Tenchi looked at Aykea and then sighed "We should sit down." he said. Aykea nodded her agreement and walk along side Tenchi towards one of the benches and sat down. Tenchi looked towards Aykea talking in a nervous voice "There is something important we need to discuss." he paused taking a breath then continued. "After this you may hate me, which I will understand."
The purple haired princess nodded slightly "Tenchi, nothing you could tell me that would make me hate you. I will always love you, I seriously doubt anything you tell me will change how I feel about you." she took his hand and squeezed it gently.
'I wouldn't be so sure of that.' he thought to himself as he prepared himself to say such hard words that would be burned in their memories forever. "Before I start I just want you to promise that you won't stay anything and let me finish." A weak request but maybe she would let.
"Okay Tenchi I promise to let you say what you have to say." she said nodding, looking indulgent as if his serious nature was funny.
"Thank you." he took a breath then started "I cannot marry you, because if I did, it would be a lie." Aykea immediately let his hand go, as if it had turned into something unpleasant. But true to her promise she remained quiet. Taking the change he continued onwards "I am in love with Ryoko. I always have been, though I've only recently admitted it to myself and it would be wrong to marry you. But grandpa and father had convinced me that it was the right thing to do since she had left."
He paused, watching her shoulders trembled in either anger or despair, he wasn't sure which but he felt sure it was probably a mixture. He wanted to stop, to run away, but he had started all of this and he owed it to her to explain himself "I probably would have gone through with the marriage, but Ryoko came back. She reappeared two weeks ago wanting to see me and I knew that I couldn't let her get away again. I kissed her and admitted that I loved her, I couldn't bring myself to let the only woman I have ever loved leave or I would regret it for the rest of my life."
Tenchi kept his gaze on Aykea and felt his heart drop, he had hopped that maybe he wouldn't hurt the princess with the news but that had been a vain wish "I waited so long to tell you because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. But that was a foolish thought; in this situation someone is going to get hurt."
He began to tell her that it was alright to say something when he suddenly spoke, pure hatred in her voice "Your right Tenchi, I do hate you now. I spent who knows how long here, pining for you. Trying to win your love, your affection. I knew you felt something for Ryoko, but when she left..." she took a breath to try and calm herself before continuing "You proposed to me. I thought that you had fallen in love with me, and then I find I'm wrong. I find out you never loved me, you were marrying me because your a weak spirited person."
She rose from her bench, her head held high and looked like the royalty she was "I must wonder how strong your love for Ryoko is if you were willing to marry someone else." She spat at him vengefully then regaining control over her emotions started to walk towards the lake leaving him behind giving only parting one finally sentence as a parting "I hope that you and your precious demon will be happy."
Tenchi sat there in stunned silence, the part of him feeling that that had went better than he had thought almost drowned out by the feeling of total worthlessness. He tried to shake it off, but it he couldn't. He had destroyed her world, her heart, he knew it. He stood and quietly returned to the house and his room where he knew Ryoko would be waiting for him.
When he entered she looked up from her spot on his bed, her golden eyes curious. He looked eyes with her, feeling some of his worthlessness finally fading. He should have told her sooner and he had put it off far too long, but at least now it was done.
The cyan haired woman stood up from her spot on the bed and crossed the room to embrace Tenchi, her arms slipping around his waist. She knew that what he had just done was a task that would have to make him feel horrible. He had never wanted to hurt any of the woman, she knew that, but he never realized that by never choosing or admitting how he felt it had hurt them worse than anything. Especially Aykea and Ryoko.
She kissed him lightly, silencing whatever he was about to say. She knew he had so much to tell her but she knew he was also emotionally exhausted. When she broke the kiss she spoke softly "We can talk tomorrow, but I think that you need to sleep after what you've been through."
He nodded and extracting himself from her grasp proceeded to his closet and changed clothes while Ryoko phased into her sleeping attire. Silently they climbed into bed together and once settled in Ryoko placed her head on Tenchi's chest. He wrapped his arm around, holding her.
She listened to his heart beat, wishing to sleep as well. She did not get as much sleep as she would have liked to last night. She had way too many things she wanted to ask Tenchi running through her mind. When she had suggested this she knew it was what they had both needed and really wanted at that moment.
Aykea stared at the lake from her seat; this was supposed to be the day before her wedding. She had thought that when Tenchi had wanted to talk with her that he wouldn't leave Earth or something of that sort. It would have been easy to deal with, but no he had admitted he loved Ryoko.
When he had told her that she was back, Aykea refused to believe it but he didn't want to get married after all and she had noticed something was different about him. He had been so happy the last couple of weeks that she liked to believe it was because of the wedding. But now she knew better.
But now she knew that he loved Ryoko and that she was back. She was back and she had taken everything that Ayeka had worked so hard for. She wanted to destroy them both, to vent her rage and hatred but instead she supposed this was how it had to be.
Tenchi loved Ryoko; she knew that nothing she said or did it would change that fact. She closed her eyes sobbing to herself, the pain and suddenly endless void of sadness consuming her. "What am I going to do now?" she asked between sobs at the empty forest.
When Ryoko woke up she immediately noticed Tenchi's absence. She looked around the room hurriedly to finally find him packing. "Tenchi what are doing" She asked sleep lacing her voice.
He answered her without turning "Well you remember how I said I wanted to take that trip? Now is the perfect time, so I figured lets just go."
Ryoko stood stretching "I remember Tenchi, and I do want to take this trip with you. But I don't want us to run away from our problems, I want us to face them together."
Tenchi paused in his packing and turned hearing towards her, he hugged her tightly staring into her eyes. "I just want to be with you, if we stay here right now we won't get to be together." He gave her a reassuring smile "All of this will be here when we get back, the problems to. But right now I just want to be with you."
Ryoko took on a thoughtful look, then kissed him softly on the lips "Okay, I'll go get the ship ready and we'll leave."
"I love you Ryoko" Tenchi said as Ryoko began to fade from view.
"I love you to Tenchi" Ryoko answered as she disappeared completely from the room.
The purple haired princess nodded slightly "Tenchi, nothing you could tell me that would make me hate you. I will always love you, I seriously doubt anything you tell me will change how I feel about you." she took his hand and squeezed it gently.
'I wouldn't be so sure of that.' he thought to himself as he prepared himself to say such hard words that would be burned in their memories forever. "Before I start I just want you to promise that you won't stay anything and let me finish." A weak request but maybe she would let.
"Okay Tenchi I promise to let you say what you have to say." she said nodding, looking indulgent as if his serious nature was funny.
"Thank you." he took a breath then started "I cannot marry you, because if I did, it would be a lie." Aykea immediately let his hand go, as if it had turned into something unpleasant. But true to her promise she remained quiet. Taking the change he continued onwards "I am in love with Ryoko. I always have been, though I've only recently admitted it to myself and it would be wrong to marry you. But grandpa and father had convinced me that it was the right thing to do since she had left."
He paused, watching her shoulders trembled in either anger or despair, he wasn't sure which but he felt sure it was probably a mixture. He wanted to stop, to run away, but he had started all of this and he owed it to her to explain himself "I probably would have gone through with the marriage, but Ryoko came back. She reappeared two weeks ago wanting to see me and I knew that I couldn't let her get away again. I kissed her and admitted that I loved her, I couldn't bring myself to let the only woman I have ever loved leave or I would regret it for the rest of my life."
Tenchi kept his gaze on Aykea and felt his heart drop, he had hopped that maybe he wouldn't hurt the princess with the news but that had been a vain wish "I waited so long to tell you because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. But that was a foolish thought; in this situation someone is going to get hurt."
He began to tell her that it was alright to say something when he suddenly spoke, pure hatred in her voice "Your right Tenchi, I do hate you now. I spent who knows how long here, pining for you. Trying to win your love, your affection. I knew you felt something for Ryoko, but when she left..." she took a breath to try and calm herself before continuing "You proposed to me. I thought that you had fallen in love with me, and then I find I'm wrong. I find out you never loved me, you were marrying me because your a weak spirited person."
She rose from her bench, her head held high and looked like the royalty she was "I must wonder how strong your love for Ryoko is if you were willing to marry someone else." She spat at him vengefully then regaining control over her emotions started to walk towards the lake leaving him behind giving only parting one finally sentence as a parting "I hope that you and your precious demon will be happy."
Tenchi sat there in stunned silence, the part of him feeling that that had went better than he had thought almost drowned out by the feeling of total worthlessness. He tried to shake it off, but it he couldn't. He had destroyed her world, her heart, he knew it. He stood and quietly returned to the house and his room where he knew Ryoko would be waiting for him.
When he entered she looked up from her spot on his bed, her golden eyes curious. He looked eyes with her, feeling some of his worthlessness finally fading. He should have told her sooner and he had put it off far too long, but at least now it was done.
The cyan haired woman stood up from her spot on the bed and crossed the room to embrace Tenchi, her arms slipping around his waist. She knew that what he had just done was a task that would have to make him feel horrible. He had never wanted to hurt any of the woman, she knew that, but he never realized that by never choosing or admitting how he felt it had hurt them worse than anything. Especially Aykea and Ryoko.
She kissed him lightly, silencing whatever he was about to say. She knew he had so much to tell her but she knew he was also emotionally exhausted. When she broke the kiss she spoke softly "We can talk tomorrow, but I think that you need to sleep after what you've been through."
He nodded and extracting himself from her grasp proceeded to his closet and changed clothes while Ryoko phased into her sleeping attire. Silently they climbed into bed together and once settled in Ryoko placed her head on Tenchi's chest. He wrapped his arm around, holding her.
She listened to his heart beat, wishing to sleep as well. She did not get as much sleep as she would have liked to last night. She had way too many things she wanted to ask Tenchi running through her mind. When she had suggested this she knew it was what they had both needed and really wanted at that moment.
Aykea stared at the lake from her seat; this was supposed to be the day before her wedding. She had thought that when Tenchi had wanted to talk with her that he wouldn't leave Earth or something of that sort. It would have been easy to deal with, but no he had admitted he loved Ryoko.
When he had told her that she was back, Aykea refused to believe it but he didn't want to get married after all and she had noticed something was different about him. He had been so happy the last couple of weeks that she liked to believe it was because of the wedding. But now she knew better.
But now she knew that he loved Ryoko and that she was back. She was back and she had taken everything that Ayeka had worked so hard for. She wanted to destroy them both, to vent her rage and hatred but instead she supposed this was how it had to be.
Tenchi loved Ryoko; she knew that nothing she said or did it would change that fact. She closed her eyes sobbing to herself, the pain and suddenly endless void of sadness consuming her. "What am I going to do now?" she asked between sobs at the empty forest.
When Ryoko woke up she immediately noticed Tenchi's absence. She looked around the room hurriedly to finally find him packing. "Tenchi what are doing" She asked sleep lacing her voice.
He answered her without turning "Well you remember how I said I wanted to take that trip? Now is the perfect time, so I figured lets just go."
Ryoko stood stretching "I remember Tenchi, and I do want to take this trip with you. But I don't want us to run away from our problems, I want us to face them together."
Tenchi paused in his packing and turned hearing towards her, he hugged her tightly staring into her eyes. "I just want to be with you, if we stay here right now we won't get to be together." He gave her a reassuring smile "All of this will be here when we get back, the problems to. But right now I just want to be with you."
Ryoko took on a thoughtful look, then kissed him softly on the lips "Okay, I'll go get the ship ready and we'll leave."
"I love you Ryoko" Tenchi said as Ryoko began to fade from view.
"I love you to Tenchi" Ryoko answered as she disappeared completely from the room.