Here's Chapter ! I apologize for taking a LONG time to write this, but
stuff keeps happening in my life (definitely NOT all good) that keeps
distracting me. I really hope to continue more methodically on this. Ok,
so without much more delaying, here you go... Of course, C&C is always
welcome.
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Misguided Destiny: A Tale of the Heart
By KajiSan
Usual disclaimer: All characters belong to AIC and Pioneer Entertainment. So please don't sue me! :-)
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Chapter 3: Letting It Out - Just a Little
"Mmmm, mmm!! That was delicious, Sasami!" Tenchi could not give enough praise to how delicious was the meal before him. Tonkatsu, "This has got to be one of the best meals you've ever prepared!"
Sasami blushed. "Thank you, Tenchi. I'm really glad you liked it!" She turned to the other people at the table. "Did everyone else like it too?"
"Rarf, rarf, rarf...." Ryoko tried to answer. Obviously, there was still a LOT of food in the space pirate's mouth that was impeding any sort of decipherable human language from coming out. Some of the food was even spilling out of her mouth as she was trying to speak! This did not sit well at all with Ayeka, who was sitting right next to her. As another gob of food dropped from her mouth Ayeka growled and stood up.
"PLEASE BE CIVILIZED AND HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THE FOOD AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO ARE TRYING TO EAT!" she screamed. It looked as if several veins were ready to pop in her forehead.
Ryoko swallowed whatever food was remaining in her mouth. "Hey," she replied rather calmly, "Sasami asked me a question, so I tried my best to answer." She then put on a rather sinister smile and continued, "I didn't want to let Sasami think that her food was bad, so I responded. Even though it didn't exactly come out very well, but at least I tried to say something. Unlike YOU, Ayeka. The first thing you did was yell at me!"
Ayeka stepped back a bit. "Um, well.... That's because..."
"...it's probably because you think the food sucks, huh, Ayeka," finished Ryoko.
Ayeka was flabbergasted. "WHAT?!"
Before she could finish, Ryoko continued, "I don't believe that you would even think such things about your poor little sister." She went over to Sasami and put her arm around her. "She works so hard all day to help around the house while all her big sister does is lounge around. She isn't even thankful for the wonderful meal you have worked so hard to prepare for us. You must really be disappointed..."
Sasami felt pressured. She hated being in the middle of the arguments between her sister and Ryoko. "Um... Not really..." she answered.
Ayeka face was turning a deep shade of red. You can practically hear the blood boiling in her head! "DON'T YOU DARE GET SASAMI INVOLVED IN THIS, YOU HUSSIE!!" she screamed. She was about to pounce onto Ryoko with all of her anger well all of a sudden the door to the kitchen opened up.
"What's all the commotion in here?" asked Katsuhito walking into kitchen. "I can hear you two all the way from the shrine!"
Ryoko spoke up first. "Ayeka here was about to pound me into the ground like a mad gorilla!" She took this opportunity to stick her tongue out to her.
Ayeka was clearly miffed at that gesture, but tried to control herself in the presence of Tenchi's grandfather. "It was all because of Ryoko trying to rile me up," she managed to answer in a more dignified tone. "I did let get the better of me, and I apologize for my behavior, grandfather." She then bowed deeply in apology to Katsuhito.
Ryoko then realized that Ayeka was now building up more brownie points that she was and quickly tried to follow Ayeka. "I'm sorry too, grandfather," she replied as she too bowed deeply. She hated when she had to follow Ayeka like that, but she had no choice. Ayeka had baited her into that corner. "I'll get you back, Ayeka," she said to herself as she is already planning on how she will retaliate.
"Hmph," was all Katsuhito said as he sat down at the head of the table. Sasami quickly went over and place a plate of food before him.
"I hope you like it, grandfather," said Sasami as she presented him the food.
"I'm sure I will, Sasami," replied Katsuhito with a smile. "You know I always do!"
Sasami smiled as she went back towards the kitchen. She wanted to make sure that the place was clean before she herself sat down to eat. Tenchi noticed how hard she was working and when he realized that he was finished eating, he stood up and faced his grandfather. "Grandpa, may I please be excused," he said. "I'm finished eating and I want to help Sasami in the kitchen. She seems to be working very hard and I want to give her a hand."
"Yes, Tenchi," replied the patriarch. "You are excused. Please help Sasami as we are all thankful for her hard work and should assist her when we can..." Turning a bit to Ayeka and Ryoko. The continued, "...instead bickering and disrespecting the food she has prepared for us."
Both Ryoko and Ayeka fell to their knees in shame. They tried to finish their food as they knew that leaving it now would show even more disrespect then that have already shown. Katsuhito then turned his attention to his food and started to eat.
In the kitchen, Tenchi noticed Sasami hard at work cleaning to pots she had used while cooking. He walked over to her and said, "Here... Let me take care of that. It's the least I can do after that delicious meal to prepared for us."
Sasami was a bit startled to see Tenchi in the kitchen. She was used to doing all of the work in the kitchen and didn't mind it at all. "Oh, sorry Tenchi," she said a bit shocked. "I didn't except to see you there." Turning her attention back to the dishes, she continued, "It's ok... I don't mind it at all. It makes me feel good knowing that I can contribute to this household."
Tenchi smiled. "Don't worry about it Sasami," he answered. "You've been working really hard around here and you need a little break every now and then. Besides, it's make ME feel a little better that I can repay you for the added generosity you've been giving me the past few days." He remembered the breakfast earlier that day that she had prepared for him. "That breakfast you made me this morning was so good, thank you. But I know you must've gone out of your way to prepare that for me. So this is my little way of saying thanks."
Sasami smiled broadly. She felt so proud that she was able to help Tenchi as much as she has during this hard time for him. "Thanks, Tenchi," she answered happily. She stepped off of the riser stool she used to prop herself up to the sink. Tenchi then rolled up his sleeves and started to work on the dishes. "You know, it really isn't a big thing, Tenchi," she said. "I mean the breakfast and all... I really enjoyed doing it, so I don't really think of it as a chore or anything." She sat down at the counter behind the sink and began to eat. She felt more comfortable here with Tenchi then outside with Ryoko and Ayeka.
"I'm glad you feel that way, Sasami," replied Tenchi. "But, I guess it also makes me feel better knowing that I can do this little job for you as thanks." He continued to meticulously scrub away at the pots. There was one stain on a pot that does not want to come off. He tried scrubbing harder and harder. "Shoot! This stain won't come off!" he said.
Sasami giggled. "You know that there is some steel wool up there by the faucet, Tenchi." She pointed it out to him. It was hanging on the wall right beside the faucet.
"Oh, sorry," replied Tenchi rather embarrassed. He took the steel wool and continued to work on the pots. This time, the stain came off rather easily. "There you go! Thanks, Sasami."
As Tenchi was finishing up the pots and pans, the door opened from the dining room. It was Ayeka carrying the dirty dishes from the table. You can easily tell that she is struggling to keep all of the dishes balanced in her arms so as not to fall. The look on her face says that she cannot hold on much longer and that she was about to drop all of them. From the dining room, Ryoko can be heard teasing, "Don't drop them, Ayeka!! You wouldn't want to show Tenchi how clumsy you really are, right?"
"SHUT UP, RYOKO!!" recanted Ayeka. As she did, a glass from the top of the pile was about to fall off. After it did, Sasami ran over and caught the glass just before it hit the ground. "WHOA, WHOA!!!" screamed Ayeka as she was about to lose her balance.
"AYEKA!!" cried Tenchi as he turned around from the sink to see a stumbling Ayeka with armful of dishes - breakable dishes at that!! He leapt from the sink and grabbed Ayeka just before she completely lost her balance. The dishes were hanging on precariously, but after Tenchi had stabilized Ayeka, the dishes then also began to settle down. "Are you alright, Ayeka?" asked Tenchi.
Ayeka was shaking like a leaf! She was totally embarrassed to have Tenchi see her like this - all clumsy and stuff. She was also scared for the fact that she could've dropped all of the dishes and hurt herself and Sasami in the process. She was just so shocked to think of anything else - including the fact that she was well in Tenchi's arms! "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," was all she could say.
"It's alright, Ayeka," replied Tenchi trying to calm her down. He could tell from holding her that she was very, very much in shock. "Calm down. Everything's ok. None of the dishes fell. He then turned to Sasami, "Help he bring her over to a chair or something.
Sasami nodded and brought over a stool. Tenchi began to help Ayeka sit down. It was then when Ayeka realized that he was holding her rather closely. "Ooo," was all she can say. She felt such a sense of comfort and peacefulness as he helped her settle down onto the stool. Though it didn't last very long, to Ayeka it seemed to last forever. "Tenchi..." she said to herself. "Please don't let me go..."
After Tenchi set her down and he was comfortable that she was stabilized, he slowly began to let her go and take control of the dishes that were still in her arms. He could feel Ayeka still holding on tight as he tried to set her down. "Ayeka," he said. "Please let go of me before the dishes fall."
"Huh?" Ayeka mumbled. She was still fantasizing about being in Tenchi's arms. "Oh, sorry, Tenchi. I was so scared." She finally loosened her hold on his arms.
"It's ok, Ayeka," replied Tenchi. "Let's get these dishes to the sink." He grabbed the stack of plates and glasses and slowly proceeded to the sink. He rolled up his sleeves and started to work on the dirty dishes. Sasami noticed him and jumped from her seat.
"Tenchi, I'll take care of them," she said as she tried to get Tenchi to let her do them. She started to feel bad that she is letting Tenchi do all of her work.
"Nonsense, Sasami," Tenchi replied. "As I said earlier, you've done so much for this family today - especially for me. Why don't you take it easy for the rest of the afternoon? Heaven knows you deserve it!" He smiled warmly at her.
Sasami returned that smile. "Ok, Tenchi," she said. She turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen. Suddenly, she remembered about the magazine she had left on the counter. She quickly returned and got it before anyone could see it. She looked at it for a moment and turned to Tenchi, "Hey, Tenchi?"
He turned around to face her. "Yes, Sasami?"
"Don't plan anything this evening," replied the young girl. "I need you to take me somewhere this evening."
Tenchi thought for a moment. "Sure, Sasami." He replied after a few moments. "I don't think I have anything much to do tonight anyway."
Sasami smiled. "Thanks!" She turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Tenchi smiled as she walked out of the kitchen. Turning to Ayeka who was recovering from the mild shock she went through, he said, "Are you OK now, Ayeka?"
The Jurai Princess replied, "Huh? Oh yes, thank you for you're concern, Tenchi." She realized that she was no alone with Tenchi. A happy smile appeared on Ayeka's face. Finally, she had him to herself, without anyone to interrupt.
Just then as if on cue, Ryoko thundered into the kitchen. "Hey, Tenchi!" she roared. She was carrying her dirty dishes with her. "I just wanted to drop these off in the sink. Can't leave the house dirty now, can we?" She dropped the dishes into the sink then quickly glomped onto Tenchi. Noticing Ayeka sitting at the kitchen counter, she mentioned to her, "Oh, Ayeka! Glad you're here. Can you take care of the dirty dishes for Tenchi? We don't want to let him do all the work around the house, right?" She then turned her attention to Tenchi again who was trying his very best to avoid any scandalous situations.
"Ahh!! Ryoko!" he cried trying to fight back her very strong advances. "Quit it!! I got dishes to clean!"
Ayeka, who's little dream sequence of her own was abruptly shattered by Ryoko's interruption started seething. It looked as if any second now, the top of her head was going to explode! "RYOKO!! GET OFF OF TENCHI RIGHT NOW!!" she screamed pretty much at the top of her lungs.
"RYOKO!!" said a voice that came from back in the dining room. "THE LAWN IS WAITING!!" Everyone finally recognized the voice of Katsuhito.
Ryoko sighed. "Yes sir," she answered. "Right away." She took herself off of Tenchi and started to make her way to the front of the house. Before she did, she turned to Ayeka and hissed at her. "Grrr!"
Ayeka immediately calmed down as soon as she heard Grandfather's voice. She watched as Ryoko was reduced from a flirtatious bimbo to a scolded little girl at the sound of Katsuhito's command. When she walked by her toward the front lawn, Ayeka smiled deviously almost laughing. This only raised the ire in Ryoko's soul, but she knew that she could not do anything about it - at least not for now. When Ryoko finally left, Ayeka dropped the devious smile for a more sincere one. She then turned her attention back to Tenchi.
Tenchi let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as Ryoko left the kitchen. He quickly turned his attention back to the dishes. Ryoko had added to pile that was already there, so he wanted to finish it quickly.
Ayeka watched as Tenchi meticulously worked on his task at hand. No complaints came from him - just hard work. She admired that about him so very much. He knew what he had to do and just did it. "If only I can have that kind of attitude when it came to chores!" She chuckled to herself. After staring at Tenchi's back for a few more seconds, she got up and walked towards him. "Excuse me, Tenchi," she interrupted.
Tenchi look up from his work. "Oh, Ayeka!" he said a bit startled. "I thought you had already left."
Ayeka continued to smile. "Do you need any help with all of that?" She started to pick up a dirty dish and wipe it with a rag that was in the sink.
"Um, Ayeka," said Tenchi. "You need to soak that dish first in the soapy water before you use that."
"Really?" asked Ayeka. She quickly put down the rag and dish. "Please forgive me, Tenchi. I'm not really the best when it comes to household chores as you might have already noticed." She folded her hands in front of her and bowed in apology.
Tenchi saw this and was touched. "Oh, Ayeka!" he replied. "It's not so bad." He picked up the dirty dish that she had put down earlier. "Here. Let me show you. That is, if you want me to."
Ayeka's eyes lit up! "If I want you to?" she said to herself. "Is your grandfather the immortal Yosho?! Of course I want you to!!!" The excitement can be seen clearly in her eyes. This was turning out to be a great little moment with Tenchi! She composed herself as much as she could before finally letting out, "Oh, thank you Tenchi! Lemme give it a try." She walked up once again to the sink. "What do I do first?"
Tenchi then reached for a pair of rubber gloves. "You might want to put these on," he said. Ayeka took the gloves and cringed a little at their worn condition. Tenchi giggled. "They look like that because they are the ones that make contact with the dirty dishes. Would you rather your HANDS look like that?"
Ayeka cringed some more. "Eww..." she muttered. But after thinking about her soft, silky smooth hands, she knew that she couldn't get them to be as dirty as the gloves, so she reluctantly put them on. It took a while, but she able to clumsily put on the pair of rubber gloves. "Ok, now what do I do?" she asked.
Tenchi then motioned to the sinks. There were two basins. He pointed to the one on the left and said, "In here, we soak the dirty dishes." Ayeka nodded. "You notice that it is filled with soapy water. Well the dirty dishes soak in this water, so when we scrub them down, the dirt on the dishes would be easier to clean off." Now motioning to the right basin, he continued, "In this one, we do the actual washing." He showed Ayeka a demonstration of how it is done with a couple of dishes.
"Ok," said Ayeka. "I think I've got it. Here, let me finished the rest."
Tenchi stepped aside and let Ayeka continue. She was a bit clumsy at first, almost dropping a couple of the dishes, but after a little while, she got the hang of it. She was very proud of her little accomplishment, but not mainly for being able to do the dishes, but for the most part, being able to help Tenchi. For the first time in a while, SHE was the one involved in a little job alone with Tenchi. She had been waiting for a long time for a moment like this. "Um, Tenchi," she said very nervously.
Tenchi looked back at Ayeka, "Yes, Ayeka?"
She could not look at him directly, as she was very nervous. She knew that she had to phrase the next words just right for she did not want to cause any anxiety in him as well. "Thanks, Tenchi," she finally managed to say. "Thanks for taking the time to show me how to do this little chore."
Tenchi smiled. "Oh, no problem, Ayeka. I'm glad that you wanted to learn."
Ayeka sighed. After she had finished the last dish, she put down the sponge. She always wanted to have a simple, almost meaningless conversation with Tenchi - just her and him alone. She was still a bit nervous as to what to say next, but was a bit more relaxed now that before. "Back home on Jurai, we had servants who did everything for us. I never really did any manual chores until we came here." She sighed and looked guiltily toward Tenchi. "I'm sorry if I'm too much of a burden to you Tenchi." She faced him totally this time and bowed deeply in apology.
"Oh, stop that, Ayeka," replied Tenchi. "You are not being a burden to any of us." He then thought to himself, "Well, maybe to Ryoko, but that's a whole different story!" Turning his attention back to Ayeka, he continued. "You're a guest here in our home. Yes, I know you're also living here with us, but it is still the Masaki home and you, Sasami and Ryoko are still our guests. You are being very kind when you offer to help and we of course are very grateful for it. So actually, it should be ME thanking YOU!" Tenchi smiled broadly.
Seeing his genuine smile made Ayeka's heart leap! All her anxiety seemed to have just left her body. She was feeling nothing but happiness at that moment. "Thank you, Tenchi. You are just too kind a host. I wish somehow I could someday return all of the kindness you have shown all of us. You are definitely a man who deserves all the compassion one can give."
Tenchi pulled back a little. He started to feel a little too "praised" for being himself. "It's OK Ayeka. I do it because I like doing it. It's like when you love someone, you do things for them just because you want to make them happy." With those words, Tenchi's smile faded a bit. As if on cue, images of his one and only love of his life began to run through his head again. He pulled a chair next to Ayeka and sat down. "Why does she always seem to come back into my mind every time?!" he asked himself.
Ayeka noticed his grief. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Tenchi for stirring up her memory." She looked down. "It seems all that I do recently is cause you to suffer."
Tenchi looked up. "Ayeka, please... It's not you. She always seems to come back into my mind with almost ANYTHING I think about." He faced her and continued, "Thank you for being here for me."
Ayeka was a bit shocked. "Oh, of course, Tenchi. It's nothing at all. I'm very glad I could be of whatever little help to you." She thought for a moment about what she wanted to ask him next. "Should I? I really don't want to cause him any more grief. But, maybe it actually might help him to talk about it." She composed herself before she courageously continued, "Tenchi, I hope it won't cause you much more grief, but.... Can you tell me a little about Sakuya? I mean, we all know ABOUT her and everything, but we never really got to know her before.... you know..."
Tenchi tensed up a little. He never really talked about Sakuya much after the incident. Of course, she came up in conversations here and there, but he didn't really talk ABOUT her. He looked at Ayeka who had nothing but concern in her eyes. He closed his eyes for a bit, then smiled. "I haven't really talked about her in a while, haven't I?" he said at first. "Maybe I should start to do just that."
Ayeka smiled greatly. She knew she had done the right thing. "Tell me, only if you feel comfortable doing so, Tenchi," she replied cautiously.
"Well," Tenchi said. He looked up at the ceiling for a little bit. Happy and smiling faces of Sakuya started to dance in his head. "She was always happy. It seemed that nothing in this world could take that beautiful smile off of her face. She never let anything bother her. Of course, she had her share of problems just like any other high school girl. She had her circle of friends and gossiped with them." He paused for a second. "But what made me love her so much was that she didn't have to try so hard to make me happy. All she really had to do was be herself. Her cheerfulness was so contagious that it rubbed off on me just be her being around. When we were together, we never really needed anything specific to do. I mean, we could just be walking down a busy street and I'd be the happiest person in the world."
Ayeka took in every word he said. "So you mean to tell me that she didn't do ANYTHING at all to win you over?"
Tenchi replied, "Well, I did notice some advances in the beginning, but after a while, by just being herself, I really got to know her for who she is as a person - not just as a pretty girl. And it was that person that I saw inside of her that I fell in love with." He felt himself cringe a little at those last couple of words. But he was able to compose himself. It was starting to get easier and easier to do so. Talking about Sakuya with Ayeka seemed to have really helped him and his agony over losing her.
Ayeka just pondered every word Tenchi had told her. She had been going about this thing with Tenchi the wrong way all this time. Almost as soon as she had begun to fall for Tenchi, she always remembered herself trying way too hard to win his heart. Maybe it was time to stop all of those shenanigans she and Ryoko kept getting themselves into over him. She knew deep down that Tenchi and her can probably make it. But now was not the time. She knew that he was still mourning over Sakuya. Who knows how long it will be before Tenchi can put her memory to rest and move on with his life. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined herself speaking to Sakuya, "Thank you for being very kind and loving to Tenchi. I know you did not deserve the fate you had received - no one did. Forgive me for sounding a bit selfish here, but thank you for kind of showing me the errors of my ways. Not just for Tenchi, but for my whole life. I've been living a behind so many different masks to try and hide who I really am inside." She opened her eyes and turned her attention to Tenchi, "Tenchi, I can only imagine how hard it is for you. But I just want you to know that we are all still here for you and we all love you very much. Please do not shut us all out because when you do, you make us all worry about you. As I said earlier, you are a very kind person who does not deserve to go through misery like this." A tear slowly started to fall down her cheek.
Tenchi noticed it and replied, "Oh, Ayeka, please... stop! Don't cry!" He got up, got a napkin from the counter and gave it her. "Here.."
"Thank you, Tenchi," Ayeka responded. "Funny how you were the one who is going through the agony of losing someone so special, but it's ME who is crying right now." She wiped her tears away and smiled a little.
"Yeah," Tenchi said. "Funny..." He then started thinking to himself, "Thank you, Ayeka. I really needed this."
Ayeka then stood up. "Well, Tenchi," she said. "I think I had better get back to work. You're grandfather was reprimanding me Ryoko and I for not doing as much as we can to help around here, what with Sasami doing an excellent job in the kitchen and all." She bowed deeply. "Thank you again for showing me how to do the dishes. I think I will start doing that from here on in after meals. I'm kinda scared of your grandfather when he gets angry!"
Tenchi smiled in return. "Yeah, he can be quite intimidating when he wants to be." He paused. "Listen Ayeka, thanks again for that little talk. I think I feel much better now."
"You're very welcome, Tenchi," Ayeka replied brilliantly. "Anytime, you need to talk, you know that WE are all here for you - and that of course includes me!" she beemed. She then turned around and walked out of the kitchen. "Take care, Tenchi," she said as she closed the door behind her. To herself, she said, "YAY!! I think that went VERY well!!"
Back in the kitchen, Tenchi himself got up and started to walk toward the door, out of the house and back toward the Masaki Shrine. He felt as if a big weight was taken off of his shoulder. "Sakuya.." he said to himself, "I'm ok, Sakuya... I'm ok..."
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Ok, first off, I'd like to say that I do NOT consider myself to be an expert when it comes to Sakuya's personality. Contrary to what you may believe, this is NOT going to be a story about Sakuya. So I ask you to just bear with me.. :-)
I hope you liked it and I promise to try harder to get updated more frequently. C&C's ?? ;-)
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Misguided Destiny: A Tale of the Heart
By KajiSan
Usual disclaimer: All characters belong to AIC and Pioneer Entertainment. So please don't sue me! :-)
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Chapter 3: Letting It Out - Just a Little
"Mmmm, mmm!! That was delicious, Sasami!" Tenchi could not give enough praise to how delicious was the meal before him. Tonkatsu, "This has got to be one of the best meals you've ever prepared!"
Sasami blushed. "Thank you, Tenchi. I'm really glad you liked it!" She turned to the other people at the table. "Did everyone else like it too?"
"Rarf, rarf, rarf...." Ryoko tried to answer. Obviously, there was still a LOT of food in the space pirate's mouth that was impeding any sort of decipherable human language from coming out. Some of the food was even spilling out of her mouth as she was trying to speak! This did not sit well at all with Ayeka, who was sitting right next to her. As another gob of food dropped from her mouth Ayeka growled and stood up.
"PLEASE BE CIVILIZED AND HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THE FOOD AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO ARE TRYING TO EAT!" she screamed. It looked as if several veins were ready to pop in her forehead.
Ryoko swallowed whatever food was remaining in her mouth. "Hey," she replied rather calmly, "Sasami asked me a question, so I tried my best to answer." She then put on a rather sinister smile and continued, "I didn't want to let Sasami think that her food was bad, so I responded. Even though it didn't exactly come out very well, but at least I tried to say something. Unlike YOU, Ayeka. The first thing you did was yell at me!"
Ayeka stepped back a bit. "Um, well.... That's because..."
"...it's probably because you think the food sucks, huh, Ayeka," finished Ryoko.
Ayeka was flabbergasted. "WHAT?!"
Before she could finish, Ryoko continued, "I don't believe that you would even think such things about your poor little sister." She went over to Sasami and put her arm around her. "She works so hard all day to help around the house while all her big sister does is lounge around. She isn't even thankful for the wonderful meal you have worked so hard to prepare for us. You must really be disappointed..."
Sasami felt pressured. She hated being in the middle of the arguments between her sister and Ryoko. "Um... Not really..." she answered.
Ayeka face was turning a deep shade of red. You can practically hear the blood boiling in her head! "DON'T YOU DARE GET SASAMI INVOLVED IN THIS, YOU HUSSIE!!" she screamed. She was about to pounce onto Ryoko with all of her anger well all of a sudden the door to the kitchen opened up.
"What's all the commotion in here?" asked Katsuhito walking into kitchen. "I can hear you two all the way from the shrine!"
Ryoko spoke up first. "Ayeka here was about to pound me into the ground like a mad gorilla!" She took this opportunity to stick her tongue out to her.
Ayeka was clearly miffed at that gesture, but tried to control herself in the presence of Tenchi's grandfather. "It was all because of Ryoko trying to rile me up," she managed to answer in a more dignified tone. "I did let get the better of me, and I apologize for my behavior, grandfather." She then bowed deeply in apology to Katsuhito.
Ryoko then realized that Ayeka was now building up more brownie points that she was and quickly tried to follow Ayeka. "I'm sorry too, grandfather," she replied as she too bowed deeply. She hated when she had to follow Ayeka like that, but she had no choice. Ayeka had baited her into that corner. "I'll get you back, Ayeka," she said to herself as she is already planning on how she will retaliate.
"Hmph," was all Katsuhito said as he sat down at the head of the table. Sasami quickly went over and place a plate of food before him.
"I hope you like it, grandfather," said Sasami as she presented him the food.
"I'm sure I will, Sasami," replied Katsuhito with a smile. "You know I always do!"
Sasami smiled as she went back towards the kitchen. She wanted to make sure that the place was clean before she herself sat down to eat. Tenchi noticed how hard she was working and when he realized that he was finished eating, he stood up and faced his grandfather. "Grandpa, may I please be excused," he said. "I'm finished eating and I want to help Sasami in the kitchen. She seems to be working very hard and I want to give her a hand."
"Yes, Tenchi," replied the patriarch. "You are excused. Please help Sasami as we are all thankful for her hard work and should assist her when we can..." Turning a bit to Ayeka and Ryoko. The continued, "...instead bickering and disrespecting the food she has prepared for us."
Both Ryoko and Ayeka fell to their knees in shame. They tried to finish their food as they knew that leaving it now would show even more disrespect then that have already shown. Katsuhito then turned his attention to his food and started to eat.
In the kitchen, Tenchi noticed Sasami hard at work cleaning to pots she had used while cooking. He walked over to her and said, "Here... Let me take care of that. It's the least I can do after that delicious meal to prepared for us."
Sasami was a bit startled to see Tenchi in the kitchen. She was used to doing all of the work in the kitchen and didn't mind it at all. "Oh, sorry Tenchi," she said a bit shocked. "I didn't except to see you there." Turning her attention back to the dishes, she continued, "It's ok... I don't mind it at all. It makes me feel good knowing that I can contribute to this household."
Tenchi smiled. "Don't worry about it Sasami," he answered. "You've been working really hard around here and you need a little break every now and then. Besides, it's make ME feel a little better that I can repay you for the added generosity you've been giving me the past few days." He remembered the breakfast earlier that day that she had prepared for him. "That breakfast you made me this morning was so good, thank you. But I know you must've gone out of your way to prepare that for me. So this is my little way of saying thanks."
Sasami smiled broadly. She felt so proud that she was able to help Tenchi as much as she has during this hard time for him. "Thanks, Tenchi," she answered happily. She stepped off of the riser stool she used to prop herself up to the sink. Tenchi then rolled up his sleeves and started to work on the dishes. "You know, it really isn't a big thing, Tenchi," she said. "I mean the breakfast and all... I really enjoyed doing it, so I don't really think of it as a chore or anything." She sat down at the counter behind the sink and began to eat. She felt more comfortable here with Tenchi then outside with Ryoko and Ayeka.
"I'm glad you feel that way, Sasami," replied Tenchi. "But, I guess it also makes me feel better knowing that I can do this little job for you as thanks." He continued to meticulously scrub away at the pots. There was one stain on a pot that does not want to come off. He tried scrubbing harder and harder. "Shoot! This stain won't come off!" he said.
Sasami giggled. "You know that there is some steel wool up there by the faucet, Tenchi." She pointed it out to him. It was hanging on the wall right beside the faucet.
"Oh, sorry," replied Tenchi rather embarrassed. He took the steel wool and continued to work on the pots. This time, the stain came off rather easily. "There you go! Thanks, Sasami."
As Tenchi was finishing up the pots and pans, the door opened from the dining room. It was Ayeka carrying the dirty dishes from the table. You can easily tell that she is struggling to keep all of the dishes balanced in her arms so as not to fall. The look on her face says that she cannot hold on much longer and that she was about to drop all of them. From the dining room, Ryoko can be heard teasing, "Don't drop them, Ayeka!! You wouldn't want to show Tenchi how clumsy you really are, right?"
"SHUT UP, RYOKO!!" recanted Ayeka. As she did, a glass from the top of the pile was about to fall off. After it did, Sasami ran over and caught the glass just before it hit the ground. "WHOA, WHOA!!!" screamed Ayeka as she was about to lose her balance.
"AYEKA!!" cried Tenchi as he turned around from the sink to see a stumbling Ayeka with armful of dishes - breakable dishes at that!! He leapt from the sink and grabbed Ayeka just before she completely lost her balance. The dishes were hanging on precariously, but after Tenchi had stabilized Ayeka, the dishes then also began to settle down. "Are you alright, Ayeka?" asked Tenchi.
Ayeka was shaking like a leaf! She was totally embarrassed to have Tenchi see her like this - all clumsy and stuff. She was also scared for the fact that she could've dropped all of the dishes and hurt herself and Sasami in the process. She was just so shocked to think of anything else - including the fact that she was well in Tenchi's arms! "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," was all she could say.
"It's alright, Ayeka," replied Tenchi trying to calm her down. He could tell from holding her that she was very, very much in shock. "Calm down. Everything's ok. None of the dishes fell. He then turned to Sasami, "Help he bring her over to a chair or something.
Sasami nodded and brought over a stool. Tenchi began to help Ayeka sit down. It was then when Ayeka realized that he was holding her rather closely. "Ooo," was all she can say. She felt such a sense of comfort and peacefulness as he helped her settle down onto the stool. Though it didn't last very long, to Ayeka it seemed to last forever. "Tenchi..." she said to herself. "Please don't let me go..."
After Tenchi set her down and he was comfortable that she was stabilized, he slowly began to let her go and take control of the dishes that were still in her arms. He could feel Ayeka still holding on tight as he tried to set her down. "Ayeka," he said. "Please let go of me before the dishes fall."
"Huh?" Ayeka mumbled. She was still fantasizing about being in Tenchi's arms. "Oh, sorry, Tenchi. I was so scared." She finally loosened her hold on his arms.
"It's ok, Ayeka," replied Tenchi. "Let's get these dishes to the sink." He grabbed the stack of plates and glasses and slowly proceeded to the sink. He rolled up his sleeves and started to work on the dirty dishes. Sasami noticed him and jumped from her seat.
"Tenchi, I'll take care of them," she said as she tried to get Tenchi to let her do them. She started to feel bad that she is letting Tenchi do all of her work.
"Nonsense, Sasami," Tenchi replied. "As I said earlier, you've done so much for this family today - especially for me. Why don't you take it easy for the rest of the afternoon? Heaven knows you deserve it!" He smiled warmly at her.
Sasami returned that smile. "Ok, Tenchi," she said. She turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen. Suddenly, she remembered about the magazine she had left on the counter. She quickly returned and got it before anyone could see it. She looked at it for a moment and turned to Tenchi, "Hey, Tenchi?"
He turned around to face her. "Yes, Sasami?"
"Don't plan anything this evening," replied the young girl. "I need you to take me somewhere this evening."
Tenchi thought for a moment. "Sure, Sasami." He replied after a few moments. "I don't think I have anything much to do tonight anyway."
Sasami smiled. "Thanks!" She turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Tenchi smiled as she walked out of the kitchen. Turning to Ayeka who was recovering from the mild shock she went through, he said, "Are you OK now, Ayeka?"
The Jurai Princess replied, "Huh? Oh yes, thank you for you're concern, Tenchi." She realized that she was no alone with Tenchi. A happy smile appeared on Ayeka's face. Finally, she had him to herself, without anyone to interrupt.
Just then as if on cue, Ryoko thundered into the kitchen. "Hey, Tenchi!" she roared. She was carrying her dirty dishes with her. "I just wanted to drop these off in the sink. Can't leave the house dirty now, can we?" She dropped the dishes into the sink then quickly glomped onto Tenchi. Noticing Ayeka sitting at the kitchen counter, she mentioned to her, "Oh, Ayeka! Glad you're here. Can you take care of the dirty dishes for Tenchi? We don't want to let him do all the work around the house, right?" She then turned her attention to Tenchi again who was trying his very best to avoid any scandalous situations.
"Ahh!! Ryoko!" he cried trying to fight back her very strong advances. "Quit it!! I got dishes to clean!"
Ayeka, who's little dream sequence of her own was abruptly shattered by Ryoko's interruption started seething. It looked as if any second now, the top of her head was going to explode! "RYOKO!! GET OFF OF TENCHI RIGHT NOW!!" she screamed pretty much at the top of her lungs.
"RYOKO!!" said a voice that came from back in the dining room. "THE LAWN IS WAITING!!" Everyone finally recognized the voice of Katsuhito.
Ryoko sighed. "Yes sir," she answered. "Right away." She took herself off of Tenchi and started to make her way to the front of the house. Before she did, she turned to Ayeka and hissed at her. "Grrr!"
Ayeka immediately calmed down as soon as she heard Grandfather's voice. She watched as Ryoko was reduced from a flirtatious bimbo to a scolded little girl at the sound of Katsuhito's command. When she walked by her toward the front lawn, Ayeka smiled deviously almost laughing. This only raised the ire in Ryoko's soul, but she knew that she could not do anything about it - at least not for now. When Ryoko finally left, Ayeka dropped the devious smile for a more sincere one. She then turned her attention back to Tenchi.
Tenchi let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as Ryoko left the kitchen. He quickly turned his attention back to the dishes. Ryoko had added to pile that was already there, so he wanted to finish it quickly.
Ayeka watched as Tenchi meticulously worked on his task at hand. No complaints came from him - just hard work. She admired that about him so very much. He knew what he had to do and just did it. "If only I can have that kind of attitude when it came to chores!" She chuckled to herself. After staring at Tenchi's back for a few more seconds, she got up and walked towards him. "Excuse me, Tenchi," she interrupted.
Tenchi look up from his work. "Oh, Ayeka!" he said a bit startled. "I thought you had already left."
Ayeka continued to smile. "Do you need any help with all of that?" She started to pick up a dirty dish and wipe it with a rag that was in the sink.
"Um, Ayeka," said Tenchi. "You need to soak that dish first in the soapy water before you use that."
"Really?" asked Ayeka. She quickly put down the rag and dish. "Please forgive me, Tenchi. I'm not really the best when it comes to household chores as you might have already noticed." She folded her hands in front of her and bowed in apology.
Tenchi saw this and was touched. "Oh, Ayeka!" he replied. "It's not so bad." He picked up the dirty dish that she had put down earlier. "Here. Let me show you. That is, if you want me to."
Ayeka's eyes lit up! "If I want you to?" she said to herself. "Is your grandfather the immortal Yosho?! Of course I want you to!!!" The excitement can be seen clearly in her eyes. This was turning out to be a great little moment with Tenchi! She composed herself as much as she could before finally letting out, "Oh, thank you Tenchi! Lemme give it a try." She walked up once again to the sink. "What do I do first?"
Tenchi then reached for a pair of rubber gloves. "You might want to put these on," he said. Ayeka took the gloves and cringed a little at their worn condition. Tenchi giggled. "They look like that because they are the ones that make contact with the dirty dishes. Would you rather your HANDS look like that?"
Ayeka cringed some more. "Eww..." she muttered. But after thinking about her soft, silky smooth hands, she knew that she couldn't get them to be as dirty as the gloves, so she reluctantly put them on. It took a while, but she able to clumsily put on the pair of rubber gloves. "Ok, now what do I do?" she asked.
Tenchi then motioned to the sinks. There were two basins. He pointed to the one on the left and said, "In here, we soak the dirty dishes." Ayeka nodded. "You notice that it is filled with soapy water. Well the dirty dishes soak in this water, so when we scrub them down, the dirt on the dishes would be easier to clean off." Now motioning to the right basin, he continued, "In this one, we do the actual washing." He showed Ayeka a demonstration of how it is done with a couple of dishes.
"Ok," said Ayeka. "I think I've got it. Here, let me finished the rest."
Tenchi stepped aside and let Ayeka continue. She was a bit clumsy at first, almost dropping a couple of the dishes, but after a little while, she got the hang of it. She was very proud of her little accomplishment, but not mainly for being able to do the dishes, but for the most part, being able to help Tenchi. For the first time in a while, SHE was the one involved in a little job alone with Tenchi. She had been waiting for a long time for a moment like this. "Um, Tenchi," she said very nervously.
Tenchi looked back at Ayeka, "Yes, Ayeka?"
She could not look at him directly, as she was very nervous. She knew that she had to phrase the next words just right for she did not want to cause any anxiety in him as well. "Thanks, Tenchi," she finally managed to say. "Thanks for taking the time to show me how to do this little chore."
Tenchi smiled. "Oh, no problem, Ayeka. I'm glad that you wanted to learn."
Ayeka sighed. After she had finished the last dish, she put down the sponge. She always wanted to have a simple, almost meaningless conversation with Tenchi - just her and him alone. She was still a bit nervous as to what to say next, but was a bit more relaxed now that before. "Back home on Jurai, we had servants who did everything for us. I never really did any manual chores until we came here." She sighed and looked guiltily toward Tenchi. "I'm sorry if I'm too much of a burden to you Tenchi." She faced him totally this time and bowed deeply in apology.
"Oh, stop that, Ayeka," replied Tenchi. "You are not being a burden to any of us." He then thought to himself, "Well, maybe to Ryoko, but that's a whole different story!" Turning his attention back to Ayeka, he continued. "You're a guest here in our home. Yes, I know you're also living here with us, but it is still the Masaki home and you, Sasami and Ryoko are still our guests. You are being very kind when you offer to help and we of course are very grateful for it. So actually, it should be ME thanking YOU!" Tenchi smiled broadly.
Seeing his genuine smile made Ayeka's heart leap! All her anxiety seemed to have just left her body. She was feeling nothing but happiness at that moment. "Thank you, Tenchi. You are just too kind a host. I wish somehow I could someday return all of the kindness you have shown all of us. You are definitely a man who deserves all the compassion one can give."
Tenchi pulled back a little. He started to feel a little too "praised" for being himself. "It's OK Ayeka. I do it because I like doing it. It's like when you love someone, you do things for them just because you want to make them happy." With those words, Tenchi's smile faded a bit. As if on cue, images of his one and only love of his life began to run through his head again. He pulled a chair next to Ayeka and sat down. "Why does she always seem to come back into my mind every time?!" he asked himself.
Ayeka noticed his grief. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Tenchi for stirring up her memory." She looked down. "It seems all that I do recently is cause you to suffer."
Tenchi looked up. "Ayeka, please... It's not you. She always seems to come back into my mind with almost ANYTHING I think about." He faced her and continued, "Thank you for being here for me."
Ayeka was a bit shocked. "Oh, of course, Tenchi. It's nothing at all. I'm very glad I could be of whatever little help to you." She thought for a moment about what she wanted to ask him next. "Should I? I really don't want to cause him any more grief. But, maybe it actually might help him to talk about it." She composed herself before she courageously continued, "Tenchi, I hope it won't cause you much more grief, but.... Can you tell me a little about Sakuya? I mean, we all know ABOUT her and everything, but we never really got to know her before.... you know..."
Tenchi tensed up a little. He never really talked about Sakuya much after the incident. Of course, she came up in conversations here and there, but he didn't really talk ABOUT her. He looked at Ayeka who had nothing but concern in her eyes. He closed his eyes for a bit, then smiled. "I haven't really talked about her in a while, haven't I?" he said at first. "Maybe I should start to do just that."
Ayeka smiled greatly. She knew she had done the right thing. "Tell me, only if you feel comfortable doing so, Tenchi," she replied cautiously.
"Well," Tenchi said. He looked up at the ceiling for a little bit. Happy and smiling faces of Sakuya started to dance in his head. "She was always happy. It seemed that nothing in this world could take that beautiful smile off of her face. She never let anything bother her. Of course, she had her share of problems just like any other high school girl. She had her circle of friends and gossiped with them." He paused for a second. "But what made me love her so much was that she didn't have to try so hard to make me happy. All she really had to do was be herself. Her cheerfulness was so contagious that it rubbed off on me just be her being around. When we were together, we never really needed anything specific to do. I mean, we could just be walking down a busy street and I'd be the happiest person in the world."
Ayeka took in every word he said. "So you mean to tell me that she didn't do ANYTHING at all to win you over?"
Tenchi replied, "Well, I did notice some advances in the beginning, but after a while, by just being herself, I really got to know her for who she is as a person - not just as a pretty girl. And it was that person that I saw inside of her that I fell in love with." He felt himself cringe a little at those last couple of words. But he was able to compose himself. It was starting to get easier and easier to do so. Talking about Sakuya with Ayeka seemed to have really helped him and his agony over losing her.
Ayeka just pondered every word Tenchi had told her. She had been going about this thing with Tenchi the wrong way all this time. Almost as soon as she had begun to fall for Tenchi, she always remembered herself trying way too hard to win his heart. Maybe it was time to stop all of those shenanigans she and Ryoko kept getting themselves into over him. She knew deep down that Tenchi and her can probably make it. But now was not the time. She knew that he was still mourning over Sakuya. Who knows how long it will be before Tenchi can put her memory to rest and move on with his life. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined herself speaking to Sakuya, "Thank you for being very kind and loving to Tenchi. I know you did not deserve the fate you had received - no one did. Forgive me for sounding a bit selfish here, but thank you for kind of showing me the errors of my ways. Not just for Tenchi, but for my whole life. I've been living a behind so many different masks to try and hide who I really am inside." She opened her eyes and turned her attention to Tenchi, "Tenchi, I can only imagine how hard it is for you. But I just want you to know that we are all still here for you and we all love you very much. Please do not shut us all out because when you do, you make us all worry about you. As I said earlier, you are a very kind person who does not deserve to go through misery like this." A tear slowly started to fall down her cheek.
Tenchi noticed it and replied, "Oh, Ayeka, please... stop! Don't cry!" He got up, got a napkin from the counter and gave it her. "Here.."
"Thank you, Tenchi," Ayeka responded. "Funny how you were the one who is going through the agony of losing someone so special, but it's ME who is crying right now." She wiped her tears away and smiled a little.
"Yeah," Tenchi said. "Funny..." He then started thinking to himself, "Thank you, Ayeka. I really needed this."
Ayeka then stood up. "Well, Tenchi," she said. "I think I had better get back to work. You're grandfather was reprimanding me Ryoko and I for not doing as much as we can to help around here, what with Sasami doing an excellent job in the kitchen and all." She bowed deeply. "Thank you again for showing me how to do the dishes. I think I will start doing that from here on in after meals. I'm kinda scared of your grandfather when he gets angry!"
Tenchi smiled in return. "Yeah, he can be quite intimidating when he wants to be." He paused. "Listen Ayeka, thanks again for that little talk. I think I feel much better now."
"You're very welcome, Tenchi," Ayeka replied brilliantly. "Anytime, you need to talk, you know that WE are all here for you - and that of course includes me!" she beemed. She then turned around and walked out of the kitchen. "Take care, Tenchi," she said as she closed the door behind her. To herself, she said, "YAY!! I think that went VERY well!!"
Back in the kitchen, Tenchi himself got up and started to walk toward the door, out of the house and back toward the Masaki Shrine. He felt as if a big weight was taken off of his shoulder. "Sakuya.." he said to himself, "I'm ok, Sakuya... I'm ok..."
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Ok, first off, I'd like to say that I do NOT consider myself to be an expert when it comes to Sakuya's personality. Contrary to what you may believe, this is NOT going to be a story about Sakuya. So I ask you to just bear with me.. :-)
I hope you liked it and I promise to try harder to get updated more frequently. C&C's ?? ;-)