Chapter 3-The Letter
I'm cold...so cold...why can't I just go some place warm! The rain is so cold...so cold...and…wet.
What was that? A sound? It sounded just like...somebody running down steps! Argh! The water's getting in my eyes!
"Hello?"
"Huh? I-is anybody there?"
"Sasami?" A gasp! From Sasami! Sasami! I'm over here!
"Oh no! It could be sick!" Wait-is she picking me up? But I'm twice as big as she is! Doesn't she recognize me?
I can barely see through this stupid, stupid rain! I think I'm in Sasami's arms, along with Ryo-ohki, and...pictures of me. They're getting ruined, you know. The water's seeping in to the frames. But, why would she have pictures of me? Let's try to remember.
I was in Washu's lab. Got shocked by lots of sparking stuff. Electricity. Man, I really can't think today. So, then it hurt, I fell down, Washu was holding me...don't remember a thing after that. Nothing. I just woke up here, and tiny...
Whump!
"Oh no! I dropped the chair again! This thing's too heavy and-oh," Mihoshi stopped her excuses to pause, looking down at the new household member. "Sorry, Ame!"
"Meow!" She looked back up at Mihoshi, who was moving a chair from Nobuyuki's office to the kitchen to help Sasami.
"Sorry I woke you up, kitty. You're so cute!" Mihoshi, placing the chair on the floor where she was, stroked the kitten on her head. "Maybe you should go play with Ryo-ohki or something."
Or at least get out of your way. Somehow, a huge chair being dropped on my head wouldn't be the best thing in the world for me. Argh! I HATE being so small! Why am I so small? The kitten growled slightly, and started to prance over to the stairs, pausing at the bottom of the flight. Now, if I wasn't a stupid little kitten, I could fly. Why am I a cat? This is so confusing!
The cat shook her head, and then started the process of going up the stairs. This involved hurling herself into the air to barely land on the next step, pausing for breath, and repeating. Sometimes it included hanging on the edge of a level for dear life, and scrambling up onto the step via claws. But after awhile, the long and hard work paid off, as she sat proudly at the top of the stairs, panting slightly.
"Oh, hello." The cat made a slight trilling sound, as a soft voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Her furry head turned around to peer up into the face of the elder princess of the household. Ayeka smiled, and the kitten narrowed her eyes. The princess' eyes were not just red in the irises-they were red where they should be white.
Ayeka's been...crying? Wha...? Thought the smaller of the two, walking over to sniff the princess. I guess the overpowering sense of smell's handy about being a cat-I can tell she was crying recently.
"You're pretty cute." A soft stroke of Ayeka's fingers on her head caused the kitten to look up. "Even though rain is stereotypically sad, you seem to make us happier. Come little one, I shall tell you about Ryoko."
What? Why are you going to tell me about-what the? WHAT ARE YOU DOING! If the kitten had vocal cords with the ability of the Japanese language, she would have screamed at the top of her lungs. However, she could only meow and push away, but the princess didn't notice as she scooped the kitten up and brought her into the room she, Sasami, and Mihoshi shared. Placing her on a futon, the kitten prepared to dash out of the room, if it wasn't for Ayeka's actions that caught her attention. You know, she's acting kind of funny...
The violet-haired young woman was opening up a letter that was partially written, the current words covering over half a page in neat, perfect calligraphy. A few spots were smeared from small water droplets that had fallen as the writer put her words on the page. Ayeka had obviously been crying as she wrote the letter, but why? Thoughts like these swirled around in the feline's mind as she crept up to the Juraian, mewing her inquiries.
"Oh, Ame, I wish you could have met her. I wish she was still here. Our house has fallen apart, just like my old one did on planet Jurai-oh, I should tell you about that, but it isn't really important. This always happens when somebody leaves forever. That time it was Yosho, my older half-brother, but this time it was Ryoko. I honestly didn't think I would miss her this much, but you are never really prepared to say good-bye permanently to anybody," Ayeka explained, stroking her one-cat audience on their head.
"Mreow?" The kitten sniffed the paper, and climbed into Ayeka's lap to get a better look at it. Unfortunately, it was written in the traditional Juraian alphabet, and she was unable to decipher any of the symbols written by the princess on the paper.
"Oh, this?" Ayeka's free hand gestured towards the paper. "This is a letter...to Ryoko. She's been gone from us for four days now-you came yesterday, just after she-" Ayeka's voice stopped, and the kitten felt a small droplet of water hit her small, fur-covered body. "Well, maybe we shouldn't talk about it. But we've made a memorial, and that took away some of the pain of losing a family member. Even though we hated each other, it was more of the hate you see between sisters of a close age. I mean, she really was sort of like a sister. We probably could have been best friends if it wasn't for Tenchi. We both loved him so much, and that sparked every battle between us. But I'm growing off topic again, aren't I, Ame?" The princess paused to giggle slightly at the kitten, who had started to swat at her yukata-type dress' sleeve. "Anyway, after we built the memorial to her, I needed something to do. Whenever I needed somebody to talk to, I realize now that I would always talk, or rather, argue, with Ryoko. Now she's gone. I always believed that Tsunami watched over souls as they drifted away from life, so at least they wouldn't be lonely as they..." The princess choked up, and it appeared as though she was trying as hard as she could not to burst into torrents of tears.
The kitten meowed, rubbing Ayeka's finger with her cheek.
"Tsunami is Jurai's goddess. She also is partly my younger sister, but that is another story for another time. But now, when I want to talk to Ryoko, I write to her. I think I'll put the completed letters to her in the memorial. I think that she'd want to know from a serious rival to Tenchi's affections what happens in her family." Ayeka finished, studying her companion. The yellow-green eyes of the cat were fixated on the paper with a hint of confusion.
"Meow..."
"Would you like me to read it to you? You never knew her, and it might make me feel better to say it out loud, though I haven't really finished. It's hard to write a letter to a deceased person in one sitting." Ayeka paused to wipe her eyes, and the kitten understood what she meant. "Very well, I shall begin.
"Dear Ryoko. Hello, this is Jurai Ayeka. If you truly are reading or hearing this, I'll wager you weren't expecting to hear from me. Well, I need to tell you that I couldn't believe that you died. I hope it wasn't too painful, but by the looks of it, it was. All of your hair fell off, did you know? I'm sorry I'm being so disrespectful about it, I really am sorry, but it was slightly humorous, in some terms. I mean, if your hair fell off in Miss Washu's lab and you lived, I doubt she'd ever hear the end of it. You always were so proud of your looks, in the best manner of speaking.
"I hope you know that we all miss you. We held a funeral for you, and everybody cried. Sasami could barely see for a while, her eyes were so wet. Mihoshi and I cried too, but I think she and Sasami could hold an award for loudest wailing. The three of us made a memorial for you a couple of days ago, we just missed you so much. I think Tenchi would have helped, but he was busy with schoolwork. How awful to have a death during a week of long midterm tests. Speaking of Tenchi, you will be pleased to know he has made no romantic advances to anybody since your passing. He's spent some time praying at your grave, and helping us all cope. It really isn't that much different from when you were here with us.
"Something I think you should know is that Ryo-ohki has matured since you left us. She is not in her young human-like form as much as she used to be, choosing to remain in her original form. Not the spaceship, but the animal one. I think she is sad, but knows you well enough to know you wouldn't want us to drown in our sorrow. Every morning she visits the memorial, sitting in front of it with her eyes shut. I think she prays for you, Ryoko. You are rather lucky to have somebody like that.
"Leaving the topic of Ryo-ohki, I think I should tell you about Miss Washu. I know this is a tender subject for you, as your relationship with her has not always been smooth, but it is important. You died in her arms; your last moments were with her. Maybe that was as it should be. I don't mean to be rude, but you didn't treat her with very much respect, though I think sometimes she might have deserved it. Again, I know it is rude of me to comment on something I shouldn't be intruding on, but you do need to know this. Miss Washu has changed drastically for the worse since you left us. She is no longer a vibrant and teasing individual, but a bleak person living slightly out of reality. Her breath chokes on her sorrow, she almost never talks to us or has eye contact with any one of us, and chooses to remain secluded as much as she can. Ryoko, by seeing this, I think you were wrong. Miss Washu really does care for you. She wanted to be your mother this badly."
The animal companion looked up at the princess' face. "Mreow?" Ayeka chuckled, and scratched the kitten's chin.
"I haven't written anymore. But I suppose I'll have to tell her about you. She would have probably liked you, as we all do. Let's see now..." Ayeka picked up her pen, and started to add more to her letter to the deceased woman.
"On a lighter note, a little while ago, Sasami found a kitten in the rain. We gave her food, dried her off, and are letting her stay with us. Mihoshi even suggested her name, Ame, because of the downpour Sasami found her in. It was actually you who brought her to us. Sasami went to see my elder brother to ask for some pictures of you for your memorial," Ayeka paused to wipe her eyes, then continued to write and dictate out loud. "And when she was walking back to the house, she discovered Ame. Ame has been a wonderful addition to our family, and she helps us find joy once more. However, Washu, Tenchi, and his father have yet to meet her. Even though she's been with us for a day, Tenchi had to stay in town with his father for testing, and his father had to stay in town because of work. Miss Washu won't come out of her lab, as she is still mourning your passing. I hope they will meet Ame soon, because I think she will lift their spirits as she has Sasami's, Ryo-ohki's, Mihoshi's, and mine. I think that even my older half-brother became happier when he saw our new kitten." Ayeka put her pen down, and looked at the kitten. "How does that sound?"
"Mew!" The kitten replied. Ayeka took that as a positive "mew", and put the pen back to the paper to finish the letter.
"So, Miss Ryoko, I hope where you are is a lovely place. I know that you feel you did wrong in your life, but remember that nothing was truly your fault. Except for pulling down my towel in front of Tenchi. That is still all your fault." Ayeka giggled, and made a little angry face design on the paper. Glancing down at her friend, she pointed to it. "I really don't think she would appreciate it much if I didn't throw in something for her to laugh at. Anyway, to continue it.
"We all wish you had stayed with us for longer, including me. I also wish that you could have met Ame, because she is such a wonderful addition to our family. We all miss you very much, Ryoko. Life truly is not the same without you. Sincerely yours..." Ayeka trailed off, putting the pen to her lips in thought. "Should I put my title or not?"
"Mreow!"
Ayeka chuckled. "You're right, she never called me by it. So...Jurai Ayeka. There, it's finished." Ayeka sealed up the letter, and sighed, getting up to put it on the memorial.
The kitten paused, looking confused as she watched the princess exit the room and start descending the staircase. But-but I'm Ryoko! Argh...whoever made me a cat is so, so dead when I get through with them! She thought, growling to the unknown fates that made her a different species.
Author's Note: Well, this concludes the chapters that I've already written. Now I have to get to writing the next chapter…no more freebies for me! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As for the rest of Once More, I'm not sure how long this will be. I also have to make sure it is different enough from the next Tenchi Muyo! piece I'll be doing…they're all starting to look the same now…
Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! does not belong to me. It belongs to Masaki Kajishima.
