nodded. The last of the light faded and the crickets grew louder the lightning bugs began to come out.

"What will you do, Tenchi?"

"I don't know." He whispered, "Washu, I need to be alone."

Washu eased herself up. "As long as you don't kill yourself, I suppose I can leave you by yourself."

"I have too much to live for."

"I'm glad you know that. This too shall pass."

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"What will you do now, Ayeka?" Katsuhito asked.

Ayeka gulped and looked up at her brother. She stared up him and the darkness deepened his hair and smoothed his face. "I. . . I . . ." She gulped and hid her face back in his shoulder.

"You should apologize to Tenchi." Katsuhito counseled softly.

Ayeka shook her head.

"Sister."

Ayeka shook her head even more violently. "No." She moaned. "No, no, no, no, no." Her voice rose in hysteria.

"Ayeka," Katsuhito thrust her away and slapped her. "Calm down."

"He loves her, he loves her." Ayeka moaned.

"Tenchi won't kick you out."

"How could he. . ." Ayeka whimpered.

Katsuhito frowned. "Tenchi didn't want to hurt anyone."

"How can I believe that?" Ayeka croaked. "I can't."

"If Tenchi was the type of person you want to love, would he deliberately hurt you."

"Tenchi did."

"Did he?"

"You are confusing things."

"I want you to think." Katsuhito voice was stern.

"He hurt me, he rejected me and I am supposed to be fine with it." Ayeka screamed at him.

"No." Katsuhito answered. "You aren't."

"Stop patronizing me!"

"I want to help."

"I don't want your help."

"I am giving it anyway."

"You are such a hypocrite, BROTHER!" Ayeka punched his chest as she sneer sarcastically. "What was it you said?" She took a deep breathe. "Yes, someday you'll be my bride." She tore herself from his grip and glared at him. "You throw me at you grandson, almost hand fasting us in your eagerness. I LOVED you, Yosho. I LOVED you. You were my life, you treated me with respect, and you were different than all the others. Then Ryoko came and stole you away. I followed you, because I loved you." She was breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry."

"You are SORRY!"

"Yes."

"I wrecked my LIFE for you and you are just SORRY. It isn't good enough."

"It is all I have to offer."

Ayeka stood up, fist clenched and turned away from him. "Your taught your grandson well, Yosho. He knows how to break hearts just as well as you do."

"Ayeka."

"Leave me ALONE!"

"Ayeka. . . I. . ."

"Mother didn't want an explanation from me and I don't know if I am up to one from YOU!"

"I am sorry." Yosho whispered as he withdrew.

Ayeka stood there at the base of the space tree and trembled.

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Mihoshi and Kiyone walked into a silent house.

"Where is everyone?" Mihoshi whimpered. "It is too silent."

Kiyone frowned and shook her head. "I don't know, Mihoshi."

They entered the living room and the only person there was Washu sitting on the couch. Her chin was on her fists and she was staring ahead, looking past every physical object in the room her eyes out of focus.

"Ms. Washu?" Mihoshi asked tentatively.

"AAAHHH!" Washu yelped, "Oh, Kiyone, Mihoshi. Don't do that."

"You were just sitting there and. . ." Mihoshi began to cry. "I. . . I'm. . ." She hiccupped.

Washu and Kiyone sighed. Washu took a handkerchief out of thin air and passed it to Mihoshi.

"Oh, than. . .k. . .you." She used it to wipe her watery blue eyes.

Kiyone looked around. "It feels like someone died, what's wrong?"

Washu sighed, "Plenty."

Kiyone dropped down on a nearby chair. "Oh."

Mihoshi stared at the floor. "I didn't do anything. I promise."

Washu shook her head. "It isn't your fault, Mihoshi."

"Something important has happened." Kiyone mused quietly. "It has to be, no one is watching

TV, no sign of supper and everyone is. . ."

"Missing," Washu finished and closed her eyes.

Mihoshi whimpered and curled up on herself. "I don't like it."

"No one likes it."

"They figured it out."

"Define it." Washu said ruefully.

"Ryoko's pregnancy," Kiyone sighed.

"Ryoko's pregnant?" Mihoshi brightened. "Wow, why didn't I know that?"

Kiyone groaned.

"I erased your memory, that's why," Washu said heavily. "Not that it would of mattered."

"You erased my memory." Mihoshi's voice was a cross between curious and dead. "I already knew and you took it away from me."

"I did ask you first, but of course you won't remember that either." Washu shrugged.

"I can't believe you would do something like that." Mihoshi accused.

Washu shrugged.

Kiyone frowned. "There's more, I can feel it."

"You are a good detective, Kiyone." Washu smiled faintly. "Everyone knows now that Tenchi loves Ryoko."

Kiyone's jaw dropped and Mihoshi stared wide eyed at Washu, earlier conversation put aside for the moment.

Kiyone's jaw clicked as she shut her mouth, "Tenchi loves Ryoko." She whispered. "Who would have thought."

Washu's lip curled. "That Tenchi loved or Tenchi loves Ryoko."

"That he would have the guts to say it to the family."

"He didn't."

"Oh."

Mihoshi's head came down and she stared at the floor. "He loves Ryoko."

Washu sighed, "Yes, Mihoshi."

"I never had a chance." Mihoshi whimpered.

"Oh dear," Washu murmured. "I'm sorry, Mihoshi. None of us had a chance."

"I had. . .had. . .hoped." Mihoshi hiccupped. "''cuse me." She ran from the room.

Washu's shoulder's slumped more and she gave a deep long sigh.

Kiyone stared after her partner. "I knew. . .I just didn't think."

"None of us did." Washu frowned. "She'll bounce back."

"I only hope so."

"That makes two of us."

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RingPrincess

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