This is a fanfic, and is done for fun, not profit.

The Alchemy of Love

Chapter Two

            Tenchi lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling.  He had done one of the hardest things in life today: he had been honest about his feelings.  Ever since his mother died when he so young he had tried to put a barrier between his true feelings and what he did. It was nowhere near as successful or hardened as the one Ryoko put up, but it was just as effective when he needed it to be.  Ever since the day Ryoko showed up at his school, his life had been in constant turmoil. 

            True, no one had tried to destroy the earth, kidnap a member of his family, or tamper with the space/time continuum for a while, but that did not mean they would not again, and Tenchi knew somehow he would be caught up in the middle of it all.  Everything had just become too complicated for him.  Ayeka wanted him; Ryoko wanted him; Mihoshi has a crush on him; Sasami is too young; and God only knows what Washu really wants.  That last though sent a shiver down his spine.  Little Washu was member of this family, and Tenchi loved her as such, but at times she could be just a little weird.

            "I hope this works," Tenchi said to no one in particular as he tried to get some sleep, but it was obvious that tonight was going to be restless.  As he tossed from side-to-side he kept thinking about the look of hurt in the girls eyes.  He hated to hurt either of them, and in the end one of them would probably be heartbroken.  But she would hopefully remain his close friend and he would not lose her. 

            "Where to now?" he asked himself as the clock ticked off another hour of restless sleep.  His stomach was turning cartwheels on him and the rest of his body felt like he had gone nine rounds with the world's champion.   "Please take this well," he mumbled to himself as he finally drifted off into an unmerciful slumber.

***

            Ryoko sighed as she lay back onto the roof of the Masaki house as the crisp night breeze whipped around the hem of her dress.  Her heart had not been broken as she had expected it to be, but a part of it was severely injured.  She had thought that she had adequately expressed her feelings to Tenchi over the passed few years, but every advance was either played down or garnered a harsh response from her purple haired rival.  Deep down Ryoko knew her love for Tenchi had grown over the past eighteen years.  She had watched him grow from a toddler on his mothers back to the brave young man who freed her from her imprisonment.

            And how did she reward such a grand favor?  She blew up his school and since has turned his life upside down.  Ryoko cursed herself inwardly as the starlight reflected off the bottle of sake she had brought with her.  Usually by now it would be at least half-empty, but her heart was not in it tonight.  All Ryoko could think about was the possibility that she could not do what she needed to win Tenchi's heart.  And that frightened her more than anything Kagato had ever done to her.

            Her love for Tenchi was total and complete.  She wanted him to return that love so badly it hurt at times, especially when he would get angry with her being overly aggressive in passion at times…Or when she would find him flirting with Ayeka.  She could not blame him though.  Ayeka was refined, intelligent, a real lady, not a ruffian and a space pirate.  Ryoko pushed the mental image of Tenchi holding Ayeka out of her mind.  She did not need that right now.  All she needed was to collect her thoughts.  What Tenchi had asked for was going to one of the most difficult things she had ever done.

            But to win Tenchi's heart, she would walk to hell and back.  Ryoko laughed slightly at that last thought.  Some of the things Kagato had done to her would probably qualify as walking through hell and back.  This realization caused Ryoko to frown.  If Tenchi really wanted to get to know her better, her past would surely come up.  "I will be honest with him," Ryoko concluded.  If Tenchi could not love the complete Ryoko, past events and all, then maybe he was not the one for her.

            Once again one of her thoughts sent a shiver down her spine.  She had never put any consideration into the fact she might not turn out to be the love of Tenchi's life.  As she thought about it Ryoko came to another conclusion.  She loved Tenchi, and that love would guide her through whatever slings and arrows were tossed at her.  Even if the chipmunk wound up winning the day.  "It will be a long race," she promised her self as she phased though the roof.  There had been enough thought for one night.  Her rafter was calling her and a little sleep would do her some good.

***

            Ayeka sat at the small vanity in her room and brushed her long purple hair.  The vanity was not as nice as the one she had back on Jurai with its elaborate engravings and ornate fittings.  It was just a simply carved mahogany vanity with a normal sized oval mirror.  What made it special to her is that it had belonged to Tenchi's mother, Achika.  After the girls had arrived on this planet father Nobuyuki had pulled it out of the attic and placed it in her and Sasami's room.  It had taken him and Tenchi the better part of a day to clean it and make sure it was oiled properly.  Ayeka slid her free hand across the polished would.  It was a small gesture, an attempt to make them feel comfortable in an alien land, but it was one that was appreciated.

            Ayeka knew the subject of the late Achika was still a tender one, and Tenchi, Katsuhito, and Nobuyuki only spoke of her with the utmost reverence.  Ayeka stopped brushing her hair and stared at the back of her silver brush.  It was finely engraved with the initials of her mother, Misaki.  Ayeka sighed heavily.  She knew that between the three of them, she was the only one who had any real memories of her mother.  Achika had died when Tenchi was young, and all of Ryoko's childhood memories were buried beneath the tough visage she put forth, a fact that obviously pained Washu.

            Ayeka sighed once more as she fixed her hair one last time before climbed into bed.  Today changed everything.  Tenchi had finally done what she wanted him to do: he became serious about choosing between her and Ryoko.  The manner in which he did it was surprised her.  She honestly thought her devotion to him was clear-cut by now, but his request was not unreasonable.  It was a major decision he was undertaking.  Choosing either her or Ryoko would be for life as he said, and Ayeka saw this as the perfect opportunity to prove her self as the best choice. 

Then something dawned on her as well.

The thought crossed her mind that what if after this was all said and done she found that her feelings towards Tenchi were not true?  What if her love turned out to be infatuation, or just a rivalry with Ryoko?  Ayeka shook her head and dismissed such thoughts.  She was in love with Tenchi.  And she would do what ever he wanted to prove that she was.

Finally sleep claimed Ayeka as it had the other members of the Masaki house, but it was not peaceful for three of them.  They kept wondering what the other was thinking, and deep down hoping for the best. 

*****

            Tenchi awoke from his restless night and to his surprise Ryoko was not hovering above him.  He knew that she just wanted to protect him, but he usually got a nasty shock in the morning form the sight of the six-foot space pirate floating above him.  In a way, he missed it when she was not there; he had become comfortable with her being there.  Even if it usually led to a verbal barrage from Ayeka when she came to wake him up.  But Ayeka did not come to wake him this morning either.

            Maybe they were taking this as seriously as he was.  This was a major step forward and he hoped that it turned out well.  Tenchi yawned as he swung his feet out from under the covers and slipped on his house shoes.  After breakfast he had to train at the shrine for the morning, tend the fields after lunch, and then practice with his grandfather. 

            This left him with a little time to spend with both of the girls before dinner.  He had come to the conclusion that a walk through the woods with both Ayeka and Ryoko would be the best way to start things off, or at least he prayed it would.  A lesser factor in this decision was that if they resorted to fighting over him, there would be less collateral damage.  God only knows how much they had spent at the local hardware store since the girls came to live with him.

            "Lest get this show on the road," he said to himself as he stepped out of his room and headed down the stairs.  Ayeka and Ryoko were already at the breakfast table.  "Good morning," he offered as he took his seat across from them.

            "Good morning Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said formally.

            "Morning," Ryoko said softly.  Her eyes were red and she had large blue circles beneath them.  Usually such an appearance by the space pirate would have earned a wry comment from Ayeka, but Tenchi noticed Ayeka's eyes were the same way.

            'They cried themselves to sleep last night,' he concluded to himself.  A knot balled up in his stomach for causing them to cry like that, but he hope his next words would cheer them up.   "How would the two of you like to go for a walk this evening before dinner?" he asked.  Instantly their eyes lit up.

            "I would be honored," Ayeka said politely.

            "Sounds like fun," Ryoko offered, but without the usually enthusiasm that she always exuded.  Something was bothering her, and it was obvious.

            ::What's the matter?:: Washu asked her daughter across their link.  ::Usually you would be jumping up and down at the invite to spend time with Tenchi.::

            ::I'll tell you later,:: Ryoko shot back before she shut her end of the link.  Washu was surprised at Ryoko's openness, which meant that whatever was bothering her was severe.  For the most part conversation during breakfast was pleasant, and Ayeka and Ryoko's depression seemed to lift somewhat as Tenchi talked openly with the both of them.

            Finally he headed off to the shrine, leaving a princess and space pirate staring at each other.  "I offer a truce," Ayeka finally said.  "Fighting will only drive Tenchi father away from us."

            "I agree," Ryoko said quietly.  With that said the space pirate phased out of sight, leaving Ayeka to herself at the table.

To be continued.

How did you like it?  I figure the first date should be with the both of them.  Later.

William Nichols