DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, the events depicted in this story are entirely of my own imagination. Please do not copy or alter it in any way. Feel free to distribute this story as widely as desired.
FOREWORD: This chapter takes place shortly after the beginning of the new academic year. I would like to point out that in Japan, the school year ends and starts around spring vacation, rather than summer. This vacation is informally referred to as Golden Week. However, spring break is still shorter than summer vacation.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
LAST REVISION: 07 November 2003
BEGIN.
"Tenchi got mail!" Sasami excitedly waved a letter in the air as she entered the sitting room fresh in from school.
"I did?" Tenchi rose from the couch to retrieve his missive from the girl. When he reached for it, she pulled it away just before his fingers closed on the envelope. Inwardly, Tenchi groaned. Sasami could not hold it high or far enough away that he could not reach it. But she was getting there.
"Just because we're friends, it's no excuse for bad manners. Say please." Sasami insisted.
"Uh, right." Tenchi put his palms together in front of his chest. "May I please have my letter, Sasami?"
Sasami smiled brightly and handed Tenchi his letter.
"It's from brother Yosho." She kindly informed him as he reached out and took it.
"From Grandpa?" Tenchi headed back to the couch so he could sit while reading. "Huh. I wonder what's up?"
He sat back down between Aeka and Ryoko. They both tried to put their arm around his shoulders at the same time and ended up pushing and tugging at each other for the space Tenchi's shoulders provided. He ignored their silent squabble and tore open his letter.
"Yup. It's from Grandpa, all right." He read a little further before making any more comments. "He says everyone's doing fine. Little Taro's running around and getting into everything. Ha! Here's one for you, Ryoko. Grandpa lost track of him for a few minutes the other day, then found him trying his best to tear down the gate to your cave."
Ryoko grinned.
"You Masaki guys just can't resist me."
Aeka took advantage of Ryoko's distraction to gain victory for Tenchi's shoulders.
"Your cousin is quite the troublemaker, isn't he?" Despite her words, Aeka squeezed Tenchi's shoulder tightly.
Tenchi looked at her, knowing exactly what was running through her mind. They shared a brief moment while they stared into each other's eyes.
"Okay, okay." Ryoko interrupted their silent communication. "Enough with the gaga looks. What else does he say?"
"Hmph." Aeka stuck her nose up in the air at Ryoko's comment. "You should talk, Ryoko."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Anyway," Tenchi interrupted the argument before it got out of hand, "Dad and Mihoshi are doing fine. They're... huh?" Tenchi read the paragraph over again. "I don't believe it."
"What?" The women asked in unison. Tenchi took a moment to read the rest of the letter before summarizing for the others. Ryoko starting getting impatient.
"Come on, Tenchi. What are they, sleeping together?"
"Ryoko!" Aeka admonished her. "Tenchi's father may be somewhat... deprived... but he would never fall to such depths. I'm certain he has been very respectful of Miss Mihoshi."
"Thank you, Aeka. But, I guess they've both been feeling lonely. Now that I think about it, it is just the two of them there. Grandpa says he's thinking of playing match-maker."
"Really?" The ladies chimed again.
"Really."
There was a long moment of quiet while everyone contemplated the combination of Nobuyuki and Mihoshi.
"Tenchi," Aeka asked, "How do you feel about this?"
"It's all right. Dad's been alone for a long time. I know he stayed single more for my benefit than anything else. That's not to say he didn't respect mom. It's just... well, he's a decent guy at heart. I hope it works out for them."
When the phone began to ring, Sasami leapt to answer the call.
"I'll get it!"
Aeka called after her sister regarding the person making the call.
"If it's another of those telemarketers, make certain they understand never to call this number again!"
"I'll really let them have it, this time!"
Sasami picked up the phone and answered in her cheeriest voice while the others continued to peruse the contents of the letter from home.
"Hello! Masaki residence."
A cultured young man's voice responded to her greeting.
"Ah, yes. Could I speak with Sasami please?"
"This is her. But, if you're trying to sell me something, I'll scream into the phone."
"Uh, no. Why would I do a thing like that?"
"Huh?" Sasami began to feel confused. The voice on the phone sounded like a boy around her age, and very well mannered. But she did not know of anyone like that in her local area. Still, the voice sounded awfully familiar.
"Do I know you?"
"Um, yes, actually. This is Shuzan Amaki. We met at Lady Asahi and Lord Gohgei's wedding reception?"
Sasami immediately blushed. She most certainly did remember the wonderful time she had had dancing with him. However, she could not for the life of her remember ever giving him her phone number.
"How did you get this number?"
"Well, my brother has received a teaching position at the academy, and he invited me to come along. Uncle said it was all right. So, I guess I'll be in the neighborhood."
"Oh. That's nice. But, that doesn't really answer my question."
"Um... I asked Seiryu to look it up for me."
A small grin began to tug at the corners of Sasami's mouth.
"Why?"
"I thought... maybe... since I'll be new to the area, you could... maybe... show me around?"
Sasami really began to blush, now.
"Shuzan, are you asking me for a date?"
"No! I mean... well, it's just that I don't know anyone there, and I, um... You know how it is when you go someplace where you don't know anybody. It's really boring. If you don't want to..."
"No! I mean, yes. I mean, oh... um..." Sasami suddenly found herself at a loss for words. "I'd... be happy to."
"Truly?"
"Sure. I know!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Why don't you and Seiryu come over for dinner?"
Aeka's voice suddenly echoed across the house.
"Absolutely not! If that man sets so much as a toe in this house, I'll have him executed! In fact, Azaka! Kamidake!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Have signs posted around the house: Trespassers will be executed!"
"Immediately, Highness!"
Sasami grimaced at Aeka's pronouncement.
"Um... maybe not."
"If you don't mind my asking, what happened after the reception? I thought your sister and my brother were getting along rather well?"
Sasami began twirling the receiver cord around her left index finger.
"I don't know. I tried really hard to get her to tell me, but she won't say."
A pair of golden eyes topped by long cyan hair peered around the corner to investigate the strange occurrence of Sasami talking on the phone with someone who had asked her for a date. She could only assume it was a boy. Ryoko started to snicker as she observed Sasami gossiping and yacking. The girl seemed totally oblivious to the fact that she was being watched.
"I know! There's this nice place we could go to and talk about it while we eat."
"That sounds good."
"We'll have to take a shuttle to get there, but that's fine. You'll get to take a look around while we fly."
"That's a great idea!"
"Mm-hm. And you'll get to see the hole Washu made in the planet's surface fifteen thousand years ago."
"Fifteen... thousand?"
Sasami could not help giggling when she heard Shuzan's reaction. She had reacted the same way when she had learned about the thirty-mile-deep shaft that Washu had inadvertently created so many years ago.
"That's what they say. I asked Washu about it the other day. She seemed surprised that anybody even remembered it was her that did it."
"How could anyone ever forget something like that?"
"Hey, Sasami." Ryoko called to her younger friend. "Who ya talkin' to?"
Sasami glanced in Ryoko's direction before placing her hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver.
"A friend."
Ryoko smiled.
"Boy-friend, you mean."
Sasami's face turned beet-red.
"He is not!"
Ryoko turned around with a laugh.
"Hey, everybody! Sasami's got a boyfriend!"
Everyone in the room went silent.
"Shuzan, I'll call right back." Sasami hung up the phone without waiting for a response. She then crossed her arms over her chest and gave Ryoko her best Gramma Seto impression, icy glare and all.
"He's not my boyfriend."
Ryoko looked over her shoulder with a playful glint in her eye.
"You're going to go out with him, right?"
Sasami's icy stare quickly melted as she began to fiddle with her own fingers.
"I'm... just going to show him around. It's not like it's a date, or anything."
"Sure it is. If you go out alone with a boy, it's a date."
"It is not a date, and he is not my boyfriend!"
Ryoko suddenly reappeared behind Sasami, where she set her hands on the girl's shoulders.
"It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's perfectly normal to start liking guys at your age."
Ryoko changed tactics when she saw Sasami's face turn red. She had been eagerly anticipating the day Sasami would be big enough to have some fun with. Maybe today was the day. With a sense of excitement she had not felt in some time, Ryoko reached around Sasami's head and engaged her in a Sleeper-hold, making sure not to squeeze too tight. She only wanted to have some fun, not rip her friend's head off. From the sitting room, Aeka tried to caution Ryoko about trying something like that with Sasami.
"Ryoko, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Her warning went unheeded.
"Come on! Admit it! He's your boyfriend!"
As much as Sasami liked Ryoko, she had never felt the rapier-point of the woman's well honed teasing skills. The force of the verbal assault was too much for the ordinarily well tempered Sasami. She reached up and grasped Ryoko's right arm with both hands. Then, thrusting her hips back while bending forward, she threw Ryoko over her head. The woman's body described a graceful arc through the air, which terminated at the horizontal surface of the floor. The wooden boards that comprised the walking surface cracked and splintered with the force of the impact. Ryoko stared up at her friend in surprise.
"Wow."
When Sasami saw what she had done, she began to cry.
"I'm sorry!" She quickly turned around and ran up the stairs.
Ryoko sat up as Tenchi and Aeka joined her.
"Told you, didn't I?"
"You didn't tell me your little sister had moves."
Aeka smirked down at Ryoko.
"Although Sasami was only eight when we left Jurai in search of our brother, she had already attained the basic level of proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. I'm not certain, but I believe her level of skill would roughly equate to a level just below a black belt on Lord Tenchi's home-planet."
Impressed, Tenchi could not help wondering where that placed Aeka.
"Aeka, you trained, too, right? What does that make you?"
Pleased to tell Tenchi of her accomplishment, Aeka stood up a bit straighter as she answered.
"Once I made it known that I was going to search for my brother, Mother and Father absolutely insisted that I train rigorously for the coming journey. Before I set out, Mother awarded me an honorary title of Master at Arms in recognition of my achievement."
Having spent enough time on the floor, Ryoko finally got to her feet and brushed off the dust.
"You mean the guy who holds the door and announces everybody?"
Both Aeka and Tenchi groaned out loud.
One of the things Tenchi liked the most about the Galaxy Academy was the weather schedule. Science had advanced enough here that they could control the weather. Adverse conditions, such as heavy rain and whatnot, were placed on a schedule so that the residents would know when to wear the appropriate gear. Today, however, the weather was crystal clear. It was a beautiful day for a walk. Even better than that, both Ryoko and Aeka were with him. Gone were the days of worrying about Aeka's emotional state. In fact, since their engagement, both ladies seemed happier than ever. They also seemed to be arguing much less.
Yes, indeed. Today was a beautiful day. The sun shone, the birds sang, the music played... With a startling revelation, Tenchi realized the music really was playing. The aching strums of a hard driving rock tune were flying through the air.
"Where's that coming from?"
Ryoko fixed her gaze on a nearby tall brick building with all it's windows thrown open.
"There."
"Where's what coming from?" Aeka asked as Tenchi followed Ryoko's gaze.
"Music." Tenchi answered.
"That?" Aeka sniffed her distaste. "It sounds like the screeching of cats in heat. No wonder Miss Ryoko likes it so much."
Ryoko directed a momentary glare Aeka's way, but soon returned her attention to the building. She did not care if Aeka liked rock or not. She did, and that is what counted.
Tenchi quickly noticed how focused Ryoko was on the sounds coming from within the building. Remembering that she had an affinity for the guitar, he decided to make a suggestion.
"Do you want to check it out?"
"Can I?" She hopefully asked, turning to look at Tenchi.
"Well, sure! You don't have to ask my permission."
For a short moment, Ryoko just stared at her fiancée, admiring him. Then, with a squeal of delight, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"You're the greatest!"
"Aww, gee, well..."
Aeka did not bother to object about Ryoko's enthusiastic display of affection towards Tenchi. Objecting would only start another argument. It was too nice of a day to spend fighting. She chose to just stand close by, politely ignoring the display.
Ryoko planted a wet, sloppy kiss on Tenchi's cheek as she stepped away to investigate the energetic sounds coming from nearby. The young man wiped the slobber from his face as Ryoko spun up into the air, laughing.
"Later, guys!" She called as she flew through one of the open windows.
"My." Aeka commented on Ryoko's abrupt departure. "She certainly seems excited."
Tenchi deigned not to respond to Aeka's comment, although he certainly agreed with it. Instead, there was something else he wanted to talk to her about.
"Actually, I kind of wanted to talk about the wedding."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Um... well... I was kind of thinking about your parents. I mean... how can I put it?"
Aeka heaved a huge sigh of relief.
"I think I know what you're thinking. Yes, it would be a major embarrassment if our child were born before the wedding. So sooner is better than later."
"I think so, too. So, when?"
"Well, I had always hoped for the spring. But..."
"But, does that really matter? I mean, we can just go to a different planet if you want a spring ceremony."
"I suppose."
"But..." Tenchi prompted, sensing something that Aeka had not yet said.
"I always expected I would be married on Jurai. But, that would pose a difficult problem. Yosho is Outcast. As his descendant, so are you, although it's not as much of a problem for you, as it is for my brother. In order to get either one or both of you permission to return to Jurai, consent must be obtained from all three of the other great royal families."
"Yeah. I remember the King saying something like that the last time we were on Jurai."
"Indeed. But, it will be much more difficult this time. We won't be asking permission just for a visit. We would be asking quite possibly for the entire empire. House Amaki will be the most difficult. They will probably ask for some kind of concession in return."
"Um, I think we're talking about two different problems."
"Yes, I think you're right about that. The first problem is where and when. I'm thinking it should be by the end of the current semester. Actually, that works out rather well. I... maintain no illusions about being able to complete the academic year."
"I'm sorry, Aeka. I've been really irresponsible."
"No. Don't you dare apologize."
Tenchi's eyes widened at Aeka firm denial of his apology.
"I am every bit as responsible as you. I am very proud, and very happy to bear you child. I don't regret it one bit and neither should you."
"Aeka..."
"There are consequences, of course. But it's nothing we can't handle, together."
"You're right. You are absolutely right. Okay. So, we have to get permission. How do we do that?"
"Well, quite frankly, I'm not sure."
Tenchi groaned in disappointment.
"However, my father would be a good place to start."
"Um, you know, I was kind of hoping to save him for last."
Aeka giggled at that.
"Don't worry about father. I know how to handle him. I learned from my mother, after all."
"Right. Well, assuming we get permission, let's talk about the where and when."
"When should be between semesters. That will minimize the disruption to yours and Ryoko's studies, give us enough time to prepare, and still enable me to... oh." Aeka paused in the middle of her sentence, as she realized something about her impending nuptuals that she was not happy about. Her eyes promptly began to tear.
"Aeka?"
"Oh, this is so unfair."
"What? What's unfair?"
"I won't be able to wear any of the wedding dresses I like."
"Why?"
The tears fell, and Aeka leaned against Tenchi as she started to cry.
"I'll be too fat! Wa-a-a!"
Tenchi put his arm around Aeka's shoulders, comforting her with as much good humor as he could muster considering how moody she had gotten lately.
"There now. You shouldn't worry so much. At least you and Ryoko will be able to pick out dresses together."
Aeka suddenly threw her hands up in the air, doing a complete emotional shift.
"Oh, well, now there's something to be happy about!"
Tenchi scratched vigorously at the back of his scalp as he wondered just how much more interesting Aeka's pregnancy was going to get. And with the added stress of planning a wedding, things were definitely going to get interesting.
"Uh, nine months, isn't it?"
Flying up to the tall window from which the music seemed loudest, Ryoko peered into the building. It looked like some sort of concert hall. The seats were empty. But a band played on, regardless. The group was composed of two guitar players (one of which was doubling as the vocalist), a bass player, and a drummer. The song was not particularly interesting, except for the lyrics. Ryoko chuckled when she realized the song was about a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball player. However, one of the guitar players needed practice, big time. Whichever one it was could not get through a single verse without making an audible mistake. Curious as to which performer it was, Ryoko descended from her perch in the window to investigate. As soon as the band members caught sight of a young woman descending from the window of what used to be a chapel, the song came to a shuddering halt.
"What'd you stop for?" Ryoko asked as she touched down in front of the stage.
The group stared at her until the drummer finally decided to speak.
"You don't suppose we offended someone, do you?"
"Come off it." The guitarist on the left replied. "This place is a concert hall, now. There hasn't been any worshipping here for centuries. Besides, what idiot worships a demon?"
A couple of years ago, Ryoko would gladly have claimed the title that guy had just bestowed upon her. But now... hearing someone refer to her as a demon actually hurt a bit. With a disgruntled huff, Ryoko dropped her book-bag on the floor. Locking her eyes on the guy who had called her a demon, she floated up into the air until she was about head-and-shoulders above him. Then, she slowly flew towards him until he was within arms' reach. Sweat poured down the guitarist's face as he watched his doom approaching. She stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"Give me the guitar."
"What if I don't want to?"
Electrical impulses arced across Ryoko's body from the head down to her toes as a small grin appeared on her face.
"I insist."
Ryoko suddenly found herself with two arms full of guitar.
"Hey!" She growled at the guitarist who was now sprinting for the back exit at top speed.
A pair of drum sticks suddenly clattered across the stage.
"Well, that's just great!" The drummer vociferously complained from the back. "Now what the Hell are we gonna do?"
"Kind of hard to have a band with only three members." The bassist added.
"Hold on, hold on." The lead guitarist said, trying to calm things down. "Ryoko, isn't it?"
Looking at the young man, Ryoko finally took note of his appearance. He had dark hair with light skin, and very casual clothes, giving him a fairly grungy look. Quickly skimming her gaze across the other two guys, she saw that they were at least similarly dressed, although not exactly.
"That's my name." Ryoko confirmed.
"Well, Miss Ryoko. Since you saw fit to scare off our rhythm guitarist, maybe you'd like to find us a replacement?"
Ryoko's second smile was a little more genuine than the first.
"Okay."
Slinging the guitar strap over her shoulder, Ryoko ran her fingernail across the guitar strings, producing a full, if slightly off-key, chord. She clucked her tongue in disappointment.
"Now I know where all those mistakes were coming from. You're really better off without that guy. I mean, if he can't even tune it right..." She adjusted the knobs at the guitar's head, bringing the tones into what she felt was better alignment. Another chord produced a much more satisfactory result.
"There. Now, what was that song you were just playing?"
"We haven't named it, yet."
"Hmm... It goes something like this, right?" Ryoko played a short segment of the rhythm part. Unfortunately, she had only heard it once, and could not remember the entire piece. But those listening were impressed, none-the-less.
"Not bad." The other guitarist commented on her performance. "But can you read sheet music?"
"What's sheet music?" Ryoko blithely asked, trying to remember the rest of the part.
"It's a way of writing music."
"They can do that?"
"Absolutely."
"Huh. No kidding. How's that work?"
The guitarist smiled broadly.
"Before we get into that, maybe we ought to introduce ourselves. I'm Rei, that's Bo on bass, and Ken on drums."
"Rei, Bo, and Ken. Okay, easy enough. I'm Ryoko. But, you knew that already."
"Well, it's kinda hard not to know about you. I mean, you're famous."
"Famous?"
"Or infamous, depending on how you look at it."
"Yeah, well... it's not like I had a choice."
"Tell you what. Why don't we go over to the Pore House and we can talk about sheet music."
Ryoko turned a suspicious eye towards Rei.
"Are you asking me out?"
Rei chuckled at that.
"We go out for drinks after every practice."
"Oh. Well, I guess that's okay, then. But if you ever ask me for a date, I'll kick your ass."
"Okay..." Rei tried to keep his curiosity from taking control. But the effort was a wasted one. "Why?"
"Because..." Ryoko's smile grew to enormous proportions and she began to giggle like a school-girl. "I'm getting married!"
The three musicians fell flat one their faces.
It was already dark when Ryoko returned home. To tell the truth, she was feeling a little guilty about having stayed out so late. It was not really that late; only late evening. But she had missed dinner. There was no regret, though. The time spent had been well worth it. The three musicians, Rei, Bo, and Ken all seemed genuinely interested in making a successful rock band. Rei had made good on his word to talk to her about sheet music. He had shown her some as an example. Strangely enough, Ryoko could practically hear the notes in her head when she looked at the sheets. But reproducing the sound was a different story. It was not like her voice was appropriate for mimicking the multi-tonal sounds of guitar chords. Still, she could understand what was on the paper. It was enough for now. But the most important part of this evening was the fact that she had made some new friends. That was the real reward.
As Ryoko phased through the walls of the house on the fly, she was surprised to find someone was still up in the living room. Curious, she touched down just inside the room. Tenchi was sitting on the couch watching some kind of late night programming, which was odd enough. But even stranger was the open can of beer on the table in front of him. She would have tried to sneak up behind him, except Tenchi seemed to be on alert. He suddenly looked in her direction.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi exclaimed leaping out of his seat. Ryoko's eyes went wide when he ran over and grabbed hold of her upper arms.
"For Gods' sake, Ryoko, where have you been?!"
"I..."
"You had me worried out of my mind!"
"I was just talking with some guys."
"All night?"
"It's not that late."
"Late enough! Geez, Ryoko, you even... wait. What do you mean, some guys?"
"Remember that music we heard? It was a rock band. They let me hang out with them. Hey!" Ryoko smiled despite the strange expression coming over Tenchi's face. "I got invited to join the band! Isn't that cool?"
"Yeah, swell." Tenchi turned away and began making his way to the stairs, leaving Ryoko behind with only late-night talk TV for company. "Sasami left your dinner in the auto-heater."
"Hey..." Mystified as to Tenchi's sudden attitude, Ryoko hesitated before slowly floating after him. "What gives?"
"Nothing."
"Well, why are you being like this?"
"Just forget it."
"I don't want to forget it. Tell me why."
Tenchi ignored Ryoko's repeated requests as he walk to his room.
"Tenchi-i-i... tell me why."
"No."
"Why are you being such a pain?"
"Ryoko, go to bed."
"Not until you tell me why you're being so mean!"
Stepping just through the open door to his room, Tenchi turned around and slid the new Japanese-style door closed in Ryoko's face. Ryoko just stared at the closed door. She really had no idea what to make of this. Unwilling to give up and unknowing of the reason for Tenchi's sudden coldness towards her, Ryoko phased through the door.
"What's the big deal?. You said it was okay."
Already busy removing his clothes, Tenchi looked up at Ryoko in surprise. Apparently, shutting the door in her face was not enough of a hint that he wanted to be away from her tonight. He was giving her the cold shoulder to keep from shouting at her. If she kept this up, that was exactly what would happen.
"That's not the point."
"What is the point, then?"
"The point is, I don't want you around tonight!" Tenchi quickly pulled his trousers the rest of the way off. Then he marched over to Ryoko and opened the door, once more. "Please leave."
Ryoko's jaw dropped and her eyes began to burn.
"What'd I do?" She half-heartedly asked.
Seeing that Ryoko had no intention of moving on her own, Tenchi set his hands on her shoulders and proceeded to firmly, yet gently, guide Ryoko back out the door into the hallway.
"Good night, Ryoko." He brusquely said before shutting the door again. The frame slid home with a thud.
"What did I do?" Ryoko whispered in the night. "Why are you so mad at me?" Closing her eyes caused the tears that had gathered there to spill out. "Why?" Ryoko set her forehead and hands on the door as she cried. "I don't understand." But Tenchi was already in bed on the other side of his very large bedroom where he could not hear the bewildered whispers of Ryoko's fragile heart.
"Don't you love me anymore?"
Staring blankly into the darkness of an empty hallway, Ryoko noticed a slim glimmer on the ring finger of her left hand. Wiping her eyes with her right hand, she saw that the glimmer was from the small diamond mounted on the thin gold band of her engagement ring. Ryoko passed her finger over the gemstone, momentarily eclipsing the pure glimmer from view. She almost lost it right then and there. This silly little stone that she could crush in her bare hands was the embodiment of a force so strong it could bring this being to her knees in seconds. It held more power over her than Kagato ever did. Ryoko's fingers curled inwards, pressing the tips of her nails against the wooden door. Her nails were strong enough to serve as claws, if she were so inclined. As Ryoko slowly slid to her knees, those claws dug thick furrows in the wooden slats of Tenchi's bedroom door. She sat back on her haunches, still staring at the ring.
It was further away now. Just like the purity of love that the diamond represented, so were Ryoko's hopes and dreams. All she wanted was the true feelings this pretty little trinket represented. But at every turn, her pure heart seemed farther and farther away. Ryoko lifted her head and hand, holding the ring at arm's reach. She turned her hand over, and the diamond was hidden. It was like a feat of prestidigitation. At the turn of a hand, her hopes disappeared. Another turn, and they were there again. But at each turn, the pain mounted. Eventually, she would reach her threshold, or tire of turning the hand to bring her goal back into view.
Letting her hands fall into her lap again, Ryoko grasped the ring in her fingers and began rotating it around her finger as she contemplated whether she could really marry Tenchi. She had made a snap decision when he had asked her to marry him. She had thought that that meant everything would be perfect, and there would never be any more pain. But that was obviously a pipe dream. What if marriage was not the end-all be-all of love? What then? She had no domestic skills to speak of, other than basic cooking and housework. The only thing she could do well was fight and have sex. Good sex was certainly a plus. But apparently it was not enough. With depressed sigh, Ryoko twisted the engagement ring over the knuckle of her finger.
"Don't you dare take that ring off."
Ryoko did not bother to turn her head when she heard Aeka's voice. But she did wipe her face again to rid herself of the signs of her pain.
"Why not?"
"What were you thinking of while you were staring at that ring?"
"You were watching me?"
"Yes. But you should answer my question, first. I think, then you will have the answer to yours."
"You first."
"Eh? What does it mean to me?" Aeka asked as she knelt down on the floor next to Ryoko.
"Yes."
Aeka took a deep breath as she tried to fit her feelings into words.
"This ring is the symbol of Lord Tenchi's love for me. I have learned that men don't seem to be able to relate their feelings as well as women. So, they give rings, and other such trinkets to those they love. It is an expression of all that has remained unsaid, and all that has yet to be said. It's a promise, from Tenchi to me."
"Well, that's... cute." Ryoko commented. "But, I see... myself."
"Yourself?"
"Look at it, Aeka. It's clear and pure. I see... the me I wish I was. I guess that doesn't make much sense, huh?"
"Actually, I think I understand what you mean."
"When Tenchi gave this to me, I thought that it meant I had finally become the kind of girl he could love with all of his heart. But, nothing's changed. I'm still the same old Ryoko."
"There is something my grandmother, Seto, was fond of saying. 'The only thing that changes when you get married is the size of your bank account.'"
"Tsk." Ryoko clucked her tongue at that. "That lady's weird."
"Hey. That's my grandmother you're talking about."
"Doesn't mean she isn't weird."
"I suppose."
Ryoko carefully ran the fingers of her right hand over the small stone.
"I want to be like this diamond."
"And then you would not be the woman that Lord Tenchi fell in love with. You would be someone else, and things would be different. Think about it. If you changed your past, would you have ever even met Lord Tenchi?"
Ryoko was quick to shake her head.
"No. He would never even have been born."
"There. So what are you complaining about? Despite the adversities you have faced, you still have much to be grateful for. For God's sake, Ryoko, you are going to marry Lord Tenchi! What more could you possible want?"
Ryoko finally lifted her eyes to look at Aeka. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of Ryoko's soul, Aeka could see that she had finally struck the right chord. Not even Ryoko could deny the importance of her relationship with Tenchi. A small grin finally graced the thin lips of Ryoko's face.
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"Tomorrow is another day. But, in case you're wondering, Lord Tenchi is upset with you because he wanted to discuss the wedding arrangements with us today."
"How was I supposed to know that?!"
"You weren't." Aeka said as she got back to her feet. "I'm sure Lord Tenchi will be in a better mood tomorrow. So I suggest you get some sleep tonight."
"I guess." Ryoko reluctantly accepted the virtue of Aeka's suggestion as the princess turned back towards her room. Just as Aeka was passing through the doorway into her room, Ryoko spoke again.
"Aeka?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Aeka was so shocked at the courtesy that she stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the woman who was still sitting on the floor in front of Tenchi's door. With a start, Aeka noticed something about the way Ryoko was sitting with her legs folded under her and her hands on her knees. Other than her always unruly hair, she looked almost proper. At a loss of what else to say, Aeka responded with the only sensible thing she could think of.
"You're welcome."
END.
AFTERWORD: Kinda short, wasn't it?