This is a fanfic and is done for fun not profit.
-The Alchemy of Love-
Chapter Eleven
By William Nichols
"Morning all..."
The words were not very enthusiastically spoken, but it was the best Ryoko could do this morning. The former pirate yawned widely as she descended the stairs from her room, paying no notice to the disheveled pillows on the couch. The dark bags circling the lower halves of her eyes gave proof to her troubled night.
"Good morning," Ayeka politely returned. While she was not as worn out as Ryoko was, her night had proved to be similarly restless.
Finally the third member of the 'Rough Night Society' made his voice known. "Mornin'," Tenchi said between yawns. Ayeka and Ryoko nodded in response. Combined, this was about the most coherent speech each was capable at the moment.
"Long night with the ladies?" Nobuyuki playfully teased his son. He was delighted that the boy had finally taken an interest in these young ladies. The way he saw things it was his fatherly privilege to give Tenchi a little grief about his situation. The gods only knew what he would have given to be in a similar situation at his son's age.
Instantly Ryoko cut her eyes away from Tenchi to the middle-aged Masaki. "Hentai," she grumbled as Ayeka and Tenchi both emitted a dejected sigh.
"Well, well," Washu cackled slyly as she popped into her place at the table. "I never thought you had it in you for the both of them at once Tenchi!" she teased oh so sweetly, much to the younger Masaki's horror.
"Mom!" Ryoko growled as Tenchi's head thumped the table and Ayeka deadpanned.
"Miss-miss-miss-s-s-s-Washu!" Ayeka finally stammered.
"Way to go son!" Nobuyuki teased while slapping Tenchi on the back to a riot of laughter from Washu.
Even Katsuhito took advantage of the moment. "I thought we raised you better than that," Katsuhito said stoically while blowing the steam from his cup of tea. "Do not dishonor your self or the family," he added with a hint of an evil smile.
"Why me?" Tenchi moaned as he massaged his temples. He felt a rather large headache coming on for some funny reason that he could not just explain.
"Just be glad," Washu said after she wiped the last tear from her eye.
"About what?" Ryoko growled at her pintsized mother. It was taking all of her self-control to keep her ire in check.
"It could be worse," Washu stated with a sadistic grin.
"Oh?" Ayeka finally spoke as Tenchi and Ryoko just sat there blinking. "In what ever way?"
Washu's grin just grew larger. "Misaki could be here."
___
"Are you all right?" No reply. Determined, Ayeka asked again. "Are you all right?" Once again silence was her response. This time she added with emphasis: "Ryoko! Are you all right?"
"Huh?" finally came from the cyan haired space pirate, who had apparently forgotten about the blanket she held in one hand and clothes peg in the other.
"I said: 'Are you all right?'" Ayeka reiterated in quatrain.
"Yeah," Ryoko flatly answered. "I'm fine," she added with a false smile.
Ayeka sighed. For all her progress Ryoko could still be so difficult o deal with at times. She could be worse than Tenchi about keeping her feelings to her self. "Something's bothering you," Ayeka stated rather than asking. Ryoko just stood there as Ayeka took the peg and blanket from her and pinned it to the line. "You don't have to keep things bottled up all the time you know," she added as Ryoko continued to stare off into space.
"Maybe I want to," Ryoko finally said, nearly in tears.
"But you don't have to," Ayeka tried to comfort. Why must she suffer so? "Ryoko?" Ayeka asked again as the distraught pirate just shook her head.
"It must be my lot in life," Ryoko said with a half-hearted, forced chuckle.
"What ever is that supposed to mean?" Ayeka asked as Ryoko continued in her mournful laugh. "Ryoko?"
"Think about it!" Ryoko blurted, sweeping her hands out as to encompass the whole world.
"About what?" asked a totally confused Ayeka.
"Sometimes you're as dense as Tenchi," Ryoko grumbled as Ayeka continued to just blink at her. "Last night," Ryoko elaborated. "I get a moment of happiness only to have it marred."
"Your nightmare?" Ayeka asked, trying to understand Ryoko's demeanor.
"Yes."
"Do you think it was a premonition?" Ayeka asked, a hand held to her mouth in fear. Her words to Tenchi from the night before were still fresh in her mind.
"No," Ryoko said. Ayeka's expression, whilst relieved, still remained worried. "Those are much worse," Ryoko said, a hint of her old self peeking through her solemn mask.
"Oh," Ayeka said softly, not really sure if Ryoko was being serious or not.
"As happy as yesterday was, it will be forever marred by that dream," Ryoko said rather dejectedly.
"Don't think of the dream," Ayeka said, trying to ease Ryoko's mind.
"I wish it was that easy," Ryoko continued as she pinned a shirt to the line. "They're linked you see. One memory can't exist without the other."
Ayeka bit her bottom lip while she pondered Ryoko's summation. Then it dawned on her. This should work… "But that's not all that happened last night," Ayeka announced.
"Huh?" Ryoko replied, floating up just enough to peek over the clothesline at Ayeka.
"You also got a moment alone with Tenchi," Ayeka said, with a hint of jealousy in her voice for effect. Instantly Ryoko's expression changed. "Tenchi didn't hold me like that last night." But I did get to sleep on his shoulder…she mentally added to assure herself.
Ryoko snorted and let a lopsided grin creep onto her face. "Ya got a point there," she said, pondering Ayeka's statement. Tenchi came to me and held me like I was his own…too bad it took that damned nightmare to get him to do it. But as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. I shared a perfect moment with Tenchi…
"He held you for the longest," Ayeka continued, "until he was sure you were all right."
Ryoko nodded in appreciation of Ayeka's work. "Thanks," she offered before pinning the final shirt in her basket to the line.
"No problem," Ayeka returned, along with Ryoko's smile. "Not to sound cliché but there is a bright side to everything."
"Yeah," Ryoko laughed, "but you did sound cliché." Ayeka just laughed as Ryoko relieved her of her clothesbasket. "Like one of Nobuyuki's sappy manga's, or one of those novels you keep in the top of your closet." Ayeka stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" Ryoko asked her old self returned.
"Now what do you know about my novels!" Ayeka protested to a muffled laugh from Ryoko. "Ryoko!" she demanded, "Tell me right now!" Ayeka was doing her best to keep her temper in check, which produced a rather comical expression on her face. "Ryoko! What is so blasted funny?"
"Gotcha!" Ryoko laughed. "That look was priceless!"
Ayeka sighed and suppressed her own laugh. "It is not ladylike to snoop in another's closet," she reprimanded.
"Nor is it 'ladylike' to sneak off with my favorite brand of sake either," Ryoko playfully countered.
"It was Mihoshi's idea," Ayeka said, shifting the blame from her royal personage. "She suggested we have a drink, and besides, everyone knows your taste in sake is impeccable."
"Why Ayeka," Ryoko teased, "Was that a compliment? Sure sounded like one to me."
"Maybe it was," Ayeka replied.
"But what would Misaki think?" Ryoko said, her voice suddenly full of concern.
"Huh?"
"Oh my poor little Ayeka!" Ryoko wailed her hands clasped beneath her chin.
"Ryoko?" Ayeka muttered, more befuddled than ever. Has one of Washu's experiments gone awry? Or has Ryoko finally gone off the deep end?
"My darling little girl!" Ryoko cried, in her best Misaki impersonation. "Drinking sake in the Onsen! She's fallen into a life of vice and debauchery!"
A smile crossed Ayeka's face as she caught onto Ryoko's charade. "But Mommy!" she pleaded. "It's not my fault!"
"I have failed as a mother!" Ryoko continued to wail. "What will your father think?"
"But Mommy!" Ayeka pleaded again, sounding like she was keeping her tears in check, "you and Funaho mom enjoy sake in the Onsen on occasion!"
"But we are responsible adults," Ryoko said sternly, wagging a finger at Ayeka.
"Its that Ryoko!" Ayeka proclaimed. "She's such a terrible influence on me!"
"Ryoko?" the pirate asked, trying her best to feign surprise through her rollick of laughter. "That sweet, innocent, beautiful child could not be a bad influence on you. I have failed you as a mother!" By now Ayeka was laughing so hard she was holding onto her side. "My poor little Ayeka!"
"But Mommy!" Finally Ryoko could not contain her laughter and broke out in a melodious guffaw. Ayeka followed suit as her own willpower collapsed like a house of cards in Mihoshi's presence. Before long both the princess and pirate were sitting back-to-back, waves of laughter quaking thru each of them. If this had been the first time you had met either of them, you would have sworn that they had never been the most bitter of rivals.
"Ooooh-kay," Washu said as she, Sasami, and Mihoshi watched the spectacle transpiring in the backyard. "What?" she protested as Sasami and Mihoshi began to stare at her. "I didn't do anything to them! I swear!"
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi and Sasami said simultaneously as the shifted their gaze back to the yard.
"I didn't do anything to them!" Washu protested for the second time. "Honestly!"
"Well," Sasami said meekly, "stranger things have happened in this house before…"
****
Notes: Once again I apologize for the delay in getting these chappies out. Too many irons in the fire. Hope ya'll liked it. Just a funny little interlude.
'Till the next chapter.
William Nichols
