[Standard Copyright Disclaimer]
Tenchi Muyo! and its associated characters are copyrighted material that
belong to Animation International Company and the Pioneer LDC Corporation.
I don't own any of the characters contained within this story; I didn't
create the situations in which they live; as a matter of fact, all I did
was put words in their mouths. So with that in mind, for the love of God,
please don't sue me; I'm poor enough as it is!
[A brief note from the Author]
This is my first fanfic ever. I've written fiction before, but never like this. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, especially true Tenchi Muyo fans. I've simply made an attempt to express my love for this series in a creative manner, which reflects my thoughts and feelings on love and life. As for the mechanics of this story, it loosely follows the storyline of the first 13 OAV episodes, and sort of picks up somewhere after they leave off. The material that this story follows is sort of based on a relationship I once had, so to all the people I know who were involved in that, I thank you for giving me material. This story is intended to be multi-part. This is the first of two or three parts I intend to write. Once again, Thanks.
The Dark Heart
A work of fiction, by hellthorne
Part 1: Sleepless Nights
"I will leave to the kindness you left me, and there I will stay I will let myself stay, I'll remember the times That you called out to me
Like skylight and dusk on my pages, my long lost coming back rages
You were my green bough. And now? I'm ten tears older."
~ Richard Hall, an untitled essay from Mobysongs
****************************************************************************
***
"Tenchi, I need to talk to you."
It had all begun on a dare. More of a challenge, really. Yet, despite it all, despite her best efforts, her calm, cool exterior shell was crumbling, and the vulnerable woman she never wanted to expose to anyone was slowly overtaking her emotions. As they sat on the roof of the house, looking up at the stars in the night sky, the moon shone down on them, silent and lonely. It was so much like them. Silent and lonely.
Tenchi was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when she began to silently cry. He was nearly on the verge of tears, himself, and as he kept talking aloud to her, he didn't notice the tears sliding down her almost porcelain-like face. Suddenly, he stood up, and started to walk away, climbing down from the roof. She sat there, frozen, almost in a panic. What if she had angered him with her story? What if he was tired of listening to her?
"Tenchi," she cried out. "Where are you going?!"
"To make sure you never hurt again," he replied.
It had all begin on a dare.
Two dares, to be exact. One issued several days before. Ryoko sat silently in Tenchi's room well after midnight, watching her "little prince" sleeping, unable to claim the sleep she so desperately needed herself. As her worried mind churned, Ryoko could only hope for the elusive sleep that would bring comfort and rest to her consciousness. Yet, there she sat, in the stillness of the night, wide awake.
Moonlight crept in through the window, and in the pale dimness, she could see her angel, safe and asleep, hopefully dreaming of pleasant things. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with some sort of solution to the troubles that plagued her. How could she ever escape the inexplicable sorrow that came in tandem with the enormous love she felt for him? Of course, she knew the answer. His love could save her from this prison. * Love. * On the surface, it seemed so simple. But how could she get this boy to love her?
"Love? How can he love me when he can't even tolerate me? I mean, he practically runs away from me every time I come near him," the pirate whispered aloud.
Washu looked up from her terminal where she was busily typing. It was morning, Tenchi was outdoors, working at the shrine with Yosho, and Ayeka and Sasami were undoubtedly scurrying about the house, cleaning.
Washu examined her "daughter" from afar, noting the sadness in her demeanor as she spoke of her highly protected feelings. Washu thought it strange that Ryoko had come to her for advice; however she was determined to help. Despite her hard exterior, Washu wished that she could do something, anything, to help her child. Unfortunately, no feat of physics or engineering could devise a real solution to Ryoko's problem. Sure, she could rig up a mind-controlling device in a matter of minutes, but that certainly couldn't help. Turning Tenchi into a mindless drone wouldn't make things better. It would turn him into puppet for Ryoko, and all the love that she felt for him would be lost on an unfeeling... robot. That certainly wasn't an option.
"Have you tried talking to him," the scientist finally asked after several moments of awkward silence. She turned back to the terminal and kept typing.
Ryoko looked back at her, indignantly.
"Of course I've tried talking to him. Don't you think I thought of that, too? I might not be a 'genius' like you, but I'm smart enough to realize that * maybe * my aggressiveness isn't working," Ryoko replied. She turned away from Washu, and started pacing.
"Every time I tell him that I love him, he gets so nervous, and uncomfortable, and he just squirms like he's disgusted."
Washu's eyes narrowed, and her previously mild frustration with her daughter grew into aggravation. Ryoko wasn't following her lead at all. She looked for something to throw at Ryoko, but seeing nothing within reaching distance that wouldn't be damaged after hitting her daughter's hard head, she turned to the computer. Typing in a few quick commands, a baseball materialized in mid air.
Washu grabbed the ball, and with a light throw, chucked the sphere at Ryoko. It struck her squarely on the top of her head, bounced off, and rolled into a dark corner of the lab, behind one of Washu's monstrous mechanical contraptions.
"What the hell was that for," Ryoko growled loudly as she spun on her heel to face the scientist again, her anger flaring, only to find Washu unaffected by her glare.
"No, stupid. He knows how you feel. By the way you're always grabbing at him, and the 'heart-to-hearts' you've had with him, he'd have to be as dense as you not to notice or understand," Washu continued. "But what do you know about him? Do you know anything about him, or are you just expecting him to fall into your arms and beg you to love him?"
Ryoko growled as she listened to the insults that Washu flung at her.
"I know plenty about him," Ryoko shouted. "I've been watching him since he was a little boy. I know a hell of a lot more about him than you do. And since when do you get off thinking you can lecture me on *knowing * Tenchi, anyway? Of all the people in this house, you've known him for the least amount of time!"
Washu frowned, then spoke. "Listen here, knucklehead. I may not have watched Tenchi grow up, but I'm experienced and bright enough to understand how men work. Tenchi's a rare one, and I can assure you, he is going to get tired of you jumping up and down on top of him like a wild monkey," Washu smiled. The 'wild monkey' comment almost made her laugh.
Ryoko stood silently, her mind straining to pull the insight from her mother's words.
"I'll bet that you can't talk to him about his feelings. I am willing to bet that you're too self centered to realize that Tenchi isn't a plaything that you can have on a whim. If you want him, you need to get him to trust you, Ryoko. But I am willing to bet that you don't have the courage or the patience to get to know Tenchi."
Washu didn't like angering Ryoko this much, but she realized that the only way to get through to her daughter was to anger her into falling for the reverse psychology. Normally, Ryoko could see through the mind tricks, but when it came to Tenchi, she wasn't so careful. Ryoko peered at Washu, her eyes full of emotion.
"You old hack," Ryoko began to mutter, "you don't know..."
Her voice trailed off. She stood, her eyes welling with tears, looking at Washu's frown. And then she lost control. "I don't want him to lose interest in me," she began, as she cried. "I don't want to be stupid and boring. I don't want him to thing that I'm plain, or that I'm weak. If I'm aggressive with him, at least the chase is interesting. At least he has to think of me when he wants to avoid the chase. At least I'm on his mind when he tries to sneak out of his room. I've seen him... I've seen how he looks around to make sure I'm not near before he tries to get to the bathroom... I've seen... how boring and dull Ayeka is, and all she wants to do is talk, and I don't want to end up like her..."
"Hey, hey... that's enough," Washu interrupted. "Look. You're not boring, weak or plain. I know I didn't exactly raise you, but I know for a fact that if you came from me, you far from ordinary," the scientist grinned, "Besides, If you ever get to be as boring as that, I'll personally lock you back up in that cave."
A look of fear and pain passed over Ryoko's face as her thoughts turned to her cave-prison. Washu noticed and quickly reacted.
"I'm sorry," Washu apologized, "I forget how much that place hurts you. I was trying to be funny, and I'm sorry for upsetting you."
Ryoko was taken aback. For as long as Ryoko could remember, Washu had never admitted that she was wrong, much less used the term "I'm sorry" twice in the same sentence. In better times, Ryoko might have een called Washu on it, but today, she did not feel like it. Ryoko stood silently as Washu looked on, staring down at the rivets in the floor. Ryoko struggled with her thoughts for a brief moment, and then suddenly decided that she simply could not count on Washu for help.
"I am sorry for bothering you," Ryoko said as she phased out of the lab, returning to her thinking spot on the roof of the Masaki home.
Washu sighed, shook her head in sadness, and returned to her work. "I wish I could help," the scientist whispered as she began typing again.
"Everything's always been so complicated, even before you all got here," Tenchi explained. "It's been so hard. I never talk to my dad. He's always at work, and when he finally comes home, he's either tired or tying to pry into my non-existent sex life. Grandpa was the only one I would ever talk to, and even then, it has always been about the training. I mean, all he ever says to me is related to spirituality and training. And everything is so damned cryptic. I... I can't stand it sometimes. I can't talk to anyone."
"You can talk to me, Tenchi," Ryoko started. "You can always talk to me. I know that it seems like I'm not interested in listening, but I am. I know what that feels like. I'd like to think that I know how you feel. I don't want to trivialize your emotions, or make it seem like everything is simple, but it's true; I know what it's like."
Tenchi sat in the stillness of the night, turned his sight away from the full moon and the stars overhead, and nodded in Ryoko's direction.
"I believe you, Ryoko. I can see it in your eyes sometimes. I watch you; I watch everybody. It's almost funny," Tenchi smiled, "but I actually watch you a whole lot. When you don't think I'm looking at you, I sit there and just observe. Sometimes I sit at the top of the stairs and watch you in the living room. I can't say that I'm an expert about you and your feelings, but I'd like to think that I know a good deal, too."
Tenchi shifted his weight as they sat together on the roof, taking a moment to take in the glorious silence of the night sky. It was true; he had been thinking about her a lot. While he still couldn't ascertain his exact feelings at the moment, he did know that she had been on his mind constantly for a while. If there had been one defining moment, he thought, it was during the battle with Kagato. As she was lying on the floor, crying out for him, tears streaming down her face, it moved something inside of him. Indeed, after all this time, he had learned something important about himself: he gained his power over the Lighthawk Wings through his fear and love. Fear for Ryoko's life. And the love he felt for all the people involved, from Washu to Sasami and even Mihoshi. But most of all, he thought of Ryoko. He remembered so clearly; as Kagato's energy bolt streaked toward him, he felt as though time had stopped. In that moment of calm before the impact, his thoughts and emotions ran wild. "If I don't survive this, he'll kill her," he thought. As the fear crept over him, he suddenly felt empowered.
"I have to save her."
He turned and looked at her, her golden eyes watering, almost beginning to well with tears.
"I think about you a lot, Ryoko. There's something about you that for the past few months, I haven't been able to get my mind off of. I often find myself looking at you and I ..." he stopped. "Oh my God, I can't believe that I'm saying all of this out loud."
He covered his face with his hands. She immediately came to his side and threw her arms around him.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed, Tenchi. Never be ashamed of your feelings."
He looked at her. "You're right, Ryoko," he stammered. "You haven't hesitated to share your feelings with me this evening, and I admire that. I just wish you would share with me more often. When I watch you, I can see things about you that you don't tell me. I can see how sullen you seem at times. It doesn't make me happy. The worst part is, I feel like such a terrible person, because I have seen so much, and I've never done anything about it. I mean, you came to me this evening, and I know it takes a lot to sit down and talk like this. Yet, despite the difficulty, here we are, and it's all thanks to you."
She was looking up at the stars as he spoke. His eyes were fixed on her face as she stared off into the unknown.
"Tell me something, Ryoko. Why are you so sad? Why do you cry at night? I hope these questions aren't insensitive, but I've been chattering non-stop this evening, and I want to know what's going on inside your head."
She looked down from the stars, turned her head toward him, and her eyes met his gaze. Ryoko smiled gently at him.
"Thank you, sweetie," she smiled as she began to speak. He didn't even cringe when she called him 'sweetie.' It was a good sign.
"I'd like to say that there isn't anything that I regret in all my life, but then I'd be lying to you," she smiled, "and I don't like lying to you. At least, not as much as I used to. I always tell people that I don't regret anything. I guess it's so that I don't have to admit that I think about things."
Ryoko sighed, and continued, "From the time that I was born, all I have ever known is war. Destruction. Hate. My earliest memories are of Kagato, and learning how to be a killing machine. I don't remember kindness; I don't remember love. Mother or not, I have no memories of Washu ever caring for me. And while I was murdering and pillaging for Kagato, I certainly didn't deserve any love or support. All the time I was locked up in that cave, nobody ever cared for me."
Tenchi nodded with understanding, but said nothing. Ryoko looked up to the stars again, and smiled. This was going so well. He wasn't embarrassed, he wasn't afraid. He trusted her with something personal, and from what he was telling her, he had never done anything like this before. She turned back to him and continued on.
"The first time anyone ever showed the slightest bit of concern for me was, unfortunately, the day I blew up your school," Ryoko frowned. "I remember it so well. It was after you cut off my hand. When you were embarrassed and upset. It was cute, really, the way you were so apologetic. Nobody had ever asked me about even a scratch on my arm before that moment. But you did, even though I tried to hurt you. By the way, I'm really, really sorry for that. It was sort of natural instincts acting there; that and 700 years of built up anger. I'm sorry."
Ryoko turned away with embarrassment, remembering the horrible, yet joyous day she was released from that cave she had learned to fear. Tenchi reached out for her, and as she turned away, he put his hand to her face, caressing her, and he pulled her gaze back toward him.
"No. There's no need to be embarrassed, Ryoko. That was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Sure, it was scary that evening, but I'm not so sure that you would have stayed had it not happened," Tenchi explained. "I mean, what would have happened if you had just gone back to space? You might have even been caught up with Kagato again. More importantly, what would I have done? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now talking to you."
He smiled, momentarily, before a frightened expression came over his face. Ryoko sat puzzled, looking at him as his face changed, when suddenly he leaned toward her, almost lunging. She was startled as he hugged her suddenly, holding her tightly. He had finally broken down; he was crying silently, while he held her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and help him close, overcome and not sure what to do. Then he spoke.
"I don't want to lose you, Ryoko. You mean so much to me, and I'm afraid of losing you. That day at the cave; it was the most important day of my life. We set each other free, Ryoko. I was so lonely before I met you, and now, I feel so safe in your arms. My life before I went into the shrine, that way MY cave. It was my prison, and I never want to go back to that again."
Ryoko was moved, but her inherently untrusting nature got the better of her. She was sure that Tenchi was just lonely, and that any one of the house-guests could appease his sense of worry. Ayeka's words weighed especially heavily on her mind.
"I'll bet you say that to all the girls, Tenchi," she blurted, without really thinking about it. "I'll bet Ayeka gets a thrill from that."
The second she uttered those miserable words, she was immediately sorrier than she had ever been her entire life.
Tenchi didn't seem to notice the cruel intent behind the statement. He just continued to hold onto her. After a long silent moment, he finally released Ryoko and looked at her.
"I've never said that to anyone before, Ryoko. I can't talk to Ayeka," he said, almost ashamed. "Even if I wanted to, I don't understand her that well. She and I come from such different backgrounds, and I'm afraid that we don't share a lot of common ground."
"It's not a whole lot different for you and me," Ryoko said to him. "Unless you've got some space pirate background that you haven't told me about." She smiled.
"No, I suppose that you and I don't share a lot of history or background, Ryoko," he continued, "but there is a big difference. She always seems so bound to those Jurian traditions. sometimes she's impossible to communicate with. I feel like my problems are insignificant to her. I mean, she has to think about her planet constantly, worrying about those traditions, about those politics, and I feel silly telling her 'Aykea, I'm upset because the carrots aren't growing so well this season, and it annoys me.' It just doesn't feel right."
Ryoko smiled at Tenchi, he was mocking himself, and it amused her. It was one of the cuter things that she had seen him do.
"So that's what you'd do if you could talk to her, eh Tenchi? Talk carrots? Now I feel a little better about myself," Ryoko playfully chuckled. "If I had known all this time that you're only interested in talking about 'gardening' with her, then I wouldn't get so defensive when she comes near you."
"Hey," Tenchi countered. "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that I can't talk to her about simple stuff. Like, sometimes I need to let off some steam. Just the other day, I was sparring with grandpa again, and he kicked the crap out of me, as usual. Then he tries to teach me a lesson by beating me, and half of the time I don't get it. I want to please him so much, but I always feel like a disappointment. That's the stuff I can't talk to Ayeka about. She doesn't seem to understand."
"How so," Ryoko asked, interested in what he had to say.
"Well, I did tell her about my frustration with grandpa's training. She does listen... well, she tries hard, anyway. And that's just it; she tries too hard. Sometimes, all I need is for someone to listen to me," he looked up at Ryoko, "like we're doing right now. Instead, she tries to find solutions for me. She tries to fight my battles for me, and she tries to fix things for me. When I told her about grandpa, she wanted to go have a talk with him so he'd let up on me. Can you imagine that? He'd be so angry! He called Kagato a coward for using you to defend himself; how would I be any different for sending Ayeka to tell him to go easier on me? I just wanted her to listen, and it took an hour of convincing to get her to stop. Since then, I haven't really tried to talk to her about anything. I guess I should try harder, but I don't want to put so much effort into explaining myself. I'd rather just keep quiet than go through all that again."
Ryoko was grinning. A wonderful thought had just popped into her head. "Tenchi, I've got an idea," she said, almost interrupting him. "If you're so worried about your grandfather. why don't you spar with me? You can have your lessons with him, and after, you can try out what you learned with me, and I'll show you how I would react. That way, you can be better prepared for his next lesson, and we can spend some more time together!"
Tenchi smiled; it was a brilliant idea. Of course, he had never thought of asking her for help, even thought, next to grandpa, she was the superior warrior of the family. Of course! Then he could really make grandpa proud of him, for spending extra time training, and he'd get to talk to Ryoko more.
"I think that's a great idea, Ryoko," he said, beaming with joy. Things hadn't worked out this well for him in a while, and it was nice to have a solution presented to him that was fairly easy to accomplish.
"Let me warn you, though," she said, smiling, "I'm not going to go too easy on you. If you ask me to slow down, I will, but I want you to be a great warrior, just like your grandfather." Tenchi leaned over and hugged her quickly. "That's alright, as long as I'm getting help," he replied. "This is so great. I wish that Ayeka could've thought of something like this."
"You know, maybe you're being a little bit hard on her, Tenchi," Ryoko said, understanding the need to protect Tenchi. "I want to help you too, and if getting your grandfather to be a little less harsh with you would make you feel better, then I'd be happy to talk to him."
"Thanks, Ryoko," Tenchi said, "but Ayeka didn't exactly want to talk to Grandfather. She just wanted to march over there and demand that he leave me alone. I mean, it was a nice gesture, but I don't need things to be done that way. Sometimes I think her royal upbringing has left her. a bit disconnected from common life. Commanding Grandpa to stop may be fine for her, but it would have been embarrassing. Besides, I DON'T want anyone talking to grandpa about it."
"Then there is that upbringing. It's intimidating, you know. Having her father look down on me like I'm a worm. Knowing that there are tons of royal princes out there competing for her hand in marriage; I can't keep up. I don't command armies; I can hardly handle my own sword. I'm not ready to be a prince, and," he paused, "and sadly for her, I don't think I'll ever be ready. I think she should just find a real prince to marry. It would probably be better for her... After all I'm just a commoner, I don't think I could ever live up to the scrutiny. I couldn't bear to hold her back, and I know that I would be a burden on the royal family. She's a great person, and I wouldn't be able to stand myself if I knew I was dragging her down. I think that my place is here, as a commoner. If that means having to be alone, then. well, it's just something I've got to live with."
Ryoko was stunned. It was like he had taken the words right out of her mouth. Ryoko knew that deep down within her heart, she didn't have the will to stand in Tenchi's way. Sure, she would tease him, but it was just that, teasing, and maybe the hope that one-day, he'd give in to her. But holding him back, she had never really considered it. As painful as the thought of losing him was, it paled in comparison to the thought of denying his chance at greatness. Ryoko found it interesting that he had chosen the words that he had, how he seemed to emulate her very thoughts. She really had never noticed how much alike they were. She supposed it was because he spent most of his time trying to run away from her, and she had spent most of her time chasing after him, without really trying to get to know him that well. She had seen him grow up, but actually talking to him seemed to yield insight that she had never considered before.
"Tenchiiii," she pouted, "you could marry me, you know. I wouldn't mind being here with you. You wouldn't be holding me back. I'd love to stay here with you."
"Yeah, right, Ryoko," he replied, "the galaxy's greatest space pirate would fit in really well here in the country." He sighed. "C'mon, I know I'm boring! I know this place is dull, and I'm sure that you must long for the excitement of space. I just wish I was exciting enough for either one of you."
He looked down at the roof, sullen. That's what it was, really. He wasn't good enough for either one of them. He thought Ayeka could put up with the dullness of his everyday life, but Ryoko. he felt like he was a weight around her neck. She had the freedom to go anywhere she pleased, to do anything she wanted, yet she chose to stay there with him, and it saddened him. Not her presence, though. He never admitted it, but he was always glad to see her, even when she was intrusive. It made her. interesting. He was depressed because she had so much more potential, yet she was saddled with the burden of common life. Common scenery, common food, common people. He felt like it was all too plain for her, and that she deserved better than he could ever provide.
She looked at him, her fiery golden eyes peering into his. "Tenchi," she said seriously, "I'd rather be here with you. I would give anything to make life with you permanent. Life in space. it's so chaotic, so messy, and so uncertain. I would give it all up to have a stable, steady life with you. I love you, you know."
He was speechless.
"What the hell are you talking about," Ryoko growled.
"It's true. But you should know as much by now, Ryoko. Lord Tenchi has no interest in a tactless, perverse immoral demon such as yourself. Why, just the other day, I overheard Tenchi speaking of you. He really wants to throw you out of the house, Ryoko. He said that you wouldn't be here to blow everything up like you always do."
Ayeka walked toward the seething Ryoko, smiling the whole time. She thought about passing Ryoko by, but stopped as she was right beside her. A grin crept over her face, and she turned.
"You know, the only reason you're still here is because of my brother Yosho, of all people," Aykea whispered. "He convinced Tenchi to let you stay, for some strange reason. If it were up to me, I'd hand you over directly to the Galaxy Police," the princess grinned, "or better yet, I'd lock you back up in that cave for another 700 years."
Ryoko turned to slap Ayeka, but she stopped her hand millimeters from her face.
"You lying.. lying... bitch," Ryoko stammered. "I know you're full of it. There's no way my Tenchi would try to get rid of me. You're just... lying because you're afraid of me."
"Am I really, Ryoko," the princess grinned. "You give yourself too much credit. If Tenchi cares so much for you, why do you think it is that he runs from you? You can't even talk to him? Did you know that I have long talks with Tenchi. Every day, he walks with me, and we talk about our lives. I know you CAN'T talk to Tenchi; you're not capable. Your heathen mind can't handle it. I am willing to bet my crown on it," the princess said, triumphantly.
"She said all of that to you," Tenchi asked, eyes narrowing. Ryoko nodded, almost in tears again.
"I hate it when you two fight, I really do," he began. "It's so nice to see you happy, and calm. Your smile makes me smile, and I can't stand it when you two fight. You look so angry, so upset by Ayeka, and I really really wish that there were something I could do to stop it. Ayeka too. She's such a nice person when she is calm. She look so peaceful and centered when you two aren't up to anything, but when she gets angry. well, I think her temper may be worse than yours. I mean, at least you laugh when you two fight. She looks at you like she really wants you dead."
Of course, she failed to mention that she had actually instigated the whole incident, by calling Ayeka an immature little girl, once again. Telling her that there was no way in hell that Tenchi could love her probably didn't help, either. Taking shots at her mother probably wasn't a wise choice, as well. But Tenchi didn't need to know about all that. All he needed to know was that mean ol' Ayeka had been rude to her again, and that she was an innocent victim. Ryoko wasn't prepared for what happened next.
"But the reason I really hate it is because I care about you both so much, and I'd just die if either one of you were to be seriously hurt. I've come to love everybody here so much, especially you two. and I. I . just can't stand to see either of you suffer," he said.
Ryoko sat looking at him, as his head was down, staring at the roof. She was misty eyed, moved by his words of care. Day after day, he amazed her. After thousands of years of being called worthless, broken and inept, here she was, listening to the man of her dreams telling her how much she meant to him. Her tears flowed silently, and she wanted to hug him tightly. She wanted to tell him the same, but she was ashamed of herself. She never told him anything like that. She always jumped on him, like a. like a . she remembered Washu. like a monkey. Now, she was especially ashamed for telling Tenchi that half story about Ayeka, without owning up to her own blame. She thought that maybe if she told him voluntarily, he wouldn't be so upset with her if he eventually found out the truth. Ryoko's pride and guilt tied a knot in her throat, and she was unable to tell him.
Tenchi stood, and took one last look at the moon and the stars. He sighed a deep sigh, and turned toward Ryoko.
"I promise, Ryoko," he began, "You will never know such words of hate again. Not so long as I am alive. I won't allow it."
With that, he turned, and began to climb down off the roof. He gritted his teeth as his mind raced. There were a million things he wanted to say to Ryoko, but, for the first time since his battle with Kagato, he knew that his actions would do far greater good than anything he could possibly say.
She called after him. "Tenchi?! Where are you going?"
"To make sure you never hurt again, Ryoko," he shouted back to her from the ground. She materialized next to him, and he turned to her, and smiled faintly. "I made a promise, remember?"
With that, he turned and entered the house again. Ryoko began to follow behind him, but slumped down on the porch, after he walked inside, toward the kitchen. She wanted to stop him and tell him the truth; that she started the fight she just cried to him about, and that she was sorry. That would make things right. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just couldn't, and she hated herself for it. * Damn that pride. * Ryoko sat on the porch, disgusted with herself for the first time since she could remember.
Inside the house, Ayeka was sitting in the living area, watching the television with Sasami. She stood as Tenchi entered the house.
"Lord Tenchi," she began to say. He walked past her, seeming to ignore her greeting as she was left standing there, utterly puzzled. He called out over his shoulder as he neared the kitchen.
"Miss Ayeka, I want to have a word with you, in the kitchen, right now." His words were icy cold. He turned around and called out, "Sasami, would you do me a favor and raise the volume on the television. I want to make sure that nobody listens in on this conversation."
"Ummm... sure, Tenchi," Sasami replied worriedly as she did what he asked. Ayeka stood there, still confused, unsure of what was happening.
"Please, Ayeka," Tenchi called out again, becoming agitated.
The Juraian princess quickly joined Tenchi in the kitchen. He was facing out the windows, looking into the night, when she walked in.
"Tenchi, is something the matter?"
"Please, be quiet, Ayeka," he interrupted. "I've got a lot of things to talk to you about. I don't want this to be any more difficult than it has to be, so please, be quiet and let me speak."
She nodded silently, the TV blaring in the background.
"You know, Ayeka, I've seen you do some pretty horrible things during your stay here. I've been silent all the while. I know you don't think that I'm paying attention, but you'd be amazed if you knew just how much I see. But nothing, nothing I've seen comes close to what I just heard. You told her I wanted to throw her out? You said we should stuff her back in that horrible cave?"
"Lord Tenchi, you must believe me. They were lies, whatever that devil-woman told you. It's just not true. Why, I don't know why you tolerate," she began to protest before he cut her off again.
"Why do you have to do that," he countered. "You don't even know what I'm talking about, yet your guilt has revealed your intentions and your true feelings. How do you know I heard what I know from Ryoko. And why the do you always have to refer to her that way. She didn't say a mean thing about you this evening when we spoke, yet the first word out of your mouth is 'Devil.' I'm not going to tolerate it anymore, Ayeka. The aggression has got to end, and I'm going to be the one to do it. If you can't learn how to live peacefully in my house, then ."
He sighed. He cared about her too much to talk to her this way. This wasn't what he wanted. "Look, Ayeka, I'm sorry," he said. "I've had a bad day, and I don't want to take it out on you. However, there are some things that need to change around here. I'm tired of the fighting. And I don't just mean the fistfights. I'm tired of the awful things that you two say to each other. I want it to stop now."
"Tenchi," she replied, "why don't you tell HER to stop fighting. I don't see why you just came after me. I'm not the one that started that argument. Why, I was minding my own business when."
"I don't care, Ayeka. I know she started it. I already spoke with her. But I also know that you picked on the thing that hurts her the most, and you know what," he paused. Remembering how sad she looked, he had to choke back tears; tears of sorrow and anger. "You know what, when you do that to her, you hurt me too. 'Cause you're not the one that has to see her cry. You're not the one that has to see the fear on her face when she thinks about that cave. Has she ever mentioned the things that hurt you most? Has she ever mentioned Grandpa?"
Ayeka was stunned and speechless.
"I didn't think so," he sighed again. "Look, I'm not angry, and I'm not trying to pick on you. I just want you to understand that I have a stake in all of this. Every time you attack her, you attack me, because she is a big part of me. And every time she attacks you, it hurts me as well. And if you're so selfish that you want to go after her, knowing that it hurts me. well then, we've got some serious friendship problems. Rest assured, Ayeka, the animosity ends tonight."
He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Miss Ayeka, I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I have no right to be rude to you, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. I feel hypocritical telling you not to fight after practically yelling at you. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I'm sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I want to get to bed."
He turned to leave, looking back at a stunned Ayeka. She was so shocked that she couldn't respond. Just before he left, he once again spoke.
"Trust me, Ayeka, I'm serious about this," he said. "If you can't learn to live in peace, then we'll have to make different living arrangements around here." He paused momentarily. "Oh, and Ayeka, If you ever lie about me, or what I have said again, or mention that cave to Ryoko, you can be sure that I will be considering throwing you out. And it'll take more than grandpa to convince me to let you stay."
Tenchi was shocked at his own assertiveness. He was usually so wishy-washy about everything, and he certainly never was rude or angry with anyone; not outwardly, anyway. Yet, he stood there, seething, his anger building up inside of him.
Things changed dramatically that night in the Masaki household. It took a lot of convincing on Katsuhito and Sasami's part to get Ayeka to stay. Tenchi also received one hell of a lecture from Katsuhito on his lack of manners. Tenchi was sorry. Boy, was he ever. He never acted out of anger, or any of his emotions; yet, something in Ryoko's words, something in her expressions, something in the way she looked at him evoked some kind of frustration that he had never felt before. Frustration with himself. He was upset because he couldn't do anything to help her. Yet, when his love for Ryoko got the better of him, he ended up hurting Ayeka, whom he loved too. His love for Ayeka, however, was different, and Tenchi was not completely conscious of that. He loved Ayeka like a friend, almost like a sister, but he felt a different kind of affection for Ryoko. He couldn't put his finger on it, but.
Tenchi apologized to Ayeka for the lack of control, but to her, it was obvious what was happening. Tenchi didn't really realize what was going on, but Ayeka could sense it. Tenchi was leaning. Day after day, for so long, he remained indecisive; Unmoved by both her efforts, as well as Ryoko's efforts to win his affection.
Yet, she saw it in him that night when he yelled so cruelly at her. It was a terrifying situation to her; she had spent so much of her effort into trying to silently sway Tenchi, only to find him drifting further away from her heart.
She sat in a daze for the following week, trying desperately to figure out how that vulgar demoness could gain such a strong footing with Tenchi. What kinds of tricks was she using? What sort of lies, what type of promises did she make to Lord Tenchi in order to gain his approval? Ayeka thought that she could do the same, no matter how much it wounded her pride and contradicted her upbringing. She had no idea that simple honesty had moved Tenchi so, and that simple honesty was all that Tenchi really desired.
For the next week and a half, the three confused souls, Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka, drifted aimlessly in a sea of doubt. Tenchi was beginning to understand that he WAS making a choice, after so long. How could he possibly be true to himself without shaking up the family? Ayeka was beginning to doubt her self worth as a woman. She was always brought up to think highly of herself and to remain confident even in the face of failure and defeat, yet her worry was beginning to cause her pride and self-esteem to falter. Ryoko, fearing the silence coming from all sides, worried that her feelings from that fateful night were misguided. What if he was JUST being nice to her? He was always caring, and with the exception of the Kimono incident, had never uttered a word of anger to her. The common thought raced through their minds for that week of silence:
"What does it all mean? What can I do about it? Where do I go from here?"
The fieldwork was done. Grandfather had chased him around with a bokken all afternoon, claiming that it was in the name of "practice." He suspected that Grandfather had done it just for the sheer joy of cracking him over the head with the wooden practice sword several times. It was after dinner now; there was nothing left to do except relax and try to unwind from another grueling day. Yet, Tenchi was restless, and weary of mind. He yearned to be free of this emotional and mental burden. The family sat around the television, some, like Sasami and Mihoshi watching intently, while Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka seemed lost in thought.
When Ryoko couldn't stand the monotony of the television any longer, she silently stood up and floated toward the ceiling. Tenchi and Ayeka both looked up at her, assuming she was going to sit on her rafter and doze off, but instead, she phased through the ceiling, and sat out on the roof under the cloudless sky.
Tenchi looked around. Suddenly the idea of being outside seemed very appealing to him, and he decided to go out for a walk, where he could at least think in the peaceful silence of the night. He stood up slowly, and quietly walked toward the door, as so not to disturb anyone.
"Lord Tenchi," Ayeka called out softly, "where are you going?" In all honesty, she was suspicious that something was going to happen, and even though she had been silent and distant toward him for a long while, she finally showed some concern.
"Out for a walk, Miss Ayeka," was the reply.
"Would you like me to accompany you?"
He paused and thought for a moment. He needed to talk to her. He needed to let her know where this was all going, but at that moment in time, he was too tired to worry about it.
"Maybe some other time. I really feel like being alone right now."
With that, he left.
He wanted to walk around the lake and just think under the moonlight. He was more than a few feet away from the house, when he looked up at the roof, and saw her. She was lying on her back, looking at the stars.
"Hey there," he called out, "would you like to come for a walk with me?"
Ryoko sat up, looked around, and seeing nobody else around, with a puzzled expression on her face, pointed to herself and mouthed "Me?" to Tenchi.
He smiled slightly and nodded. Ryoko stood, and thought for a brief moment. She was tempted to charge off the roof of the house and pounce on Tenchi, but given his silent moods as of lately, she decided that maybe she needed to be quiet, too. She phased out of view, and re-appeared several feet away from Tenchi, so as not to startle him.
"I feel like walking over by the lake," Tenchi said. With that, they both walked in silence for a while, enjoying the serenity and peace of the moonlit night. When they had circled the lake a few times, he finally spoke again.
"I've been thinking a lot lately, Ryoko," he started, "and there are a lot of things around here that I would like to change."
Washu was sitting her her lab, busily typing away at her terminal, when She suddenly decided to turn on the external cameras to see what was going on around the house. Everybody was watching TV. Everybody, that was, except for Tenchi and Ryoko.
Washu became a bit concerned. Had Ryoko tied him up again? Washu began looking all over the surrounding area for clues. Then she saw them. They were by the lake, walking. She zoomed the camera in for closer inspection, when she noticed. They were holding hands. Something Tenchi never voluntarily allowed anyone else to do. Washu smiled at this, observing her daughter finally beginning to mature, at least a tiny little bit.
"It begins," Washu whispered to herself.
After an hour outside, Tenchi and Ryoko slowly made their way back toward the house. As they approached, still hand in hand, Tenchi turned to Ryoko and spoke.
"Ryoko," he began, "I ... umm... uh..."
She smiled at him, dropped his hand and replied, "I know Tenchi. Trust me, I don't want her yelling at me anymore than you do, so we'll keep this to ourselves for now."
Ryoko put her hands on her hips and gently smiled at her love. Tenchi frowned a bit, and it caused her concern. She was about to question him, when he spoke.
"Okay, Ryoko. We'll keep it quiet. I know you're right," he said. "That wasn't what I was going to say, though."
She was still worried, and it was clearly visible from her face. "What were you gonna say, Tenchi," Ryoko asked.
He smiled, blushed, paused for a moment, and then finally spoke. "Do you think that you could sleep in my room tonight?"
Ryoko looked him, and her jaw dropped in astonishment. She turned bright red, and was completely baffled. After all this time, she was finally getting what she wanted, and it confused her greatly. He had never submitted to anything like this before, and now it was like he was jumping off the deep end.
"Now, Ryoko," he said, "I just mean, *sleep* okay? I'm not ready for anything else right now. Maybe I will in time, but not now. I just want to get to know you right now."
Her grin quickly faded, and she immediately began to wonder what his true intentions were. Maybe this was some sort of cruel joke to get her hopes up. Her worry was once again obvious from her facial expression, and Tenchi instantly felt guilty about the whole thing. He thought for a moment, smiled, and embraced Ryoko.
"Hey," he whispered in her ear, "that doesn't mean that we can't do other things. It just means that I'm not ready to take a big step yet. I promise you that we will enjoy our time together."
With that, he kissed her lightly on the lips. She was stunned, and it took her a good moment to return his kiss. Tenchi pulled away for a moment, looked into her golden eyes and smiled.
"I love you, Ryoko."
"I... I love you too, Tenchi."
After that, she decided to go inside and get ready for their "big night," as she put it. She asked him to enter the house after she did, so as not to give Ayeka anything to be suspicious of. He agreed, and stood outside a bit longer, looking up at the stars. The heavens, those very stars from which she came and changed his life. Tenchi was truly happy for the first time in his life since his early childhood.
Ryoko skipped happily into the house. For the first time in weeks, she felt carefree and light as a feather. She sat in front of the TV with the others, trying to kill time until everyone went to sleep. Tenchi walked in a few minutes later, smiling as he saw Ryoko happily daydreaming instead of watching TV. Ayeka noticed his return and once again spoke to him.
"Lord Tenchi, how was your walk," she asked.
"It was great," he replied. "it felt good to be outside and breathe the fresh air. It feels like I haven't done that in a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Ayeka sighed. She knew something was amiss, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Why had the devil woman come in from outdoors so happily, as well? Something must have happened between them; that she was sure of. She decided to ask him.
"Did you and Ryoko have a nice walk," she asked.
Tenchi paused for a moment, trying to think of how to get around her questioning. He couldn't think! How do I put this without hurting her feelings! I just told her I wanted to be alone!
"Ryoko? I didn't even see her," he said, nervously smiling at Ayeka. "Ryoko, were you outside, too?"
Ryoko turned to Tenchi and said plainly, "Yup. I was taking a nap on the roof. Were you outside, Tenchi?"
Tenchi nodded, and she replied, "Oh, too bad I didn't see you. I hate missing the opportunity to tie you up and..."
"Ryoko," he protested. She stopped talking. Ayeka looked puzzled, still unable to figure out what had transpired.
"Why do you ask, Ayeka," Tenchi inquired, breaking her train of thought.
"Oh, uh... You and Ryoko both looked so happy when you came in, I thought that maybe you two had had a nice walk, or something," she quickly replied, making the best excuse she could quickly come up with.
Ryoko responded from across the room. "I just had a really great dream while I was up on the roof, Ayeka. I'd tell you about it, but it's dirty," she grinned. "Seriously, though, I haven't been sleeping well lately, and it was good to finally get a nap in."
"Speaking of sleep," Tenchi began, "I'm really tired. I'm gonna get some sleep, if nobody needs anything else from me." He paused for a moment, but all the girls just said goodnight, so he turned and walked toward the stairs.
"Goodnight, everybody," he called out.
With that, he left the room, walking to his bedroom.
Soon after that, the room slowly cleared, as everyone prepared for bedtime. Tenchi sat on the edge of his bed, pondering what was to come. He smiled in anticipation. He was happy, and he could hardly wait for her to appear in his room.
Soon enough, the house was quiet, and Tenchi's wait was short lived. Ryoko suddenly materialized in his room, near the door. Tenchi smiled at her. She was stunning. Ryoko wasn't dressed differently than she normally did, but for some reason, she seemed more beautiful than he had ever noticed.
"Hey there," she said.
Tenchi sprung up from the bed and rushed to her. He embraced her tightly, and she kissed him, passionately. She stopped and looked at him, and gazing into his eyes, she smiled brightly. It was then that she realized that she didn't want to rush into anything. She just wanted to be near him, to hold him, and to feel his warmth. He looked at her, smiled as well, and kissed her again.
"Come to bed, Ryoko," Tenchi finally whispered as he pulled her toward the bed. He tugged at her arm until she had no choice but to follow. For the first time in his life, Tenchi was acting out on his desires. His desire to just be close with Ryoko. Soon, they were both on the bed, and she whispered to him.
"Mmmm... Tenchi, I just want you to hold me tonight. Please, hold me close."
Soon, they were lying together, her back pressed to his chest. She was smiling, almost purring like a kitten as he held onto her tightly. His arms were around her, his left arm pressed underneath her, and his right was draped over her midsection. He kissed her neck gently, and she loved every moment of it. She grabbed his left hand and pressed it against her breast. Tenchi was a bit startled, but she held his hand firmly against her, and he soon relaxed. They fell asleep in each others arms, and it truly was the first night of peaceful sleep either had experienced in a long time.
[A brief note from the Author]
This is my first fanfic ever. I've written fiction before, but never like this. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, especially true Tenchi Muyo fans. I've simply made an attempt to express my love for this series in a creative manner, which reflects my thoughts and feelings on love and life. As for the mechanics of this story, it loosely follows the storyline of the first 13 OAV episodes, and sort of picks up somewhere after they leave off. The material that this story follows is sort of based on a relationship I once had, so to all the people I know who were involved in that, I thank you for giving me material. This story is intended to be multi-part. This is the first of two or three parts I intend to write. Once again, Thanks.
The Dark Heart
A work of fiction, by hellthorne
Part 1: Sleepless Nights
"I will leave to the kindness you left me, and there I will stay I will let myself stay, I'll remember the times That you called out to me
Like skylight and dusk on my pages, my long lost coming back rages
You were my green bough. And now? I'm ten tears older."
~ Richard Hall, an untitled essay from Mobysongs
****************************************************************************
***
"Tenchi, I need to talk to you."
It had all begun on a dare. More of a challenge, really. Yet, despite it all, despite her best efforts, her calm, cool exterior shell was crumbling, and the vulnerable woman she never wanted to expose to anyone was slowly overtaking her emotions. As they sat on the roof of the house, looking up at the stars in the night sky, the moon shone down on them, silent and lonely. It was so much like them. Silent and lonely.
Tenchi was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when she began to silently cry. He was nearly on the verge of tears, himself, and as he kept talking aloud to her, he didn't notice the tears sliding down her almost porcelain-like face. Suddenly, he stood up, and started to walk away, climbing down from the roof. She sat there, frozen, almost in a panic. What if she had angered him with her story? What if he was tired of listening to her?
"Tenchi," she cried out. "Where are you going?!"
"To make sure you never hurt again," he replied.
It had all begin on a dare.
Two dares, to be exact. One issued several days before. Ryoko sat silently in Tenchi's room well after midnight, watching her "little prince" sleeping, unable to claim the sleep she so desperately needed herself. As her worried mind churned, Ryoko could only hope for the elusive sleep that would bring comfort and rest to her consciousness. Yet, there she sat, in the stillness of the night, wide awake.
Moonlight crept in through the window, and in the pale dimness, she could see her angel, safe and asleep, hopefully dreaming of pleasant things. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with some sort of solution to the troubles that plagued her. How could she ever escape the inexplicable sorrow that came in tandem with the enormous love she felt for him? Of course, she knew the answer. His love could save her from this prison. * Love. * On the surface, it seemed so simple. But how could she get this boy to love her?
"Love? How can he love me when he can't even tolerate me? I mean, he practically runs away from me every time I come near him," the pirate whispered aloud.
Washu looked up from her terminal where she was busily typing. It was morning, Tenchi was outdoors, working at the shrine with Yosho, and Ayeka and Sasami were undoubtedly scurrying about the house, cleaning.
Washu examined her "daughter" from afar, noting the sadness in her demeanor as she spoke of her highly protected feelings. Washu thought it strange that Ryoko had come to her for advice; however she was determined to help. Despite her hard exterior, Washu wished that she could do something, anything, to help her child. Unfortunately, no feat of physics or engineering could devise a real solution to Ryoko's problem. Sure, she could rig up a mind-controlling device in a matter of minutes, but that certainly couldn't help. Turning Tenchi into a mindless drone wouldn't make things better. It would turn him into puppet for Ryoko, and all the love that she felt for him would be lost on an unfeeling... robot. That certainly wasn't an option.
"Have you tried talking to him," the scientist finally asked after several moments of awkward silence. She turned back to the terminal and kept typing.
Ryoko looked back at her, indignantly.
"Of course I've tried talking to him. Don't you think I thought of that, too? I might not be a 'genius' like you, but I'm smart enough to realize that * maybe * my aggressiveness isn't working," Ryoko replied. She turned away from Washu, and started pacing.
"Every time I tell him that I love him, he gets so nervous, and uncomfortable, and he just squirms like he's disgusted."
Washu's eyes narrowed, and her previously mild frustration with her daughter grew into aggravation. Ryoko wasn't following her lead at all. She looked for something to throw at Ryoko, but seeing nothing within reaching distance that wouldn't be damaged after hitting her daughter's hard head, she turned to the computer. Typing in a few quick commands, a baseball materialized in mid air.
Washu grabbed the ball, and with a light throw, chucked the sphere at Ryoko. It struck her squarely on the top of her head, bounced off, and rolled into a dark corner of the lab, behind one of Washu's monstrous mechanical contraptions.
"What the hell was that for," Ryoko growled loudly as she spun on her heel to face the scientist again, her anger flaring, only to find Washu unaffected by her glare.
"No, stupid. He knows how you feel. By the way you're always grabbing at him, and the 'heart-to-hearts' you've had with him, he'd have to be as dense as you not to notice or understand," Washu continued. "But what do you know about him? Do you know anything about him, or are you just expecting him to fall into your arms and beg you to love him?"
Ryoko growled as she listened to the insults that Washu flung at her.
"I know plenty about him," Ryoko shouted. "I've been watching him since he was a little boy. I know a hell of a lot more about him than you do. And since when do you get off thinking you can lecture me on *knowing * Tenchi, anyway? Of all the people in this house, you've known him for the least amount of time!"
Washu frowned, then spoke. "Listen here, knucklehead. I may not have watched Tenchi grow up, but I'm experienced and bright enough to understand how men work. Tenchi's a rare one, and I can assure you, he is going to get tired of you jumping up and down on top of him like a wild monkey," Washu smiled. The 'wild monkey' comment almost made her laugh.
Ryoko stood silently, her mind straining to pull the insight from her mother's words.
"I'll bet that you can't talk to him about his feelings. I am willing to bet that you're too self centered to realize that Tenchi isn't a plaything that you can have on a whim. If you want him, you need to get him to trust you, Ryoko. But I am willing to bet that you don't have the courage or the patience to get to know Tenchi."
Washu didn't like angering Ryoko this much, but she realized that the only way to get through to her daughter was to anger her into falling for the reverse psychology. Normally, Ryoko could see through the mind tricks, but when it came to Tenchi, she wasn't so careful. Ryoko peered at Washu, her eyes full of emotion.
"You old hack," Ryoko began to mutter, "you don't know..."
Her voice trailed off. She stood, her eyes welling with tears, looking at Washu's frown. And then she lost control. "I don't want him to lose interest in me," she began, as she cried. "I don't want to be stupid and boring. I don't want him to thing that I'm plain, or that I'm weak. If I'm aggressive with him, at least the chase is interesting. At least he has to think of me when he wants to avoid the chase. At least I'm on his mind when he tries to sneak out of his room. I've seen him... I've seen how he looks around to make sure I'm not near before he tries to get to the bathroom... I've seen... how boring and dull Ayeka is, and all she wants to do is talk, and I don't want to end up like her..."
"Hey, hey... that's enough," Washu interrupted. "Look. You're not boring, weak or plain. I know I didn't exactly raise you, but I know for a fact that if you came from me, you far from ordinary," the scientist grinned, "Besides, If you ever get to be as boring as that, I'll personally lock you back up in that cave."
A look of fear and pain passed over Ryoko's face as her thoughts turned to her cave-prison. Washu noticed and quickly reacted.
"I'm sorry," Washu apologized, "I forget how much that place hurts you. I was trying to be funny, and I'm sorry for upsetting you."
Ryoko was taken aback. For as long as Ryoko could remember, Washu had never admitted that she was wrong, much less used the term "I'm sorry" twice in the same sentence. In better times, Ryoko might have een called Washu on it, but today, she did not feel like it. Ryoko stood silently as Washu looked on, staring down at the rivets in the floor. Ryoko struggled with her thoughts for a brief moment, and then suddenly decided that she simply could not count on Washu for help.
"I am sorry for bothering you," Ryoko said as she phased out of the lab, returning to her thinking spot on the roof of the Masaki home.
Washu sighed, shook her head in sadness, and returned to her work. "I wish I could help," the scientist whispered as she began typing again.
"Everything's always been so complicated, even before you all got here," Tenchi explained. "It's been so hard. I never talk to my dad. He's always at work, and when he finally comes home, he's either tired or tying to pry into my non-existent sex life. Grandpa was the only one I would ever talk to, and even then, it has always been about the training. I mean, all he ever says to me is related to spirituality and training. And everything is so damned cryptic. I... I can't stand it sometimes. I can't talk to anyone."
"You can talk to me, Tenchi," Ryoko started. "You can always talk to me. I know that it seems like I'm not interested in listening, but I am. I know what that feels like. I'd like to think that I know how you feel. I don't want to trivialize your emotions, or make it seem like everything is simple, but it's true; I know what it's like."
Tenchi sat in the stillness of the night, turned his sight away from the full moon and the stars overhead, and nodded in Ryoko's direction.
"I believe you, Ryoko. I can see it in your eyes sometimes. I watch you; I watch everybody. It's almost funny," Tenchi smiled, "but I actually watch you a whole lot. When you don't think I'm looking at you, I sit there and just observe. Sometimes I sit at the top of the stairs and watch you in the living room. I can't say that I'm an expert about you and your feelings, but I'd like to think that I know a good deal, too."
Tenchi shifted his weight as they sat together on the roof, taking a moment to take in the glorious silence of the night sky. It was true; he had been thinking about her a lot. While he still couldn't ascertain his exact feelings at the moment, he did know that she had been on his mind constantly for a while. If there had been one defining moment, he thought, it was during the battle with Kagato. As she was lying on the floor, crying out for him, tears streaming down her face, it moved something inside of him. Indeed, after all this time, he had learned something important about himself: he gained his power over the Lighthawk Wings through his fear and love. Fear for Ryoko's life. And the love he felt for all the people involved, from Washu to Sasami and even Mihoshi. But most of all, he thought of Ryoko. He remembered so clearly; as Kagato's energy bolt streaked toward him, he felt as though time had stopped. In that moment of calm before the impact, his thoughts and emotions ran wild. "If I don't survive this, he'll kill her," he thought. As the fear crept over him, he suddenly felt empowered.
"I have to save her."
He turned and looked at her, her golden eyes watering, almost beginning to well with tears.
"I think about you a lot, Ryoko. There's something about you that for the past few months, I haven't been able to get my mind off of. I often find myself looking at you and I ..." he stopped. "Oh my God, I can't believe that I'm saying all of this out loud."
He covered his face with his hands. She immediately came to his side and threw her arms around him.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed, Tenchi. Never be ashamed of your feelings."
He looked at her. "You're right, Ryoko," he stammered. "You haven't hesitated to share your feelings with me this evening, and I admire that. I just wish you would share with me more often. When I watch you, I can see things about you that you don't tell me. I can see how sullen you seem at times. It doesn't make me happy. The worst part is, I feel like such a terrible person, because I have seen so much, and I've never done anything about it. I mean, you came to me this evening, and I know it takes a lot to sit down and talk like this. Yet, despite the difficulty, here we are, and it's all thanks to you."
She was looking up at the stars as he spoke. His eyes were fixed on her face as she stared off into the unknown.
"Tell me something, Ryoko. Why are you so sad? Why do you cry at night? I hope these questions aren't insensitive, but I've been chattering non-stop this evening, and I want to know what's going on inside your head."
She looked down from the stars, turned her head toward him, and her eyes met his gaze. Ryoko smiled gently at him.
"Thank you, sweetie," she smiled as she began to speak. He didn't even cringe when she called him 'sweetie.' It was a good sign.
"I'd like to say that there isn't anything that I regret in all my life, but then I'd be lying to you," she smiled, "and I don't like lying to you. At least, not as much as I used to. I always tell people that I don't regret anything. I guess it's so that I don't have to admit that I think about things."
Ryoko sighed, and continued, "From the time that I was born, all I have ever known is war. Destruction. Hate. My earliest memories are of Kagato, and learning how to be a killing machine. I don't remember kindness; I don't remember love. Mother or not, I have no memories of Washu ever caring for me. And while I was murdering and pillaging for Kagato, I certainly didn't deserve any love or support. All the time I was locked up in that cave, nobody ever cared for me."
Tenchi nodded with understanding, but said nothing. Ryoko looked up to the stars again, and smiled. This was going so well. He wasn't embarrassed, he wasn't afraid. He trusted her with something personal, and from what he was telling her, he had never done anything like this before. She turned back to him and continued on.
"The first time anyone ever showed the slightest bit of concern for me was, unfortunately, the day I blew up your school," Ryoko frowned. "I remember it so well. It was after you cut off my hand. When you were embarrassed and upset. It was cute, really, the way you were so apologetic. Nobody had ever asked me about even a scratch on my arm before that moment. But you did, even though I tried to hurt you. By the way, I'm really, really sorry for that. It was sort of natural instincts acting there; that and 700 years of built up anger. I'm sorry."
Ryoko turned away with embarrassment, remembering the horrible, yet joyous day she was released from that cave she had learned to fear. Tenchi reached out for her, and as she turned away, he put his hand to her face, caressing her, and he pulled her gaze back toward him.
"No. There's no need to be embarrassed, Ryoko. That was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Sure, it was scary that evening, but I'm not so sure that you would have stayed had it not happened," Tenchi explained. "I mean, what would have happened if you had just gone back to space? You might have even been caught up with Kagato again. More importantly, what would I have done? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now talking to you."
He smiled, momentarily, before a frightened expression came over his face. Ryoko sat puzzled, looking at him as his face changed, when suddenly he leaned toward her, almost lunging. She was startled as he hugged her suddenly, holding her tightly. He had finally broken down; he was crying silently, while he held her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and help him close, overcome and not sure what to do. Then he spoke.
"I don't want to lose you, Ryoko. You mean so much to me, and I'm afraid of losing you. That day at the cave; it was the most important day of my life. We set each other free, Ryoko. I was so lonely before I met you, and now, I feel so safe in your arms. My life before I went into the shrine, that way MY cave. It was my prison, and I never want to go back to that again."
Ryoko was moved, but her inherently untrusting nature got the better of her. She was sure that Tenchi was just lonely, and that any one of the house-guests could appease his sense of worry. Ayeka's words weighed especially heavily on her mind.
"I'll bet you say that to all the girls, Tenchi," she blurted, without really thinking about it. "I'll bet Ayeka gets a thrill from that."
The second she uttered those miserable words, she was immediately sorrier than she had ever been her entire life.
Tenchi didn't seem to notice the cruel intent behind the statement. He just continued to hold onto her. After a long silent moment, he finally released Ryoko and looked at her.
"I've never said that to anyone before, Ryoko. I can't talk to Ayeka," he said, almost ashamed. "Even if I wanted to, I don't understand her that well. She and I come from such different backgrounds, and I'm afraid that we don't share a lot of common ground."
"It's not a whole lot different for you and me," Ryoko said to him. "Unless you've got some space pirate background that you haven't told me about." She smiled.
"No, I suppose that you and I don't share a lot of history or background, Ryoko," he continued, "but there is a big difference. She always seems so bound to those Jurian traditions. sometimes she's impossible to communicate with. I feel like my problems are insignificant to her. I mean, she has to think about her planet constantly, worrying about those traditions, about those politics, and I feel silly telling her 'Aykea, I'm upset because the carrots aren't growing so well this season, and it annoys me.' It just doesn't feel right."
Ryoko smiled at Tenchi, he was mocking himself, and it amused her. It was one of the cuter things that she had seen him do.
"So that's what you'd do if you could talk to her, eh Tenchi? Talk carrots? Now I feel a little better about myself," Ryoko playfully chuckled. "If I had known all this time that you're only interested in talking about 'gardening' with her, then I wouldn't get so defensive when she comes near you."
"Hey," Tenchi countered. "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that I can't talk to her about simple stuff. Like, sometimes I need to let off some steam. Just the other day, I was sparring with grandpa again, and he kicked the crap out of me, as usual. Then he tries to teach me a lesson by beating me, and half of the time I don't get it. I want to please him so much, but I always feel like a disappointment. That's the stuff I can't talk to Ayeka about. She doesn't seem to understand."
"How so," Ryoko asked, interested in what he had to say.
"Well, I did tell her about my frustration with grandpa's training. She does listen... well, she tries hard, anyway. And that's just it; she tries too hard. Sometimes, all I need is for someone to listen to me," he looked up at Ryoko, "like we're doing right now. Instead, she tries to find solutions for me. She tries to fight my battles for me, and she tries to fix things for me. When I told her about grandpa, she wanted to go have a talk with him so he'd let up on me. Can you imagine that? He'd be so angry! He called Kagato a coward for using you to defend himself; how would I be any different for sending Ayeka to tell him to go easier on me? I just wanted her to listen, and it took an hour of convincing to get her to stop. Since then, I haven't really tried to talk to her about anything. I guess I should try harder, but I don't want to put so much effort into explaining myself. I'd rather just keep quiet than go through all that again."
Ryoko was grinning. A wonderful thought had just popped into her head. "Tenchi, I've got an idea," she said, almost interrupting him. "If you're so worried about your grandfather. why don't you spar with me? You can have your lessons with him, and after, you can try out what you learned with me, and I'll show you how I would react. That way, you can be better prepared for his next lesson, and we can spend some more time together!"
Tenchi smiled; it was a brilliant idea. Of course, he had never thought of asking her for help, even thought, next to grandpa, she was the superior warrior of the family. Of course! Then he could really make grandpa proud of him, for spending extra time training, and he'd get to talk to Ryoko more.
"I think that's a great idea, Ryoko," he said, beaming with joy. Things hadn't worked out this well for him in a while, and it was nice to have a solution presented to him that was fairly easy to accomplish.
"Let me warn you, though," she said, smiling, "I'm not going to go too easy on you. If you ask me to slow down, I will, but I want you to be a great warrior, just like your grandfather." Tenchi leaned over and hugged her quickly. "That's alright, as long as I'm getting help," he replied. "This is so great. I wish that Ayeka could've thought of something like this."
"You know, maybe you're being a little bit hard on her, Tenchi," Ryoko said, understanding the need to protect Tenchi. "I want to help you too, and if getting your grandfather to be a little less harsh with you would make you feel better, then I'd be happy to talk to him."
"Thanks, Ryoko," Tenchi said, "but Ayeka didn't exactly want to talk to Grandfather. She just wanted to march over there and demand that he leave me alone. I mean, it was a nice gesture, but I don't need things to be done that way. Sometimes I think her royal upbringing has left her. a bit disconnected from common life. Commanding Grandpa to stop may be fine for her, but it would have been embarrassing. Besides, I DON'T want anyone talking to grandpa about it."
"Then there is that upbringing. It's intimidating, you know. Having her father look down on me like I'm a worm. Knowing that there are tons of royal princes out there competing for her hand in marriage; I can't keep up. I don't command armies; I can hardly handle my own sword. I'm not ready to be a prince, and," he paused, "and sadly for her, I don't think I'll ever be ready. I think she should just find a real prince to marry. It would probably be better for her... After all I'm just a commoner, I don't think I could ever live up to the scrutiny. I couldn't bear to hold her back, and I know that I would be a burden on the royal family. She's a great person, and I wouldn't be able to stand myself if I knew I was dragging her down. I think that my place is here, as a commoner. If that means having to be alone, then. well, it's just something I've got to live with."
Ryoko was stunned. It was like he had taken the words right out of her mouth. Ryoko knew that deep down within her heart, she didn't have the will to stand in Tenchi's way. Sure, she would tease him, but it was just that, teasing, and maybe the hope that one-day, he'd give in to her. But holding him back, she had never really considered it. As painful as the thought of losing him was, it paled in comparison to the thought of denying his chance at greatness. Ryoko found it interesting that he had chosen the words that he had, how he seemed to emulate her very thoughts. She really had never noticed how much alike they were. She supposed it was because he spent most of his time trying to run away from her, and she had spent most of her time chasing after him, without really trying to get to know him that well. She had seen him grow up, but actually talking to him seemed to yield insight that she had never considered before.
"Tenchiiii," she pouted, "you could marry me, you know. I wouldn't mind being here with you. You wouldn't be holding me back. I'd love to stay here with you."
"Yeah, right, Ryoko," he replied, "the galaxy's greatest space pirate would fit in really well here in the country." He sighed. "C'mon, I know I'm boring! I know this place is dull, and I'm sure that you must long for the excitement of space. I just wish I was exciting enough for either one of you."
He looked down at the roof, sullen. That's what it was, really. He wasn't good enough for either one of them. He thought Ayeka could put up with the dullness of his everyday life, but Ryoko. he felt like he was a weight around her neck. She had the freedom to go anywhere she pleased, to do anything she wanted, yet she chose to stay there with him, and it saddened him. Not her presence, though. He never admitted it, but he was always glad to see her, even when she was intrusive. It made her. interesting. He was depressed because she had so much more potential, yet she was saddled with the burden of common life. Common scenery, common food, common people. He felt like it was all too plain for her, and that she deserved better than he could ever provide.
She looked at him, her fiery golden eyes peering into his. "Tenchi," she said seriously, "I'd rather be here with you. I would give anything to make life with you permanent. Life in space. it's so chaotic, so messy, and so uncertain. I would give it all up to have a stable, steady life with you. I love you, you know."
He was speechless.
"What the hell are you talking about," Ryoko growled.
"It's true. But you should know as much by now, Ryoko. Lord Tenchi has no interest in a tactless, perverse immoral demon such as yourself. Why, just the other day, I overheard Tenchi speaking of you. He really wants to throw you out of the house, Ryoko. He said that you wouldn't be here to blow everything up like you always do."
Ayeka walked toward the seething Ryoko, smiling the whole time. She thought about passing Ryoko by, but stopped as she was right beside her. A grin crept over her face, and she turned.
"You know, the only reason you're still here is because of my brother Yosho, of all people," Aykea whispered. "He convinced Tenchi to let you stay, for some strange reason. If it were up to me, I'd hand you over directly to the Galaxy Police," the princess grinned, "or better yet, I'd lock you back up in that cave for another 700 years."
Ryoko turned to slap Ayeka, but she stopped her hand millimeters from her face.
"You lying.. lying... bitch," Ryoko stammered. "I know you're full of it. There's no way my Tenchi would try to get rid of me. You're just... lying because you're afraid of me."
"Am I really, Ryoko," the princess grinned. "You give yourself too much credit. If Tenchi cares so much for you, why do you think it is that he runs from you? You can't even talk to him? Did you know that I have long talks with Tenchi. Every day, he walks with me, and we talk about our lives. I know you CAN'T talk to Tenchi; you're not capable. Your heathen mind can't handle it. I am willing to bet my crown on it," the princess said, triumphantly.
"She said all of that to you," Tenchi asked, eyes narrowing. Ryoko nodded, almost in tears again.
"I hate it when you two fight, I really do," he began. "It's so nice to see you happy, and calm. Your smile makes me smile, and I can't stand it when you two fight. You look so angry, so upset by Ayeka, and I really really wish that there were something I could do to stop it. Ayeka too. She's such a nice person when she is calm. She look so peaceful and centered when you two aren't up to anything, but when she gets angry. well, I think her temper may be worse than yours. I mean, at least you laugh when you two fight. She looks at you like she really wants you dead."
Of course, she failed to mention that she had actually instigated the whole incident, by calling Ayeka an immature little girl, once again. Telling her that there was no way in hell that Tenchi could love her probably didn't help, either. Taking shots at her mother probably wasn't a wise choice, as well. But Tenchi didn't need to know about all that. All he needed to know was that mean ol' Ayeka had been rude to her again, and that she was an innocent victim. Ryoko wasn't prepared for what happened next.
"But the reason I really hate it is because I care about you both so much, and I'd just die if either one of you were to be seriously hurt. I've come to love everybody here so much, especially you two. and I. I . just can't stand to see either of you suffer," he said.
Ryoko sat looking at him, as his head was down, staring at the roof. She was misty eyed, moved by his words of care. Day after day, he amazed her. After thousands of years of being called worthless, broken and inept, here she was, listening to the man of her dreams telling her how much she meant to him. Her tears flowed silently, and she wanted to hug him tightly. She wanted to tell him the same, but she was ashamed of herself. She never told him anything like that. She always jumped on him, like a. like a . she remembered Washu. like a monkey. Now, she was especially ashamed for telling Tenchi that half story about Ayeka, without owning up to her own blame. She thought that maybe if she told him voluntarily, he wouldn't be so upset with her if he eventually found out the truth. Ryoko's pride and guilt tied a knot in her throat, and she was unable to tell him.
Tenchi stood, and took one last look at the moon and the stars. He sighed a deep sigh, and turned toward Ryoko.
"I promise, Ryoko," he began, "You will never know such words of hate again. Not so long as I am alive. I won't allow it."
With that, he turned, and began to climb down off the roof. He gritted his teeth as his mind raced. There were a million things he wanted to say to Ryoko, but, for the first time since his battle with Kagato, he knew that his actions would do far greater good than anything he could possibly say.
She called after him. "Tenchi?! Where are you going?"
"To make sure you never hurt again, Ryoko," he shouted back to her from the ground. She materialized next to him, and he turned to her, and smiled faintly. "I made a promise, remember?"
With that, he turned and entered the house again. Ryoko began to follow behind him, but slumped down on the porch, after he walked inside, toward the kitchen. She wanted to stop him and tell him the truth; that she started the fight she just cried to him about, and that she was sorry. That would make things right. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just couldn't, and she hated herself for it. * Damn that pride. * Ryoko sat on the porch, disgusted with herself for the first time since she could remember.
Inside the house, Ayeka was sitting in the living area, watching the television with Sasami. She stood as Tenchi entered the house.
"Lord Tenchi," she began to say. He walked past her, seeming to ignore her greeting as she was left standing there, utterly puzzled. He called out over his shoulder as he neared the kitchen.
"Miss Ayeka, I want to have a word with you, in the kitchen, right now." His words were icy cold. He turned around and called out, "Sasami, would you do me a favor and raise the volume on the television. I want to make sure that nobody listens in on this conversation."
"Ummm... sure, Tenchi," Sasami replied worriedly as she did what he asked. Ayeka stood there, still confused, unsure of what was happening.
"Please, Ayeka," Tenchi called out again, becoming agitated.
The Juraian princess quickly joined Tenchi in the kitchen. He was facing out the windows, looking into the night, when she walked in.
"Tenchi, is something the matter?"
"Please, be quiet, Ayeka," he interrupted. "I've got a lot of things to talk to you about. I don't want this to be any more difficult than it has to be, so please, be quiet and let me speak."
She nodded silently, the TV blaring in the background.
"You know, Ayeka, I've seen you do some pretty horrible things during your stay here. I've been silent all the while. I know you don't think that I'm paying attention, but you'd be amazed if you knew just how much I see. But nothing, nothing I've seen comes close to what I just heard. You told her I wanted to throw her out? You said we should stuff her back in that horrible cave?"
"Lord Tenchi, you must believe me. They were lies, whatever that devil-woman told you. It's just not true. Why, I don't know why you tolerate," she began to protest before he cut her off again.
"Why do you have to do that," he countered. "You don't even know what I'm talking about, yet your guilt has revealed your intentions and your true feelings. How do you know I heard what I know from Ryoko. And why the do you always have to refer to her that way. She didn't say a mean thing about you this evening when we spoke, yet the first word out of your mouth is 'Devil.' I'm not going to tolerate it anymore, Ayeka. The aggression has got to end, and I'm going to be the one to do it. If you can't learn how to live peacefully in my house, then ."
He sighed. He cared about her too much to talk to her this way. This wasn't what he wanted. "Look, Ayeka, I'm sorry," he said. "I've had a bad day, and I don't want to take it out on you. However, there are some things that need to change around here. I'm tired of the fighting. And I don't just mean the fistfights. I'm tired of the awful things that you two say to each other. I want it to stop now."
"Tenchi," she replied, "why don't you tell HER to stop fighting. I don't see why you just came after me. I'm not the one that started that argument. Why, I was minding my own business when."
"I don't care, Ayeka. I know she started it. I already spoke with her. But I also know that you picked on the thing that hurts her the most, and you know what," he paused. Remembering how sad she looked, he had to choke back tears; tears of sorrow and anger. "You know what, when you do that to her, you hurt me too. 'Cause you're not the one that has to see her cry. You're not the one that has to see the fear on her face when she thinks about that cave. Has she ever mentioned the things that hurt you most? Has she ever mentioned Grandpa?"
Ayeka was stunned and speechless.
"I didn't think so," he sighed again. "Look, I'm not angry, and I'm not trying to pick on you. I just want you to understand that I have a stake in all of this. Every time you attack her, you attack me, because she is a big part of me. And every time she attacks you, it hurts me as well. And if you're so selfish that you want to go after her, knowing that it hurts me. well then, we've got some serious friendship problems. Rest assured, Ayeka, the animosity ends tonight."
He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Miss Ayeka, I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I have no right to be rude to you, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. I feel hypocritical telling you not to fight after practically yelling at you. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I'm sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I want to get to bed."
He turned to leave, looking back at a stunned Ayeka. She was so shocked that she couldn't respond. Just before he left, he once again spoke.
"Trust me, Ayeka, I'm serious about this," he said. "If you can't learn to live in peace, then we'll have to make different living arrangements around here." He paused momentarily. "Oh, and Ayeka, If you ever lie about me, or what I have said again, or mention that cave to Ryoko, you can be sure that I will be considering throwing you out. And it'll take more than grandpa to convince me to let you stay."
Tenchi was shocked at his own assertiveness. He was usually so wishy-washy about everything, and he certainly never was rude or angry with anyone; not outwardly, anyway. Yet, he stood there, seething, his anger building up inside of him.
Things changed dramatically that night in the Masaki household. It took a lot of convincing on Katsuhito and Sasami's part to get Ayeka to stay. Tenchi also received one hell of a lecture from Katsuhito on his lack of manners. Tenchi was sorry. Boy, was he ever. He never acted out of anger, or any of his emotions; yet, something in Ryoko's words, something in her expressions, something in the way she looked at him evoked some kind of frustration that he had never felt before. Frustration with himself. He was upset because he couldn't do anything to help her. Yet, when his love for Ryoko got the better of him, he ended up hurting Ayeka, whom he loved too. His love for Ayeka, however, was different, and Tenchi was not completely conscious of that. He loved Ayeka like a friend, almost like a sister, but he felt a different kind of affection for Ryoko. He couldn't put his finger on it, but.
Tenchi apologized to Ayeka for the lack of control, but to her, it was obvious what was happening. Tenchi didn't really realize what was going on, but Ayeka could sense it. Tenchi was leaning. Day after day, for so long, he remained indecisive; Unmoved by both her efforts, as well as Ryoko's efforts to win his affection.
Yet, she saw it in him that night when he yelled so cruelly at her. It was a terrifying situation to her; she had spent so much of her effort into trying to silently sway Tenchi, only to find him drifting further away from her heart.
She sat in a daze for the following week, trying desperately to figure out how that vulgar demoness could gain such a strong footing with Tenchi. What kinds of tricks was she using? What sort of lies, what type of promises did she make to Lord Tenchi in order to gain his approval? Ayeka thought that she could do the same, no matter how much it wounded her pride and contradicted her upbringing. She had no idea that simple honesty had moved Tenchi so, and that simple honesty was all that Tenchi really desired.
For the next week and a half, the three confused souls, Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka, drifted aimlessly in a sea of doubt. Tenchi was beginning to understand that he WAS making a choice, after so long. How could he possibly be true to himself without shaking up the family? Ayeka was beginning to doubt her self worth as a woman. She was always brought up to think highly of herself and to remain confident even in the face of failure and defeat, yet her worry was beginning to cause her pride and self-esteem to falter. Ryoko, fearing the silence coming from all sides, worried that her feelings from that fateful night were misguided. What if he was JUST being nice to her? He was always caring, and with the exception of the Kimono incident, had never uttered a word of anger to her. The common thought raced through their minds for that week of silence:
"What does it all mean? What can I do about it? Where do I go from here?"
The fieldwork was done. Grandfather had chased him around with a bokken all afternoon, claiming that it was in the name of "practice." He suspected that Grandfather had done it just for the sheer joy of cracking him over the head with the wooden practice sword several times. It was after dinner now; there was nothing left to do except relax and try to unwind from another grueling day. Yet, Tenchi was restless, and weary of mind. He yearned to be free of this emotional and mental burden. The family sat around the television, some, like Sasami and Mihoshi watching intently, while Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka seemed lost in thought.
When Ryoko couldn't stand the monotony of the television any longer, she silently stood up and floated toward the ceiling. Tenchi and Ayeka both looked up at her, assuming she was going to sit on her rafter and doze off, but instead, she phased through the ceiling, and sat out on the roof under the cloudless sky.
Tenchi looked around. Suddenly the idea of being outside seemed very appealing to him, and he decided to go out for a walk, where he could at least think in the peaceful silence of the night. He stood up slowly, and quietly walked toward the door, as so not to disturb anyone.
"Lord Tenchi," Ayeka called out softly, "where are you going?" In all honesty, she was suspicious that something was going to happen, and even though she had been silent and distant toward him for a long while, she finally showed some concern.
"Out for a walk, Miss Ayeka," was the reply.
"Would you like me to accompany you?"
He paused and thought for a moment. He needed to talk to her. He needed to let her know where this was all going, but at that moment in time, he was too tired to worry about it.
"Maybe some other time. I really feel like being alone right now."
With that, he left.
He wanted to walk around the lake and just think under the moonlight. He was more than a few feet away from the house, when he looked up at the roof, and saw her. She was lying on her back, looking at the stars.
"Hey there," he called out, "would you like to come for a walk with me?"
Ryoko sat up, looked around, and seeing nobody else around, with a puzzled expression on her face, pointed to herself and mouthed "Me?" to Tenchi.
He smiled slightly and nodded. Ryoko stood, and thought for a brief moment. She was tempted to charge off the roof of the house and pounce on Tenchi, but given his silent moods as of lately, she decided that maybe she needed to be quiet, too. She phased out of view, and re-appeared several feet away from Tenchi, so as not to startle him.
"I feel like walking over by the lake," Tenchi said. With that, they both walked in silence for a while, enjoying the serenity and peace of the moonlit night. When they had circled the lake a few times, he finally spoke again.
"I've been thinking a lot lately, Ryoko," he started, "and there are a lot of things around here that I would like to change."
Washu was sitting her her lab, busily typing away at her terminal, when She suddenly decided to turn on the external cameras to see what was going on around the house. Everybody was watching TV. Everybody, that was, except for Tenchi and Ryoko.
Washu became a bit concerned. Had Ryoko tied him up again? Washu began looking all over the surrounding area for clues. Then she saw them. They were by the lake, walking. She zoomed the camera in for closer inspection, when she noticed. They were holding hands. Something Tenchi never voluntarily allowed anyone else to do. Washu smiled at this, observing her daughter finally beginning to mature, at least a tiny little bit.
"It begins," Washu whispered to herself.
After an hour outside, Tenchi and Ryoko slowly made their way back toward the house. As they approached, still hand in hand, Tenchi turned to Ryoko and spoke.
"Ryoko," he began, "I ... umm... uh..."
She smiled at him, dropped his hand and replied, "I know Tenchi. Trust me, I don't want her yelling at me anymore than you do, so we'll keep this to ourselves for now."
Ryoko put her hands on her hips and gently smiled at her love. Tenchi frowned a bit, and it caused her concern. She was about to question him, when he spoke.
"Okay, Ryoko. We'll keep it quiet. I know you're right," he said. "That wasn't what I was going to say, though."
She was still worried, and it was clearly visible from her face. "What were you gonna say, Tenchi," Ryoko asked.
He smiled, blushed, paused for a moment, and then finally spoke. "Do you think that you could sleep in my room tonight?"
Ryoko looked him, and her jaw dropped in astonishment. She turned bright red, and was completely baffled. After all this time, she was finally getting what she wanted, and it confused her greatly. He had never submitted to anything like this before, and now it was like he was jumping off the deep end.
"Now, Ryoko," he said, "I just mean, *sleep* okay? I'm not ready for anything else right now. Maybe I will in time, but not now. I just want to get to know you right now."
Her grin quickly faded, and she immediately began to wonder what his true intentions were. Maybe this was some sort of cruel joke to get her hopes up. Her worry was once again obvious from her facial expression, and Tenchi instantly felt guilty about the whole thing. He thought for a moment, smiled, and embraced Ryoko.
"Hey," he whispered in her ear, "that doesn't mean that we can't do other things. It just means that I'm not ready to take a big step yet. I promise you that we will enjoy our time together."
With that, he kissed her lightly on the lips. She was stunned, and it took her a good moment to return his kiss. Tenchi pulled away for a moment, looked into her golden eyes and smiled.
"I love you, Ryoko."
"I... I love you too, Tenchi."
After that, she decided to go inside and get ready for their "big night," as she put it. She asked him to enter the house after she did, so as not to give Ayeka anything to be suspicious of. He agreed, and stood outside a bit longer, looking up at the stars. The heavens, those very stars from which she came and changed his life. Tenchi was truly happy for the first time in his life since his early childhood.
Ryoko skipped happily into the house. For the first time in weeks, she felt carefree and light as a feather. She sat in front of the TV with the others, trying to kill time until everyone went to sleep. Tenchi walked in a few minutes later, smiling as he saw Ryoko happily daydreaming instead of watching TV. Ayeka noticed his return and once again spoke to him.
"Lord Tenchi, how was your walk," she asked.
"It was great," he replied. "it felt good to be outside and breathe the fresh air. It feels like I haven't done that in a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Ayeka sighed. She knew something was amiss, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Why had the devil woman come in from outdoors so happily, as well? Something must have happened between them; that she was sure of. She decided to ask him.
"Did you and Ryoko have a nice walk," she asked.
Tenchi paused for a moment, trying to think of how to get around her questioning. He couldn't think! How do I put this without hurting her feelings! I just told her I wanted to be alone!
"Ryoko? I didn't even see her," he said, nervously smiling at Ayeka. "Ryoko, were you outside, too?"
Ryoko turned to Tenchi and said plainly, "Yup. I was taking a nap on the roof. Were you outside, Tenchi?"
Tenchi nodded, and she replied, "Oh, too bad I didn't see you. I hate missing the opportunity to tie you up and..."
"Ryoko," he protested. She stopped talking. Ayeka looked puzzled, still unable to figure out what had transpired.
"Why do you ask, Ayeka," Tenchi inquired, breaking her train of thought.
"Oh, uh... You and Ryoko both looked so happy when you came in, I thought that maybe you two had had a nice walk, or something," she quickly replied, making the best excuse she could quickly come up with.
Ryoko responded from across the room. "I just had a really great dream while I was up on the roof, Ayeka. I'd tell you about it, but it's dirty," she grinned. "Seriously, though, I haven't been sleeping well lately, and it was good to finally get a nap in."
"Speaking of sleep," Tenchi began, "I'm really tired. I'm gonna get some sleep, if nobody needs anything else from me." He paused for a moment, but all the girls just said goodnight, so he turned and walked toward the stairs.
"Goodnight, everybody," he called out.
With that, he left the room, walking to his bedroom.
Soon after that, the room slowly cleared, as everyone prepared for bedtime. Tenchi sat on the edge of his bed, pondering what was to come. He smiled in anticipation. He was happy, and he could hardly wait for her to appear in his room.
Soon enough, the house was quiet, and Tenchi's wait was short lived. Ryoko suddenly materialized in his room, near the door. Tenchi smiled at her. She was stunning. Ryoko wasn't dressed differently than she normally did, but for some reason, she seemed more beautiful than he had ever noticed.
"Hey there," she said.
Tenchi sprung up from the bed and rushed to her. He embraced her tightly, and she kissed him, passionately. She stopped and looked at him, and gazing into his eyes, she smiled brightly. It was then that she realized that she didn't want to rush into anything. She just wanted to be near him, to hold him, and to feel his warmth. He looked at her, smiled as well, and kissed her again.
"Come to bed, Ryoko," Tenchi finally whispered as he pulled her toward the bed. He tugged at her arm until she had no choice but to follow. For the first time in his life, Tenchi was acting out on his desires. His desire to just be close with Ryoko. Soon, they were both on the bed, and she whispered to him.
"Mmmm... Tenchi, I just want you to hold me tonight. Please, hold me close."
Soon, they were lying together, her back pressed to his chest. She was smiling, almost purring like a kitten as he held onto her tightly. His arms were around her, his left arm pressed underneath her, and his right was draped over her midsection. He kissed her neck gently, and she loved every moment of it. She grabbed his left hand and pressed it against her breast. Tenchi was a bit startled, but she held his hand firmly against her, and he soon relaxed. They fell asleep in each others arms, and it truly was the first night of peaceful sleep either had experienced in a long time.
