By Dawns Early Light-Chapter One ~ Always Ryoko ~ A/N: I do not own Tenchi Muyo or surrounding characters, unfortunately AIC and Pioneer have first dibs. If I did then I wouldn’t be sitting here all alone wondering where in the world I’ll come up with the money to pay off my car. And I do not own the song re-entilted, 'Always Ryoko.' The creators of 'Life Goes On' does. Nor do I own the opening prelude the creators of Chrono Cross do. So that’s `bout it for disclaimers. Now on to the show... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What was the start of all this? When did the cogs of fate begin to turn? Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now, From deep within the flow of time. But for a certainty, back then, We loved so many, yet hated so much, We hurt others and were hurt ourselves... Yet even then, we ran like the wind, Whilst our laughter echoed, Under cerulean skies.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAGE: Set in the aftermath of Tenchi OAV episode ‘Zero Ryoko’, we zoom in on the members of the Masaki residence to find them enjoying the company of each other during a nice quiet evening break while basking in the setting sun.... * * * "RYOKO?! YOU LAZY PIRATE....WHERE IN SAM HILL ARE YOU?" Ayeka shouted as she searched the house and yard for the M.I.A'ed woman. Tenchi shook his head as he sat back against the steps of the porch. Sasami sat next to him and a step up, as Mihoshi stretched out under the awning. Ayeka turned back to the porch and waved nervously. Tenchi chuckled and waved back as Sasami giggled at her sister's antics. Mihoshi just snored as she lightly dozed on the big porch. Ayeka turned red as she spun back around and walked out a few feet from the porch. Stopping suddenly, she turned back around and tilted her head upwards. "RYOKO! YOU LAZY BUM, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE UP THERE SO I DEMAND THAT YOU COME DOWN AT ONCE!" Ayeka's called. She jammed her hands on her hips and tapped her left foot impatiently. Sighing she stood on her tip-toes only to find that she couldn't see the roof completely. Ayeka wrinkled her nose as she shouted, "RYOKO!" There still was no answer as Ayeka quirked an eyebrow at the others. She once again looked back up at the roof. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME, DEMON? COME DOWN RIGHT NOW....LORD TENCHI HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT HE WANTS TO TELL US!" Ayeka hollered. Tenchi sighed and hung his head as Ayeka sat yelling out lies to the missing member. But...if it brought Ryoko out of hiding, Tenchi figured it was worth it. Ever since the Zero incident two months earlier, Ryoko and Washu had pretty much avoided each other, the family and Tenchi himself. Tenchi began to worry as frequent seductions and experiments that were normally conducted or tried on him, began to dwindle. Now he was concerned, for Ryoko had even stopped greeting him in the mornings like she had been notorious for. And not to mention the fights between the pirate and the princess had ceased to even start. That was a miracle in itself, but it still worried Tenchi greatly. It seemed to him, so unlike Ryoko to ignore him, Sasami's food and of course, Ayeka's insults...but little by little, Ryoko began to shy away more everyday. Now he sat gazing intently at Ayeka's forced insults and challenges to get Ryoko to come down off the roof without any luck. The princess finally gave a deep sigh and trudged back over to the porch where she sat beside the snoring Mihoshi. "I do not know what has come over her, Lord Tenchi. It is so...strange. Almost un-Ryoko like to completely ignore my insults or the fact that you wish to speak with us." Ayeka apologized stiffly. Tenchi nodded. "It's alright, Ayeka. You tried. Thank you." Ayeka feebly smiled at him and turned back to finish watching the sun set. * * * Ryoko sat on the other side of the lake, her golden eyes fixated on the Masaki house where she could make out the forms of four figures on the porch. 'Tenchi....' Ryoko sighed as she stuck her bare feet into the lukewarm water. She idly swished her feet around a bit before stopping to watch her reflection shimmer and form on the surface of the still lake. 'Demon. Monster. Lazy. Worthless. Demon.' The words droned around in Ryoko's mind as she remembered all the times Ayeka had used them to insult her with. 'Demon. Monster. Lazy. Worthless. Demon....Demon.' And of course Ayeka's favorite whenever Ryoko was with Tenchi..... 'Demon Whore.' Ryoko thought bitterly at all the times Ayeka had referred to her as a Demon Whore. Ryoko took a deep breath as she gazed upon her still reflection on the water. She blinked her feline gold eyes, ran a hand through her unruly cyan spikes, examined her cat like fangs and traced her oblong ears. Ryoko made a face as she angerily rippled her reflection with a quick movement of her hand. Her reflection....the sharp eyes of a tiger, the untamed hair of a Gorgon, the gleaming fangs of a wild animal and the pointy ears of a goblin, all waivered and merged together into one image. 'Demon. Monster. Lazy. Worthless. Demon.' Once again the words filtered themselves through Ryoko's mentality. Words of pain, hatred and truth. Ryoko closed her eyes and sighed. 'Demon Whore....' Ryoko pondered. On any standards, Ryoko didn't consider herself to be loose or easy with any man. But, was it possible that Ayeka's accusations of her were...true? Ryoko shook her head. It couldn't be. It was possible, though, that maybe on Earth her actions could be considered...lewd. But, was she.....? Ryoko felt warm salt swells blur her vision. She glanced at her reflection once more. Crystal tears slowly made their way down her pale face as she took a deep breath. Her reflection... Her golden catlike eyes, her feral spiked tresses, her razor sharp fangs, her cute nose, her odd shaped ears, her pale skin, her slender chin and dimples. So much a human...and yet, so much a.... "Demon." Ryoko whispered as she disturbed the calm surface once more. "I am nothing more than a demon...a worthless being in a cruel world." Ryoko said more to herself than anyone. She felt another tear slide down her cheek and drip from her chin, it's small force making small ripples in the water. Ryoko closed her eyes and felt the fading warmth of the sun upon her back and the cool summer breeze that whispered through the cattails, grass and trees softly caress her distraught figure as it passed over the field and lake. Ryoko held her breath as she felt something warm and soft gently brush across her face. Ryoko quickly opened her eyes, her head shooting up expecting to see someone wiping the tears from her face. She blinked and tilted her head when she saw that she was as alone now as she was before. Ryoko frowned and adverted her gaze to the mirrored glass of the lake. Ryoko's eyes widened as she saw an image from her past appear as the ripples ceased to moved across the water's surface. Leaning over for a closer look she saw a young girl no older than 14 sitting beside a lake's edge, her eyes red and her face streaked with wet tears. The girl sniffled and turned her head up to steal a comforting glance at the stars overhead. The girl sighed as fresh tears washed her already dampened face. The girl's long cyan hair flitted with the breeze as her gold eyes glazed over with her salty emotions. Turning to face the lake, the girl quickly slapped the water without hesitation as she muttered, "Stupid reflection....that's not how I look at all. It's not the real me." "Reflections never lie, Ryoko." A mature voice assured. The girl lifted her head to see a young woman standing before her, her body being outlined by the moon's light. Her hair was long and wild, her eyes catlike and loving, her smile warm and comforting. The woman's black dress billowed around her slim figure and she absently hugged her arms as her sleeves swayed in the breeze. Her hair swept behind her back and waivered on the wind as it passed through. The woman shivered once and smiled sadly at the girl beside the lake. "Please come inside, Ryoko." The woman asked softly. "A storm is on it's way and it is beginning to get chilly. Come inside before you catch a cold." Ryoko stubbornly shook her head no and replied, "I refuse to go into the same room as that backstabbing, lying little prick." The woman sighed. "Ryoko...please. I don't feel like argueing with you tonight. Just please...come back inside before you get sick." Ryoko turned her back to the woman as she felt fresh tears trek their way to her chin. Her shoulders shook from her light sobbing as she buried her face in her hands. "How....could he do that me? I, really thought that he liked me. Why do things always have to turn out this way?....I wanna go home!" The woman frowned at the girl's confession. Shaking her head, she sauntered over to the girl and placing her hand on her chin, tilted Ryoko's head up so she could gaze at her. "Sweetie....what happened? You were so excited about this dance...." The woman spoke tenderly. Ryoko closed her eyes. "Remember when I told you that Rett asked me to the dance?...Well, he didn't meet me by the entrance hall like we had agreed. Instead...he showed up here with Salina!" Ryoko exclaimed. "He came with her...not me. It was a cruel joke someone dared him to pull." The woman stared at Ryoko worriedly. "Rett built me up and then knocked me down. I was just some dare. When I confronted him about it...he laughed at me and said that he'd never go out with a monster like me!" Ryoko mumbled. She shifted her gaze to the lake. "He then insulted me by saying that I was nothing but worthless trash.....much like...yourself." Ryoko added hesitantly. Ryoko paused. "I know I shouldn't have....but, he just made me so mad when he said that you were trash that...I....that I.....punched him. Hard." Ryoko looked at the woman. "Mom...I'm so sorry...but, he didn't have the right to say those things about you." Ryoko started crying again as her mother held her tight. "Shhh, it's okay Ryoko. People who say things like that behind another person's back are just self-concious of themselves. Rett is only acting on his pride and ego...much like his parents. Don't let it get to you....I don't." "I know, mom. But....he said I was a joke. Everyone in there is laughing at me because I was an idiot and let myself fall for a cute guy. I never should have agreed to coming to this stupid dance in the first place." Ryoko trailed off. "Don't know why I even come to school...I'm nothing but a big joke." Her mother gave her a light shake. "I don't ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again, Ryoko. Understand? What Rett and the other kids say about you isn't true. They are as much a joke as they claim you to be, if not bigger ones. They only do it to make themselves look better." Ryoko chewed her bottom lip as her mother said, "It doesn't matter what you look like, how you act or even think. You are my daughter....and that's all that matters. You are beautiful outside as well as in...and don't let anyone ever tell you differantly. You're not a monster, demon or a joke..." The woman rubbed her thumb over her daughter's tears and embraced her. "You are and always will be, Ryoko Hakubi. You are my pride and joy, my precious meaning to life and key to my happiness. I love you....and if no one can ever admit their love to you...then know that, you'll always have me." Ryoko wrapped her arms around her mother's waist as she cried herself out. When Ryoko's tears had dried, her mother wrapped an arm around her waist and chimed, "What do you say we go home? Grab some cokes, popcorn and a movie on the way and enjoy a nice quiet evening together?" Ryoko gave her mother an approving nod and stated, "Only if I can get some Gummyworms...!" Her mother chuckled as she swung her daughter onto her back and walked away from the eventful dance at the school, she smiling and her piggyback laden daughter, absently staring at the stars. * * * Ryoko shook her head and cleared her visison by blinking a few times. She sat back and returned her tired eyes to the smooth surface of the lake. There was no past memory hiding among the ripples, no illuminted water from the moon, no twinkling stars. And no tears. Ryoko reached up and dabbed at her face to find it was soaking wet aling with her dresss and hair. She turned her wet face up to the sky to see threatening strom clouds and the occasional bolt of bright lightening. Fat little raindrops pelted Ryoko's face and chest, the droplets splattering against her with a soft 'pattering' noise. Ryoko closed her eyes as she felt a warm raindrop trickle down her face to the corner of her mouth. Ryoko sighed, a slight salty taste lingering on her tongue as more warm raindrops made their way down her cheeks. Ryoko licked her lips. Not warm raindrops....but salty tears. Something warm once again brushed across Ryoko's face and this time when she opened her eyes, she jumped back with surprise to see someone kneeling in front of her, their thumb gently wipping away her tears. "Please Ryoko....won't you come inside? You'll catch cold out here in this rain." Ryoko frowned as she pulled away from the person. "What are you doing way out here?" Ryoko asked suddenly as she adverted her gaze to the rain soaked grass. The other person wrinkled their nose. "I'd like to ask you the same thing. However...I'm willing to give you the benefit of a doubt. You know, to go out on a limb here and assume that your intentions of sitting like a wet duck here in the rain, are good." The person replied hopefully. Ryoko hung her head as the person nodded. "Thought so. Come on, let's go inside, okay? Everyone is worried sick about you, you know." Ryoko cocked her head. "I could say much the same about you." The other person remained quiet. "Yeah, well pity towards myself is not the issue here. Tenchi's been wondering where you have been. You don't wake him in the mornings, you haven't tried seducing him lately. Nor have you once contributed to one of Ayeka's fights. He's really worried about you." Ryoko snorted. "At least there is one person who's concerned about my well-being....I'm glad that he feels that way, but why should I care? No one cares. I'm just a lazy, worthless, demon monster who's waiting to poke Tenchi's eyes out and use them as jelly for my toast. I have no feelings...." Ryoko rose to her feet. "No emotions, no friends, no family.....no nothing! I'm just a piece of trash....like a broken toaster waiting to be thrown into the scrape pile. Hell...that's probably where I belong seeing as I'm not human. My body isn't made up of flesh, blood, veins. I have no mind, no...heart" The other person backed away angerily. "Don't say THAT!" She screamed. Ryoko recoiled at the woman's brashness but stood her ground. "Don't say what?! That I'm nothing special? I don't belong here, I don't deserve to live? No wait....I don't live, breath air or die like a human. I'm a programmed machine. A prototype designed to obey, kill or be killed. I'd rather be a piece of metal than someone dubbed as a Demon Whore!" Ryoko took a deep breath after her released anger at the other woman who remained still, quiet and listening the whole time Ryoko vented her anger and frustration on her. Ryoko slumped forward. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have yelled at you. This isn't your fault, okay? You didn't do anything wrong." The woman frowned. "That's where you are wrong...Ryoko. You're right, I didn't do anything....and that's why I relive this guilt trip everyday. None of this would have happened had I of done something. It is my fault....it's my fault that this happened to you. That....you feel the way you feel....." She trailed off as she stared at the constant rippling of the lake. "It's my fault for the way you feel now. About....everything. Yourself, your self-esteem, your reason of being alive, your frustrations, your hurts...Your disapponment when Tenchi ignores you....the way you feel about....myself." Ryoko spun around and gazed at the woman as her shoulders shook lightly. Ryoko swore under her breath as she sauntered up beside the sobbing woman. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Ryoko said, "Hey-come on. I'm not blaming you. No one is, no one ever will. This was never part of the plan." "The plan?" The woman asked curiously. Ryoko nodded. "Yes. Your plan of being able to have someone to love. I turned my back on you, when I should have been reassuring you, comforting you and being there for you when you started feeling like this was all your fault. You....were there for me when I felt the world saw me as a joke...." The woman glanced at Ryoko who continued, "But, you were there to help me see my ways of denial. And hatred for the things I knew and grown up with. People who....talked behind my back because they were afraid of me. And, you were there to show me what was right and wrong...to guide me." Ryoko wrinkled her nose as the rain began to fall harder upon the two women. Ryoko shivered lightly and hugged her arms to keep warm as the other woman just stood motionless. Ryoko tilted her head to the surface of the lake, her eyes staring at her broken reflection on the mirrored glass. "Do you ever wonder how our lives would be had you never created me?" Ryoko questioned sullenly. The other woman sighed. "No. While, if possible, I may decide against bringing you into this world for the better part of my judement because of what would eventually happen to us....I never ponder on my past decisions. I have no regretss, Ryoko. None what so ever....except for your fate." Ryoko quirked an eyebrow. "So...if given the chance you wouldn't create me because of what Kagato does? You would never be curious about how much trouble, love or attention you'd be getting from a little rugrat like myself? And you'd never wonder how our lives would pan out?" Ryoko inquiried. "Although I might have found myself wondering why I never gave my heart a chance....the hurt and heartache of losing the most precious thing to me, would eventually drive me insane. I wouldn't be able to handle it, again. Having lost a child and knowing I would lose another....is not desirable." Ryoko smirked. "Yeah....I guess being a loved and adored child and then knowing that one day without warning I'd become some maniac's killing machine....I'd probably do it all over again. I wouldn't be where I am today without that event in time. I'd have never known Yosho or the others...or" The woman cocked her head and waited for Ryoko to say 'Tenchi', but the boys name never came. Instead Ryoko quoted, "Had I never come to Earth, had I never fallen into Kagato's hands...had you never considered creating me.....then I wouldn't be who I am today...without you, I wouldn't be at all." The woman was fighting back tears as raindrops continued to fall with a steady 'pitter' against the lake, and the two of them. She finally smiled and extended an arm which Ryoko gratefully slipped into as she embraced the crying woman. "I'm sorry I ran and pushed you away." Ryoko said. The woman nodded. Ryoko sighed and went on. "I just needed some time to sort myself out. And I thank you for being patient with me....mom. You know, a wise woman once told me that if I never found someone willing to return my love, that I'd always have her...." Ryoko cut herself off. Glancing at the woman she finished by saying, "I wonder if that wise woman knows that, through all her heartache and past pains, that she always had my love.....a bond between a mother and daughter that is unconditional and never broken. I just hoped that I could have told her sooner." The womaan chuckled and hugged Ryoko closer to her as she stroked her cyan hair. "I'm sure she's known that all along, Ryoko. But...it makes her feel better knowing that you can admit to that. It makes her very happy, indeed." Ryoko giggled. "I'm soooo sure. Say.....mom...?" Ryoko asked in a sly voice. "What are we going to do now? I mean, since we've sorted through our problems and back....what's going to happen?" Her mother stopped short and smiled. "Well...we can always just sit out here and catch our deaths....or we can head back to the house, make some popcorn, grab some cokes and watch a good movie. I do believe that, that new film...'What Lies Beneath' is playing on one of the special channels." Ryoko pondered it over before rising to the offer. "Only if I can have some Gummyworms." Her mother made a face. "I think I may still have a bag of them stashed away in my lab, somewhere. We can always loo..." "UGH! No way. Those things have got to be at least a couple of millennia old. Ewww, no thanks." Ryoko declined. Her mother chuckled. "I'm just joking. I think I saw some hidden in the back of the snack cabinet in the kitchen. Start your search there, okay?" Ryoko whistled. "What do you do, snoop around Tenchi's house going through every cabinet, drawer and room you come across?" "As if...." Ryoko sighed as she and her mother came across the path that lead to the shrine. Something crossed Ryoko's mind as she slyly turned to her mother. "Hey, mom? Do you remember the old days whenever we'd go out for walks like this?" Ryoko quizzed. "Yes. We usually made it halfway back before you became tired and I had to resort in carrying you on my back." Her mother smiled sadly. "Those were the good ole days, huh Ryoko?" She turned to see Ryoko grinning at her. "Who says that they have to be like old days? Why can't they be memorable milestones of the lives we lead now?" Ryoko suggested. Her mother shook her head. "No. You're to big. You're a grown woman, Ryoko. You can walk, your legs are perfectly fine. NO!" Ryoko clasped her hands in front of her and gave her mother the biggest Bambi eyes she could possibly muster as she pleaded, "Pleeeeaasssseee?!" Ryoko kept her act up for another two minutes before her mother finally gave in. "Alright fine! But one ride. Besides.....you still act the part of a child." Ryoko ignored her as she carefully and gracefully climbed upon her mother's back with ease. "I'm not to heavy for you?" Ryoko asked. Her mother's shoulders shook with laughter. "Get one thing straight, Ryoko. No matter how old you are, or how fat you may get....I will always be able to give you piggyback rides." Ryoko giggled freely as her mother walked down the path without any problems. Her mother was smiling happily as Ryoko had her head turned upwards, her golden feline eyes enthralled with the lightning show. * * * Tenchi couldn't sleep. He glanced at his alarm clock and groaned. It was only 1:20.....in the morning! He stared up at his ceiling as his room lit up from the lightning that ensued outside his house. Seeing as he couldn't sleep, Tenchi got up and crossed his room to the large window. Pulling a single curtain drape back, he scimmed the horizon and night sky with his brown eyes. As another flash of bright white light lit up the whole area, he saw a figure running around in the field below. Taking a closer look under another flash of lightning, Tenchi thought he could make out Washu. She was tall and apparently laughing at something and he finally concluded that it was indeed Washu in her adult form. He squinted again as he saw a strange figure looming over the scientist. Tenchi opened the window to warn the woman when he was greeted by waves of joyous laughter. Tenchi relaxed as he recognized the laughter of Ryoko. His eyes adjusted to see that the space pirate was perched on Washu's back as the scientist ran around the yard in the pouring rain. Tenchi shook his head and chuckled at the sight. It was obvious that they were going to be okay. Tenchi gazed at Ryoko from his window and smiled. He was glad that she was back and safe and sound. In the couple of months that she had avoided the family, Tenchi slowly felt his feelings for her change and then one day he just couldn't imagine waking up without her there with him. Ayeka must have sensed Tenchi's change of heart because she no longer flung herself upon him in a flirtasious way whenever Ryoko wasn't around. The princess could feel that Tenchi was drifting away, and she herself felt that maybe it was for the best that it end this way. Ryoko would be happy to hear that she had finally won the dispute on who was meant to be with their dear Tenchi. She'd most likely rub her victory in Ayeka's face, but the princess was willing to give her benefit of the doubt. Tenchi blinked his eyes as he saw Ryoko slide from Washu's back to chase her around the yard laughing. Washu was laughing as well as she ran from her drenched daughter through the mud, puddles and freezing rain. Smiling to himself, he leaned against the window seal on his elbows and watched as the mother-daughter duo suddenly fell face first into the mud. Washu turned over on her back and laughed wildly as she struggled to free herself from Ryoko's onslaught of tickling as she was pinned to the ground. Tenchi felt his heart flutter as he continued to observe the two women, his thoughts on Ryoko who was quickly overtaken by her mother who suddenly jumped to her feet and made a fast getaway to the house. Ryoko yelled with surprise as she phased after Washu, mud dripping from her face. Closing his window, Tenchi sat down at his desk and turned the small lamp on, the light casting a soft yellow glow across the surface of his desk and onto his floor. He pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer and grabbed his pencil as he began scribbling something down on the little blue lines. Half an hour later, Tenchi stretched back, his chair sitting on it's back legs. He yawned and stood up, the notebook paper in his hand. Carefully tucking the paper into an envelope, Tenchi crept out into the hall and down to Ryoko's room. He paused for a minute as he strained to hear the silence. There was the soft snoring coming from Mihoshi's room, a relieved sigh from the princesses room and from downstairs, he could just make out the sound of someone talking on the television. He heard a muffled giggle and let his breath out as he made his way to Ryoko's room. He quietly opened the door and looked around before stepping inside. He searched the room and frowned. There were no pictures on the walls or the dresser. There were no curtains on the window, nor was there a blanket on the bed...just a single blue sheet of a bed set. Tenchi sighed inwardly as he gently placed the envelope on the ratty pillow that rested on the bed. Something under the pillow captured his attention and he slowly lifted the case of feathers to find an old and worn out baby blanket bunched up in hiding. Tenchi tilted his head at it and picked it up. It was pale yellows, pinks, blues, greens and purples and it was decorated with a border of Alphabet blocks, ducks and teddy bears. Tenchi smiled as he realized that this must have been a blanket that Ryoko had as a baby. In the middle of the blanket was a faded picture that had been transfered on. Shaking his head, Tenchi took a deep breath as his eyes swept over the smiling face of a tired Washu who was holding a newborn infant in her arms. Looking closer, Tenchi could see that the picture hadn't been taken in a lab, but more of a place that resembled a hospital room. 'So then what Washu told us was true. She really is Ryoko's mother.' Tenchi thought happily. 'All this time we thought Ryoko had been created in a lab and it turns out that she was indeed born like a normal child.' Tenchi stifled a chuckle as he thought, 'She was even bald like a normal baby.' Putting the blanket away, Tenchi returned the pillow and envelope to their spots and silently shuffled back to his room where he soon fell asleep, his dreams filled with tonight's events and revelations. * * * Ryoko yawned and rubbed her eyes as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She cracked her neck as she turned tired eyes to the small clock on her nightstand that read '5:45am.' She wrinkled her nose at the time but felt a smile come to her lips despite her tiredness. She had allowed Washu to talk her into another movie after they watched 'What Lies Beneath.' So, they had decided on watching 'Dracula: Dead and Loving It' followed by the ever romantic 'Somewhere In Time.' Ryoko sighed as she recalled that last movie. 'What I'd give to have a man like that.' Walking over to her dresser, she opened a drawer and pulled a small contact case from it's depths. Looking around, Ryoko carefully pulled two clear contacts from her eyes. Blinking rapidly she wrinkled her nose. 'If that Ayeka ever found out about this, she'd never let me live it down.' Ryoko sighed. Staring at her golden eyes, Ryoko frowned. Her eyes....the one true defect of her body. Ryoko glanced at the window to see the fuzzy outline of the pane. To Ryoko, being nearsighted was a dream come true. It proved that she did have some human traits about herself. One being her slight blindness, a result of the battle 700 years ago with Yosho. She guessed that it had something to do with the amount of energy he used during their fight.... And the fact that Sword Tenchi had emitted a really bright light that stopped Ryoko in her tracks. It was then that she noticed everything was blurry in the distance. She tried refocusing her vision, but had no luck. Both Ryoko and Yosho knew that had the light not affected her vision, Yosho would be dead and Ryoko would have gone on being Kagato's slave. Neither the pirate nor the prince would admit to the truth of the outcome on that battle....both in fear of being looked down upon for their weaknessess. She also came to realize that when Kagato found her and took her away from Tenchi, that the battle that ensued in the end, had also left her with more damage than before. And then once Washu came into the circle, the woman had asked Ryoko about it, but Ryoko refused to talk. It finally came to the point that Ryoko had trouble reading anything that was placed before her. So she swallowed her pride and went to Washu for help. While the scientist offered to reconstruct her daughter's eyes, Ryoko declined. Her blindness was a miracle and proof of her normalacy. Washu had said she understood and instead of reconstruction or laser treatment, offered Ryoko the suggestion of corrective eyewear. Ryoko was ecstatic the day that Washu handed over the contacts and glasses. Washu said the glasses were for her to wear when alone, in case this was a secret. Ryoko had enjoyed the fact that she was able to develope human symptoms much like anyone else...but, in the end she had kept it hidden for fear that she'd be teased and mocked. Especially by Ayeka. So, Ryoko stuck to contacts during the day and glasses when needed, at night. Ryoko was also sure that the other members inside the Masaki household, often wondered what could possess Ryoko to willingly go to Washu's lab every month. But, she didn't care. And every month she'd head to the lab for a checkup and a new pair of contacts while the others sat in puzzlement. Ryoko shook her head as she slipped on a small pair of frames, her vision clearing up and allowing her to see. Glancing over at her bed, she spotted the envelope, her eyebrows both knitted in confusion. Ryoko shuffled over to the bed as she replaced her damp outfit with dry clothes. She carefully scanned her bedroom to find that she was alone. Reassuring herself, Ryoko picked the envelope up and tore the edge of it open. She withdrew a sheet of paper and smiled as a familiar scent wafted to her nose. She smirked as she unfolded the paper, sat down on the bed and read it. 'There's a rainbow at night. She is fire on ice. She's a day in the dark. She's the love, inside my heart...It's always Ryoko. She's the one that I need. She's the lucky star that guides me, 'cause the midnight needs a dream. It's always Ryoko. She's the one that I need. She's the lucky star who guides me, when the midnight needs a dream...It's always Ryoko.' Ryoko felt her face flush with embaressment. 'Tenchi.' She thought as she folded the paper back over. 'Is this how he sees me? Or....could it just be another joke?' Ryoko wondered to herself as she rose to her feet and moved to the window. She watched the lightining put itself on display for a few moments before glancing back at the paper in her hand. Perhaps, if Tenchi saw her as all those things, then maybe she was human afterall. Sighing deeply, she watched the dim rays of the sun creep up on the horizon. Smiling, she closed her eyes as she felt the warm sun on her face. "Perhaps, with the dawn's early light, Tenchi....I will be able to see myself as these things too. Until then....sweet dreams." ___________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note: That's it for chapter One. Hope you enjoyed it. Please read and review. Flame, suggest, ask questions, whatever! I don't mind. Just email me....Arigato~