THE JOB, Chapter 20: Beyond the Cover
DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, all events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. Please don't change them. Feel free to distribute this story as widely as desired.
FOREWORD: I think it's time for a chapter dealing just with Ryoko's feelings about everything that has happened. Please, keep in mind this is TV Ryoko, not OAV.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
LAST REVISION: 08 January 2004
EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
BEGIN.
Ryoko's cell was surprisingly comfortable for a class A criminal's accomodations. The walls were far from featureless, unlike the ceiling, which she was staring up at from a horizontal position on her bunk. Being on Jurai, the cell and all it's meager furnishings appeared to be made entirely of wood. But a quick inspection prooved that to be untrue. Whatever substance the cell was contsructed from, it was completely impervious to her powers. That would explain why they took her feed-back mittens off once she was inside. Having her hands free was nice. But that did nothing to alleviate her boredom. She didn't even have a roommate to talk to.
Daisuke's frequent visits were the only thing she had to look forward to. Seeing him again had been a real shocker. The corner's of Ryoko's mouth curled up at the memory of the one evening they had spent together a couple of years ago. She had not planned on ever seeing him again, and she had certainly not expected him to come out of nowhere and offer his legal services right when she needed the most. It was weird how things like that worked.
Her only other visitor besides Daisuke had been Tenchi. The day after Daisuke had shown up, Tenchi had returned, asking to visit. Ryoko had balked at the guard's announcement that Tenchi was waiting for her. She had simply lain still on her bunk, afraid to see him. In retrospect, she was glad she had refused to see him. At the time, as upset as she had been she probably would have said something nasty to him. That had been several days ago. Now, she was beginning to regret refusing him. It would be nice to see his face again.
"Fat chance." Ryoko grumbled to herself as she turned over on to her stomach, propping her head on her upraised arms. Since then she had not heard a thing about Tenchi or any of the others except from Daisuke. And now that she had refused Tenchi, he was the type of person who would respect her wishes, even if she had not really meant it.
All this time alone was giving Ryoko too much opportunity to reflect on her past, which was something she always tried to avoid doing. If one thought too hard about what one had done, she always said, it only led to regrets. Ryoko tried to tell ehrself she had no regrets about her life. But that just was not the truth. She could not hide that from herself any longer. Her mind kept going back and replaying things that she had done. She did not regret having done what was necessary to survive. Life as a space-pirate was not easy. It required a big ego and a strong will to make a living out of it. It also required a good sense of when to fight, and when to cut one's losses and run.
The day Tenchi had agreed to go on the long-desired trip alone with her had been the greatest day of her life. The sheer pleasure and giddiness she had felt when he said yes had thrown her into fits of giggling and smiles for days. For a while, she had actually felt like a normal girl again. Choosing Caladan for their trip had been a product of Sasami's suggestion and her own familiarity of the attractions that her chosen home planet could provide a vacationing couple. Throughout the trip she had felt that Tenchi was holding back. His personaility was naturally reserved. So she had thought little of it until Tenchi had let slip that he was more interested in "normal" girls. That had felt like he was sticking a pin in her side; annoying and somewhat painful. But, secretly, being able to lead a normal life was something of a minor fantasy for her. Life was certainly easier for her since she had crashed at Tenchi's place, despite the occaisional adventure that led to. And despite appearances, even she could label the period of her life with her foster-parents as normal. That was why she had brought him to the school and to see Futsuki and Kagusa. They were normal, as she perceived fit Tenchi's definition of the word.
There were a few things Ryoko was flexible on when it came to Tenchi. Being a little better behaved was one of those things. It would certainly behoove her to stay out of trouble with the law. But when people started doing things to screw-up her well-meaning plans, it really burned a hole in her heart. Even when she was doing her best to follow the rules and be good, they still made things difficult for her. That was when she would throw the rulebook out the window and just do whatever she wanted.
Ryoko could tell that some of Tenchi's values had rubbed off on her. She really had meant to bring the boat back at the end of the day. The accident had put an end to that idea. She had no one but herself to blame. Tenchi had been right after all. But that was not what bothered her. That was not what had set her off. After the night before, when Tenchi had shown her that they were not close enough to have the kind of relationship she wanted, she had tried hard to be more open and forthcoming with her feelings. Being open about her intentions was not an easy thing for Ryoko. Other people tended to take advantage of such behavior. Acting crazy and unpredictable confused people, and kept them guessing as to what she intended to do. It was a defense mechanism that had grown up with her. For Tenchi, she had tried turning that mechanism off. Even that had not been enough for him. She had never imagined it would hurt so much to be rejected like that. Of all the things she did not understand about him, that one thing was crystal clear to her. Like writing on paper, she could hear his words.
"I... can't."
Her eyes began to burn yet again as the scene passed through her mind. She had openly told him what she wanted with him. She had openly told Tenchi how she felt. Just like she knew he wanted, she had been open and honest about everything; her desires, her fears, her true feelings for him, and he still rejected her. The pain she still felt from the wound he had inflicted spread from her chest, up her neck, and into her head. It hurt so much that she wanted to cry again. But, at the thought of allowing herself yet another crying jag, she felt a burst of anger. She was sick and tired of feeling weak and emotionally defenseless. Ryoko pressed her face into her thin pillow and screamed her defiance until her lungs were empty of air.
For a second she held the pillow to her face, unmoving, until she heard something slidding through the horizontal slot in her cell door. Whatever it was thumped to the floor. What the Hell did they want now?
"Mail call." The guard's voice sounded from through the door.
Ryoko pulled her teary stained face from the pillow to verify this strange occurance. Why would someone be sending her mail? If it were Daisuke, he would come in person. Probably some other pirate just wanted to gloat. But... Ryoko stared at the thick yellow package. It was about the right size for some sort of paperwork, and it was stuffed full. After several seconds of staring and guessing, Ryoko finally gave in to her curiosity and got up to retrieve it.
Picking up the package, Ryoko turned it over in her hands. There was no return address. It had also been opened. A sense of indignance surfaced for a moment, until she remembered she was in prison. Of course they would open it. Frustrated at the invasion of what little privacy she had, Ryoko reached into the envelope and pulled everything out at once. Several news clippings came out, along with another envelope, a couple photos, and a seperate letter.
"What the hell is this crap?"
Ryoko grumbled to herself as she sat back on her bunk and dumped the clippings. They were hard-copy news reports with big bold letters proclaiming other criminal arrests. She would have ignored them after an initial glance, except she recognized the persons captured in the photos. These people were men who had abused and mistreated her as a child. There was the priest who had sexually abused her in an orphanage, the two pirates who had "adopted" her after she had finally broken the priest's leg in self-defense, and several men from the girls' school where she had been placed after her first arrest. They were all people she utterly hated and despised. If any of them had ever had the misfortune to appear within her sight these days, she would have found it difficult not to beat them to death. But it seemed someone had a better idea of what to do with them. It was not a personal revenge, but someone seemed to be going after these people. Now thuroughly transfixed with curiosity, Ryoko snatched up the open letter. As was her habit, she looked at the bottom to see who it was from. Her eyes bulged to see Aeka's name on it. Everything suddenly became clear. After hearing the story Ryoko had told in the bath, Aeka had gone to Jurai to learn the truth. Reading through the letter, Ryoko verified what she had discerned.
"Miss Ryoko, I do not wish you to misunderstand what I have done. After hearing your story, I felt it my duty to verify the occurrences which you spoke of through secondary sources. If such things were true, then it is my duty as First Princess to do something about it. Such mistreatment and neglect cannot be allowed to happen with Jurai society. I am truly shocked and apalled that such things happened to you within the confines of Jurai's Social Services. These men will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Please accept these photographs as proof of my word.
"In addition, I took the liberty of ascertaining your parentage. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you of your mother's passing. As for your father, he is a fine and upstanding member of society. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal his identity."
Ryoko shot to her feet at the outrage of finally knowing who was responsible for her existence. She wanted nothing more than to find the two of them and throttle them for abandoning her.
"What the fuck bullshit is that, Aeka?"
"I'm certain you are understandably frustrated at this. But take my word, it is for the best. As compensation, I have allowed him to write you a letter. Please do not dismiss the man. I swear to you he is an honest and compassionate man who is concerned for his daughter, even if he is also unaware of your identity. In fact, he was unaware of your existance until I informed him."
"Fat chance."
"Ryoko, I do not approve or condone your actions. But you are entitled to a standard of living commensurate with other citizens of the Jurai Empire. I have collected from your father the unpaid child support payments and placed the total in an interest bearing account in your name. I cannot help you any more than this, except to tell you that both Lord Tenchi and I have been named as witnesses for your trial. As such, we will be unable to contact you again until all is concluded."
"Respectfully, Aeka Masaki Jurai."
Ryoko stared at Aeka's letter for a long time. No matter how she tried to spin what Aeka had written, she could find no benefit for the princess in this. The only explanation she could come to was exactly as Aeka had written. She had returned to Jurai to punish those responsible for her torturous upbringing. At best, Ryoko had thought of Aeka as a respected rival. But this was just so out of the blue. It was totally different than the kind of actions Ryoko normally expected from a stuck-up princess. Unsure what to think of this strange turn of events, Ryoko sat down again and set the letter on the bunk to her left. To her right, resting on her tear stained pillow was the letter from her father; her true, honest-to-goodness, biological father. Ryoko knew there were ways to identify a person's descent. But this was someone she had never really given much though to. She had no real parents, and nothing, not even the money Aeka spoke of, would change that.
Ryoko stared at the envelope trying to decide if she should read the letter. Aeka had been pretty supportive of the man who had written it. But if he were such a person, why had he allowed his daughter to be abandoned? How could something like that happen? All this new found knowledge, knowing that she really did have a father, brought back all the old questions Ryoko had long since buried as unknowable. Her past had always been a mystery. She had always focused on the future. What was done was done and nothing would ever change that. Her past was just something that needed forgetting. At least, until today.
"Damn you, Aeka."
Ryoko grabbed the envelope and pulled out her father's letter. It was folded neatly in thirds, just like Aeka's letter had been. Opening the folds, Ryoko gazed at the hand-written characters, not really reading it, just examining the hand writing. The characters were neat and orderly, marching across the page with almost military precision. She had no difficulty making them out, as she sometimes did with messier hand writing.
"Dearest Daughter, I must admit to you that I was initially disturbed to learn that a brief encounter with a woman earlier in my life had resulted in a child. I have always prided myself on being an honorable and responsible adult. I was even relieved that the monetary compensation would only amount to the rightfully due child support. However, as I considered this important occurance over night, I realized that I have been given an opportunity. Until today, I have had no immediate family of my own.
"I find myself growing excited at the prospect of you reading this letter. I sincerely hope you do not spurn my words. But, I understand if you are angry with me. I have failed as a parent by not being there to be your father. I have failed as a man by not taking care of your mother, whom I have learned has passed away years ago. I wish I could more fully express my sympathy on this, but I know precious little of you and your mother, except for the few facts Princess Aeka has provided me. I can only say that a child should not have to live without a loving family to support her as she grows to adulthood. Although I do not deserve forgiveness, I ask it, none-the-less.
"It pains me to be denied the priviledge of meeting you face-to-face. Perhaps, someday we will meet. Hopefully then I will be able to convince you of the veracity of my words. Until that day, I will hold you as dear to my heart as the Royal Family.
"With Fondness, Your Father."
Ryoko found herself staring at this second letter even harder than the other as she tried deperately to read between the lines and learn if the words written there were sincere, or merely patronizing. Either way, the person who had written them was pretty intelligent. He used a lot of big words. But still, anyone could write-up a good letter of apology and present it for submission. Ryoko wanted to believe the man was telling the bald truth. She wanted to believe she had family who cared for her. But after more than twenty years of life and precious few reliable friends, she was skeptical. What she really wanted was to meet this man and determine for herself if he was sincere, or if he was merely trying to weasel his way out of an uncomfortable and embarrassing position.
One of the things Ryoko had been able to discern from the letter was that the guy had enough money to settle his financial obligations. The last time she had thought to check, that would be from eighteen to twenty five years of monthly payments ranging from paltry to excessive, depending on the local laws. Even if the monthly dues were small, she would still be entitled to a handy sum. If he were rich, then the sum would be much greater. It was certainly nice to know she had a nest-egg tucked away somewhere. But that did nothing to change how she felt about learning she actually had parents somewhere. Her father she could perhaps come to an understanding with. It sounded like he had had a fling with a girl and gotten her pregnant. That happened often enough that she didn't hold it against him. But as for her deceased mother, Ryoko would never forgive her. There was no longer any doubt that the woman had abandoned her. If she had died only a few years ago, then she had knowingly discarded her new-born in that back-alley trash pile. As far as Ryoko was concerned, she deserved to die a horrible death and burn in Hell for all eternity.
Ryoko looked over at the photographs again, feeling satisfaction that the men who had so tormented her as a child were going to be punished for what they had done. Of course, the fact that they had finally been caught meant that Aeka was prancing around the planet, blabbing what she knew, despite having been sworn to secrecy along with the other girls. Still, Ryoko supposed it didn't really matter anymore. Daisuke's defense plan was fairly simple. Neither of them had any illusions about her guilt or innocence. She had done nearly everything she was accused of. His plan was to appeal to the jury's sense of pity by telling them her story. If she could win their sympathy - Ryoko sneered at the idea, despite it being her only hope - then there was a possibility they may have pity for her and let her go. It was that or nothing. If convicted, the death penalty was mandatory. Now, with what she had just learned, death did not seem so appealing.
Setting the second latter aside with care, Ryoko stood up and went to the polished metal plate on the wall that served as her mirror. Her reflection was not impressive. The Ryoko that gazed back at her had eyes puffy from crying and a tangled mass of cyan hair that looked like a massive bird's nest. Her arraignment was tomorrow. The court would hear the charges and she would enter her plea. If she looked like an uncouth space pirate, they would think of her as that. But, if she cleaned herself up first and made herself look like an innocent girl whom society had used and abused, her story would be more believable. Ryoko had seen picture of herself that people had taken. She had even posed for some of them. They were all oozing with confidence and strength. She needed to shatter that image, and become the victim. It was not the kind of person she wanted to be. Ryoko despised the idea of being the victim again. But, deep down, she felt it to be true. At least it used to be true. She had thrown that mantle off years ago. Now she was being forced to wear it again, this time for her own survival. At the very least, she needed to look presentable. There would be little sympathy for a bedraggled wild-child.
There was another consideration, as well. Her father, whoever he was, would likely be watching the trial on television. Even if he was not aware that she was his daughter, she wanted him to have a good impression of her. Of course, there was also Tenchi. Thinking of them, she took the comb that had been so thoughtfully provided for her vanity and began pulling it through the snarls and tangles of her hair. Ryoko felt some surprise as she realized that she still wanted to look good for Tenchi, even though he did not desire her. It would have been beautiful to hold him close and feel his heart beating with hers.
A familiar sense of melancholy began to descend over Ryoko again as her hands faltered. Her gaze fell to the wash basin that extended from the wall at the base of the mirror. Quickly pulling herself from that pit, Ryoko returned her gaze to the mirror and attacked her messy hair with a growl and renewed vigor. She had received good news today and would not allow her lousy love-life to reduce the importance of what she had learned. That much she could still manage.
END.
AFTERWORD: The trial will be soon. I promise.
DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, all events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. Please don't change them. Feel free to distribute this story as widely as desired.
FOREWORD: I think it's time for a chapter dealing just with Ryoko's feelings about everything that has happened. Please, keep in mind this is TV Ryoko, not OAV.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
LAST REVISION: 08 January 2004
EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
BEGIN.
Ryoko's cell was surprisingly comfortable for a class A criminal's accomodations. The walls were far from featureless, unlike the ceiling, which she was staring up at from a horizontal position on her bunk. Being on Jurai, the cell and all it's meager furnishings appeared to be made entirely of wood. But a quick inspection prooved that to be untrue. Whatever substance the cell was contsructed from, it was completely impervious to her powers. That would explain why they took her feed-back mittens off once she was inside. Having her hands free was nice. But that did nothing to alleviate her boredom. She didn't even have a roommate to talk to.
Daisuke's frequent visits were the only thing she had to look forward to. Seeing him again had been a real shocker. The corner's of Ryoko's mouth curled up at the memory of the one evening they had spent together a couple of years ago. She had not planned on ever seeing him again, and she had certainly not expected him to come out of nowhere and offer his legal services right when she needed the most. It was weird how things like that worked.
Her only other visitor besides Daisuke had been Tenchi. The day after Daisuke had shown up, Tenchi had returned, asking to visit. Ryoko had balked at the guard's announcement that Tenchi was waiting for her. She had simply lain still on her bunk, afraid to see him. In retrospect, she was glad she had refused to see him. At the time, as upset as she had been she probably would have said something nasty to him. That had been several days ago. Now, she was beginning to regret refusing him. It would be nice to see his face again.
"Fat chance." Ryoko grumbled to herself as she turned over on to her stomach, propping her head on her upraised arms. Since then she had not heard a thing about Tenchi or any of the others except from Daisuke. And now that she had refused Tenchi, he was the type of person who would respect her wishes, even if she had not really meant it.
All this time alone was giving Ryoko too much opportunity to reflect on her past, which was something she always tried to avoid doing. If one thought too hard about what one had done, she always said, it only led to regrets. Ryoko tried to tell ehrself she had no regrets about her life. But that just was not the truth. She could not hide that from herself any longer. Her mind kept going back and replaying things that she had done. She did not regret having done what was necessary to survive. Life as a space-pirate was not easy. It required a big ego and a strong will to make a living out of it. It also required a good sense of when to fight, and when to cut one's losses and run.
The day Tenchi had agreed to go on the long-desired trip alone with her had been the greatest day of her life. The sheer pleasure and giddiness she had felt when he said yes had thrown her into fits of giggling and smiles for days. For a while, she had actually felt like a normal girl again. Choosing Caladan for their trip had been a product of Sasami's suggestion and her own familiarity of the attractions that her chosen home planet could provide a vacationing couple. Throughout the trip she had felt that Tenchi was holding back. His personaility was naturally reserved. So she had thought little of it until Tenchi had let slip that he was more interested in "normal" girls. That had felt like he was sticking a pin in her side; annoying and somewhat painful. But, secretly, being able to lead a normal life was something of a minor fantasy for her. Life was certainly easier for her since she had crashed at Tenchi's place, despite the occaisional adventure that led to. And despite appearances, even she could label the period of her life with her foster-parents as normal. That was why she had brought him to the school and to see Futsuki and Kagusa. They were normal, as she perceived fit Tenchi's definition of the word.
There were a few things Ryoko was flexible on when it came to Tenchi. Being a little better behaved was one of those things. It would certainly behoove her to stay out of trouble with the law. But when people started doing things to screw-up her well-meaning plans, it really burned a hole in her heart. Even when she was doing her best to follow the rules and be good, they still made things difficult for her. That was when she would throw the rulebook out the window and just do whatever she wanted.
Ryoko could tell that some of Tenchi's values had rubbed off on her. She really had meant to bring the boat back at the end of the day. The accident had put an end to that idea. She had no one but herself to blame. Tenchi had been right after all. But that was not what bothered her. That was not what had set her off. After the night before, when Tenchi had shown her that they were not close enough to have the kind of relationship she wanted, she had tried hard to be more open and forthcoming with her feelings. Being open about her intentions was not an easy thing for Ryoko. Other people tended to take advantage of such behavior. Acting crazy and unpredictable confused people, and kept them guessing as to what she intended to do. It was a defense mechanism that had grown up with her. For Tenchi, she had tried turning that mechanism off. Even that had not been enough for him. She had never imagined it would hurt so much to be rejected like that. Of all the things she did not understand about him, that one thing was crystal clear to her. Like writing on paper, she could hear his words.
"I... can't."
Her eyes began to burn yet again as the scene passed through her mind. She had openly told him what she wanted with him. She had openly told Tenchi how she felt. Just like she knew he wanted, she had been open and honest about everything; her desires, her fears, her true feelings for him, and he still rejected her. The pain she still felt from the wound he had inflicted spread from her chest, up her neck, and into her head. It hurt so much that she wanted to cry again. But, at the thought of allowing herself yet another crying jag, she felt a burst of anger. She was sick and tired of feeling weak and emotionally defenseless. Ryoko pressed her face into her thin pillow and screamed her defiance until her lungs were empty of air.
For a second she held the pillow to her face, unmoving, until she heard something slidding through the horizontal slot in her cell door. Whatever it was thumped to the floor. What the Hell did they want now?
"Mail call." The guard's voice sounded from through the door.
Ryoko pulled her teary stained face from the pillow to verify this strange occurance. Why would someone be sending her mail? If it were Daisuke, he would come in person. Probably some other pirate just wanted to gloat. But... Ryoko stared at the thick yellow package. It was about the right size for some sort of paperwork, and it was stuffed full. After several seconds of staring and guessing, Ryoko finally gave in to her curiosity and got up to retrieve it.
Picking up the package, Ryoko turned it over in her hands. There was no return address. It had also been opened. A sense of indignance surfaced for a moment, until she remembered she was in prison. Of course they would open it. Frustrated at the invasion of what little privacy she had, Ryoko reached into the envelope and pulled everything out at once. Several news clippings came out, along with another envelope, a couple photos, and a seperate letter.
"What the hell is this crap?"
Ryoko grumbled to herself as she sat back on her bunk and dumped the clippings. They were hard-copy news reports with big bold letters proclaiming other criminal arrests. She would have ignored them after an initial glance, except she recognized the persons captured in the photos. These people were men who had abused and mistreated her as a child. There was the priest who had sexually abused her in an orphanage, the two pirates who had "adopted" her after she had finally broken the priest's leg in self-defense, and several men from the girls' school where she had been placed after her first arrest. They were all people she utterly hated and despised. If any of them had ever had the misfortune to appear within her sight these days, she would have found it difficult not to beat them to death. But it seemed someone had a better idea of what to do with them. It was not a personal revenge, but someone seemed to be going after these people. Now thuroughly transfixed with curiosity, Ryoko snatched up the open letter. As was her habit, she looked at the bottom to see who it was from. Her eyes bulged to see Aeka's name on it. Everything suddenly became clear. After hearing the story Ryoko had told in the bath, Aeka had gone to Jurai to learn the truth. Reading through the letter, Ryoko verified what she had discerned.
"Miss Ryoko, I do not wish you to misunderstand what I have done. After hearing your story, I felt it my duty to verify the occurrences which you spoke of through secondary sources. If such things were true, then it is my duty as First Princess to do something about it. Such mistreatment and neglect cannot be allowed to happen with Jurai society. I am truly shocked and apalled that such things happened to you within the confines of Jurai's Social Services. These men will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Please accept these photographs as proof of my word.
"In addition, I took the liberty of ascertaining your parentage. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you of your mother's passing. As for your father, he is a fine and upstanding member of society. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal his identity."
Ryoko shot to her feet at the outrage of finally knowing who was responsible for her existence. She wanted nothing more than to find the two of them and throttle them for abandoning her.
"What the fuck bullshit is that, Aeka?"
"I'm certain you are understandably frustrated at this. But take my word, it is for the best. As compensation, I have allowed him to write you a letter. Please do not dismiss the man. I swear to you he is an honest and compassionate man who is concerned for his daughter, even if he is also unaware of your identity. In fact, he was unaware of your existance until I informed him."
"Fat chance."
"Ryoko, I do not approve or condone your actions. But you are entitled to a standard of living commensurate with other citizens of the Jurai Empire. I have collected from your father the unpaid child support payments and placed the total in an interest bearing account in your name. I cannot help you any more than this, except to tell you that both Lord Tenchi and I have been named as witnesses for your trial. As such, we will be unable to contact you again until all is concluded."
"Respectfully, Aeka Masaki Jurai."
Ryoko stared at Aeka's letter for a long time. No matter how she tried to spin what Aeka had written, she could find no benefit for the princess in this. The only explanation she could come to was exactly as Aeka had written. She had returned to Jurai to punish those responsible for her torturous upbringing. At best, Ryoko had thought of Aeka as a respected rival. But this was just so out of the blue. It was totally different than the kind of actions Ryoko normally expected from a stuck-up princess. Unsure what to think of this strange turn of events, Ryoko sat down again and set the letter on the bunk to her left. To her right, resting on her tear stained pillow was the letter from her father; her true, honest-to-goodness, biological father. Ryoko knew there were ways to identify a person's descent. But this was someone she had never really given much though to. She had no real parents, and nothing, not even the money Aeka spoke of, would change that.
Ryoko stared at the envelope trying to decide if she should read the letter. Aeka had been pretty supportive of the man who had written it. But if he were such a person, why had he allowed his daughter to be abandoned? How could something like that happen? All this new found knowledge, knowing that she really did have a father, brought back all the old questions Ryoko had long since buried as unknowable. Her past had always been a mystery. She had always focused on the future. What was done was done and nothing would ever change that. Her past was just something that needed forgetting. At least, until today.
"Damn you, Aeka."
Ryoko grabbed the envelope and pulled out her father's letter. It was folded neatly in thirds, just like Aeka's letter had been. Opening the folds, Ryoko gazed at the hand-written characters, not really reading it, just examining the hand writing. The characters were neat and orderly, marching across the page with almost military precision. She had no difficulty making them out, as she sometimes did with messier hand writing.
"Dearest Daughter, I must admit to you that I was initially disturbed to learn that a brief encounter with a woman earlier in my life had resulted in a child. I have always prided myself on being an honorable and responsible adult. I was even relieved that the monetary compensation would only amount to the rightfully due child support. However, as I considered this important occurance over night, I realized that I have been given an opportunity. Until today, I have had no immediate family of my own.
"I find myself growing excited at the prospect of you reading this letter. I sincerely hope you do not spurn my words. But, I understand if you are angry with me. I have failed as a parent by not being there to be your father. I have failed as a man by not taking care of your mother, whom I have learned has passed away years ago. I wish I could more fully express my sympathy on this, but I know precious little of you and your mother, except for the few facts Princess Aeka has provided me. I can only say that a child should not have to live without a loving family to support her as she grows to adulthood. Although I do not deserve forgiveness, I ask it, none-the-less.
"It pains me to be denied the priviledge of meeting you face-to-face. Perhaps, someday we will meet. Hopefully then I will be able to convince you of the veracity of my words. Until that day, I will hold you as dear to my heart as the Royal Family.
"With Fondness, Your Father."
Ryoko found herself staring at this second letter even harder than the other as she tried deperately to read between the lines and learn if the words written there were sincere, or merely patronizing. Either way, the person who had written them was pretty intelligent. He used a lot of big words. But still, anyone could write-up a good letter of apology and present it for submission. Ryoko wanted to believe the man was telling the bald truth. She wanted to believe she had family who cared for her. But after more than twenty years of life and precious few reliable friends, she was skeptical. What she really wanted was to meet this man and determine for herself if he was sincere, or if he was merely trying to weasel his way out of an uncomfortable and embarrassing position.
One of the things Ryoko had been able to discern from the letter was that the guy had enough money to settle his financial obligations. The last time she had thought to check, that would be from eighteen to twenty five years of monthly payments ranging from paltry to excessive, depending on the local laws. Even if the monthly dues were small, she would still be entitled to a handy sum. If he were rich, then the sum would be much greater. It was certainly nice to know she had a nest-egg tucked away somewhere. But that did nothing to change how she felt about learning she actually had parents somewhere. Her father she could perhaps come to an understanding with. It sounded like he had had a fling with a girl and gotten her pregnant. That happened often enough that she didn't hold it against him. But as for her deceased mother, Ryoko would never forgive her. There was no longer any doubt that the woman had abandoned her. If she had died only a few years ago, then she had knowingly discarded her new-born in that back-alley trash pile. As far as Ryoko was concerned, she deserved to die a horrible death and burn in Hell for all eternity.
Ryoko looked over at the photographs again, feeling satisfaction that the men who had so tormented her as a child were going to be punished for what they had done. Of course, the fact that they had finally been caught meant that Aeka was prancing around the planet, blabbing what she knew, despite having been sworn to secrecy along with the other girls. Still, Ryoko supposed it didn't really matter anymore. Daisuke's defense plan was fairly simple. Neither of them had any illusions about her guilt or innocence. She had done nearly everything she was accused of. His plan was to appeal to the jury's sense of pity by telling them her story. If she could win their sympathy - Ryoko sneered at the idea, despite it being her only hope - then there was a possibility they may have pity for her and let her go. It was that or nothing. If convicted, the death penalty was mandatory. Now, with what she had just learned, death did not seem so appealing.
Setting the second latter aside with care, Ryoko stood up and went to the polished metal plate on the wall that served as her mirror. Her reflection was not impressive. The Ryoko that gazed back at her had eyes puffy from crying and a tangled mass of cyan hair that looked like a massive bird's nest. Her arraignment was tomorrow. The court would hear the charges and she would enter her plea. If she looked like an uncouth space pirate, they would think of her as that. But, if she cleaned herself up first and made herself look like an innocent girl whom society had used and abused, her story would be more believable. Ryoko had seen picture of herself that people had taken. She had even posed for some of them. They were all oozing with confidence and strength. She needed to shatter that image, and become the victim. It was not the kind of person she wanted to be. Ryoko despised the idea of being the victim again. But, deep down, she felt it to be true. At least it used to be true. She had thrown that mantle off years ago. Now she was being forced to wear it again, this time for her own survival. At the very least, she needed to look presentable. There would be little sympathy for a bedraggled wild-child.
There was another consideration, as well. Her father, whoever he was, would likely be watching the trial on television. Even if he was not aware that she was his daughter, she wanted him to have a good impression of her. Of course, there was also Tenchi. Thinking of them, she took the comb that had been so thoughtfully provided for her vanity and began pulling it through the snarls and tangles of her hair. Ryoko felt some surprise as she realized that she still wanted to look good for Tenchi, even though he did not desire her. It would have been beautiful to hold him close and feel his heart beating with hers.
A familiar sense of melancholy began to descend over Ryoko again as her hands faltered. Her gaze fell to the wash basin that extended from the wall at the base of the mirror. Quickly pulling herself from that pit, Ryoko returned her gaze to the mirror and attacked her messy hair with a growl and renewed vigor. She had received good news today and would not allow her lousy love-life to reduce the importance of what she had learned. That much she could still manage.
END.
AFTERWORD: The trial will be soon. I promise.