Tenchi Muyo!
Disclaimer: This episode of Tenchi Muyo! is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved.
Note: This episode takes place shortly after the events of Tenchi Muyo! Special Episode: Here Comes Jurai, Part Two.
Of Happiness and Sorrow
Episode 3:
Confessions of Romance
"Brother Yosho!" Ayeka screamed as she tackled him down. She held up her hand and touched his face. "Oh you look as handsome as you did the day you left Jurai. But how? Why?"
Just a few moments ago, Katsuhito revealed to everyone that he has actually been wearing a disguise, and he looks exactly the way he did when he left Jurai over 700 years ago. Right now, everybody is acting as he expected them to, shocked and stunned.
"Easy now Ayeka," started Yosho, "Just give me a second and I will explain everything." He pulled Ayeka off of him and got to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked over to everyone and cleared his throat. "After I had managed to defeat Ryoko, I realized that my ship Funaho had taken too much damage and would not be able to go back into space. I was both concerned and gladdened at the same time. Funaho would soon take root in the earth and that meant that my lifespan would shorten considerably."
Mihoshi looked confused and spoke up. "Um, Mr. Katsu...I mean Mr. Yosho, what do you mean by your lifespan would shorten?"
"Well Miss Mihoshi, Jurai trees are blessed with the power of Tsunami. Jurai royal family members are bonded with a Jurai tree, which gives them very long lives. But for the trees to keep their power, they need to stay connected to Jurai, so if a Jurai tree were to take root on a planet other than Jurai, it would lose its power, giving the person bonded with the tree a much shorter live than normal, well, normal for the Jurai royal family. Do you understand now Miss Mihoshi?"
Mihoshi put a finger on her chin. "Oh, um...no."
Everyone face faulted onto the floor.
Yosho stood back up, rubbing his head. "Well anyway, as I told you before Ayeka, being stranded on this desolate and relatively unknown planet was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I no longer wanted to go back to Jurai."
Ayeka quickly interrupted, "I already know this Brother, but I want to know how you managed to stay so young all this time on earth."
"Oh yes. Some time after I stayed on earth and sealed Ryoko away in the cave with my sword, which then contained all three of her gems, I discovered that Ryoko's gems were giving Funaho power which gave me power and gave me an extended life, one I would have had if Funaho were still connected with Jurai."
Ryoko stood up, looking confused, "My gems? How could they give your tree power?"
Yosho looked at Ryoko thoughtfully. "You know Ryoko, I had asked myself that exact question for a long time. My only guess was that your gems somehow possess power that is similar to that of Jurai's. That would explain how you and Ryo-Ohki were able to penetrate Jurai's defenses over 700 years ago. My Mother had the same suspicions."
"Which is why she wanted to ask me if I were planning to ever create anymore Ryo-Ohkis," Washu chimed in.
Tenchi looked over at Washu, a dawning look coming on his face. "So Washu, that's what she wanted to talk to you about when she visited."
Washu looked at Tenchi and winked at him. "Bingo."
Ayeka looked back to her half-brother. "Well that explains your being able to stay young Brother, but I still have another question for you."
"Alright Ayeka, what is it?"
"After we had all found out that you are Yosho, why didn't you then reveal your true form to us?"
Yosho sighed deeply. "I guess was hiding."
"Hiding?" asked Mihoshi, "What were you hiding from?"
"I was hiding from my past. I had told you before how I did not want to be Emperor of Jurai. This disguise was like my way of leaving my past and embracing my future. There is another reason too: I stayed in this form out of respect for my new family. Over time, when I started to have a family of my own, they had believed me to be an earthling, and as such, that I aged as one as well. I had used some of the power from Funaho to create a field around my body to make me look like I was aging like a normal earthling."
"Wow," said Tenchi, "There is a lot more to this than I thought.
"You know, there's more," exclaimed Washu.
"Really?" asked Sasami, "What else is there to tell Yosho?"
Here is the part that Yosho did not want to talk about. He was looking around the room apprehensively. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. 'What should I say to them?' he thought worriedly.
Washu seemed to catch on and helped him along. "He was afraid."
Tenchi looked blankly at his grandfather. "Afraid? What were you afraid of?"
"I...I was afraid of you and the others and what you would think of me if you found out that I have been lying to you all this time about myself."
Tenchi looked completely shocked. Even though his grandfather now looked a lot younger than before, he still thought of him as the same man, strong and proud. With him just saying that he was afraid of how everybody would react to him, well, it was like now he had become a different person as well. "Grandpa, I...well I'm not too sure what to say. I am surprised that you were worried about what we would think of you. I thought that you knew us better than that. We don't care about any of that, right guys?"
"Right!" everybody chimed in.
Yosho rubbed the back of his head with his hand and looked around apologetically. "I should have known better. I have acted rather foolishly and I apologize."
Ayeka hugged her brother tightly. "Oh that is alright Brother, now lets get back to dinner before it gets cold!"
Yosho hugged her back and started to smile again, "You are right Ayeka. Thank you everyone." They all sat back down and started to eat dinner again. Dinner went back to normal, minus some wracked nerves from both Washu and Yosho. They were just about done, when they heard the front door open.
Nobuyuki's voice could be heard, "Hey guys, I'm home! Sorry I'm late, I had to put some last minute details on my project before I turned it in."
"Oh hey Dad!" Tenchi started, "We're all finishing up dinner right now."
"Really?" his Dad sounded slightly sad.
Sasami was quick to cheer him up, "Oh don't worry Mr. Masaki, I'll cook up something for you!"
"Ah, thank you Sasami. Just give me a second to put my stuff away and I'll be right back." They heard him going up the stairs to his room. Sasami, meanwhile, picked up her plate and went in the kitchen to make something for Tenchi's Dad.
Everyone soon finished dinner and were bringing the dishes into the kitchen. Even Ryoko was helping, and Tenchi guessed she was so she could keep an eye on him in case he decided to bail on the walk with her. Luckily for Ryoko, everyone else was too busy thinking about what just transpired with Yosho to take notice.
After they were all done with the dishes, everyone went off to do their own thing. Ryo-Ohki stayed in the kitchen with Sasami to help with Nobuyuki's dinner. Ayeka, Mihoshi and Washu all went into the living room. 'They are probably going to have some 'girl talk' or something,' thought Tenchi, 'well, at least none of them will notice Ryoko and me going out for a walk,' he added with a sly smile.
Yosho watched his grandson with a smile. He had overheard Tenchi and Ryoko's conversation earlier, and he had felt quite proud of him. 'Tenchi's growing up into a fine young man,' thought the ex-prince.
Tenchi was busy cleaning the rest of the table when Ryoko caught his eye. He looked over at her and she nodded. He nodded back and they went out of the house, and started their walk.
Nobuyuki walked downstairs, getting ready for his dinner. When he got downstairs, he took a look around and saw Yosho. Not knowing that he is, was, Katsuhito, he walked up to Yosho with his hand outstretched. "Hello there, I'm Nobuyuki, Tenchi's father. I don't believe that we've met before.
Yosho started to laugh, as well as Mihoshi, Ayeka and Washu who were only a few feet away, having some 'girl talk' as Tenchi put it. Nobuyuki looked very confused as he watched everyone around the room laughing.
______
Ryoko and Tenchi were walking through the woods around the Masaki household. They weren't talking or anything, just walking. Ryoko was holding Tenchi's arm and leaning slightly into him, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. She was surprised that he was letting her be this close to him, usually he would just tell her to let him go or run away. It felt very nice to her to be this close to him.
Unbeknownst to her, he was feeling the exact same thing. 'Man,' thought Tenchi, 'being close to women like this feels very good. It feels right. I don't know why I avoided this for so long.' Suddenly he began to think of the last woman he was very close to, his mother, and it pained him. He had lost her so early in his life. He still thinks of her often, which is one of the many reasons he didn't want to choose any of the girls. He knew that if he chose the rest of them would eventually leave, and that is something that he couldn't bear to think of. He finally had felt complete with all the girls in the house, like his family was finally whole.
They were both so deep in thought that neither were watching where they were going. Soon they were deep in the forest, deeper than Tenchi had ever ventured. After a while, Tenchi noticed that he didn't know where they were and finally broke the silence that had followed them since they left the house. "Uh Ryoko," he starts, "I don't know where we are, should we turn around and go back?"
Ryoko looked up at Tenchi, he sounded slightly concerned, but his eyes were as warm and welcoming as ever. "I've got a better idea Tenchi. A while back when I was floating around, I found a very nice spot that we can go to."
"Really? Where is it at?"
"Oh it's not too far from here, I think that it is a little further that way," she pointed off slightly to Tenchi's left. "We will probably get there in a few minutes." She looked up and smiled at him.
He smiled back at her. "That sounds nice, let's go there." And with that, the former space pirate and prince headed off deeper into the forest.
______
"What do you mean you don't know where he is!?" shrieked the crown princess at her sister, "He was just helping you with the dishes wasn't he!?"
Sasami backed away from her sister's rage. "Well he was helping clean the table," she replied weakly, "and it looks clean to me. He probably went off to train with grandpa, I mean Yosho."
It seemed that that was going to calm her until Mihoshi chimed in, "Tenchi? I thought he was with Ryoko. I saw the two of them leave together shortly after dinner."
This was not the answer that Ayeka had hoped for. "HER!?" she bellowed, "What is Lord Tenchi doing with her!?"
"Um maybe they are out on a date?" answered the bubblehead.
Ayeka snarled and picked up Mihoshi. She looked like she was about to hit her when suddenly something hits her on the back of the head, knocking her out. Sasami looks over to see Washu holding a giant hammer with the words "Anger Management" written on it.
"I swear that girl is going to have an ulcer before she reaches thirty," Washu proclaims, "She is becoming seriously unbalanced."
Sasami looked to the little genius, "It's not that Washu, she's just had a lot to go through today, she just needs a little rest and relaxation."
Washu stood up suddenly and looked at Ayeka thoughtfully. 'A little R N R huh? I might have just the thing.' She started the traditional Washu smile.
______
"Wow Ryoko you were right, this place is amazing!"
Ryoko couldn't help but smile at the look on Tenchi's face. They had just walked into a beautiful clearing. It was all set on top of a small hill. The trees made a "U" shape pattern around it, opening where they entered. A small stream flowed around the entrance. There were beautiful flowers all over, except for a small opening in the center.
"So you like this place?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful," he stammered.
Unbeknownst to Tenchi, Ryoko had this planned the entire time. She had created this place, with a little help from Washu. They wanted to make a place both beautiful and secluded, so she could be with Tenchi alone with no one interrupting.
Tenchi walked a little further up the clearing to get a better look around. He then looked over to Ryoko, who seemed to be hesitating for something. The sun was starting to set behind her, making it look like she was glowing. He decided to take a chance and get closer to the pirate. He reached out and took her hand in his. The prince led her into the small opening of grass and beckoned her to sit down with him. She did and they sat next to each other staring deep into each other's eyes amidst the trickling water and setting sun.
______
Ayeka opened her eyes groggily. Her head was throbbing slightly. She moaned slightly and rubbed the back of her head where a huge bump was. She suddenly noticed that someone was over her, watching her. It took her a few moments for eyes to refocus. The first thing she saw was dark hair and a pair of friendly welcoming brown eyes. "Tenchi?" she said lightly.
"Yes Ayeka?" answered the prince.
"What happened?"
"I don't know, I walked into the living room and you had just passed out. Washu said that you were under a lot of stress and your body couldn't handle it," Tenchi answered warmly.
It was just now that Ayeka realized that Tenchi was holding her hand in a very gentle, caring manner. Another thought dawned to her.
"Where's Ryoko?" Her eyes finally regained total focus and she could see around her. She was back in her room, lying on her bed with Tenchi close to her. His face bore an expression of sorrow at the moment.
"Ryoko left with Ryo-Ohki a little bit ago, I'm not too sure if she will come back."
"What!?" she nearly screamed as she started to get up. Tenchi gently placed his hands on her shoulders and laid her back onto her bed.
"Ryoko took me on a little walk and told me that she loved me."
Ayeka looked frightened. "And what did you tell her?"
Tenchi sighed deeply. "I told her that I loved her too but." he stopped for a moment as Ayeka started to cry. He gently wiped away her tears, "I told her that I could only love her as a friend, nothing more. She asked me why and I then told her that my heart already belongs to another."
Ayeka held her breath. " Who does your heart belong to?"
Tenchi smiled at her again. He took a deep breath and answered, "My heart belongs to you. I love you Ayeka."
Ayeka's lips trembled as tears began to run down her face again. "I...I love you too Tenchi."
He then lowered himself towards her and they began to kiss.
______
"Man, maybe I made this a little too good, Ayeka's not gonna want to wake up!" exclaimed the eccentric scientist.
Sasami was watching her sister as she lay in Washu's lab inside a stasis tube. There was a green fluid inside that was surrounding Ayeka as she slept. There were several probes on Ayeka's body that monitored her. Washu was typing away merrily again.
"Washu, what is all of this?"
"It's a device that will help your sister to feel better. Right now she is in a comatose state that is allowing her body to recover. I inputted a dream to occur into her brain that will help her to relax, which makes the process go faster. Don't worry, your sister will wake up tomorrow morning feeling like a million bucks!"
Sasami smiled weakly. "Okay, as long as she will be better soon." She then left Washu's lab.
______
Tenchi was sitting next to Ryoko, not entirely sure what to do. They had just watched the sun set a few minutes ago, and now they sat in total silence. Up to this moment, Tenchi let his better judgment guide him, but now it was silent and Tenchi was feeling his old nerves start to take over.
Ryoko was starting to feel nervous as well, Tenchi had not spoken to her in a while and she could feel him getting nervous. She finally decided to break the ice. "I had a great time Tenchi, thanks for going on this walk with me."
"Oh no problem Ryoko, I had fun. Maybe we could do it again sometime."
"Yeah, that would be nice," she responded. Ryoko could feel her insides begin to flutter. 'All right Ryoko, it's now or never,' she told herself mentally.'
She then leaned in and began to hug him. He was surprised, but his better judgment suddenly kicked in and it told him to hug her back, so he did. They held each other for what seemed like hours.
'Now what?' he thought to himself. A small voice in the back of his head held the answer. 'You know what to do. You want it and she definitely wants it, so succumb to your feelings.' Tenchi smiled as the thoughts came to him. He knew what he had to do, what he wanted to do. Slowly he lifted his head up until it was level with hers. He started to move in closer.
Ryoko's eyes widened as she realized that all her and Washu's planning was finally paying off. She started to lean in too. Their lips were getting closer and closer until.
______
Back up at the shrine, Yosho suddenly stopped his readings and looked up, a large smile appearing on his face. "Well done Tenchi," he muttered out loud, "Well done."
To be continued...
Author's notes: I really like the ending of this one. I smile at it each time I read it. Things are starting to fall into place for Tenchi, or are they? Find out soon!
Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com
Next Episode: Whips and Dreams and Recordings oh my!
Disclaimer: This episode of Tenchi Muyo! is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved.
Note: This episode takes place shortly after the events of Tenchi Muyo! Special Episode: Here Comes Jurai, Part Two.
Of Happiness and Sorrow
Episode 3:
Confessions of Romance
"Brother Yosho!" Ayeka screamed as she tackled him down. She held up her hand and touched his face. "Oh you look as handsome as you did the day you left Jurai. But how? Why?"
Just a few moments ago, Katsuhito revealed to everyone that he has actually been wearing a disguise, and he looks exactly the way he did when he left Jurai over 700 years ago. Right now, everybody is acting as he expected them to, shocked and stunned.
"Easy now Ayeka," started Yosho, "Just give me a second and I will explain everything." He pulled Ayeka off of him and got to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked over to everyone and cleared his throat. "After I had managed to defeat Ryoko, I realized that my ship Funaho had taken too much damage and would not be able to go back into space. I was both concerned and gladdened at the same time. Funaho would soon take root in the earth and that meant that my lifespan would shorten considerably."
Mihoshi looked confused and spoke up. "Um, Mr. Katsu...I mean Mr. Yosho, what do you mean by your lifespan would shorten?"
"Well Miss Mihoshi, Jurai trees are blessed with the power of Tsunami. Jurai royal family members are bonded with a Jurai tree, which gives them very long lives. But for the trees to keep their power, they need to stay connected to Jurai, so if a Jurai tree were to take root on a planet other than Jurai, it would lose its power, giving the person bonded with the tree a much shorter live than normal, well, normal for the Jurai royal family. Do you understand now Miss Mihoshi?"
Mihoshi put a finger on her chin. "Oh, um...no."
Everyone face faulted onto the floor.
Yosho stood back up, rubbing his head. "Well anyway, as I told you before Ayeka, being stranded on this desolate and relatively unknown planet was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I no longer wanted to go back to Jurai."
Ayeka quickly interrupted, "I already know this Brother, but I want to know how you managed to stay so young all this time on earth."
"Oh yes. Some time after I stayed on earth and sealed Ryoko away in the cave with my sword, which then contained all three of her gems, I discovered that Ryoko's gems were giving Funaho power which gave me power and gave me an extended life, one I would have had if Funaho were still connected with Jurai."
Ryoko stood up, looking confused, "My gems? How could they give your tree power?"
Yosho looked at Ryoko thoughtfully. "You know Ryoko, I had asked myself that exact question for a long time. My only guess was that your gems somehow possess power that is similar to that of Jurai's. That would explain how you and Ryo-Ohki were able to penetrate Jurai's defenses over 700 years ago. My Mother had the same suspicions."
"Which is why she wanted to ask me if I were planning to ever create anymore Ryo-Ohkis," Washu chimed in.
Tenchi looked over at Washu, a dawning look coming on his face. "So Washu, that's what she wanted to talk to you about when she visited."
Washu looked at Tenchi and winked at him. "Bingo."
Ayeka looked back to her half-brother. "Well that explains your being able to stay young Brother, but I still have another question for you."
"Alright Ayeka, what is it?"
"After we had all found out that you are Yosho, why didn't you then reveal your true form to us?"
Yosho sighed deeply. "I guess was hiding."
"Hiding?" asked Mihoshi, "What were you hiding from?"
"I was hiding from my past. I had told you before how I did not want to be Emperor of Jurai. This disguise was like my way of leaving my past and embracing my future. There is another reason too: I stayed in this form out of respect for my new family. Over time, when I started to have a family of my own, they had believed me to be an earthling, and as such, that I aged as one as well. I had used some of the power from Funaho to create a field around my body to make me look like I was aging like a normal earthling."
"Wow," said Tenchi, "There is a lot more to this than I thought.
"You know, there's more," exclaimed Washu.
"Really?" asked Sasami, "What else is there to tell Yosho?"
Here is the part that Yosho did not want to talk about. He was looking around the room apprehensively. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. 'What should I say to them?' he thought worriedly.
Washu seemed to catch on and helped him along. "He was afraid."
Tenchi looked blankly at his grandfather. "Afraid? What were you afraid of?"
"I...I was afraid of you and the others and what you would think of me if you found out that I have been lying to you all this time about myself."
Tenchi looked completely shocked. Even though his grandfather now looked a lot younger than before, he still thought of him as the same man, strong and proud. With him just saying that he was afraid of how everybody would react to him, well, it was like now he had become a different person as well. "Grandpa, I...well I'm not too sure what to say. I am surprised that you were worried about what we would think of you. I thought that you knew us better than that. We don't care about any of that, right guys?"
"Right!" everybody chimed in.
Yosho rubbed the back of his head with his hand and looked around apologetically. "I should have known better. I have acted rather foolishly and I apologize."
Ayeka hugged her brother tightly. "Oh that is alright Brother, now lets get back to dinner before it gets cold!"
Yosho hugged her back and started to smile again, "You are right Ayeka. Thank you everyone." They all sat back down and started to eat dinner again. Dinner went back to normal, minus some wracked nerves from both Washu and Yosho. They were just about done, when they heard the front door open.
Nobuyuki's voice could be heard, "Hey guys, I'm home! Sorry I'm late, I had to put some last minute details on my project before I turned it in."
"Oh hey Dad!" Tenchi started, "We're all finishing up dinner right now."
"Really?" his Dad sounded slightly sad.
Sasami was quick to cheer him up, "Oh don't worry Mr. Masaki, I'll cook up something for you!"
"Ah, thank you Sasami. Just give me a second to put my stuff away and I'll be right back." They heard him going up the stairs to his room. Sasami, meanwhile, picked up her plate and went in the kitchen to make something for Tenchi's Dad.
Everyone soon finished dinner and were bringing the dishes into the kitchen. Even Ryoko was helping, and Tenchi guessed she was so she could keep an eye on him in case he decided to bail on the walk with her. Luckily for Ryoko, everyone else was too busy thinking about what just transpired with Yosho to take notice.
After they were all done with the dishes, everyone went off to do their own thing. Ryo-Ohki stayed in the kitchen with Sasami to help with Nobuyuki's dinner. Ayeka, Mihoshi and Washu all went into the living room. 'They are probably going to have some 'girl talk' or something,' thought Tenchi, 'well, at least none of them will notice Ryoko and me going out for a walk,' he added with a sly smile.
Yosho watched his grandson with a smile. He had overheard Tenchi and Ryoko's conversation earlier, and he had felt quite proud of him. 'Tenchi's growing up into a fine young man,' thought the ex-prince.
Tenchi was busy cleaning the rest of the table when Ryoko caught his eye. He looked over at her and she nodded. He nodded back and they went out of the house, and started their walk.
Nobuyuki walked downstairs, getting ready for his dinner. When he got downstairs, he took a look around and saw Yosho. Not knowing that he is, was, Katsuhito, he walked up to Yosho with his hand outstretched. "Hello there, I'm Nobuyuki, Tenchi's father. I don't believe that we've met before.
Yosho started to laugh, as well as Mihoshi, Ayeka and Washu who were only a few feet away, having some 'girl talk' as Tenchi put it. Nobuyuki looked very confused as he watched everyone around the room laughing.
______
Ryoko and Tenchi were walking through the woods around the Masaki household. They weren't talking or anything, just walking. Ryoko was holding Tenchi's arm and leaning slightly into him, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. She was surprised that he was letting her be this close to him, usually he would just tell her to let him go or run away. It felt very nice to her to be this close to him.
Unbeknownst to her, he was feeling the exact same thing. 'Man,' thought Tenchi, 'being close to women like this feels very good. It feels right. I don't know why I avoided this for so long.' Suddenly he began to think of the last woman he was very close to, his mother, and it pained him. He had lost her so early in his life. He still thinks of her often, which is one of the many reasons he didn't want to choose any of the girls. He knew that if he chose the rest of them would eventually leave, and that is something that he couldn't bear to think of. He finally had felt complete with all the girls in the house, like his family was finally whole.
They were both so deep in thought that neither were watching where they were going. Soon they were deep in the forest, deeper than Tenchi had ever ventured. After a while, Tenchi noticed that he didn't know where they were and finally broke the silence that had followed them since they left the house. "Uh Ryoko," he starts, "I don't know where we are, should we turn around and go back?"
Ryoko looked up at Tenchi, he sounded slightly concerned, but his eyes were as warm and welcoming as ever. "I've got a better idea Tenchi. A while back when I was floating around, I found a very nice spot that we can go to."
"Really? Where is it at?"
"Oh it's not too far from here, I think that it is a little further that way," she pointed off slightly to Tenchi's left. "We will probably get there in a few minutes." She looked up and smiled at him.
He smiled back at her. "That sounds nice, let's go there." And with that, the former space pirate and prince headed off deeper into the forest.
______
"What do you mean you don't know where he is!?" shrieked the crown princess at her sister, "He was just helping you with the dishes wasn't he!?"
Sasami backed away from her sister's rage. "Well he was helping clean the table," she replied weakly, "and it looks clean to me. He probably went off to train with grandpa, I mean Yosho."
It seemed that that was going to calm her until Mihoshi chimed in, "Tenchi? I thought he was with Ryoko. I saw the two of them leave together shortly after dinner."
This was not the answer that Ayeka had hoped for. "HER!?" she bellowed, "What is Lord Tenchi doing with her!?"
"Um maybe they are out on a date?" answered the bubblehead.
Ayeka snarled and picked up Mihoshi. She looked like she was about to hit her when suddenly something hits her on the back of the head, knocking her out. Sasami looks over to see Washu holding a giant hammer with the words "Anger Management" written on it.
"I swear that girl is going to have an ulcer before she reaches thirty," Washu proclaims, "She is becoming seriously unbalanced."
Sasami looked to the little genius, "It's not that Washu, she's just had a lot to go through today, she just needs a little rest and relaxation."
Washu stood up suddenly and looked at Ayeka thoughtfully. 'A little R N R huh? I might have just the thing.' She started the traditional Washu smile.
______
"Wow Ryoko you were right, this place is amazing!"
Ryoko couldn't help but smile at the look on Tenchi's face. They had just walked into a beautiful clearing. It was all set on top of a small hill. The trees made a "U" shape pattern around it, opening where they entered. A small stream flowed around the entrance. There were beautiful flowers all over, except for a small opening in the center.
"So you like this place?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful," he stammered.
Unbeknownst to Tenchi, Ryoko had this planned the entire time. She had created this place, with a little help from Washu. They wanted to make a place both beautiful and secluded, so she could be with Tenchi alone with no one interrupting.
Tenchi walked a little further up the clearing to get a better look around. He then looked over to Ryoko, who seemed to be hesitating for something. The sun was starting to set behind her, making it look like she was glowing. He decided to take a chance and get closer to the pirate. He reached out and took her hand in his. The prince led her into the small opening of grass and beckoned her to sit down with him. She did and they sat next to each other staring deep into each other's eyes amidst the trickling water and setting sun.
______
Ayeka opened her eyes groggily. Her head was throbbing slightly. She moaned slightly and rubbed the back of her head where a huge bump was. She suddenly noticed that someone was over her, watching her. It took her a few moments for eyes to refocus. The first thing she saw was dark hair and a pair of friendly welcoming brown eyes. "Tenchi?" she said lightly.
"Yes Ayeka?" answered the prince.
"What happened?"
"I don't know, I walked into the living room and you had just passed out. Washu said that you were under a lot of stress and your body couldn't handle it," Tenchi answered warmly.
It was just now that Ayeka realized that Tenchi was holding her hand in a very gentle, caring manner. Another thought dawned to her.
"Where's Ryoko?" Her eyes finally regained total focus and she could see around her. She was back in her room, lying on her bed with Tenchi close to her. His face bore an expression of sorrow at the moment.
"Ryoko left with Ryo-Ohki a little bit ago, I'm not too sure if she will come back."
"What!?" she nearly screamed as she started to get up. Tenchi gently placed his hands on her shoulders and laid her back onto her bed.
"Ryoko took me on a little walk and told me that she loved me."
Ayeka looked frightened. "And what did you tell her?"
Tenchi sighed deeply. "I told her that I loved her too but." he stopped for a moment as Ayeka started to cry. He gently wiped away her tears, "I told her that I could only love her as a friend, nothing more. She asked me why and I then told her that my heart already belongs to another."
Ayeka held her breath. " Who does your heart belong to?"
Tenchi smiled at her again. He took a deep breath and answered, "My heart belongs to you. I love you Ayeka."
Ayeka's lips trembled as tears began to run down her face again. "I...I love you too Tenchi."
He then lowered himself towards her and they began to kiss.
______
"Man, maybe I made this a little too good, Ayeka's not gonna want to wake up!" exclaimed the eccentric scientist.
Sasami was watching her sister as she lay in Washu's lab inside a stasis tube. There was a green fluid inside that was surrounding Ayeka as she slept. There were several probes on Ayeka's body that monitored her. Washu was typing away merrily again.
"Washu, what is all of this?"
"It's a device that will help your sister to feel better. Right now she is in a comatose state that is allowing her body to recover. I inputted a dream to occur into her brain that will help her to relax, which makes the process go faster. Don't worry, your sister will wake up tomorrow morning feeling like a million bucks!"
Sasami smiled weakly. "Okay, as long as she will be better soon." She then left Washu's lab.
______
Tenchi was sitting next to Ryoko, not entirely sure what to do. They had just watched the sun set a few minutes ago, and now they sat in total silence. Up to this moment, Tenchi let his better judgment guide him, but now it was silent and Tenchi was feeling his old nerves start to take over.
Ryoko was starting to feel nervous as well, Tenchi had not spoken to her in a while and she could feel him getting nervous. She finally decided to break the ice. "I had a great time Tenchi, thanks for going on this walk with me."
"Oh no problem Ryoko, I had fun. Maybe we could do it again sometime."
"Yeah, that would be nice," she responded. Ryoko could feel her insides begin to flutter. 'All right Ryoko, it's now or never,' she told herself mentally.'
She then leaned in and began to hug him. He was surprised, but his better judgment suddenly kicked in and it told him to hug her back, so he did. They held each other for what seemed like hours.
'Now what?' he thought to himself. A small voice in the back of his head held the answer. 'You know what to do. You want it and she definitely wants it, so succumb to your feelings.' Tenchi smiled as the thoughts came to him. He knew what he had to do, what he wanted to do. Slowly he lifted his head up until it was level with hers. He started to move in closer.
Ryoko's eyes widened as she realized that all her and Washu's planning was finally paying off. She started to lean in too. Their lips were getting closer and closer until.
______
Back up at the shrine, Yosho suddenly stopped his readings and looked up, a large smile appearing on his face. "Well done Tenchi," he muttered out loud, "Well done."
To be continued...
Author's notes: I really like the ending of this one. I smile at it each time I read it. Things are starting to fall into place for Tenchi, or are they? Find out soon!
Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com
Next Episode: Whips and Dreams and Recordings oh my!