Uh, this'd be your standard disclaimer, I don't own Tenchi Muyo!!! Ok, got it? Great! Now, on with the story!


Reminder, this is a warm and fuzzy pick-me-up for those who like Ryoko and are all (or at least slightly) for the whole T/R pairing. Also, keep in mind that Ryoko's OOC-ness is due to the fact that Ry seems to have chosen her for a mother.

Tenchi opened the door to Ryoko's room silently. Upon entering, he found her sound asleep, snoring silently. Tenchi found himself smiling at just how cute she looked, all curled up hugging the blanket like it was a teddy bear. He slowly crossed the length of the room to her bed and brushed a stray hair out of her face. Pulling up a chair next to her bed, Tenchi sighed, it had been a long day and his heart really hadn't been into working, which only made it longer. No, his heart had been elsewhere, even while training with his grandfather, his head payed dearly for that, but he wasn't about to regret why. Tenchi had been thinking a lot as of late, putting his whole life into perspective why, he didn't know, he just woke up one day without Ryoko hanging over his bed and decided that it was time to get some closure in his life, to do for Tenchi, unfortunately, it would mean breaking their hearts, but he couldn't deny himself that happiness or hurt the girls with more indecisivness anymore. It was time for that pain to end and for everyone to start to recover. He had, after a while of thinking and getting nowhere, decided to let his heart take control and see where that led him. They all had to have noticed he'd thought, it wasn't rare he'd find himself staring at her. He'd felt stupid more than once, after years of denying it, then all of a sudden, just gawking at her, he must have looked incredibly dumb. To add insult to injury, she hadn't even really been paying much attention to him anymore, all wrapped up in Ry.
Tenchi immediately dismissed the thought, it was more his fault for not saying or doing anything sooner, and now he had to contend with a baby for her attention. But, all that was going to change, just as soon as she woke up...
Tenchi was about to shake her awake when she suddenly opened her eyes. He stood back a little shoked and Ryoko didn't move, just looked at him. Deciding to break the awkward silence that had fallen, Ryoko spoke up, "Is something wrong, oh, I'll bet that princess is scaring Ry. Oo, can't she handle a baby without making her scream?"
Tenchi just kept looking at Ryoko. Eventually, Ryoko noticed there was no screaming coming from downstairs and she looked at Tenchi oddly. It didn't take long for her to notice him just staring at her, but rather than say anything, Ryoko found herself lost in his eyes, both of them just sat staring at eachother. Unbeknownst to both of them, they were leaning closer and closer, their faces only inches apart from eachother. Ryoko closed her eyes and let her heart take over. Closer and closer they moved, both not quite knowing just what was happening. All of a sudden, a horrible screech rang from downstairs. Both pulled apart faster than air, just in time for the door to Ryoko's room to come bursting open revealing an unhealthily red princess with a curiously large wet spot on her dress, holding a small giggling child at arms length. Paying no heed to the couple's closeness, Ayeka marched over to Ryoko and promptly placed the child in her lab.
"NEVER ASK ME TO WATCH THAT CHILD AGAIN!!! My beautiful kimono is ruined." Ayeka was about in tears.
The situation dawned on Ryoko while Tenchi simply looked at the child who, once again, had stolen her away from him. He was starting to get frustrated.
Meanwhile, Ryoko was trying to calm Ayeka, "Cummon Ayeka, you can't blame her, it's not as if she's old enough to use the bathroom on her own! Plus, it means she trusts you."
"WHAT???"
"She wouldn't do it if she didn't know you wouldn't go off at her! Sheesh, calm down, Ry's just a child, not old enough to know right from wrong. She's done it to me plenty of times, go to Sasami, she can do wonders on the kimono ok? Just calm down"
"Well, you'd do best to teach the child right from wrong very soon." Ayeka walked off in a huff.
Ryoko sighed, picked up Ry and walked off to the nursery, "It's time for you nap anyway, good thing I got a nap huh?" Ryoko smiled and winced as Ry pulled her ponytail again.
Tenchi sat in her room, in the same spot he had been for the past ten minutes. He just sat there shocked. So close, so very close from letting some closure come to his life, but no, the child interferred once again. This was getting annoying. And to add insult to injury, she just walked out of the room, not even acknowledging the incident even happened. Tenchi was fed up, he marched down the hall, making sure to announce his arrival by stomping loudly. He didn't care if he were acting like a little child, this was something he wanted, and he was going to get it no matter what..
Meanwhile, Ryoko had already changed Ry and was tucking her in for her nap when she heard very loud thumping in the hall. She was about to chew the person out for waking Ry, until the door flew open and a very frustrated Tenchi marched in, grabbed Ryoko by the shoulders and kissed her deeply on the lips. After completing this task, he marched downstairs and outside, fully intent on throwing himself headfirst into the lake. He settled for, however, simply sitting ont he dock and thinking about the past couple of minutes. "I cannot believe I just did that." Tenchi put his head in his hands and shook them back and forth, "What a way to get your point across. Well, that only changes everything, and what is everyone gonna say? What am I going to say? Aaargh!"
In the mean time, Ryoko was unable to move. Her brain could not even register a command, and if it could, it was doubtful her body would respond, she just stood there, wearing the same shocked expression. When at last her body moved, she touched her lips, where she could still feel the tingle of the kiss. It was so sudden, she'd had no time to react, even believe it was real. Ryoko was caught up in her thoughts until a familiar cry for attention rudely snapped her back to reality. Ryoko walked over to Ry's crib and smiled down at the child. "Just a flook, spur of the moment kinda thing," she said to herself, then began to sing Ry to sleep. As soon as she fell asleep, Ryoko teleported outside to think. 'Could it really have been a flook, he seemed angry when it happened.It can't have meant anything, he wouldn't hurt Ayeka like that. I'd decided to take care of Ry to keep from that hurt. Maybe that was just him telling me he had already chosen Ayeka..' Ryoko sighed, and promptly decided not to bring this up and to avoid Tenchi at all costs, lest he want to talk about it, she didn't think she could handle that right now, so, she merely contented herself with the memory of it and layed on the branch of the tree gazing up at the sky.
Two hours later brought Ry's screams for someone to take her away from her crib. She was awake. Tenchi who was now sulking in his room about how he was going to explain this to everyone noticed that Ry screams went unanswered for longer than usual. He walked in her room and picked her up, "What's a matter, Ryoko ignoring you now too?" To his surprise, Ry smiled. Tenchi pulled a confused face until Ry pulled a very strange face. Tenchi looked around panicked, afraid she was going to throw up on him or something.

"DADDY!"

For Tenchi, the world had just stopped, everything was silent, not even birds were chirpping outside, just shere silence.

One of Ryoko's eyes fluttered open and she sat up yawning. "Ugh, I can't believe I fell back to sleep, that was sure an odd dream though, kinda sad. Oh well, it'll never happen anyway, at least, I hope not. Huh?" The utter silence all of a sudden became apparent to her. "Um, ok?" She got up and flew toward the house and phazed through the wall into Ry's room and found a petrified Tenchi holding Ry, who looked utterly confused. Ryoko's first instinct was to walk away before he could say anything about the 'incident'.

"Mommy!" Ryoko winced and Tenchi turned his head to look at her, still saying nothing. Ry took this golden opportunity and pulled Tenchi's hair.

"OWCH! Hey, don't do that!"

Ryoko giggled, "She only does it cause she likes you."

Tenchi turned back to Ry who now looked close to tears.

"Awe, you made her cry, meanie." Ryoko took Ry from Tenchi and tossed her up in the air and caught her. Ry laughed then reached back out for Tenchi. "Huh, guess she wants you again."

"DADDY!!" Once again, there was silence, then, Ryoko spoke up, "He's not your daddy sweetie."

Tenchi turned red, slightly offended, he wasn't gonna let this opportunity slip, "I could be her father, you're her mother."

Ryoko turned on him "Are you implying something mister?"

Tenchi was caught, "Uh, no, I.."

"Listen, just because you're some kinda prince and I'm just some lowly pirate doesn't mean I can't raise a child, I like to think I've been doing a good job so far, or have I just been lying to myself huh?" Her golden eyes peirced Tenchi's very being that time she glared at him.

"It wasn't that Ryoko, I just thought that, well...." As he stuttered Tenchi inwardly scowled, 'That child has gotten me into more trouble, and she's enjoying herself...wah?' As Tenchi's gaze turned toward Ry, he noticed her smiling at him, not a normal baby smile, but, it was as if Ry had meant what she said, daddy, did she really want Tenchi for her father?

"Tenchi?"

His attention was averted back to Ryoko who was still scowling. "What did you mean?"

"Oh, I uh, meant that Ry needed a....father figure in her life and um," Again, his attention was taken away but not by Ry, but by Ryoko herself. Her glare had softened in an almost disbelieving gaze. It was something Tenchi had never seen in her before, it was so innocent, so hopeful, and yet, doubtful at the same time. It almost made Tenchi want to cry. Instead, he moved closer and gently kissed her on the lips. When they broke apart, Tenchi's gaze softened and he caressed her cheek with his hand, "I love you." was all he said.

Ryoko could have died right then and been the happiest person alive, or dead, whatever, she didn't want to figure it out now. She leaned in for another kiss until a shaky knock came at the door and Ayeka's voice, distinctly smaller, came through, "R-Ryoko, someone is at the door for you."

Ryoko looked confused, "For me?" Tenchi took her hand and lead them downstairs to the living room. Sitting on the couch was a strange woman Ryoko had never seen in her life, 'Why would she want to talk to me? She's probably some type of bounty hunter.' Ryoko handed Ry to Tenchi and walked up to the woman who stood up when Ryoko entered. The woman was about five-foot-six and had long brown hair with hazel eyes which glistened when she saw Ryoko.

"Can I help you?" Ryoko looked sceptical at her.

"Y-you have my baby?"

Ryoko was struck, this woman was the child's real mother. So, her nightmare had come true, this person had come to take Ry away. She didn't want to, but something told Ryoko she had to give her up. She had been a mother for a while and she wanted her child to be happy, when Ry grew up, Ryoko didn't want Ry to loath her because she wasn't her real mother. No, she couldn't even go through that even for a little while. Ryoko knew she was giving up to easily but nothing ever came easily in life and this was no exception. Ryoko took Ry from Tenchi and put the child in this woman's hands, holding back tears. Ry said nothing as her and her 'mother' were ushered out the door. Ryoko knew the child understood what was going on.

Without a word spoken, Ryoko teleported away somewhere, a single diamond tear ran down her face.