Forgotten Sonata

By Ryokoluv17

Creeping up behind his harried son, Nobuyuki face twists impishly, slyly edging towards the young man hovering over a project.

"Dad, you're dragging your feet." An attentive Tenchi carried on with his work, "Tanaka again?" he added sotto voce.

"Heh, you are always on your mettle. Thanks for brewing the coffee. I could barely feel my legs," A humiliated Nobuyuki grabs the stool hauling it towards his concerned son.

"Dad, you must really stop drinking, I am serious. How many times do I have to tell you not to go there especially with Tanaka? The two of you are old and perfect targets for hookers and muggers" Tenchi groan as he uses his pointed pencil to cast a shadow in one of the rooms of the blueprint.

"Tenchi…" Nobuyuki turns his head slightly annoyed. "We've been over this."

Tenchi let his breath out noisily and drops the pencil in the box, looking to his father, "You could've died, you know. I cannot lose you too."

Sending him a sympathetic smile, Nobuyuki gave Tenchi's shoulder a good squeeze for good measure and brought his attention to the project. "Your blueprint is coming along. But, I think you should add some more width to the living space. Bigger is always better," Nobuyuki peers down and starts to blink rapidly reaching for the pencil and eraser. Tenchi brows furrow glowering at his father tipsiness, and with a 'humph' he snags the items from his hand.

"You are so much like your mother." The corners of the older Masaki mouth lifts.

"You just go ahead and rest. I'll close once I am done." Tenchi centers himself slightly affronted, grimly erasing the line. Nobuyuki rose running a veiny hand through his salt and pepper mane.

"Son, I have been through worse. No need to fuss over me, I'll be fine. Who you must worry about though, is that stubborn steak of a grandfather you have. Not even the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made him budge." Nobuyuki chuckles cleaning his spectacles in his shirt. "That son of a gun was probably protected by some paranormal beings or so. 1945 was a crazy year," He roars in an infectious laughter.

Tenchi could not help to chuckle. Katsuhito, a countryman, and a devoted shrine keeper ran troops off the property with his sole weapon, a bokken, in the wake of chaos between Japan and America. "The Masaki men are stubborn people, aren't we?" His rich laugh fell silent, as he folded his arms across his chest, "At least understand where I am coming from, Dad. Please take care of yourself, can you promise me that from here on out?" Tenchi looks pleadingly at his middle age father. Sending him a comforted nod and a wave Nobuyuki left the room.

…

Tossing the script uncaringly on the table, a young Satoru Kobayashi—an upcoming film director in the Pink Film1 industry, cups his clean-shaven chin. His brown round eyes trail up her nylons, to her unsullied face, his bushy brows on his squared face pull together, "I am sorry, but you are not who I am looking for. You have to be oozing sex appeal. Your look screams boisterous…too tacky," He tightens his lips. The ruddy-faced man leans back into his chair, eliciting it to make a quaint squeak reverberating throughout the warehouse.

"Erm, I am like a chameleon, I can adapt to anything." Ryoko asserted sweetly.

Breaking into a series of rare blinks and nods, he finally raises the pointy end of the pen at her. "I need films that will sell in this pink film industry, I want this film to impress my viewers who are going to be mostly men. They need to see women who are submissive, untainted…above all very feminine.

"Feminine?" Ryoko frowns. "I thought I did a damn well good job delivering lines like Marilyn Monroe! Wait, did you just say the Pink film industry?"

"Listen, you are no Marilyn. She plays a winsome character both on/off screen, she's the embodiment of Western Entertainment…a sex symbol. You…not so winsomely. More ill-famed, lack of a better term."

Ryoko shot up from the feeble wooden chair. "That's bullshit, I'll have you know my mother is a very independent woman and Doctor…the modern day Ogino Ginko, of Clinical Psychology. And oh! You'll love this! My husband is the Colonel—Promotable-of Japan's Defense force. What do you think of that, you big fat smart aleck?" She stopped short...this is exactly what they meant. What did she had to prove with her line of reasoning? She sighs feeling the familiar weight of rejection overwhelmed her, with another sigh, she glares at the men.

"I think you should look for something else, perhaps housewife, yep, something of that sort."

"Hideous little bastard!" Ryoko hide her comment as she gathered her things, slighted by the director's comment.

Satoru rolls his eyes and hits the space on the table in front of his tense counterpart. "Takeshi, hand her some cash I'm going out for a smoke. Once she's out of here call the next one in." Takeshi with his puppy dog eyes stole glimpses at her, frightened under the stern stare. The little-haired man nervously bowed and slid a tattered twenty across the table, "We, we apologize to have…have made you travel this far...p-please t-take this offering of our g-gratefulness."

"Oh, shove it!" Ryoko bellows at the man making him flinch, balling the twenty up in her fist and hurls it at him.

The pitter patter of her Mary Janes strikes the cobblestones of the boulevard, Ryoko's lips tighten mulling over the earlier encounter. "Those bastards, the nerve! Why I oughta…I oughta…" She spins around sharply her legs planted wide, her powdered blue pleated skirt whipping around her. "What am I really doing? Am I in over my head?" Her fists relaxed, she releases a groan, "I can't give up," She adjusts her bucket hat and made her way to the bar anticipating that the bottom of some saucers of Saki can take the edge off today's audition.

Hakubi women never give up!

…

"Dad, I'm going now! Stay out of trouble will ya?!" Tenchi jogs down the stairs grabbing the keys for the front door. As he secured the lock in place, he caught glimpse of his watch. Straddling the timepiece with his index finger and thumb, he read the time in the dim light. Shit. He sprints down the boulevard just in time to catch the evening bus.

Twenty minutes of a peaceful ride, Tenchi completes his commute standing outside the home of his, shall he say, 'kept woman'. To some degree, he felt guilty but then again, for the first time in a long time, he felt happy to finally feel needed, yearned for, above all having a confidant. He pounds on the wooden door some more, he steps back waiting anxiously. He bounded to the back of the house, dodging a rain barrel with ease, to dismay there was still no sign of Ryoko. He returns to the front, worry carved comfortably into the corners of his virile face. He whips around his surroundings feeling vulnerable. The woman who always seems to be readily available for him is nowhere to be found. He sat down on the wooden steps, to get himself together.

"The bridge!" Tenchi cried out scurrying to the spot they frequent at night. His face flush as there was no sight of heres, he scans the waters. Nothing. Backpedaling he gives the area a once over before sprinting back.

…

With the Mary Janes hanging from her slender index finger, Ryoko staggers down the dark pathway knocking into two pedestrians. She bows sending her apologies to the older women, only to turn away cackling. Inebriated yet somewhat cognizant, she reaches the village hurtling through the entryway and tumbling on her knees, spewing up her guts.

"Dammit! It's been forever since I had a drink like that!" She mutters moistening her bottom lip with her tongue, struggling against the urge to not puke again. With heavy lids, she falls to her back, raising a hand up to the sky, "Best night ever! Woohoo!"

"Woohoo?" A voice came from above.

"Kami…?"

She opens an eye beholding the dark silhouette hovering above her. "Rats, Shinigami…" She mutters to herself, letting her head roll to the side. "How did I die?" She felt the person beside her, assisting her in a seated position. "Ow. Why the hell did you do that for? My head feels like a brick," She drops her 'weighty' head on the shoulder of her meddler.

"How much did you drink, Ryoko?" Tenchi brushes back her hair.

"Just a shot my love" she chuckles, he fixes her a stern look, only to have his hand dart behind her head stopping it from dropping back. "Don't give me that look, I might've had a few shots, big deal? I am a grown woman." Baring a toothy grin.

"Easy for you to say I was worried sick, thought the worse happened! Come on let's get you home before someone sees us" Tenchi fretted, holding the woman close to his side.

"Oh, I could kiss you right now." She pinches his cheeks with a grin, almost making them stumble when she reaches for his innermost sensitive part. "I've missed you, so-so much my Tenchi." Tenchi eventually scoops her up, hastily running to the house. "Hey slow down, will ya?!"

….

"Geez! That was hot!" Tenchi recoiled his hand sharply as the kettle heat blew the back of his hand. Placing the cup alongside Ryoko's cherished sweet course, he walks into the room finding her sprawl out across the bed. "You still haven't gotten out of your clothes, I see?" He gently places the tray down.

"I'd be more than happy to strip for you because you are so cute when you are hot and bothered." She sat up crossing her legs over each other, "But I feel like shit." Tenchi smiles and sat beside her, helping her out of her sweater.

"So, what drove you to this drunken state?" He unpins her faux bob, combing out her mane with his fingers.

"Audition. Turns out they did not have a need for me. Thanks." She sips the tea noisily.

"Really? I'm sure you gave it your all."

"I sure did. But they needed someone that was more 'easy, unresisting, tamed…accommodating'" she side glanced the man beside her.

"Oh, like a damsel in distress character." He turns fully to her.

"No, what I'm trying to say…" She began to feel the familiar stinging in her brown eyes. At her silence, he was able to figure out what she was insinuating. He brought her into him, running his hand alongside her face.

"I am sorry you had to go through that. I can come with you on your next one."

"I don't think it'll be another. Am I in over my head?" She looks into his eyes. He beams at her, before planting a sweet kiss on her lips. Ryoko smiles against his lips, "Are you agreeing with me?" Tenchi passes his tongue over her teeth, deepening the kiss. As the session begins to heat up the screeching sound of the home phone rings, Ryoko tugs Tenchi back to her as they lay crossways on the bed, giving him desperate pecks, hoping the phone will stop.

"Ryoko, it stopped. It could've been important." Tenchi sat up concerned, to his relief it rang again.

"Fine, I'll get it." Ryoko muttered.

…

"Jesus Ryoko! Where the hell have you been?! I've been trying to contact you for days now." An annoyed Hotsuma shouted on the other end.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize I've missed your calls. What'd you say? That's great!"

Tenchi, an almost vexed Tenchi, gaped out the doorway; watching his dearest converse with her deployed significant other. "Wow, I can't believe that!" He heard her say, he knew she was acting. Her phony enthusiasm. But why he was becoming angry? He swallowed hard.

"I'm fine. Stop asking! I promise."

"I have to hit the road now. I love you, Princess." Hotsuma looks over his shoulder as his unit began to step into formation.

"I know. Safe travels." Ryoko grips tightened around the mouthpiece.

"I need to hear you say it." He insists deeply.

Ryoko glances behind her finding the bed no longer occupied. "I love you too." She said rather impassively. Placing the phone down, she slowly crept to the doorway peering in. "Tenchi?"

He stood at the window with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Tenchi. Are you okay?"

"No. You see, I shouldn't be in love with you, but I am." His eyes no longer held the warmth Ryoko knew, his chocolate pools stare back overwhelmed with confusion, sadness and a slight hint of hopefulness. "I can't stay away from you, I'm better with you." Ryoko steps closer to him, reaching for his hands. He shook his head, disengaging his hands from hers. "With all of that in mind, you're special to me, but I need to…I think we need to spend some time apart." He walks by her.

"Apart? Tenchi, Tenchi! Is this about the phone call? Trust that it's hurting me as well, everything is! Are you listening to me, Tenchi?" Ryoko watches Tenchi place on his shoes, not once giving his undivided attention. "Tenchi?!" Ryoko winces as she was reminded that she was battling a hangover, her bare feet scurried down the step in the foyer, she blocks the door. With her arms out away from her, she begs him, "Please don't leave me, Tenchi! We can fix this! Ring on or off?" Ryoko lunges forward, with her hands invading his personal space. Wrapping her arms around him desperately, Tenchi arms remained still at his sides. "Hold me." She pleads in a soft voice drawing his hands to her waist, repeatedly commanding him to hold her.

"I need to leave." He pulls her arms from around his neck.