I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any related characters ect ect. Plot IS mine though! No takies! --------------------
Ryoko woke late the next morning, the bright morning sun shining through the curtains in the guest bedroom Tenchi had made up for her. She shifted lazily to move out of the beam of sunlight that rested on her face only to have it shine on her skin again 15 minutes later.
She opened her ocher eyes to little slits, breathing in the scent of freshly laundered bed sheets and the smell of the forest that blew threw a crack in the window.
Everything is perfect now, she thought with a contented sigh, sitting up slowly and stretching. She ran a finger through her knotted hair and then worked all five fingers of one hand through the locks that had tangled together while she slept, the other fist rubbing at her eyes.
Slipping her feet out from beneath the covers of her bed, Ryoko stood and stretched again with her arms above her head. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a large mirror across from her. She lowered her arms to gaze at her lithe figure, clad in only a large unmarked T-shirt of Tenchi's. She shifted left and right, observing her state.
She had not done so since she had left five summers ago. In the dark zone, she had gotten up every morning and brushed her hair and fashioned it in some simple fashion, and dressed in the same style of a captain's suit that she wore every day. Now, she observed her figure and how she looked in the shirt and made sure her hair didn't look too ruffled or too tangled.
When satisfied she turned away from the mirror and opened the door. She stepped out into the hall, leaving the door ajar. She walked down the hallway, her amber eyes fixed on the walls. She paused to observe a picture of Sasami. She held a cake towards the taker of the picture, a blue ribbon attached to the ruffled apron that she wore.
Ryoko laughed softly at this and continued down the hall, stopping before the stairs to look at another picture that hung there. Mihoshi and Kiyones smiles where captured there among shining sun. She remembered the moment vaguely, recalling it had been after a small, but well earned promotion. Ryoko was pretty sure that she had been drunk then.
At the bottom of the stairs there was a third picture hanging on the wall. It was of Ayeka and Washu decorating a Christmas tree. I don't think I was there then...I can't remember where I was though.
She felt almost lonely then, as if her memories of the house were totally different from those everyone else shared. When she thought of this building, she thought of lazy afternoons and the smell of the lake. Of Sasami humming as she cooked, arguing with Ayeka, and Mihoshi crashing into the lake. Of cherry blossoms in the spring and snow in the winter and fireworks in the summer and fresh vegetables in the fall.
But was this only her remembrance? Each event seemed solitary. Did the others remember times and places with each other while she could only recall that she had been sleepy or angry or drunk then? Was this why she was not pictured in the photographs on the walls? She had never been around?
"That can't be true," Ryoko whispered to herself. She spyed a frame on a table in the next room and marched over to it. Snatching it up she gazed at the photo of Ayeka and Sasami almost angrily. She remembered pictures being taken. Several of them had been just her alone, others of her hanging off Tenchi or making faces at Ayeka. Where were they?
She felt like the perfection of the morning and her situation had been shadowed. Moving from room to room quietly, so not to wake Tenchi, she looked for those pictures she should be in. Her obsession was petty, but important to her for one simple reason. It seemed to her that every picture of her had been removed so she would not be remembered. Was she THAT much of an embarrassment?
From the room that she stood in Ryoko could hear the sound of heavy feet falling on the creaking staircase. Tenchi stumbled down the stairs, obviously still half asleep. Not wanting to face him when she looked so angry, aware of the blush on her cheeks and the hurt expression on her face, Ryoko teleported to her bedroom.
As her feet touched the floor she turned around and shut the door, repressing the desire to slam it. She moved quickly around her room, dressing in yesterday's clothes since she had never returned to her ship for another set of clothing. She brushed and braided her hair and then ran her hands across her eyes and down her cheeks, taking deep breaths. She was still angry.
Ryoko opened her door once again to smell something cooking in the kitchen. She took a deep breath of the smell and her stomach rumbled, though she did not feel hungry. She strode quietly down the hall, her eyes this time fixed on the floor. Reaching the stairs she teleported to the base and stood there for a moment before heading for the kitchen.
Walking through the door, she was greeted with the sight of Tenchi, still in a loose t-shirt and sweat pants with tangled hair as he stirred something on the stove. Her turned when he heard her and smiled at her. Ryoko faked a grin that felt more like a grimace.
"Would you mind setting the table Ryoko?" Tenchi asked as he turned back to the stove and mixed the potage in the pot. Ryoko silently complied and picked up the stack of bowls, cups and spoons.
Ambling into the next room Ryoko started to set the table, laying down the dishes in the same spots that she and Tenchi had sat at the night before. She then returned to get the napkins. Re-entering the kitchen she grabbed the napkins from where they lay on a counter.
"I was looking at the pictures in the hall as I came down this morning Tenchi," she told him coolly. She leaned casually against the counter, her head bent as if she was observing the napkins but her eyes fixed on Tenchi's back. Was it just her imagination or had he paused in stirring the mix in the pot? "There are a lot of really nice pictures."
"Yea, there are." He turned off the stove and covered the pot with a lid and turned to look at Ryoko. She did not lift her eyes to greet his, so he moved to a spice rack near her and began to thumb through the labels, looking for the right jar. Closing his hand around a container of pepper he returned to the soup and lifted off the lid, steam billowing up.
"Tenchi. . ." Ryoko began after a moment of silence. "Why weren't there any pictures of me in the hall?"
"Because I didn't want your pictures in the hall," Tenchi told her simply. Ryoko looked up, hurt registering in her expression.
"What about the living room?" Her voice was strangely steady, for tears were building in her eyes.
"There are no pictures of you in the living room, either." He turned to look at her and stopped before saying anything else. Ryoko had placed balled fists over her eyes to stop her tears from flowing, dropping the napkins to the floor, not thinking of using them to cover her eyes instead.
"I feel so STUPID crying about this!!" she moaned angrily, turning away from Tenchi. Neither moved and she stood sobbing into her hands.
"Ryoko, What's wrong?" Tenchi asked her, finally taking several steps forward, his arm outstretched to pull her into an embrace. But as his hand hovered over her shoulder she moved away and turned to stare at him, pulling her hands away from moist red eyes.
"Tenchi, there are no pictures of me in this house." She frowned at him and Tenchi looked taken aback. "It seems to me like you are trying to suppress the memory of me! Am I that much of an embarrassment? Do I make you that upset?!"
Tenchi shook his head at her, startled. "Ryoko, you have this wrong."
"Do I?!" she cried back. "I think you just don't want to admit the truth!" She turned her back to him and faded away, transporting into the front hallway and then again out the door. Once she stood outside she took flight, soaring away up into the sky.
Ryoko flew over the lake without looking back, her tears warm on her face as the cold air of the atmosphere brushed against her skin. She refused to think about the cold; it was almost as if she was upset at everything and trying not to lose to it. If she let anything get to her she would be beaten.
She did not stop flying until she could not see Tenchi's house, though a thin sliver of the lake still glimmered dully. The sky had darkened considerably since that morning, heavy dark clouds laden with rain slid across the horizon and blocked the sun.
Ryoko spotted a small body of water down below her in the forest that was more of a large pool of murky water than anything. Descending through the trees she hovered above the water for a moment, the surface undisturbed. She was almost afraid to breathe. It was as if her noise would break the perfect scene.
After a moment of hovering she glided over to sit on a tree that had been broken and fell into the pool of dark water. She landed on it and watched the ripples silently spread across the surface until they faded at the other side. Then sitting, she cupped her face in her hands and closed her eyes.
It was a while before she lifted her face up to look around her again. Her eyes were red from silent tears and her skin was pallid. A huge amount of guilt was swimming inside of her, twisting around her insides.
I never gave Tenchi a chance to explain.
He has more right to be mad then I do.
I've ruined everything.
The clouds above her head rumbled forebodingly and Ryoko tilted her head to one side to awkwardly rest it on her right shoulder.
I should go back and apologize.
Ryoko stood from her perch on the fallen trunk and then lifted up into the sky, flying away from her secluded spot. As she soared above the tree tops the sky shook with thunder again and then suddenly thick sheets of rain started to pour from the sky.
Damn this rain, Ryoko thought bitterly. Bad stuff always happens when it rains
Unaware of how ironic her thought was, Ryoko continued towards Tenchi's house. She lowered herself so she soared right above the trees, close enough to drag her hands through their dripping uppermost branches. The rain was cold.
By the time Ryoko found herself outside Tenchi's door she was sodden and chilled, her hair sticking to her face and her clothes clinging to her form. She stood for a moment gazing at the door, half expecting it to be locked. When she reached out though she found it unlocked and entered the house.
"Tenchi?" she called weakly. The house was dark, with exception of the lightning that flashed through the house and painted strange shadows on the walls. She took a few steps out of the entrance space and several more down the hall, leaving footprints across the floor.
"Tenchi?" This time she called a little louder, though she still sounded pitiful.
There was the sound of movement upstairs and Tenchi appeared at the top of the stairs. "Ryoko!"
She almost fell apart again there. She had expected Tenchi to be upset but he didn't sound angry at all. In fact, he sounded almost guilty as well. Teleporting the space between the stairs she reappeared only inches before him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him towards her as her feet touched the ground. This time, he didn't act as awkward as he hugged her back.
"Ryoko, you are soaking wet!" Tenchi exclaimed after a moment, holding her a little ways away. "Did you get caught in the rain?" Ryoko nodded and allowed Tenchi to take her by the hand and lead her down the stairs, dragging her towards the bathroom where he got her a towel. He handed it to her, and she lifted the soft fabric to her face and wiped away the rain. Tenchi then lead her to the living room and got a heavy blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Tenchi, I am so sorry." she blurted as he arranged the blanket around her shoulders. He shook his head slightly and looked at her almost sadly.
"Ryoko, I am sorry too."
"But you have no reason to be sorry!" Ryoko cried out. "I never gave you a chance to explain! I jumped to my own stupid conclusion! You have every right to be mad, and it is your house and you can put pictures wherever you damn well please!"
Tenchi shook his head again, and then looked Ryoko in her eyes. Amber and chocolate reflected in each other for a moment and then he said to her, "I am sorry too, Ryoko. I didn't realize how important the photos are to you and I never gave an explanation. It wasn't a stupid thing to be upset about Ryoko."
Ryoko smiled slightly and Tenchi smiled back. Then he said "Come with me, I have something to show you." He took her hand in his own and led her from the room into the entrance hall and towards the stairs. That is when the rumbling started. It began as a dull noise that increased rapidly and lasted far longer than any thunder, and increased in volume and intensity until it was screaming in their ears.
"What is that?!" Ryoko asked Tenchi above the roar, her amber eyes wide with shock at the noise as she grasped at the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
"I'm not sure!" Tenchi called back, looking nervous as he stared up towards the ceiling. Then the roar suddenly stopped. One moment noise was roaring in their ears and the next the silence seemed equally as loud. The two looked at each other, the abrupt quiet frightening them more than the noise had.
"What was that?" Ryoko asked again. Tenchi, still equally confused shook his head slightly.
At that exact second, there was the sound of breaking glass all around them. In all the rooms that surrounded the hall and even the rooms upstairs was the jarring sound of shattering glass, followed by heavy weights landing. Men dressed in white and black robes were suddenly swarming into the hall from the rooms surrounding it and down the stairs.
Ryoko screamed and Tenchi stared bewilderedly around the room. The men were rushing towards them, four grabbing Tenchi and tearing him away from his spot so violently that he was knocked backwards into the people holding his arms.
About a dozen other swarmed at Ryoko. They grabbed her arms and legs and three got her around the torso while one grasped her face. So many people were holding onto her that they had lifted her into the air. She was angrily screaming and writhing in their grip, still grasping the blanket in her hands.
After a moment there was a loud cracking noise from the door and it was suddenly forced open, splinters of wood falling across the floor. Outside, a flash of lightning illuminated the figure of a person in a white and green uniform. Every man in the room who was not holding Ryoko or Tenchi bowed.
In strode a man who looked to be middle aged, with a pinched face and wide eyes. He seemed to have an eternal look of disgust on his face. His long graying hair was braided to his scalp. With a small flick of his wrist all the men within the room stood again and stayed at ease. He fixed his eyes on Ryoko. A twisted smile pulled at his face.
"Masaki Ryoko. . ." The man's voice was a rasp that was quiet but commanding at the same time. Though he barely spoke above a whisper, his voice could be heard all over the room.
"You are under arrest. . ." He paused and looked straight at her, the suspense building in the area ". . . for the murder of Lady Sasami of Jurai."
"WHAT?!" Ryoko cried, half shocked, half angry. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Her voice was sharp and hard, cutting through the sound of thunder like a knife.
The old captain smiled ruthlessly and cocked his head slightly to the left. "Don't be foolish. You know for what act you are charged." He then straightened his head and looked to the man who had the grip on Ryoko's right wrist. "Tie her up."
"WAIT!" Tenchi cried "There HAS to be some mistake. Ryoko has been in the dark zone for the last year! She has barely had time to stop by Jurai and still make it here!"
The captain ignored Tenchi and turned. Ryoko screamed again as glowing golden handcuffs where clasped around her wrists. Two men each were holding the chains that connected to the clasps around her wrists. They tugged at them and Ryoko fell from the grip of the men and onto the floor, quickly pushing herself back up.
"RYOKO!" Tenchi was now trying to pull away from his restrainers but with little luck. Ryoko looked towards him and struggled at her binds, but that didn't work either.
"TENCHI! I DIDN'T DO IT!" She tugged with both arms very suddenly and the chains pulled from the hands of the officers. Ryoko overbalanced and tripped, slamming into Tenchi's chest.
She looked up at him with amber eyes wide and grasped at his shirt. "Tenchi." She was breathing fast and her words were rushed and slurred "Tenchi, I haven't been to Jurai in over 2 years!" Behind her the golden chains were being picked up again by the embarrassed soldiers and they gave an angry tug on the manacles that pulled her away.
Ryoko continued to struggle; she was red in the face and angry. She kicked several people and was screaming. Flashes of a violent loud Ryoko were showing in her eyes, the reflection of 5 years before. But with the effort of several men they got her out the door, followed by all of the other police, except the 4 that were still holding Tenchi.
"Let me go!" he cried over and over. He struggled until one let go of his arm and punched him in the stomach. He dropped from the other's grips and then was kicked hard in the shoulder. Outside he could hear Ryoko screaming. He watched through his arms as the feet of 4 men walked out of his splintered door. Minutes later her screams seemed to blur, like a radio loosing its signal, and then the only sound was rain on the roof.
Pushing himself off the ground Tenchi hobbled towards the door. As he reached the frame there was the same loud roaring noise and above him 4 large space ships were accelerating though the atmosphere. Mud and rain was blown into his face and his cries were carried away by the blare.
Even after silence had fallen and the rain once again was the loudest noise he stood at the door, feeling helpless. Struggling to stand straight he turned back into the house and hurried across the hall and up the stairs, treading across glass and wood which cut his feet. As he struggled up the stairs, wild plans were forming in his mind.
Tenchi found the door to his room open and the windows smashed. He stood in silence for a moment before walking in, his bloody footprints smearing behind him. He limped over to the bookshelf and picked up a picture frame that had fallen. The picture slipped out and floated face down to rest on the floor. Placing the frame on the shelf he bent down to retrieve the photo and flipped it over. Ryoko was smiling back at him.
"This is what I wanted to show you Ryoko . . ." He looked up and around the room. Here were all the pictures she had searched for. Framed upon his own room's walls and upon its furniture.
"I was selfish. I kept you to myself." He tucked the picture into his pocket. "I am going to get you back, Ryoko."
Tenchi then hobbled out of the room and down the stairs. His plan was to grab a jacket and his shoes and then search around the hills to find the ship Ryoko had come in to check its records.
At the bottom of the stairs he agitatedly stopped to brush at the glass pricking into his skin and then continued to the coat closet. Pulling its door open though he found that the floor was gone. In fact the whole closet was gone, and all he could see was darkness. But it was too late, because he had already started into the closet when this registered. Tenchi fell forwards into the void and the closet door shut with a click behind him and there was silence.
-------------------- END CHAPTER 4
Ryoko woke late the next morning, the bright morning sun shining through the curtains in the guest bedroom Tenchi had made up for her. She shifted lazily to move out of the beam of sunlight that rested on her face only to have it shine on her skin again 15 minutes later.
She opened her ocher eyes to little slits, breathing in the scent of freshly laundered bed sheets and the smell of the forest that blew threw a crack in the window.
Everything is perfect now, she thought with a contented sigh, sitting up slowly and stretching. She ran a finger through her knotted hair and then worked all five fingers of one hand through the locks that had tangled together while she slept, the other fist rubbing at her eyes.
Slipping her feet out from beneath the covers of her bed, Ryoko stood and stretched again with her arms above her head. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a large mirror across from her. She lowered her arms to gaze at her lithe figure, clad in only a large unmarked T-shirt of Tenchi's. She shifted left and right, observing her state.
She had not done so since she had left five summers ago. In the dark zone, she had gotten up every morning and brushed her hair and fashioned it in some simple fashion, and dressed in the same style of a captain's suit that she wore every day. Now, she observed her figure and how she looked in the shirt and made sure her hair didn't look too ruffled or too tangled.
When satisfied she turned away from the mirror and opened the door. She stepped out into the hall, leaving the door ajar. She walked down the hallway, her amber eyes fixed on the walls. She paused to observe a picture of Sasami. She held a cake towards the taker of the picture, a blue ribbon attached to the ruffled apron that she wore.
Ryoko laughed softly at this and continued down the hall, stopping before the stairs to look at another picture that hung there. Mihoshi and Kiyones smiles where captured there among shining sun. She remembered the moment vaguely, recalling it had been after a small, but well earned promotion. Ryoko was pretty sure that she had been drunk then.
At the bottom of the stairs there was a third picture hanging on the wall. It was of Ayeka and Washu decorating a Christmas tree. I don't think I was there then...I can't remember where I was though.
She felt almost lonely then, as if her memories of the house were totally different from those everyone else shared. When she thought of this building, she thought of lazy afternoons and the smell of the lake. Of Sasami humming as she cooked, arguing with Ayeka, and Mihoshi crashing into the lake. Of cherry blossoms in the spring and snow in the winter and fireworks in the summer and fresh vegetables in the fall.
But was this only her remembrance? Each event seemed solitary. Did the others remember times and places with each other while she could only recall that she had been sleepy or angry or drunk then? Was this why she was not pictured in the photographs on the walls? She had never been around?
"That can't be true," Ryoko whispered to herself. She spyed a frame on a table in the next room and marched over to it. Snatching it up she gazed at the photo of Ayeka and Sasami almost angrily. She remembered pictures being taken. Several of them had been just her alone, others of her hanging off Tenchi or making faces at Ayeka. Where were they?
She felt like the perfection of the morning and her situation had been shadowed. Moving from room to room quietly, so not to wake Tenchi, she looked for those pictures she should be in. Her obsession was petty, but important to her for one simple reason. It seemed to her that every picture of her had been removed so she would not be remembered. Was she THAT much of an embarrassment?
From the room that she stood in Ryoko could hear the sound of heavy feet falling on the creaking staircase. Tenchi stumbled down the stairs, obviously still half asleep. Not wanting to face him when she looked so angry, aware of the blush on her cheeks and the hurt expression on her face, Ryoko teleported to her bedroom.
As her feet touched the floor she turned around and shut the door, repressing the desire to slam it. She moved quickly around her room, dressing in yesterday's clothes since she had never returned to her ship for another set of clothing. She brushed and braided her hair and then ran her hands across her eyes and down her cheeks, taking deep breaths. She was still angry.
Ryoko opened her door once again to smell something cooking in the kitchen. She took a deep breath of the smell and her stomach rumbled, though she did not feel hungry. She strode quietly down the hall, her eyes this time fixed on the floor. Reaching the stairs she teleported to the base and stood there for a moment before heading for the kitchen.
Walking through the door, she was greeted with the sight of Tenchi, still in a loose t-shirt and sweat pants with tangled hair as he stirred something on the stove. Her turned when he heard her and smiled at her. Ryoko faked a grin that felt more like a grimace.
"Would you mind setting the table Ryoko?" Tenchi asked as he turned back to the stove and mixed the potage in the pot. Ryoko silently complied and picked up the stack of bowls, cups and spoons.
Ambling into the next room Ryoko started to set the table, laying down the dishes in the same spots that she and Tenchi had sat at the night before. She then returned to get the napkins. Re-entering the kitchen she grabbed the napkins from where they lay on a counter.
"I was looking at the pictures in the hall as I came down this morning Tenchi," she told him coolly. She leaned casually against the counter, her head bent as if she was observing the napkins but her eyes fixed on Tenchi's back. Was it just her imagination or had he paused in stirring the mix in the pot? "There are a lot of really nice pictures."
"Yea, there are." He turned off the stove and covered the pot with a lid and turned to look at Ryoko. She did not lift her eyes to greet his, so he moved to a spice rack near her and began to thumb through the labels, looking for the right jar. Closing his hand around a container of pepper he returned to the soup and lifted off the lid, steam billowing up.
"Tenchi. . ." Ryoko began after a moment of silence. "Why weren't there any pictures of me in the hall?"
"Because I didn't want your pictures in the hall," Tenchi told her simply. Ryoko looked up, hurt registering in her expression.
"What about the living room?" Her voice was strangely steady, for tears were building in her eyes.
"There are no pictures of you in the living room, either." He turned to look at her and stopped before saying anything else. Ryoko had placed balled fists over her eyes to stop her tears from flowing, dropping the napkins to the floor, not thinking of using them to cover her eyes instead.
"I feel so STUPID crying about this!!" she moaned angrily, turning away from Tenchi. Neither moved and she stood sobbing into her hands.
"Ryoko, What's wrong?" Tenchi asked her, finally taking several steps forward, his arm outstretched to pull her into an embrace. But as his hand hovered over her shoulder she moved away and turned to stare at him, pulling her hands away from moist red eyes.
"Tenchi, there are no pictures of me in this house." She frowned at him and Tenchi looked taken aback. "It seems to me like you are trying to suppress the memory of me! Am I that much of an embarrassment? Do I make you that upset?!"
Tenchi shook his head at her, startled. "Ryoko, you have this wrong."
"Do I?!" she cried back. "I think you just don't want to admit the truth!" She turned her back to him and faded away, transporting into the front hallway and then again out the door. Once she stood outside she took flight, soaring away up into the sky.
Ryoko flew over the lake without looking back, her tears warm on her face as the cold air of the atmosphere brushed against her skin. She refused to think about the cold; it was almost as if she was upset at everything and trying not to lose to it. If she let anything get to her she would be beaten.
She did not stop flying until she could not see Tenchi's house, though a thin sliver of the lake still glimmered dully. The sky had darkened considerably since that morning, heavy dark clouds laden with rain slid across the horizon and blocked the sun.
Ryoko spotted a small body of water down below her in the forest that was more of a large pool of murky water than anything. Descending through the trees she hovered above the water for a moment, the surface undisturbed. She was almost afraid to breathe. It was as if her noise would break the perfect scene.
After a moment of hovering she glided over to sit on a tree that had been broken and fell into the pool of dark water. She landed on it and watched the ripples silently spread across the surface until they faded at the other side. Then sitting, she cupped her face in her hands and closed her eyes.
It was a while before she lifted her face up to look around her again. Her eyes were red from silent tears and her skin was pallid. A huge amount of guilt was swimming inside of her, twisting around her insides.
I never gave Tenchi a chance to explain.
He has more right to be mad then I do.
I've ruined everything.
The clouds above her head rumbled forebodingly and Ryoko tilted her head to one side to awkwardly rest it on her right shoulder.
I should go back and apologize.
Ryoko stood from her perch on the fallen trunk and then lifted up into the sky, flying away from her secluded spot. As she soared above the tree tops the sky shook with thunder again and then suddenly thick sheets of rain started to pour from the sky.
Damn this rain, Ryoko thought bitterly. Bad stuff always happens when it rains
Unaware of how ironic her thought was, Ryoko continued towards Tenchi's house. She lowered herself so she soared right above the trees, close enough to drag her hands through their dripping uppermost branches. The rain was cold.
By the time Ryoko found herself outside Tenchi's door she was sodden and chilled, her hair sticking to her face and her clothes clinging to her form. She stood for a moment gazing at the door, half expecting it to be locked. When she reached out though she found it unlocked and entered the house.
"Tenchi?" she called weakly. The house was dark, with exception of the lightning that flashed through the house and painted strange shadows on the walls. She took a few steps out of the entrance space and several more down the hall, leaving footprints across the floor.
"Tenchi?" This time she called a little louder, though she still sounded pitiful.
There was the sound of movement upstairs and Tenchi appeared at the top of the stairs. "Ryoko!"
She almost fell apart again there. She had expected Tenchi to be upset but he didn't sound angry at all. In fact, he sounded almost guilty as well. Teleporting the space between the stairs she reappeared only inches before him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him towards her as her feet touched the ground. This time, he didn't act as awkward as he hugged her back.
"Ryoko, you are soaking wet!" Tenchi exclaimed after a moment, holding her a little ways away. "Did you get caught in the rain?" Ryoko nodded and allowed Tenchi to take her by the hand and lead her down the stairs, dragging her towards the bathroom where he got her a towel. He handed it to her, and she lifted the soft fabric to her face and wiped away the rain. Tenchi then lead her to the living room and got a heavy blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Tenchi, I am so sorry." she blurted as he arranged the blanket around her shoulders. He shook his head slightly and looked at her almost sadly.
"Ryoko, I am sorry too."
"But you have no reason to be sorry!" Ryoko cried out. "I never gave you a chance to explain! I jumped to my own stupid conclusion! You have every right to be mad, and it is your house and you can put pictures wherever you damn well please!"
Tenchi shook his head again, and then looked Ryoko in her eyes. Amber and chocolate reflected in each other for a moment and then he said to her, "I am sorry too, Ryoko. I didn't realize how important the photos are to you and I never gave an explanation. It wasn't a stupid thing to be upset about Ryoko."
Ryoko smiled slightly and Tenchi smiled back. Then he said "Come with me, I have something to show you." He took her hand in his own and led her from the room into the entrance hall and towards the stairs. That is when the rumbling started. It began as a dull noise that increased rapidly and lasted far longer than any thunder, and increased in volume and intensity until it was screaming in their ears.
"What is that?!" Ryoko asked Tenchi above the roar, her amber eyes wide with shock at the noise as she grasped at the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
"I'm not sure!" Tenchi called back, looking nervous as he stared up towards the ceiling. Then the roar suddenly stopped. One moment noise was roaring in their ears and the next the silence seemed equally as loud. The two looked at each other, the abrupt quiet frightening them more than the noise had.
"What was that?" Ryoko asked again. Tenchi, still equally confused shook his head slightly.
At that exact second, there was the sound of breaking glass all around them. In all the rooms that surrounded the hall and even the rooms upstairs was the jarring sound of shattering glass, followed by heavy weights landing. Men dressed in white and black robes were suddenly swarming into the hall from the rooms surrounding it and down the stairs.
Ryoko screamed and Tenchi stared bewilderedly around the room. The men were rushing towards them, four grabbing Tenchi and tearing him away from his spot so violently that he was knocked backwards into the people holding his arms.
About a dozen other swarmed at Ryoko. They grabbed her arms and legs and three got her around the torso while one grasped her face. So many people were holding onto her that they had lifted her into the air. She was angrily screaming and writhing in their grip, still grasping the blanket in her hands.
After a moment there was a loud cracking noise from the door and it was suddenly forced open, splinters of wood falling across the floor. Outside, a flash of lightning illuminated the figure of a person in a white and green uniform. Every man in the room who was not holding Ryoko or Tenchi bowed.
In strode a man who looked to be middle aged, with a pinched face and wide eyes. He seemed to have an eternal look of disgust on his face. His long graying hair was braided to his scalp. With a small flick of his wrist all the men within the room stood again and stayed at ease. He fixed his eyes on Ryoko. A twisted smile pulled at his face.
"Masaki Ryoko. . ." The man's voice was a rasp that was quiet but commanding at the same time. Though he barely spoke above a whisper, his voice could be heard all over the room.
"You are under arrest. . ." He paused and looked straight at her, the suspense building in the area ". . . for the murder of Lady Sasami of Jurai."
"WHAT?!" Ryoko cried, half shocked, half angry. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Her voice was sharp and hard, cutting through the sound of thunder like a knife.
The old captain smiled ruthlessly and cocked his head slightly to the left. "Don't be foolish. You know for what act you are charged." He then straightened his head and looked to the man who had the grip on Ryoko's right wrist. "Tie her up."
"WAIT!" Tenchi cried "There HAS to be some mistake. Ryoko has been in the dark zone for the last year! She has barely had time to stop by Jurai and still make it here!"
The captain ignored Tenchi and turned. Ryoko screamed again as glowing golden handcuffs where clasped around her wrists. Two men each were holding the chains that connected to the clasps around her wrists. They tugged at them and Ryoko fell from the grip of the men and onto the floor, quickly pushing herself back up.
"RYOKO!" Tenchi was now trying to pull away from his restrainers but with little luck. Ryoko looked towards him and struggled at her binds, but that didn't work either.
"TENCHI! I DIDN'T DO IT!" She tugged with both arms very suddenly and the chains pulled from the hands of the officers. Ryoko overbalanced and tripped, slamming into Tenchi's chest.
She looked up at him with amber eyes wide and grasped at his shirt. "Tenchi." She was breathing fast and her words were rushed and slurred "Tenchi, I haven't been to Jurai in over 2 years!" Behind her the golden chains were being picked up again by the embarrassed soldiers and they gave an angry tug on the manacles that pulled her away.
Ryoko continued to struggle; she was red in the face and angry. She kicked several people and was screaming. Flashes of a violent loud Ryoko were showing in her eyes, the reflection of 5 years before. But with the effort of several men they got her out the door, followed by all of the other police, except the 4 that were still holding Tenchi.
"Let me go!" he cried over and over. He struggled until one let go of his arm and punched him in the stomach. He dropped from the other's grips and then was kicked hard in the shoulder. Outside he could hear Ryoko screaming. He watched through his arms as the feet of 4 men walked out of his splintered door. Minutes later her screams seemed to blur, like a radio loosing its signal, and then the only sound was rain on the roof.
Pushing himself off the ground Tenchi hobbled towards the door. As he reached the frame there was the same loud roaring noise and above him 4 large space ships were accelerating though the atmosphere. Mud and rain was blown into his face and his cries were carried away by the blare.
Even after silence had fallen and the rain once again was the loudest noise he stood at the door, feeling helpless. Struggling to stand straight he turned back into the house and hurried across the hall and up the stairs, treading across glass and wood which cut his feet. As he struggled up the stairs, wild plans were forming in his mind.
Tenchi found the door to his room open and the windows smashed. He stood in silence for a moment before walking in, his bloody footprints smearing behind him. He limped over to the bookshelf and picked up a picture frame that had fallen. The picture slipped out and floated face down to rest on the floor. Placing the frame on the shelf he bent down to retrieve the photo and flipped it over. Ryoko was smiling back at him.
"This is what I wanted to show you Ryoko . . ." He looked up and around the room. Here were all the pictures she had searched for. Framed upon his own room's walls and upon its furniture.
"I was selfish. I kept you to myself." He tucked the picture into his pocket. "I am going to get you back, Ryoko."
Tenchi then hobbled out of the room and down the stairs. His plan was to grab a jacket and his shoes and then search around the hills to find the ship Ryoko had come in to check its records.
At the bottom of the stairs he agitatedly stopped to brush at the glass pricking into his skin and then continued to the coat closet. Pulling its door open though he found that the floor was gone. In fact the whole closet was gone, and all he could see was darkness. But it was too late, because he had already started into the closet when this registered. Tenchi fell forwards into the void and the closet door shut with a click behind him and there was silence.
-------------------- END CHAPTER 4