This fic is dedicated to the people, most of whom have probably
gone to their eternal rests, who felt the ravages of World War I
sweep over Europe, and most especially to those who strode,
tall and confident, across no man’s land, those whose faces
shone with forgiving love as they embraced their enemies, their
fellow men, on that fateful Christmas of 1914. May those
memories of the light, however brief, make your slumbers
beneath the earth easier.

As I noted to my sister, forget the empires, the wars, the
conquests and the victories. This moment of triumph for the
faceless and nameless men who fought and died in World War I,
that men who can’t even speak each other’s language can put
so much trust in each other not to fight, is truly a glorious page
written in humanity’s history, and a moment of truth that, I fear,
may never be seen again. Mayhap honour and glory lie not in
shedding blood, but in brotherhood. As I have once heard,
peace is much harder to keep than to wage war.

As for those looking out for the Tenchi Muyo! Cast, just note that
this fic only stars Tenchi, Ryoko and Aeka, in order of
appearance.

It is mostly imagination and guesswork, whether far or close to
the truth, I know not, except given the list on historical
discrepancies below, but I hope this fic serves its purpose, to
promote peace, friendship for all, and to the spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

As it turns out, it also has a message against rape and any sort
of abuse against women. You never know when a deed can cost
a life. In more ways than one. And sometimes more than one life

Tenchi, Ryoko and Aeka, in order of appearance, are the
property of Pioneer and AIC. Other affiliated characters
belonging to AIC and Pioneer who are also mentioned in this
fanfiction include Sasami, Nobuyuki and Achika.

Just some notes… the author of this fic is NOT a Christian, and
in fact rarely celebrates Christmas in any regular way. 

THE CHRISTMAS OF 1914 : REPRIEVE 

by Zyraen

Rain fell in deluges from the darkened skies, filled with the grey
storm clouds, tumultuous and forbidding. Thunder rumbled
ominously, echoing the desecration of the land below it, the
land that groaned beneath the burden of death, torn by the
trample of running feet and defiled by the blood of the fallen. For
now, deathly silence ruled, in the wake of the brief respite,
punctuated but occasionally by the groan of a fallen soldier,
which would often be followed by a merciful report.

The young man cautiously peered out over the surface, his eyes
wandering over the war ravaged stretch of devastated mud, as
the rivulets of muddy water ran down over the edges of the
trench, soaking into his uniform and immersing his boots in a
flood of dirt. Troops of rats scurried across and on the walls of
the trenches in an effort to avoid the onrush of the rain
streaming through their dwellings, but his eyes seemed not to
see them, only to stare out alert at the wasted No Man’s Land
before him. Barely eighteen, it might have been more correct to
consider him a boy rather than a young man, except…

His brown eyes had once been carefree and joyful. Once all they
had known were the verdant, sun kissed fields of Jurai, filled
with flowers that bloomed golden amidst the emerald, to the
sweet warbles of the birds that winged their way over zephyrs in
the clear blue skies.

But these were memories, of an age and a time from long, so
long ago, so far away. Now those same eyes had died and
dimmed to the cold stones, that looked out everyday through
the lines of rusted barbed wires that were encrusted with blood
and mud, out at the fixed grimaces of the dead and dying before
their bodies were eventually lost to sight beneath the mud or
gnawed to unrecognisable husks by the teeth of the
omnipresent rats. Now his eyes were grey with the weariness of
waiting in certainty for the one day when his blood too would
run over the ground and his body be incarcerated with the
others to be twisted forever into that eternal paroxysm of death.

Tenchi ducked back into his trench, and looked up. The sky was
dimming already, but that was no reason not to be alert. The
night was drawing in, but it would, as always, be punctuated by
gunfire and the shrill screams of the still air as metal death
hurtled forward in search of blood.

Drawing himself further back in, he mounted his rifle at the
ready. There was a soft crack of gears as further from him, the
machine gunner checked his mounted discharger of lethal
fusillades. The night would be long, as it always would be, with
his never ending vigil, his never ending wait for release from this
place. There was sleep, but it was a torture of sorts, to see the
beauty and joy that was once his in the past, the paradise that
he had taken for granted and would never return to again. Once,
he had harboured hopes of returning, but now and then he
would wake up with cold tears on his face, with his lips silently
mouthing his condolences to his family that they could not look
to see him again, silently grieving for himself.

A dark silhouette of a rodent scuttled past him, and he laughed
softly, sardonically as he recalled the stories of the past.

Once, he might have imagined knights of Jurai, warriors,
walking triumphantly from the field of battle, as his mother had
told him before. Not today, though, not today. The only ones
who would leave this battlefield victorious would be the rats. 

====================================

The first rays of dawn were accompanied by… silence.

Silence so serene and peaceful, he had to open his eyes. No
one had stirred him from his allotted two hours of uneasy
slumber before daybreak, yet he woke…

For the first time, since he had arrived on this hell on earth…
whether it was a month ago, or many years already, he knew
not… he could feel something in the air had come to salve the
wounds and weals of this afflicted land, and something in him
looked around with some hope.

Today, the silence was different, no longer the mute, tense
emptiness of the intervals where the living dead stood in scars
carved of mud and waited to be sent to the graves they stood in.
It might have been his imagination, but he thought, and fervently
hoped, that those were indeed the birds he heard singing softly
in the distance. It felt good that something from so far away
could reach this godforsaken place.

His feet brought him from his dingy quarters, back to his station,
and turning to the line of trenches that ran away either side of
him, he thought he heard some soft clapping, perhaps some
laughter, then he started as his disbelieving eyes made out in
the dim light a fellow soldier talking with another, with his rifle by
the ground at the side. Tenchi did not know much, but he knew
he had yet to see a man in this firing trench without a rifle in
hand at the break of day. The fellow, sensing something, turned
around and faced Tenchi, who was staring at him in
bewilderment.

"It’s a beautiful morning, today, eh?" He laughed. From
seemingly out of nowhere, probably from another soldier by his
side, he took another generous swig from a small metal bottle of
rum, generally used by medics for reviving properties.

"Uh…" Tenchi squinted, and his weary eyes just managed to
make out the muddied insignia on the cloth by the grizzled
man’s forearm. "I suppose so, sergeant."

"Suppose so!?" He laughed heartily. "My dear private, have you
forgotten!?"

"Uh… what?" Tenchi thought. "The war?"

"Well, in case you didn’t know…" He grinned, and suddenly
seized Tenchi’s hand and shook it vigorously. "Merry
Christmas, private!"

Tenchi blinked.

Man, all that fighting really must have hit him bad.

The sergeant turned back to his other comrade for another swig
of rum, and with a twinkle in his eye, turned to Tenchi once
more. "Like I said, private, Merry Christmas!" He patted Tenchi’s
shoulder in friendly camaraderie, and then nodded at the other
man. "Peace for all," then hefted himself up…

WHAT THE…!!!!! 

Before him, out over the land, he could make out a faint glow of
light, like he had seen before for many days, as the sun
ascended, casting its wan light over the land. It wasn’t
exceptionally bright, the sky wasn’t particularly clear, and the
rays that shone from a tiny window amidst the clouds was not
much different than those of days before. None of it surprised
him, yet Tenchi stared, his eyes wide with something close to
insanity.

They were the figures of two men walking away from his trench,
side by side, one arm over the other’s shoulder, shoulders from
which no rifles hung, hands which held nothing save each
other, and occasionally exchanging a tiny bottle of rum.

One was the sergeant, the other was another soldier. But it
didn’t matter who they were.

They were no longer men. 

They were souls, spirits liberated, freed from the toils of war and
the devastation all around. Whether their casual, easy footsteps
drew them into No Man’s Land, or away from the trenches, was
an irrelevant detail, as they strolled confidently, with a jaunty
swing and a spring to their steps, and Tenchi knew within his
heart they were smiling, as they strode on with the light shining
upon them, and past them upon those waiting with baited
breath in the trenches.

Seraphs they were, yet like no other seraphs. They occasionally
sidestepped a line of barbed wire, or jumped clumsily over
another clump, and their heavy boots kicked up dirt, but to
Tenchi, and to many who looked from the trenches on either
side, who had not seen a man walk for ages, except when
trudging, running, limping or crawling, never could they imagine
an angel more divinely blessed than these two who sauntered
as gladly across the wretched hearth as they would into the
garden of Eden.

Something in Tenchi rejoiced, but another part of him waited
anxiously for the reports that would end this miracle, but they
never came, not even as the two drew clear of the wires and left
the territory marked out for Jurai, and the dawn light intensified
to shine on them as if to bathe them in its glory.

Even many days later, Tenchi would still occasionally wonder
what the Synereans saw that day, as they saw the two Juraians
crossing the field, bathed in the light, that though far from bright,
seemed to be more brilliant than ever, and seemed to make air
shimmer gold, and turn men into gods.

How many of them could still remember Christmas after all the
bloodshed? And of those who could not, how many of them
remembered as they watched that spectacle?

And Tenchi found himself praying, with many other souls,
though it was to some unknown god that they had long believed
had left them to gutter in this limbo, though none of them really
knew what they were quite wishing for. Then he saw them…

He blinked in disbelief, and found they were still there… two
more figures, had risen out of the Synerean trenches, in fact
possibly a good while ago, but now he saw their shapes clearly
as they cleared their own sets of barbed wire. There was a cheer
from his sergeant’s companion, and the sergeant himself raised
the bottle in salute.

"Got a light?" He heard the man ask jovially.

One Synerean laughed heartily, and the other rummaged about
his pocket, before tossing the lighter across the intervening
twenty odd metres. The sergeant reached out to grab it, and
then not slowing his pace, reached over and pulled a stubby
cigarette out from within his uniform and lighted it, before
passing the lighter to his friend. The two Synereans shook their
heads merrily at the sight and continued strolling across to the
Juraians.

"Thanks," the other Juraian called across, as his cigarette finally
caught. "Here’s to you!"

The metal bottle of rum sailed across the ten metres left between
the two, and was caught neatly by one of the enemy, who
promptly uncorked it and took a generous gulp.

"Good stuff!" He returned, as he pressed it into his comrade’s
hands. "Thank ye!"

By now the four men were almost together, the grey black
uniforms of the Synereans facing the dun brown of the
Juraians.

The Synereans spoke first, handing the bottle back. "The
name’s Ernie Symes, and this be Jacob Van Nort here."

"Gotcha, fellas."The sergeant laughed, returning the lighter.
"Donald Smith, pleased to meet you!"

The other man, the soldier, bowed deeply as he returned the
greeting. "Hurasami Darashi, at your service."

There was a moment of tense silence, on both sides of the
trench, as the four soldiers faced each other, then suddenly
jovial laughter erupted from their lips, and their hands slapped
together in the universal language of camaraderie.

"Merry Christmas, all!" 

Tenchi blinked, from where he was, as a ragged cheer sounded
from the men behind and around him, as well as from the enemy
lines. Tossing their weapons down, wearing grins of hopeful
relief on their faces, Synereans and Juraians alike approached
each other across what had once been the battle field, their
tightly strung tension and wariness evaporating with the light of
rising morning sun, and that light of Christmas, though wan,
brought out in their souls the implicit trust in each other,
regardless of rank, deeds, sides, or language. They only had
one language now.

For is it not said that in deference to the spirit of the season, all
men were brothers?

====================================

I must be dreaming.

He watched as the battered helmet sailed into the air once more,
its spike having been removed by several rifle shots prior to its
being employed for such activity, before another soldier headed
it away. Another Synerean stepped up, just about to pump the
helmet past the Juraian soldier stationed in the gap between the
two lines of barbed wire, when another Juraian adroitly flicked
the helmet up with his boot toe, so it just flipped over the
Synerean’s swinging limb, and caught against the Juraian’s
other leg to send it spinning towards the other half of the mud
patch that had once been known as No Man’s Land. There, a
striker, flicked the helmet to rest on the ground, before dribbling
past the defenders.

I must be dreaming.

It was past noon already, but the winter sun, never having been
hot nor bright, was no exception today, but yet the smattering of
shapes as the soldiers, Juraians and Synereans evenly
distributed on either side on the field, fought over, not each
other lives, but a little battered helmet that served as a rather
uneven sort of football, seemed to be lit up in some kind of
brightness that seemed to defy the season, time and place to
warm one’s heart as though soft eddies of kindness were
bathing it gently. The territory where so many had collapsed to
ruin and death in the days and months preceding this seemed
no longer a sinister mudhole that swallowed up hopes, lives and
bodies of good men, but seemed rather more friendly and
cheerful, and though its countenance was by no means altered
in the least, Tenchi felt somehow today, he could rely on it
letting him traipse about it readily, as just for today, where once
no man could stand, all men could.

He had opted out of the football game, preferring to watch by
the sidelines, occasionally just enjoying the luxuriousfeel of the
air and the good free space against the claustrophobic
clamminess and damp discomfort of the trenches, and he had
opted to sit by himself, with no soldiers close by and no
mudgrimed uniforms within his immediate vicinity, so that he
himself, rather than feeling being part of this war, felt more like
an observer in a bubble of safety, separate from the rest that
would eventually return to their duties of dealing and receiving
death. Here and there on the side of the trenches some medical
orderlies from both sides had hefted out those of the wounded
who were able to make the trip from the back reserve trenches
here to admire the good natured sportsmanship exhibited by
either side this happy Christmas, and some nurses were trying
to avoid certain attention exhibited by some enthusiastic
soldiers, while elsewhere groups of men were scurrying back
from gathering firewood for the night, with each group
consisting of at least one Juraian and one Synerean. It was with
a certain satisfaction that Tenchi realised the rats were lying
low, and this was one day they would not be the ones roaming
the field fearlessly.

There was a movement by his side, and he turned to see
someone, a Synerean, settle down by his right. He had a feeling
the person was slightly built, only about his height, but
somehow exuded a detached confidence and a hardiness he
only remembered encountering when faced with veterans,
seemed taller and stronger than himself.

"Hello," he replied, cautiously. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the
Synerean, Tenchi was just shy when it came to talking to
people, especially those who seemed disinclined to talk.

The person didn’t even look at him, and he noted with some
discomfiture that, unlike most soldiers, excepting the one team
that was separated from the other by keeping their headgear on,
this Synerean was wearing a helmet, and a rather large helmet at
that, than should have befitted one of such a build. Also, where
practically all of them had their weapons put away, this one had
a shiny bladed knife kept in rather visible view by his side, and
as he sat there was a generous fold of cloth before the chest,
that while logically should be that of the excess cloth folding up,
he had the impression somehow that it was filled rather well.

"Erm…" he tried. Unlike most of the other soldiers, he hadn’t
ventured to talk to a Synerean yet. Reticent, aloof, Tenchi
nevertheless did wish to look for something in his enemy, to
believe that there was a common humanity shared by all of
them… "Merry Christmas?"

The soldier turned somewhat, and he thought he saw a brief
glance of amber gold from under the steel rim of the helmet.
"What do you want?" The voice was low and curt.

"Oh, er…nothing…" Tenchi smiled sheepishly, and his eyes
widened as he thought he glimpsed the shape of a revolver
under the cloth of the uniform, on the right side, near the
rounded hip of the person sitting beside him. "Just… wanted to
know if you are feeling okay, that’s all…"

Something in his mind was trying to tell him something,
something about the large helm, the fold of cloth, the slant of the
amber eyes, the low voice, the rounded hip, but it didn’t get
through.

"I thought you came here to be alone." The figure retorted, a tad
saucily.

"I did… but.. since you’re here… why not talk a bit about each
other, wish each other well?" Tenchi tried lamely. Something
was funny here, he didn’t usually bother to strike up
conversation, certainly not in this sober, bloody atmosphere of
war, and it could be the bubble effect, or maybe even something
else, but either way he was definitely feeling somewhat his old,
dreamy self again. "How are you doing?"

"I’m fine." The soldier replied, and this time the voice was
somewhat clearer, and the nagging voice in his head that just
couldn’t be heard increased its volume, in vain. If Tenchi had
been more astute, he would have noticed the voice had
softened, slightly, but he wasn’t a particularly observant young
man. "Why would you want to know?" The tone of this last
question seemed to be hopeful somehow, yet hopeless, as
though the person had been waiting for this a thousand times
but no reply had ever turned out the right way, and had steeled
his heart against hoping too much, yet also at the same time
laconic and taciturn.

Tenchi smiled. "I don’t know…" Perhaps within him, part of his
subconsciousness had understood what his brain had yet to
notice, and so he answered the way he did. "Need there be a
reason?"

"Why not?" The soldier’s voice was more audible now, and
tinged with suspicious caution, but it was not the suspicion, as
might be imagined, of whether Tenchi might want to kill him, but
more the regular one of trying to work out another’s motivation.
"Why here? Why now?"

The boy sighed. "Yeah… this doesn’t look like the sort of place
to make friends." He could feel his loneliness bite keenly into
him, and despite all the camaraderie of the army, there was no
one who he could truly call friend, amidst the blood of the dying.
"It’s hard to get close to anyone when anytime, one of you might
just go." He almost unconsciously executed a firing motion, one
that he had repeated all too often since he had came here.
"There’s just that, and one of you is gone."

The Synerean turned away and bowed his head. "At least you
might have had someone."

There was an odd tone of remorse that caught Tenchi’s
attention, swung him up and out of his thoughts. "Huh? What
was that you said?"

The soldier stayed silent, as in the distance another round of
applause broke as a Juraian, playing for the Synereans, scored
against the opposing side.

"Oh come on… don’t be sad, man!" Tenchi smiled, trying to
cheer the person up. "It’s Christmas! If we don’t get something
said today, we’ll never get to be friends!"

The soldier turned to look at him, and he made out the delicate
face with the pointed chin, large round amber eyes that seem to
shine out, with the high, gentle cheekbones and tufts of cyan
hair peeking out from under the contrastingly metallic steel
helmet, and the soldier did indeed strike Tenchi as rather good
looking indeed. "Are… you trying to make me feel better?"

"Yeah!" He said, putting on a face of good cheer. "Today’s
Christmas, today’s there’s no fighting!" He smiled. "If you can’t
feel good today, when can you?"

The amber eyes looked about thoughtfully, then the face turned
away again.

"Hey!" Tenchi tried again. "It’s not that bad! Any problems, you
can tell me!" Something was stirring inside him, unknown to
him, it’s source not yet fully comprehended by himself. "It’s
okay, why don’t you just…"

His voice quavered as just as suddenly, the sober eyes looked
back into his face, as if begging him to tell them how to make the
person feel better.

"…cheer up!" Tenchi finished jovially, if more than a little lamely.
The eyes watching him seemed to want to melt for a moment,
then suddenly hardened up, and the face made to turn away.

Tenchi, at a loss, reached out gingerly, putting his arm around
the person’s left shoulder to gently pat him on the back. "There
now…" The soldier suddenly stiffened as Tenchi’s hand
touched his back… "don’t be… !!!!"

Tenchi blinked, as he finally made sense of his orientation after
the brief scuffle. His back was being pressed against the
ground, while the soldier had his left forearm bone was pressed
against Tenchi’s throat, a knee on his chest that squeezed his
breath out of him, with his right hand reaching across him
towards his left side, where Tenchi could just make out the hand
clenched around the handle of the knife.

Oh no I’m dead.

Then, just as suddenly, his captor relaxed, and he felt the
pressure on his throat and chest reduce a little as the soldier
stood up, and the right hand left the knife to be extended over to
his left.

"Sorry…" The figure apologised, as the fingers closed around
his hand, and Tenchi was too dazed with shock to do anything
else apart from let himself be pulled up to his feet. The amber
eyes met his, even as his hand reached out to steady Tenchi
from his dazed standing state. "I… just don’t like people to
touch me."

"Oh." Was all he could bring himself to say. "Oh…"

"I’m sorry… it’s just second nature…"

"Okay." He recovered his wits sufficiently to realise he was
really freaked out by that sudden close brush with death.
"Erm… I really should be going back to my own line now…"

There was a brief gold flicker as the Synerean gave him a quick,
pleading apologetic glance, and part of Tenchi was sorry he had
to do this, but nevertheless his instinct for self preservation and
the liking of the familiar won out, so he did an about turn and
was about to walk off when…

A hand lay on his shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks, and
he heard a voice speak by his ear. A voice that was low,
pleading, sorrowful and somehow different from the earlier
voice…

"My name is Ryoko."

He froze.

"Ryoko Hakubi."

Vulnerable. That was what the words were, a spoken surrender,
a gesture of goodwill. It said ‘I’m sorry… and I show you that by
opening myself to you. If you will, hurt me by walking away, and
if you won’t, then accept my apology.’

Tenchi closed his eyes, telling himself that by all rights, he could
very well walk away, but he realised he couldn’t, not after this
Ryoko had opened himself to him in this fashion…

Slowly, ever so slowly, Tenchi turned around to face him, to see
the Synerean’s delicate face look apprehensively on, so he
could read the forlorn lonesomess within the amber eyes.

Ryoko looked down, expecting him to walk away, only to find
something thrust before him.

A hand.

He looked up into Tenchi’s earnest brown eyes, to see his face
smiling, and an open palm extended in his direction…

Ryoko, smiling faintly, took his hand, and his fingers clasped his
hand tightly as they gave each other a firm handshake, then
Tenchi’s voice rang out, ringing deep within his heart so he
would never forget it...

"And my name’s Tenchi. Tenchi Masaki."

====================================

"There, found it." Hurasami exclaimed, and another soldier
hurried over. "This it, Ernie?" 

The Synerean scrutinised the mudcaked lighter, and smiled.
"Yep, you got it." Turning over to call over his shoulder. "Hey
Don, Jacob! We got it!"

There was a scuffle and soon the four soldiers were together,
with Jacob Van Noort casually scraping the mud off his lighter.
"Yeah, thanks a lot mates!" He smiled at Hurasami.

"Sorry about missing it when you threw." Donald Smith added,
a little sheepishly.

"It’s all right, mate." Ernie replied. "It ain’t worse for the wear."

"Yeah," Hurasami turned to look at where the soldiers were
having their game of football. "We got the show on the road at
least, didn’t we?"

Jacob laughed as he popped the lighter back in his pockets.
"Well I’m pooped. You got some proper rum here?"

"You mean this?" Hurasami grinned, producing the bottle of
rum he had just passed them earlier.

"That?" Ernie asked. "No way man! Not unless you had some
way of filling it since then."

"Well, we needed the stuff ourselves too, you know!" Donald
pointed out. "You don’t go marching out to meet your brothers
and fellow men without some good alcohol to steady your
nerves."

"Right you are!" Jacob concurred. "So what say we get
ourselves over where you have some to have at least a swig,
huh? You owe us for that empty bottle you handed us."

"Sure thing!" Donald replied. "This way, then!"

"On us!" Hurasami added.

"Remind me to bring them over to our side too, kay, Jacob?"

"You betcha Ernie."

====================================

"Ryoko…" Tenchi said, uncertainly. "That’s an odd name you
got there…"

"I don’t know about that." Ryoko smiled slightly. "I certainly
didn’t choose it."

"Heh," Tenchi ventured. "It sure sounds like a girl’s name to
me."

"So what if it does?" His golden eyes wandered away, not
meeting Tenchi’s, to stare out at the distant trenches, where
here and there, bands of soldiers wearing the livery of either
side were talking and laughing. "It’s just a name. Does it
matter?"

Tenchi blinked. He felt as though he was faced with a person
brimming full of sorrow, despair, hatred, and while he could only
sense it, the merest fraction that he could perceive was
sufficient to send surges of uncertainty rising up from within
him. "Yes." He licked his lips. "It does."

Ryoko turned to look at him, almost as if in surprise. "Out
here?" Almost accusingly. "A gunshot, a hail of shots, a
grenade… and my name would be my name no more. How
could it possibly matter?"

"It still does." He replied, determined. He realised then, that
though there were times in the night that he wished the
memories of his youth, of his family and joys, would bleed from
him so he would stop bleeding from them, deep within him, they
mattered still to him. And they always would, because those
memories were things to be treasured, they were part of him,
and to lose them would be to lose himself… "It always will."

Ryoko looked quizzically at him, as if Tenchi were trying to
show him the concept of something strange and alien he had
never encountered.

Having struck a deadend of sorts, Tenchi tried another tact.
"How about your comrades? What do they call you?"

A bitter laugh escaped his lips, and Tenchi blanched slightly as
he saw his face contort for a moment into a mask of caustic
anger and blazing resentment. "Hey you! Maybe scum," A brief
pause. "Or b…" Tenchi blinked again, astonished, as Ryoko cut
himself off. There was silence for a moment, as Tenchi was
stunned and Ryoko tried to gather his thoughts. "Well… you get
the idea."

It dawned on Tenchi then, as he looked at Ryoko, that there was
something different here compared to the rest. He wore no
stripe, no arrow, and was technically, lower than even a recruit,
much less a private. "Huh? Why don’t you have a…"

"It’s nothing…" Ryoko waved a hand dismissively, the spiked
helmet turning to him as he lowered his face once again.
"Crap… that’s what it is. That’s the story of my life…"

"I want to hear it."

Ryoko looked up again, surprise written on his face. Sure
enough, Tenchi was looking at him, earnestly, sincerely. "You
do?" There was an odd note to his voice.

Tenchi nodded, earnestly. "Yeah." He smiled. "It looks like I’m
going to be spending this Christmas with you." He smiled.
"Don’t mind me, just trying to get to know you better."

Ever so hesitantly, Ryoko smiled, but this time, her smile was
broad and honest, beautific and radiant and Tenchi couldn’t be
sure, but he though there was the faintest glimmer of hope and
trust within those amber eyes for the first time. Tenchi felt his
breath catch in his throat, and the timeless comeliness of that
face, so delicate yet so strong, so uplifted and so joyful, was
made all the more poignant by the underlying despair and
melancholy that seemed somehow to surround her person. 

Tenchi blinked, as Ryoko suddenly stood up again, and the
forceful image vanished.

Was that… what was I thinking!?

No it couldn’t be… I must be dreaming…

I must be getting desperate, sheesh, imagine me thinking that!

He started suddenly as a hand landed on his shoulder, as if to
remind him, and he looked up into Ryoko’s face once again.

"You coming?" He asked, a slightly anxious look on his face,
but unlike when Tenchi had first met him, those eyes were now
open and bright, and while a shadow indeed hung over him, it
seemed it had parted just to let him in, for Tenchi and because
of Tenchi.

"Uh yeah!" Tenchi hurriedly stumbled to his feet, and fell in
beside Ryoko. "Erm, where you going?"

Ryoko, still smiling a little, sighed softly. "Over a drink…" His
eyes glanced quickly at Tenchi, and Tenchi realised the veneer
of strength, hardiness and independant solitude had been
removed, to reveal vulnerable sadness to him. "Then maybe it
wouldn’t hurt so much…"

"Okay." Tenchi mumbled, as he trailed after Ryoko. "Why are
you heading this way?" He noted as Ryoko led the way towards
the Juraian lines.

"I thought it might be nice tasting your side’s stuff for a
change." He replied, solemnly, as Tenchi tried to keep pace
beside her, she moved rapidly, as though in a swift march.
"Besides… damn meds back on my side don’t really take to
me."

"Oh." Almost subconsciously, Tenchi’s gaze strayed to his hips,
as his swift pace caused Tenchi to fall back a little. During his
time as a civilian, Tenchi never exactly payed much attention to
such details, but looking at Ryoko’s hips it was plain to see he
moved just like any other soldier did.

Must be my wishful thinking, Tenchi thought.

"What you looking at?" Ryoko asked suddenly, stopping.

"Huh!?" Tenchi looked up guiltily. "No… er nothing!" He hurried
up to beside him. "Just… lagging behind that’s all."

"Uh huh…" The Synerean answered drily, but to his surprise
there was a flicker of mirth of mischief that passed across the
soldier’s face. "Hoping to see this, huh?" Ryoko took some
steps on the spot, intentionally swivelling his hip in an
exaggerated travesty of a female’s sashay.

"Err… no…" Tenchi said, blushing in embarassment and guilt.
"No.. not at all."

Ryoko laughed. "It’s my name, isn’t it?"

"Uh…" Tenchi cogitated a while, then decided to come clean.
"Yeah." He gulped. "I think."

"Well, it’s not my fault I got it as a name," a good humoured
reply from Ryoko. "Or that all soldiers are bloody horny, eh?"

"I… I’m not!" Tenchi managed to get out.

"Oh?" Ryoko did another exaggerated sashay, and grinned,
whereupon Tenchi noted he was actually very, very comely, his
features delicate yet at once forward and striking. "You sure had
me fooled, ne, Tenchi?"

"Oh…" the boy rolled his eyes about nervously. "Erm… I’d really
like to hear about you… why don’t we hurry up?" So saying, he
took some hurried steps past Ryoko towards the medic bench.

"Sure…" There was a brief snicker from him, then he leisurely
made off after Tenchi.

After walking rapidly for a bit Tenchi realised Ryoko, whose
movement was certainly much faster than his own, should have
caught up by now, and stole a quick backward glance. A good
distance behind him, Ryoko winked in reply as he saw Tenchi
peeking back, and Tenchi blinked in confusion.

Huh?

The lag due to that one confused thought, however, lengthened
what should have been a quick glance into something a little
longer, and Tenchi’s eyes widened as his boot suddenly caught
in a rut of mud before him.

"Oh damn…" He just managed to get out, as he slipped, and fell
forward.

Someone caught hold of him, gripping his left arm and shoulder
to steady him, then pulling him backwards a bit, just so he
regained his footing.

"Whew, gee th…" his words stopped as he turned to look at
who had caught him.

Violet eyes stared back from under the filthy greyish white
nurse’s cap, and part of two long purple locks of hair peeked
out from under her ears where they were folded back into the
cap, and a petite, pretty face watched him from beneath Even as
he looked at her, he saw the lines of fatigue and stress were
smoothed away in that moment as her eyees shone somehow,
even though some dirt from working so near the frontlines still
clung on to her face. It might have been Tenchi’s imagination,
but he thought he remembered glimpsing a flicker of
detachedness before her expression had blossomed out in this
manner, like a rose in the bloom within the sun.

"Uh…" Tenchi was not gaping, but only because his jaw had
frozen in mid sentence. 

"Err…" the medical orderly managed to shut her mouth and
swallow. "I…" She seemed to notice her hands were still
gripping tightly onto Tenchi’s arm and shoulder. "Oops excuse
me!" She let go and averted her eyes, just as Tenchi took a step
back, breaking his gaze from her too.

"I’m… sorry…" Tenchi began, his face burning red. "Thank
you…"

What’s wrong with me!?

"You’re… you’re welcome." She answered, softly and bashfully.

"I… er…"

Damnit have I become so desperate!? Tenchi screamed at
himself. She’s just a girl! So what, big deal, I knew there were
nurses in the army, trenches behind our lines, but…

"Yes?" The medic looked back up hopefully, a little too quickly,
causing another splotch of red to burst out on Tenchi’s face,
which in turned made her fair face blush further.

"What’s… your name?" He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

She’s so beautiful… only Ryoko can compare…

He blinked in astonishment.

Ryoko!? I must be thinking about when he smiled just now,
when her smile was so…

HIS smile, damn it, HIS!

"Aeka…"

He shook his head, thinking all that pressure and wound up
tension during frontline activity must be making him lose his
head.

He looked up, only to see the medic staring back at him, hurt.
After all, he had shaken his head and forgotten about her just
when she gave her name…

"Huh, oh what?" He asked, watching in disappointment as she
shrank back. "No wait! What’s your name again?"

"Humph!" Her face suddenly contorted into one of sulky
annoyance, and she spun around on her heel…

                              "Wait! Er... My name’s Tenchi!"

"Forget her." He heard a voice utter coldly as someone put a
hand on his left shoulder, and glanced back, only to see Ryoko
watching Aeka warily. Somehow, he had half expected Ryoko to
tease him about getting familiar with a lady, but…

That’s her name!

"Aeka! Please…" He turned back in front and tried again.

The medic stopped, then turned around, surprised. "Did you call
me?"

"Yes… please…" He grinned nervously yet hopefully. "My
name’s Tenchi Masaki…"

"Oh." Aeka blinked, then blushed slightly. "I’m… Aeka." She
muttered, softly. "Aeka Jurai." She looked up again. "Nice to
meet you…"

"Erm.. yeah." Tenchi answered lamely. "That’s a very odd
surname you got…"

"I don’t know…" she twisted her greyish white uniform a little
nervously. "It’s just a name."

There was a snort of derision, from the side, and Ryoko stepped
in between them. "Hey, yeah right! That’s enough already!" He
made a face. "Cut it out, you two…"

And in that moment, something came to him…

====================================

There was the warble of birds, gently singing their melodious
music, winging their way through the skies. The leaves of the
verdant forest moved gently as the wind danced through the
crowns of the trees, up the slope to his grandfather’s shrine,
and he could almost hear the gentle ripples of the water from the
lake before him, as he winged his way on through the clouds
and down, like a disembodied ghost returning home.

He could see himself walking, at his usual pace down the shrine
steps, wondering, as usual, what his life was missing. And as he
drew closer, he could see himself, as if from another world, and
as Tenchi reached the foot of the steps, he struck him.

Time seemed to stand still then, and all was silence.

He could see, where there had been no one before him, there
were now two. One, a beautiful violet haired girl, clad in a pink
kimono, with two long tresses of hair running down behind her,
and the other, a spunky, voluptuous young lady with spiky cyan
hair, wearing a green and pink two part gi-like dress that
seemed like a pixie’s, with a very daring v slit revealing her
cleavage, and an equally high inverted v separating the two
halves before her legs, and this second lady standing defiantly
in the thwarted purple-haired girl’s way to him.

It was strange. Tenchi had never been one for turmoil, but he felt
complete then, a sense of wholesome fulfillment filling him,
perhaps not on having achieved something, but at having found
something, and his home, his life, finally felt complete.

====================================

…and left.

The vision faded as suddenly as it came, and left Tenchi almost
reeling from the pang of pain and shock, but the memory was
very rapidly fading away too. He grasped for it, but like the
enticing ghost of what might be, it slipped away, like so many
hopes and dreams of so many soldiers.

"You all right?" Ryoko asked as he turned to see Tenchi stagger
slightly, and Aeka started forward with concern.

"I… I’m fine…" he looked up, and for a moment the memory of
that cyan haired lady super imposed itself over the image of the
soldier before him, then the memory fled beyond the grasp. The
only hint he had seen what he thought he might have seen was
the distant dull ache in his heart, and he almost cried out, for it
was almost as bad as being reminded of the days he had once
lived…

He staggered back to his feet, and Aeka stepped over to help
him. A quick glance passed between the Synerean and the
Juraian medic, and Tenchi thought he might have seen sparks
fly.

Certainly not the usual kind between man and woman, he
thought. Animosity seemed to play a rather greater part in it than
attraction. It was funny, but it seemed most cartoons probably
had got it wrong all alo…

The brief surge of pain quickly sent part of him rushing to send
the memory hurtling away. At the rate this was going, there was
fat chance he’d be sitting before a television ever again.

"Erm… what?" He stood up on his own, and Aeka moved away,
somehow gratified that he was okay yet disappointed he did not
require her assistance.

"You were going to hear my story." Ryoko drawled pointedly,
amber eyes flashing. "Remember?"

"Uh… oh yeah." Tenchi laughed, a little nervously. "Erm… think
you could spare Ryoko a drink, Aeka?"

Aeka gave Ryoko an odd glance, then looking back at Tenchi’s
earnest expression, produced a bottle and handed it to Ryoko,
albeit reluctantly. Tenchi smiled at her, but then his smile
subsided into a nervous grin as Ryoko unscrewed the bottle
and peered into it like it was poison.

Aeka rolled her eyes. "If you won’t be needing it I’ll take it back."
The medic extended a hand for the bottle. "After all, most people
need this more than you…" she added pointedly.

Ryoko snatched it away almost jealously. "Hey, I want it! Sheesh
it’s Christmas, can’t you people loosen up a little?" Quickly he
lifted the bottle up to his throat, and took in a mouthful, under
Aeka’s disapproving glare.

"That’s enough!" Aeka said haughtily, and under Tenchi’s gaze,
Ryoko haughtily returned it.

"Stingy little thing," he muttered under his breath so Aeka could
not hear, and Tenchi was a little, but not entirely surprised, to
note his own brows twitched a little at the insult to the medic.
"Ah well, better a little than none…"

"So what’s your life about, back in Synera?" Tenchi asked, as
they settled down beside some barbed wire, leaning on the
wooden stands. 

Ryoko smiled sadly. "Some life it was… yeah right." She kicked
up some mud, and Tenchi wondered if he needed more rum.
"Well you see, I’ve been alone about as far as I can remember…
a gutter urchin. Life, in a word, sucked." He looked up, only to
see Aeka peering over Tenchi’s shoulder to listen attentively to
him. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He frowned irritably. "Go
away! Don’t you have other duties to do? Leave me and Tenchi
alone!"

Aeka blinked in surprise, but Tenchi spoke out on her behalf.
"Hey, don’t do that! She’s just concerned, there’s nothing
wrong…" He turned to look at Aeka. "Unless… you really have
other things to do, Miss Jurai."

Aeka shook her head, and smiled gently. "No… they’ll manage
without me. And please… call me Aeka."

"Yeah right." Ryoko snorted again, to Tenchi’s displeasure. "Did
all your charges die overnight or something?"

There was a sharp intake of breath beside Tenchi’s ear, and he
started in alarm.

"Hey come on, Ryoko!" His hand reached out to tug Aeka’s
sleeve urgently, as if urging her not to burst out. "She’s just a
girl!"

Ryoko!? Thought Aeka.

A bitter laugh escaped Ryoko’s lips, and Aeka, undecided
whether or not to retort, hearing the caustic tone in that laugh,
blinked and decided not to make Ryoko feel worse. "That’s the
problem…" he commented drily, as Aeka’s mind finally caught
up with her thoughts… "But fine, then. You want her, you keep
her."

Yes, Aeka thought, as she heard Ryoko’s words. Her being rang
with the person’s name, the name she just heard Tenchi speak.

It confirmed so much… so much… except the person’s
presence on this field. But there was no doubt now.

Tenchi nodded tersely, oblivious as Aeka’s face hardened, from
one of suspicion to confirmation. "Just tell me… I really want to
hear your story."

Something in Tenchi’s words softened Ryoko’s heart, as he
realised Tenchi still was deeply interested in knowing him,
which made him continue with a slightly lighter heart.

"Well… I grew up. I guess you could say I had friends, but… well
we basically scrounged together, and hid when threats came.
There were gangs about… and we had to pay protection
money… As time went by our group dwindled, it was all the
fortune of things, from hiding to avoiding cops to avoiding
getting hacked to bits… I suppose I must have been fourteen or
fifteen when it happened, and by then there was only me and
one other left, a girl, also my age." He sighed. "Some gangsters
came in, and we had to hide." He swallowed, almost as if in pain.
"They found her."

He closed his eyes, his breathing heavy and ragged. Tenchi
winced as he felt the pain and sorrow emanate from the soldier,
and looking closer, he saw tears form and flow down over the
delicate face. "They…" Ryoko tried to continue, trembling, but
his voice caught in his throat, and he choked.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, worried, as the Synerean’s head
bowed, masking his sorrow. "Was she someone…" He started
as a hand clamped around his mouth. Aeka shook her head at
him, her expression firm and determined, and he could sense
she was trembling with some pent up emotion, then she moved
past Tenchi to put a hand around Ryoko…

Okay fine… she’s the medic… Tenchi thought.

"There now… it’s all right…" Aeka reached out as she stopped
in front of the soldier, leaning the Synerean against her chest.
Tenchi blinked as he saw Aeka put her arms around Ryoko’s
head and shoulder’s, cradling his head, and start softly cooing
and comforting him as he languished within her embrace.

That’s funny, Tenchi thought. Aeka didn’t strike me as that kind
of person.

"They…" Ryoko’s broken voice was heard faintly from the two
of them, huddled close together.

"It’s all right… don’t talk if it’s too painful…" Aeka whispered
gently, and Tenchi, who had moved so he could see Aeka’s
face, was surprised to note the lady had a very sympathetic
face, and her eyes seem to glitter oddly, making her face stand
out and the weariness, toils, and grime of war fade away for a
while. "There’s no need to say what happened to her." And even
though Tenchi watched her, Aeka had her eyes only for Ryoko.

She looks like an angel… so wise yet so sad, so strong yet so
weak…

He sighed. It seemed like she had decided Ryoko was hers,
then.

How strange, he mused. Dislike turns to love…

Aeka, her movement detached, professional, and in control,
took the bottle from within the folds of her uniform, and
unscrewed it, then gently raised it up to Ryoko’s lips, her hands
gently stroking what little part of his head that was exposed
under the oversized helmet, and supporting it.

Ryoko swallowed once, then leaned back, facing skywards.
Tenchi could see his eyes were a little glazed, but there was
more strength in them now.

"What happened after that?" Aeka asked, gently, both arms on
Ryoko’s shoulders.

Looking back down, Ryoko’s brows darkened. "I will never
forgive them for that… never."

There was a nod of affirmation from Aeka. "I can understand."

"I left later, and I knocked out a cop and took his gun." Ryoko
smiled, a horrifying smile that Tenchi wished he had never seen
and would never see again. It was ghoulish, like that of a person
dead and brought back to life. "I went to find them."

"You killed them?" Tenchi asked, astounded. Up till the time he
had been brought here, he had never killed anyone, and even
here, it was generally shooting the distant figures and trying to
pretend they weren’t really humans, though that did not
dissuade bad dreams in the dead of the night.

Aeka shushed him quiet with an irritated, dismissive gesture.

"Eventually." Ryoko’s smile was fixed in ghostly, ghastly anger
upon his face. "I made them pay… oh yes I did… I had to
improvise a little with broken bottles and rusty clothes
hangers… but I made them pay."

Aeka shook her head gently. "But it didn’t help, did it?"

Another tear left Ryoko’s eye, and to Tenchi’s relief, the ghastly
smile fell. "No… it didn’t really." The golden eyes blazed out in
anger, and Tenchi felt himself wince. "Nothing can pay them
back for what they did… and even if they’ve spent a million
years in hell I will hate them always." The vehemence in her
words caused even Aeka to shrink back, and her body trembled
slightly.

Tenchi sighed. "She must have been v…" He blinked, as he saw
Aeka shook her head vigorously at him, a finger brought up
before her lips.

Ryoko laughed oddly, a gurgle of pain in his throat. "He’s really
such a baka, ain’t he?" He tilted his head in Tenchi’s direction.

"Yes…" Aeka nodded, tersely. "But it’s okay… the future is
bright."

The golden eyes swivelled up to meet Aeka’s amethyst ones.
"Really? Unlike you, safely behind lines, tomorrow I’ll be fighting
again, you know."

Aeka nodded. "I know." She sighed. "So will Tenchi." But then
she smiled. "Live for today, Ryoko." She trembled slightly,
almost in pain.

Seeming to sense how much Aeka cared for him, and was
willing to do, Ryoko smiled, and Tenchi’s heart skipped a beat
as once more he saw how beautiful Ryoko looked, her eyes
staring right at Aeka, her smile brittle yet strong, despairing yet
determined.

*HIM* DAMNIT!

His heart sank in him.

Surely Aeka must have fallen for him by now…

"Thank you, Aeka." Ryoko whispered, softly. "I’m sorry it hurts
you."

Aeka lowered her eyes. "You don’t have much time, I think. Make
it count." She looked up again, a hope in her eye. "After today…
I can still sneak out in front to find him." A pause. "I hope."

"Truly… you are a princess." Ryoko smiled tenderly. "And a rare
one at that."

Tenchi blinked. He was hearing the words, but he could make
no sense out of them. "Erm… what is going on here!?"

Ryoko and Aeka stopped gazing at each other, and they both let
each other go, as Aeka moved back away from Ryoko again, her
eyes shining oddly.

"Well!?" Tenchi looked, incredulously at both of them, even as
Aeka took her place by Tenchi’s side, her hand resting on his
shoulder.

"So, how did you get here?" Aeka asked, as though nothing
had happened in the interim from when Ryoko had suddenly
started to break down.

"Well… I was caught. They sent me to prison, and I went there
for a while." His eyes hardened. "There were more bastards
inside. They tried to pick on me… Unfortunately for them, I had
since learnt a thing or two…"

"What happened to your gir…?" Tenchi was cut off as Aeka
clamped her hand before his mouth again. Ryoko ignored him.

"I got sent to solitary for manslaughter in self defence." He
continued drily, no longer bothering if Tenchi was listening or
not. It seemed to be just a pressing need to complete his story.
"They put me in there for two years, and in that time I filled the
four walls with dents."

Tenchi’s eyes widened, and Aeka nodded her head respectfully,
if not a little awed.

"Well… when I came out, we had a new warden. He thought I
might make a good piece of meat." 

Tenchi blinked, not understanding that phrase, but Aeka kept
her hand tight on his mouth.

"I knew they’d sent more people to get me if I could get by the
initial summons, so I let myself be led on by two of them to his
office." Ryoko’s grin became gruesome again, but not as bad as
the previous time. "He tried, of course. I killed him, but left both
the guards alive as witnesses, then tried to escape. Someone
shot me down."

Tenchi was horrified. This person was practically a serial killer!

"They sent me to hospital for about three months. I was lucky, I
decided to leave the guards alive. They testified as to the
warden’s intentions." Tenchi furrowed his brow at this point, but
decided to give up. Aeka seemed to be following the story well.
"That was just earlier this year. They said I was to be sent to the
military for rehabilitation and service."

"Beauty is a bane sometimes." Aeka added solemnly.

BEAUTY!? Tenchi thought. What the…!?

Ryoko nodded. "The officers that welcomed me assumed it was
for service rather than rehabilitation, and naturally they get to
break in what the men will eventually get."

"I’m sorry…" Tenchi managed to get out as Aeka’s hold
loosened, her mouth curling up in disgust and pity. "But I don’t
understand a word you’re saying!"

"It’s okay, Tenchi." Ryoko smiled painfully. "You’ll understand
soon… or perhaps it’s best you never understand."

Aeka nodded. "He just needs you to listen to him now."

"I played easy with them, and then, taking them by surprise,
knocked four of them down, then coerced one, some colonel or
something, into sending me in as a soldier. I pointed out the
advantages to him, one of which was that he’d get to keep his
throat." Ryoko sighed. "He was trustworthy, in a way, at least.
He saw the point in sending a vicious killer like me out against
the enemy rather than just to execute me in the barracks." There
was a sigh from the soldier, then he was still, except for the
gentle breathing.

There was a silence.

"You seem an awfully good survivor, Ryoko." Tenchi said,
nervously.

"Fat lot of good it did me." Ryoko added bitterly, his hand
sweeping out across the mudstained field. "How long you think
I’ll last in here? Four, maybe five, more months?" The other boot
swung out as he straightened his leg, kicking up another cloud
of black dirt. "Wonder why I bothered to stay alive in the first
place."

"It’s not all that bad," Tenchi pointed out. "At least you’re
here…"

"With Tenchi." Aeka added. The Synerean brightened up a bit at
those words, and seemed to want to say something to Aeka, but
the medic shook her head, biting her lip. "Let’s talk about
something nice, shall we?" She turned to Tenchi. "Surely your
life can’t be that bad… tell us about your past…where you live.
I’m sure it’s all very pleasant."

"Wha…?" Tenchi blinked. "Erm… why me?"

"Just spill the beans, Tenchi." Ryoko pressed. "I think I’d like to
hear your story, or in fact hear anything… just to get my mind off
my past life…"

Tenchi was about to protest when Aeka gave him an
encouraging wink.

"Well… okay then." He said hesitantly. "Here goes."

And as he spoke, they listened, especially Ryoko, who listened,
about a world, a house, far away, so far and so distant, yet so
close… ever so close…

====================================

There was a light, a light shining in the darkness.

Groggily, Ryoko pulled herself up. There was something
underneath her… something soft, comfortable, that made her
feel good. Even as she turned to feel it, Tenchi’s words rang out
in her mind, and her hands carefully traced the soft material, and
the round object stuffed with what might be soft feathers or
plastic.

What was it he said? Futon? Pillow?

Yes… that was it. Futon. While the other thing was a pillow.

The room was a haze of shadows, but she felt like she
belonged, and as she got to her feet, the comfortable sensation
of having had a good night’s sleep made her feel like she just
might be able to fly. Reaching around, she turned and got up,
opening the curtains. Sure enough, just like he had described it,
beyond the window, as the dawn sun gentle wave of golden
light spread over the hills, she could make out directly before
her, the trees, proudly standing guard alongside the stone stairs
that wended their way up to the shrine, which was just visible
ere the top of the window cut the scene off. Before the house,
on the right of the window, the lake sparkled a clear crystal blue,
shimmering silver before the rays of light that bore the darkness
away.

Oh… it felt so good to be able to live a life like that…

If only Tenchi were here…

And sure enough, there he was! The boy, seemingly trudging, a
little sleepy perhaps, or maybe it was just the usual way he
walked when not in the army, walking his way, composed. It
might have been her imagination that played tricks on her ears,
but perhaps that was him humming a tune…

When not in the army.

The army…

The war…

====================================

His story ended, and he looked at Ryoko in surprise. The soldier
seemed to still as stone, transfixed and enthralled in some form
of enchanted rapture.

"Ryoko?" He tried. "Ryoko?"

The amber eyes blinked, then he started back into life again.
"The war!" Before Tenchi could think how to react, he had
already leaped his feet, and, staring in horror at a group of
Juraians, was reaching for his…

"Stop it!"

Ryoko blinked, as he felt something hold his right hand as it
was halfway in the act of drawing the revolver he always kept by
his side. Aeka stared up at him once again, her purple eyes
stern, and though from her grip he could sense her strength
would barely suffice to even affect his speed, there was
something in that gaze, an imperiousness in that tone of voice
that stopped him dead in his tracks, and he halted. The next
moment Tenchi had got to his feet and laid a hand on his
shoulder.

"Hey, man," Tenchi said, his voice bemused, but at the same
time frightened and nervous. He had not completely forgotten
what Ryoko did the first time he tried to touch him, and indeed
he felt a tremor of nervousness pass through the soldier’s
frame. "What’s wrong? Did I say something?"

Ryoko blinked, trying to restrain the impulse to react violently to
his touch. Sure, he had been touched before, but usually it
involved only his arms and hands. Most other cases of contact
elsewhere had proven invariably and immediately fatal for the
people concerned.

With one exception, he thought bitterly, then banished the
memory. 

"No… no… it’s nothing." A timorous beam appeared on his face,
as he realised Tenchi had, once again, showed he cared. "I…
just got a little involved in your story." The smile widened.
"You’re a very lucky boy, you know that, Tenchi?" Golden
pupils, gleaming oddly, stared at him from under the helmet, by
the expression was as earnest and sincere as he had ever seen
coming from Ryoko.

"Yeah," Tenchi nodded, and sighed. "I guess I am." There was a
pause. "How I wish… I just wish… you could see it."

"I have… Tenchi," Ryoko bowed his head, his voice soft and full
of gratitude. "I have."

Standing behind him, Aeka’s form quivered slightly.

Tenchi didn’t seem to hear Ryoko. "And Aeka, too." His eyes
became distant and far away. "The trees in autumn… they send
the forest bursting into yellow and orange and red flames…" He
sighed again as he remembered that this year, he had missed
the spectacle, had spent his autumn here, on this very battlefield
itself, surrounded by the dead and dying rather than the beauty
of nature.

"Don’t be upset, Tenchi." Aeka whispered, coming up from
behind him. "Your home… it’s very nice. Really."

"Thank you, Tenchi," Ryoko murmured. "I’ve seen it…
somehow, I think."

"You have?" Tenchi blinked, in astonishment. "What do
you…?"

"I don’t know." He replied. "But I think I have… I’ve seen the lake
sparkle before the front of your house, and to the left of it the
sun rises to shine over the hill where your grandfather’s shrine."
His smile broadened, spreading its own radiance, even as the
golden orbs seem to shine as they gazed at Tenchi, as if
burning with the light of the sun. "Thank you, Tenchi."

"Whaa…? How?" Before he could react and adjust to his shock,
Ryoko suddenly leaned forward and leaned his head against
Tenchi’s shoulder. While the Synerean was as tall as Tenchi, he
seemed almost natural and relaxed as he nestled his head
against the boy. "Huh!?"

"At least I think I’ve seen some beauty and known something
good in this life." Ryoko whispered softly.

Tenchi blinked, his standard action, his mind reeling in surprise
and shock. It never dawned on him that while he had described
the lake, sunrise over the hill, and things to Ryoko, he never
quite mentioned that while standing from his house facing the
sun, the hill *was* on the left of the lake…

Ryoko started as he felt someone pulling on him, on his
shoulders, from behind.

"Stop that, Ryoko!" Aeka ordered, and though her voice was
calm and nurse-like, as though she were giving an order, her
face was contorted into exasperation and slight irritation.
"You’re embarassing Tenchi!"

"I… am?" Uttered Ryoko as Aeka’s sudden tug pulled him off of
Tenchi, and the boy staggered back, relief written all over his
face, and underscored with bewilderment. "Tenchi, was I…"

By now it was somewhat getting darker already, and a sudden
sound of ringing interrupted Ryoko, as well as concluded the
football game between both sides, which was the signal for the
evening meals. Groups of soldiers laughed and scattered on
either side, regardless of uniform, and there was no talk about
who won or lost the soccer match, except occasional laughs
and pats on the backs about a sharp pass, an astute tackle, a
star goal, and occasionally a guffaw about stumbling over the
uneven ball. At various spots about the field, firelight danced
about, and soldiers sat around, laughing and joking as they ate
their meals. Here a group burst out into the finest, if a little
coarse, rendition of Jingle Bells ever heard on this war, and was
soon joined by other groups, the evening sky littered with men
laughing and carousing and singing. If they weren’t exactly on
the dot for the pitch and tune, they certainly made up for it out of
sheer enthusiasm. 

"Oh, will you two just stop it!?" Tenchi announced a little
irritatedly. It sounded ludicrous, especially when on one side
was what he suspected was a hardened killing machine, and on
the other side was just a frail, weak little nurse. That he had just
been leaned by a male did not in any way lessen his feeling of
shock and discomfiture, and he watched as the two let go of
each other, a little reluctantly too. There was a brief moment, as
he felt himself shrink back from the hurt looks they were giving
him, then upon hearing another tinkling of the bell, he, still
sounding a little subdued, made a suggestion. "Maybe… we
should just go dinner." 

After collecting their evening fare from the cookie, who was
graciously shaking everyone’s hand and wishing them a merry
Christmas, it was already almost completely dark already, for
night fell early and swiftly during the winter solstice. Ryoko,
Aeka and Tenchi went to one of the less crowded rings of
soldiers about a fire, keeping from the distance just out of the
way of the firelight, and as they were about to settle in, the men
about made way generously for them, with one Synerean
gesturing to the space, although admittedly they were on the
Juraian side of the trenches.

"Come on!" Tenchi encouraged, but Ryoko shook his head.
Aeka also expressed her opinion by moving slightly back, so it
seemed as though she were trying to hide herself behind
Ryoko, and Tenchi felt a little ache go through his heart, as he
thought again of Aeka and Ryoko.

Oh come on! Who she likes is none of your business!

Maybe they would like some privacy, he thought, his heart
aching. He was not very old, but he knew about such things
already. 

I should just leave them and join the group…

"Oh well…" he sighed, lowering his eyes from them. "I’ll leave
you two then, hope you enjoy your Christmas night…"

"Tenchi!?" Aeka’s voice, sounding stunned. "Where are you
go…!?"

"Merry Christmas…" he quavered slightly. "I’ll be around, I
guess." Then he turned his back on them…

"Tenchiii!"

He blinked, as that strange cry rended through the air. The voice
was curious, it didn’t sound at all like either of theirs, yet it
seemed to be familiar somehow and not at all alien, with its tone
seeming furious yet pleading, reproving yet imploring, and it
sounded… like a woman’s.

Slowly, almost fearfully, yet also incredulously, he turned
around, only to see Aeka just step up in front of Ryoko, who had
shrank back even further from the firelight, his frame trembling
as if caught up in some strange fit of emotions.

"Don’t you *dare* leave!" Aeka scolded, but there wasn’t the
vehemence and passion that had crackled through and
permeated the voice of the earlier speaker, which he was fairly
certain was not Aeka.

There was some muffled chuckles from behind him, and it was
with a sinking feeling that he realised the soldiers around the
ring had heard the cry too, and were watching him and Aeka
with faces of amusement.

"Twill be a warm Christmas night for you, my lad!" The
Synerean laughed, as he good naturedly slapped the stunned
boy on the back. "Here’s to Tenchi, then!" He raised a glass.

"Yes, to Tenchi!" the soldiers guffawed, each raising what
passed for a drink up to the dance of the merry flames that
seemed to dance higher even as the Christmas night drew
closer.

Aeka blushed crimson before the cheery light of the fire against
the faces of weatherworn men, men who had seen death in its
many forms, and though these men knew they but waited for
their turn, their spirits neverthless stood tall and strong, letting
the season’s good cheer shine on through them brighter than
even the dancing flames. Tenchi, his face burning too, albeit in
quite a different sense, quickly took her hand and pulled her
from the ring to Ryoko.

As they approached him, Tenchi saw the soldier had moved
further away into the shadows and slumped down glumly on the
ground, eating his meal as if it were something worse even than
hard tacking gruel, which was far from the case. Today the
cookie had, on his own initiative, got quite a significant amount
of turkey within the usual peat, oat, rice and porridge mixture
that composed the soldier’s regular diet. There was something
sullen about Ryoko, something that seemed to indicate some
sort of emnity and resentment at the people around him, and
even as they watched, he shifted himself further away as if
trying to lose himself in the darkness of his own.

"You all right, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked Ryoko, concerned.

The soldier’s spoon paused for a moment en route to his lips,
then continued on its way, as if its owner trying to shut out the
sight of Aeka and Tenchi.

Tenchi never considered himself expert with such things, but he
gave Aeka an apprehensive look that the medic returned, and
his heart jumped a little at how pretty she looked with her soft
expression stunning somehow within the slight flare of the
firelight, that accentuated the soft curves of her face. But then
he remembered the image of Ryoko, hurt and upset within the
darkness, and his heart felt a pang as his lips mouthed reluctant
words. "Go to him, Aeka…" And he bowed his head to turn
away.

Something stopped him, a hand that pulled him back so he
stared into her eyes once again to be lost in its amethyst depths.
To his surprise, within there he found feeling too, gratitude for
the wistful way he spoke as he asked her to go forward, yet also
anguish like his own as he had spoken… "No." Her lips
mouthed softly, if a little quaveringly. "It’s you Ryoko needs. At
least for the moment." 

Tenchi started in surprise, but she was stronger than him. She
didn’t make to turn away, just watched him with those
beseeching eyes, earnest yet in torment, telling him to make his
move. And he wasn’t sure, but he could almost hear her calling
to him, and he could imagine that watchful, caring face, strong
yet in pain, watching over the wounded and praying for them,
comforting the dying and letting them know their passing will
not be in vain.

"It’s you Ryoko needs." She whispered again. "Believe me."

Tenchi could only stare wistfully at her, before he finally said.
"Okay…" Gingerly, hesitantly, he made to move from her
towards Ryoko.

Aeka smiled. It was a tearful smile, a parting smile, as though
she would always think well of him, even as she stood there and
watched as if he were going off to die. It was with some shock
he realised he could almost imagine her standing there, waving
goodbye to him, even as he left…

====================================

He watching her standing there, waving goodbye to him, even
as he left, and there were tears in her eyes as she bade him
farewell.

"Goodbye, Tenchi!" She cried, and the heartache and fears in
her voice hurt him much more than he dared show. But the
tearful farewell had been said and done with back in the house,
and even now Tenchi could see that his hands were around her,
holding her tight, as both his and her eyes followed Tenchi,
unwilling to let him stray from his sight. "Goodbye my son!" Her
eyes glistened slightly, as she clung to his father, her long her
shrouded around her face like a beautiful veil, at once hiding
and accentuating her beautiful yet sorrowful face, half buried
within his father’s chest.

"Bye mom…" he managed, quickly averting his eyes to blink
away the tears, and he quickened his steps as the bus driver
honked impatiently.

"Goodbye, Tenchi." Even from the distance, he could hear the
wistfulness in his father’s voice, of a man trying to be strong,
albeit unsuccesfully, even as he held his dear wife to him. "Take
care… and…" there was a pause, and Tenchi could almost
imagine his father swallowing, trying to fight away the emotions
that threatened to drown him in tears. "Do us proud!"

"Yes father…" he wasn’t sure if his father could hear him, but it
was taking all his strength to bear the pain, and he couldn’t be
bothered about it. Besides, he knew his father and mother
would always hear him, with their hearts. "I will…"

He couldn’t really remember getting on the bus and finding a
seat amidst all the crowded young boys with their bags of
personal belongings, most with their faces full of apprehension,
while others laughed and joked in order to hide their anxiety. At
the time, only one thing mattered.

His gaze wandered to the mirror, and he waved farewell one last
time, to the two people standing there, by the roadside, under
the cover of the trees and leaves that were gradually yellowing
with the onset of autumn. Nobuyuki clasped Achika close to
him, feeling the wind send her beautiful black hair caressing his
arms, and he and his wife looked up to wave back. The dust
cloud sprang up from the road as the bus moved off, and he
could see their figures dimly fade and disappear behind him, to
be lost amidst the greenery and foilage of the countryside as the
bus abruptly wound a bend, which themselves eventually gave
way to the concrete jungle that was the city.

Which eventually gave way to this…

====================================

Mud…

No… dad was wrong. There is no pride here… not in dying in
this mud, or sending others to tumble down bearing their
ghastly rictus of death. There never was, and never had been…

Remembering where he was, he looked up from the ground and
saw Ryoko ahead. Irresolute, and still uncertain what it was he
was expected to do, he looked back once more at Aeka,
falteringly.

She gave him a nod, full of determination, and it lent him some
strength, though he knew not why he was so weak or full of
trepidation…

Ryoko looked at him again as Tenchi settled down by his side,
and there was the briefest flicker of shine as his face rose to
meet his gaze, hopefully as always, yet despairing, as always. 

"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. "Are you all right?"

For a moment he thought he thought, deep within those amber
depths, a mirror suddenly shattered, to expose a raging inferno
burning through with tongues of hellfire, and he started back in
shock, before the impression was lost to him. 

"I’m fine." He returned softly, then went back to his meal, and
Tenchi could feel the cool night about him once more, the cool
night that was pressing on.

The reprieve would soon end. Now nightfall… and soon
daybreak… the war would start again.

"Look, Ryoko, if it’s about Aeka…" He murmured, and sure
enough, Ryoko turned to regard him more intently this time, as if
surprised that Tenchi had seen straight into his heart. "I know
you don’t have much time left." He bit his lip. "It’s okay, I won’t
…" his voice trembled again, just as it had when he had spoken
to Aeka. "… stand in your way." He concluded.

Ryoko look queerly at him, as if trying not to believe his own
ears. The eyes wandered around, to where a figure stood,
waiting, like a sentinel before the firelight, the figure of Aeka,
watching them, her purple eyes shining in the darkness as she
stood her ground resolutely. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he
saw some tears on them. It might have been a trick of the light,
but it seemed to him that she nodded, and maybe even took a
step back, further from them, further from him, and further from
Tenchi.

"You don’t understand a thing, do you?" He whispered to
Tenchi, who was looking at him worried, and putting his almost
full bowl aside, reached over to run his fingers over his cheek.

Tenchi blinked as a tremor passed through him at his touch.
"Wha…!?" and almost shrank back, it felt so queer… yet
somehow right…

"But then again, that might just be what makes you special…"
Ryoko’s hand grasped Tenchi’s own bowl of food, and he
watched as the Synerean carefully scooped some food up
using the utensil, and brought it up close to Tenchi’s mouth.
"Here… try it." He said gently. "It won’t do to let yourself go
hungry just for me."

Too bewildered for words, Tenchi shrank back, and stood up,
almost in fear. "What the… what are you trying to do!?"

"Don’t be mad!" the soldier almost cried out, then more softly,
as he put Tenchi’s bowl aside, "Tenchi… don’t be…" Ryoko
pleaded, his hands reaching out for him as if to beg him to stay.
"Please… I need to tell you something… show you
something…"

Stunned, Tenchi turned back to Aeka, as if hoping for some
direction on what to do. The medic stood where she was, and
looked at him evenly, as Ryoko got to his feet, and moved
further to the side, out of the way…

"Please, Tenchi…" he heard Ryoko’s voice beg once more, and
he saw Aeka faintly, just barely, nod her head.

Uncertainly, he followed after the Synerean, who slid down back
into the Juraian trenches, now mostly empty except for a
multitude of rifles and machine guns lying around, unattended,
and occasionally one or two soldiers in low, earnest
conversation, and maybe a soft laughter of a nurse who had
been enthusiastic in giving way to affections. 

As he descended, he didn’t see Aeka sigh softly, her forced
smile fading away, and after turning to pick up his and Ryoko’s
bowl, she moved closer and settled down within the ring of men
around the fire, as if trying to huddle upon herself, tears shining
in her eyes about her melacholy face, and many were the eyes
that watched her with empathy, and wonder where Tenchi was,
given what they had earlier witnessed.

Tenchi stared at Ryoko, suspiciously, as he clambered down
over the edge of the trench, even as the rats scuttled away from
underfoot, then as the Synerean turned around, he eyed him
suspiciously. "This is about Aeka, isn’t it?" It was the only
reason he could think of that Aeka would want him to go talk in
private with Ryoko about.

What if he demands I back off and I don’t give in? 

His eyes widened as he realised what situation he had put
himself in.

I’m all alone in this trench with a hardened killer, at night… and
what if he pulls a rifle from beside him and shoots me?

"No, it isn’t." His voice was cool and steady, and Tenchi could
have sworn its timbre and quality had changed somehow,
slightly… less gruff, slightly higher, but Ryoko nonetheless.

"What about, then?"

Ryoko flinched slightly at the cutting edge in his voice due
given his wary disposition.

No, I’ve made up my mind. I’m not turning back now.

The remind of his decision lending him strength, Ryoko
answered, this time his voice assuredly trembling, "It’s about
me."

"Oh?" Tenchi arched an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yes." Ryoko stepped closer to him. "I have something to show
you."

And then, before Tenchi could react, and right before his
astonished eyes, Ryoko pulled off his helmet.

Tenchi could only stare as the grey metal piece gave way to
reveal a beautiful head of long cyan hair, and as Ryoko’s right
hand moved through it, he saw it was splendid, forming in an
array of spikes all about. But that was not really peculiar… it was
long. Very long, almost like a girl’s…

Still watching, almost disbelievingly, he saw Ryoko tilt her head
up, just catching in the wan moonlight, and for the first time he
saw her face, the whole of it… a pretty face, just the same as it
was… and framed by the thick mane of cyan hair, assuredly a
female’s…

"No…" Tenchi whispered, in shock, but deep inside his heart
leaped and rejoiced that the stirrings it felt had not been mere
fantasy, that there was some justification for it. "No, you can’t
be!" The memory came back, of Ryoko pinning him onto the
ground for touching her, of Ryoko doing the sashay to mock
him…

"Yes, Tenchi," she said, gently, even as her fingers unbuttoned
the front of her thick uniform, up to almost three quarters of the
way down, to expose her chest, and Tenchi thought he just
could make out, beneath a filthy white shirt worn underneath,
two round mounds pressing out and held back by something,
some kind of band wound around it. Then she reached over her
shoulders, into her shirt, and undid some strap there, causing
the band to sag slightly before his eyes, and the outline of her
two breasts bulged out to press tightly against the shirt. 

There could be no doubting her anymore. 

"You see what I am…"

"But… but…" he stuttered, falling backwards, to land his rump
onto the muddy grime of the trench base, still soaked from the
rains of yesterday, and more dark shapes flitted away at his
approach. "You…" His eyes widened suddenly, and he
remembered what Ryoko had told them of her past, of hiding…
and of being found. "NO! It couldn’t have been… it didn’t
happen… no not to …"

He regretted that. He regretted saying that, as he felt the
numbing pain squeeze his heart at the horrible thought, as he
felt the agony course through Ryoko at the reminder of that
memory, and she trembled, her proud head bowing, her form
shaking.

"It… it did…" she collapsed, sobbing, and Tenchi just had the
presence of mind to manage to reach out and catch her. "It
really did…"

He didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t much to say too,
really. All he did was hold her close, as they sat in the musty,
muddy darkness of the trench, surrounded by the chattering of
rodent’s and the patter of scum’s feet. Her body trembled as he
held her, quivering gently, and he felt her soft, full form press
against him, as if she would that he could crush her body
against his, crush the sorrow and sadness from her once and
for all…

And to think Aeka knew… all along…

He blinked his tears away.

I have been such a fool… and I hurt her so much… without
knowing it at all…

"Tenchi…?" He heard her quaver, and looked down into the
golden orbs, dimmed by misery."

"I’m listening Ryoko." He ran a hand through her cyan hair, so
soft, ever so soft and smooth. "I’m here…" His other arm held
her closer.

"Tell me…" she whispered, almost desperately once more. "Do
you think… I’m unworthy?" Her voice nearly broke at this point.
"Because… I’m tainted?"

"No." He swallowed as he answered, cradling her head. "No…
never. Don’t you *ever* think that." He could feel his own
emotions catching up with him, and he realised, that all along,
he had loved her, almost from the time he saw her, with her
beautiful smile when she first opened herself up to him, and he
could not bear to feel her anguish press down so agonisingly
on her, and see her writhe in the wreck of her woeful history. "It
will never change you… it can never change you." Another lump
formed in his throat, and he fought to keep himself from
choking. "And it will never change my love for you. It matters
nothing…"

"But…"

"Hush, quiet now." He whispered, the need to keep Ryoko glad
giving him strength. "I’m with you now… nothing can hurt you."
A grim expression crossed his face. "I won’t let anything hurt
you."

He closed his eyes as he felt her grip him tighter, as if even more
unwilling to let go.

"Yes… I know you wouldn’t." He heard her murmur, and another
tremor passed through her. "But how long can we be together,
Tenchi?"

A pit yawned open beneath him, and he could almost feel
himself, treading emptily on air. The future seemed to hang in
front of him, dangling like the sword of Damocles, but also as
though it was about to fall and sever his head. His chest
tightened, and he could feel his breath becoming harder to
draw, like a hangman’s noose was crushing his neck in its grip,
dragging to an awaiting grave.

"I… don’t know." His head bowed. "I really don’t know."

"Now," she answered, her voice stronger now, and it seemed
like she had found herself again, drawing from the fire the sword
made of the finest tempered steel. "We can be together now."
Her arms tightened around him, and though that did indeed
make breathing harder, he found he welcomed it. "That’s all we
have, and can ever have." Her chin raised as she looked into his
face, her amber eyes seeming almost to glow in the dark with
the depth of emotions bubbling up within her. Sitting back, she
slowly reached for her own hips, and he watched pulled out the
knife, and the revolver. Somehow, he knew no fear, where he
once would have, as she almost reverently put them forward,
almost as if she were offering them to him. "And now, I give
myself to you…" Then almost disdainfully, she tossed both the
weapons aside with abandon and flung herself onto him to
embrace him tightly again.

"Ryoko, I…" he started, making almost as if to apologise, even
as he could feel himself flush warm to her touch, but she
hushed him with a reproving flash of her eyes. Seizing his
momentary shock, she leaned forward and put her hands
behind his neck, then pulled herself up towards him, and her
face rose up to meet his …

Tenchi instinctively closed his eyes as her lips met his, pressing
ferociously down as if she would devour him alive, and he felt
himself tremble as fiery passion coursed through his veins,
filling him with a desire and emotion so strong and powerful he
almost passed out except that the same whirling emotions kept
him awake and conscious, barely in control of his senses and
feeling little except that overwhelming burst of passion within.

Her lips parted from his for a moment, and he opened his eyes,
feeling her form press into his arms, upon his chest. "Ryoko?"
He quavered, but even then she could see the flame burn in his
eyes, even as she could felt her own self flush.

"I want to treasure this moment, Tenchi…" she whispered,
almost pleadingly. "We don’t have much time left together…"

"Ryoko, I…" 

His words were cut off by another kiss from her, then when their
lips parted again, he was sweating, and she seized the
opportunity to snatch a word.

"Don’t talk," she whispered. "Let’s live for now." She set about
his neck, and Tenchi closed his eyes, felt his blood boil, his
pulse race, his nerves scream his desire within this soft
darkness that promised only warmth, pleasure and comfort, for
now. 

====================================

Warmth.

She sighed as she felt it spread across her fingers held close by
the fire, as she absently stirred the spoon in the bowl of stew.

How elusive it is… I am warm… yet not warm at all. This warmth,
could never fill the nagging, empty void within me.

"Excuse me?" she heard a voice ask her gingerly, no doubt
another hopeful soldier looking to make her feel better. "Do you
think I could…?"

"No, but thank you," she whispered. "I wish to be left alone."

"As you wish, ma’am," he tipped his helmet to her in a solemn,
gentlemanly gesture, and stepped back into the ring of men
about the fire.

Heaving another sigh, she went back to stirring the food, which
she had placed close by the fire in the hopes it would keep the
morsels warm till they returned, not withstanding the cold, and
her other hand slipped into her pocket. Taking yet another quick
sip from her bottle of rum, she tried not to think, tried to
concentrate on the round and round motion of stirring, but it
simply could be warded off…

Why am I doing this anyway? It’s not as if they will be coming
back. Ryoko should have no problem keeping him occupied for
the night.

A plaintive cry surged up from within her.

No… he wouldn’t… not with me in his heart…

Followed by mocking, piercing laughter.

Yeah right, dream on. Who knows… he might not even have you
in his heart…

She felt a pain, and realised she was biting her lip, but even then
she could still feel the biting stings of jealousy within her,
gnawing away at her inside, and she tried not to think that
Tenchi might have forgotten her.

Aww… who am I kidding? I only just met you, and besides, it’s
not like having me in his heart would make a difference. She
looks like she can really handle herself, while he’s just fresh out
from being a boy, he’ll be putty in her hands.

The cry of despair gave way to the tint of anger, of resentment
and castigation.

Do you regret giving him up?

She closed her eyes, tears running down her face.

I only did what I felt was right… and besides… her life is so very
sad. It would do well if she could have just one fleeting moment
of happiness before she leaves us. Besides, I can always go see
Tenchi, and after that, I still have my life ahead of me. I can
always leave here, no one would stop me, dad would see to
that…

Something gave. For all the words, all the thoughts, and all the
deeds noble and fine and right, there comes a time when reality
just crashes down on you, and they all don’t count. The only
thing was that mattered was that you had lost something dear to
you…

Her head bowed in defeat as she gave up trying to hide her pain,
her eyes closed and sent shining rivulets streaming down her
face, and many were the eyes that looked upon her in sympathy.
At that moment, on that merry, Christmas night, the cheer
around that fire died…

====================================

"But Ryoko…"

Ryoko, kissing his neck, felt him stiffen, felt his resistance…
"Huh?"

"I… can’t…" He pulled back, turned his head away… "I just
can’t…"

A wave of alarm surged through her, as though where warm
blood had just ran through her veins ice cold fear now coursed,
chilling her fire. "It’s because of me, isn’t it?" The worry and
doubt arose in her gaze, and he could almost feel the
desperation to avoid rejection. "That… I’ve been…"

"No, really… it’s not…!" Looking at the tears welling up in her
eyes, he quickly leaned forwards again to clasp her tightly to
him, his hands stroking her back in an almost brotherly fashion
of comforting.

"What else could it be?" she sobbed, almost in anger, and he
could feel her hands digging into his back with anguish.

"It’s not you…" he swallowed, unsure how she would take it. "I
swear, there is no way you could be less than pure in my
heart… it’s just that… it’s about… Aeka."

Ryoko froze. He could have sensed her incredulity, the way her
fingers suddenly stopped in their contraction, her breathing
suddenly stop, and her entire form stop moving, even the quiver
and tremors, and these were the thoughts that shot through
Ryoko’s mind.

He doesn’t reject me! In his eyes and heart, I’m pure…

But he cares for Aeka, too.

Well at least now you know for sure he can love you!

And he certainly could for Aeka.

"Please… Ryoko." He begged. "I know how you must feel… "

He felt her tense, like an elastic band about to snap. "Well… fine
then!" she grated. "Just go!" Her grip on him loosening, she
pushed herself away from him, and he flinched as he took in the
smouldering embers in her eyes. "Just go to her!"

"Ryoko!" He tried, gripping her shoulders firmly. "You’re not
being reasonable!"

"I don’t WANT to be reasonable!" she retorted, angrily. "I just
want to have you to myself!"

"I can’t…" Closing his eyes, Tenchi took a deep breath, trying to
fight the temptation to give in in the face of Ryoko’s wrath, to
give in to the fire that threatened to whelm him in pleasure.
"How could you, Ryoko?" he asked, softly.

Even through the haze of red, the message got through to
Ryoko, the soft, yet gently reproving tone that broke even
through to her heart, once buried beneath layers of hardiness,
and now speedily fleeing back to its cold, empty sepulchre in
the light of his denial. Her life had been hard, she had always felt
herself justified, to an extent, for all the things she did, but at this
moment… she realised she was at last, guilty, and at the most
crucial point, her conscience betrayed her.

Still softly, like a ghost, Tenchi whispered again. "And after all
she’s done for us…" The clear monotone might as well have
been a judgement, a heavy bang of the hammer that she had
faced so often in defiance, yet now she knew the fear from the
prosecutor, not just from Tenchi, but most damningly, from
herself.

"I…" she tried to gather the shreds of her selfishness that had
served her so well for so much of her life close around her, and
shut out the castigation that she heard from within and without.
"… don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You’re not heartless, Ryoko." There it was again, the voice soft
yet strong. "I know you."

She fell silent, hearing a part she thought had been slain by her
life, cry out stridently for that one moment, and though she
hated it, she could not deny herself. 

Aeka… arms around her, comforting her when she needed it
most.

Aeka… drawing Tenchi’s care out for her to see.

Aeka… giving Tenchi strength to come find her true self.

Aeka… sobbing by the fire for, this Christmas, she had given the
greatest present she could ever give to a complete stranger, the
very same present she wanted most herself.

"You’re right, Tenchi," she lip synced, and though their faces
were almost touching it took all of Tenchi’s effort to hear her.
Perhaps it was that Ryoko had known so little kindness in life,
thus it was that she had reacted to the first one by falling in love
with, and the second, by thinking how much had been given,
how it had been given, and how things would have been if she
had been her. "I don’t think I could have done what she did."

He nodded tersely, but he could see that while she had
determined her choice, she was no less upset. Gently, he helped
her up. "I know you’re upset…"

"Shut up, Tenchi." She growled, and he winced at the anger in
her voice, but she knew that now he had pointed it out to her,
there was no way she was going to let her own self have her
way, even though this might be the very last time she ever got to
be with Tenchi. She owed Aeka too much for that, she could not
belittle herself by letting herself go with the knowledge that she
would inflict so much agony on her own benefactor. "When I
decide on something, I do it." She took a deep breath, as she
got on her feet. "Even if it kills me." Then with a heart wrenching
sigh that even Tenchi shivered at as he heard the anguish of
defeat within, she said, "Let’s go."

====================================

There was a movement among the circle, as some of the
soldiers looked up in surprise, then…

"Aeka?" He asked.

She froze, halfway in the middle of drawing her breath for her
next sob, not daring to breathe lest she realised that she was
only dreaming.

"You okay?" The voice repeated, full of care and concern.

Her words sprung to mind, welling up in impossible, forming
themselves into countless assortments of pleasured surprise,
but she found she could not speak, could not dare make a
sound or turn around lest she realise she was merely listening
to a phantom, a figment of her imagination.

"He’s all yours, Aeka." Ryoko whispered, and the sound of her
voice pervaded even her mist of disbelief.

"Tenchi?" she managed, turning around, to find herself staring
right into his liquid brown eyes, that reflected the firelight by her
side. "Are you really…?"

He smiled warmly at her as he crouched down by her side. "Yes
I’m back…" he answered. "I didn’t think you could… take it…"
He licked his lips, unsure how to proceed, and Aeka thought
she saw sorrow and pain in his gaze. "… I simply had to come
back."

With a sob of happiness, Aeka hugged him. "Oh Tenchi…
Tenchi… thank you, thank you so much…" She clasped him
close, leaning her head against the side of his face. 

There was cheer from the soldiers, who burst out into a round of
applause, with one or two wolf whistles.

"Aeka… thank you too." He whispered, holding her close, and
her every breath and quiver made him think how alike she was
to Ryoko, yet at once, different. "Why did you try to do such a
thing?" There was a brief silence, as he felt Aeka stiffen in his
grasp. "How could you ever imagine you could take it?"

Blinking in confusion, Aeka tried to find a distraction, and
looked up and past him, right at Ryoko, her face sullen as she
watched them. The Synerean, now with her helmet donned,
breasts bound tight, uniform arranged properly, complete with
her knife and revolver, looked every bit the soldier that she had
been earlier.

No, not just every bit a solder, but more than that, Aeka realised.
It’s her eyes… the softness has fled from them to leave only cold
anger once more, and now there is a bleak grey outlook that
promises herself death on the bloody field rather than a hope for
a better life.

"I might not be able to, Tenchi." She whispered, enjoying the
feel of his body against hers, his arms around her, his hair
brushing her face. "But Ryoko, certainly not."

"But…"

"Let’s go elsewhere and talk, okay?" Aeka whispered, then she
stood up. "Oh and by the way… I don’t believe you have taken
your dinner…"

Tenchi blinked in confusion once more, then hurriedly picked
up both the bowls of food, still marginally warm, as Aeka quickly
stepped out of the ring, and gave Tenchi and Ryoko a quick
gesture to call them over. Ryoko trudged over, almost ignoring
the men around, and one soldier had to move away quickly lest
he got stepped on. As for Tenchi, he walked over, a little
delicately so as not to spill the bowls.

Aeka walked over at Ryoko as Tenchi was still en route.

"Ryoko?"

She remained quiet.

"It couldn’t have been easy." Aeka tried. "I think I should
know…"

"Bah." Ryoko snarled softly. "You don’t know anything." Her
intake of breath was so short and sharp even Aeka started. "You
never do…"

The dismissive, disdainful tone of voice in that last line caused
something in Aeka to bridle with anger herself. "Oh yeah!?" she
shot back. "So I don’t know anything! After all I’ve done and…"

"Shut up!" Ryoko snapped back, her tone sharp, bitter and
cutting, causing Aeka drew back, almost in fright. "Don’t talk
that crap with me… you’re not the one who had to let him go in
your moment of passion, or the one that can only be by his side
this night…" Her eyes narrowed. "This night of all nights, there
had to be you…"

"Well, for your information, you ungrateful thing," Aeka raised
her chin imperiously. "You would not have even got a chance
without me…"

"We don’t know that for sure." Ryoko countered. "And I
appreciate you. That I even went along in allowing Tenchi to get
back to your side tonight makes us even."

"All right already!" Both girls turned at the sound of Tenchi’s
voice. "Stop it!" he looked from Aeka to Ryoko, seemingly
annoyed, then almost as though he were else where, put one
other bowl of food in front of Ryoko. "Here, Ryoko. You haven’t
eaten yet."

Ryoko glared back at him. "So what?"

Tenchi looked from Ryoko’s angry expression to Aeka, who
was biting her lip and quaking slightly as he offered the food to
Ryoko, then quite abruptly, suddenly deflated. "I’m sorry… this
is all my fault." He gave a sigh of his own. "It just isn’t fair, to
both of you…" He let himself slump onto the ground, letting the
bowls down, then looked up at both of them, before bowing his
head. "I… just don’t know what to do…"

Ryoko and Aeka felt both their tempers simmer down at the
sight of Tenchi upset, and both almost instinctively bent down
by his side. For a moment their eyes met, and their stares
locked, amethyst meeting amber in a test of wills. 

"Ryoko, Aeka, please don’t?" Tenchi looked, his face troubled,
from one to the other. "If there’s anyone who has hurt you
both… it’s me."

They both abruptly broke off at the same time, but as they did
they realised, to their unease, that what lay beyond the fury
reflected in the other’s eyes was a kindred soul…

"It’s not your fault, Tenchi." Ryoko whispered.

"Indeed," Aeka murmured. "It is no one’s fault."

A heavy silence seemed to fall over them, and it seemed as
though they were covered in the shadows, as around the air
filled with voices of men sitting around firelight, singing
Christmas songs, while others showed the pictures of their
loved ones to those who might soon kill them. They listened,
almost subconsciously, as the songs, originally medley and
potpourri of carols, as each group around a fire did a different
song, steadily and gradually changed to meld into one collective
voice, as the men rallied around and started following the most
strident tune, and somehow the melodic and gradual
banishment of discord stirred something deep within all of them,
most notably in Aeka…

Tenchi and Ryoko watched with surprise as the medic suddenly
put her hand into her dress, and pulled out a little something,
and stared at it. Tenchi craned his head slightly, and Ryoko,
who would normally have given a snort of disdain, just
managed to stop herself from looking too. All Tenchi could
make out was a touch of pink, rounded chin, and what might
just be long ponytails in the dark shadowed night. 

"Who is it?" Tenchi asked, a little gingerly. After what had
happened with Ryoko, he wasn’t sure if the person in the photo
was male or female.

"My sister." Aeka whispered, her voice thick with emotion for
where her eyes could not see the photo clearly in the poor light,
her heart could. "If she were here, she would know what to
do…"

Unable to restrain her curiosity further, Ryoko moved over so
she was behind Tenchi, and blinked. "Your sister!?" She could
make out slightly more than Tenchi, just enough to discern the
kawaii nose that spoke volumes about the person’s age. "Her?"

"Yes, of course she is." Aeka reminded, sounding a little ticked
off.

"Oh please, who are you kidding? She’s just a kid!"

To Ryoko’s surprise, Aeka smiled pleasantly back at her. "Of
course she is. The best and greatest little sister one could ever
have."

"Oh?" Tenchi and Ryoko both exclaimed together.

"Oh yes… she can do everything I can’t do… she holds her
temper well, and cooks like… *wow*…" 

"What’s her name?" Tenchi asked. 

"Sasami." Aeka replied with a smile that even Ryoko found
slightly disarming. It was hard to maintain a sour disposition in
the face of such charm. "But you know what makes me respect
her the most?" Tenchi and Ryoko shook their heads. "She
always has this way of making people stop fighting, and
everyone who meets her loves her, a lot." She looked at her own
self, in her dirty nurse uniform. "In fact, I wouldn’t be here if it
weren’t for her."

"Oh?" Ryoko echoed herself once more. "What a pity that…"
Something told her she ought to be saying ‘I can’t talk her out of
trying that,’ but instead she found herself saying. "… I can’t
thank her myself."

"Yeah," Tenchi smiled at Ryoko, and the beam that he gave her
was such that she felt immediately justified for having chosen to
say what she did. "Pity she weren’t here herself…"

"Well… her picture’s here… you can take a look, Tenchi." She
passed it to him.

"Okay…" he squinted, trying to make out her face.

"Nah… this won’t do," Ryoko noted. "How about we move over
to another fire?"

"Sure." Aeka nodded. "She’s so kawaii, plus her heart is the
closest thing to gold one can ever find…" There was a slight
sigh as they moved over, keeping outside the ring but getting
close enough so they could make out the picture. "I do miss
her…"

"Oh *WOW*!" Tenchi exclaimed. "She’s so cute!"

"Not bad…" Ryoko commented drolly, but inside she caught the
open, innocent gaze of those pink eyes, those eyes that could
never ever wish anyone anything but the very best, and she
suddenly felt very old, like she had been missing out on
something beautiful for most of her life… "How can someone
like her have anything to do with this?" She cast her eye
meaningfully around, and Aeka could sense she referred not to
Christmas Celebrations, but to the place in general, and the
war…

"Well… it was my idea originally," Aeka pointed out. "I had heard
about the suffering going on, and I was thinking of asking a
transfer out of my nursing class to the war front, where many of
my friends had been sent to, yet it frightened me somehow. If
not for her I would never have got the courage to act on it,
though."

Tenchi blinked, not knowing whether to be grateful for or to
regard Aeka as insane. Volunteering to be in the war was sheer
lunacy ; volunteering to save lives and ease suffering was
saintly.

Ryoko arched an eyebrow. "Nursing classes? Had to ask for the
transfer?" She looked Aeka up and down once more. In a time
of war, when demand for nurses was desperate, there were only
two reasons that someone would not be sent out - money and
prestige. "You’re one of those rich, posh people, aren’t you!?"
She growled, her eyes narrowing, as she recalled how many of
her gutter mates had starved and froze during winter, while
those rich folks threw the remainders of their dinners away, and
let the fireplace burn till late at night. "Nothing better to do than
to sit around lazing, and talking your high class rubbish…"

Aeka glared daggers at Ryoko. "HEY! I’ll have you know that…"

Quickly, Tenchi interposed himself between the two. "Please…
calm down, you two." He considered chastising Ryoko, but he
realised he saw her point. Having come from the middle class
family, he had to admit he saw the gross wastage of the
aristocrats when there were hundreds of beggars and
thousands of poor as a very offensive thing at time. He decided
to compromise. "Please Ryoko, don’t hold it against Aeka… she
can’t help what her class has been doing all along, she was just
born into it. At least she cares enough to be here, and she has
guts enough to stay."

I know I don’t, he thought. If I could get out of this, I would.

Then he realised something.

Not without Ryoko and Aeka, though.

For a moment it seemed as if Aeka would explode, then she
suddenly calmed down. "Sasami… she wouldn’t be happy to
know that we got mad talking about her…" There was a slight
pause, then she continued. "She does so hate to see people
getting each other upset…"

But still, Tenchi noted a glint of anger still in Aeka’s eye.

"Erm… let’s get back, shall we?" he smiled sheepishly. "Me and
Ryoko haven’t eaten you know…" He tried to think of
something, as he pushed both the girls in the direction away
from the ring of singing soldiers once more. "Say, Aeka, could
you tell us more about Sasami as we eat?" He smiled at her. "I’d
really like to hear it…"

"Well, okay…" Aeka looked back at him, then uncertainly to
Ryoko. "Just to remind you, the food isn’t hot anymore, not after
laying there for so long…"

"It’s all right," Tenchi replied genially, as he sat himself down.
Ryoko looked down at him for a moment, and he had to try his
most piercing stare, which though not very piercing, got the
message across, and the Synerean settled down by his side.
"Do please start talking, Aeka…"

"Okay…" Looking around and trying to gather her thoughts
about Sasami, Aeka suddenly laughed softly. "It’s nightfall
again. I used to tell her stories to get her to sleep all the time."
She felt a cheery warmth spread about her insides, driving the
bad blood out, and Ryoko, hearing Aeka’s soft mirth, felt
somehow slightly better herself. "She does so like listening to
them… let’s see… I shall tell a story tonight then," she smiled.
"About Sasami…"

Thus she started, to the merry music of rough men singing
Christmas songs…

====================================

She looked around the house… everything was as it should be.
Outside the window, snow was falling lightly down from the sky,
to cover the land with shining, clean white covers that bespoke
the purity of the season.

Good, now to find Tenchi…

Smiling to herself, she climbed up the stairs.

"Tenchi?" she called out. "You there?"

"Aeka?" A door slid open somewhere along the corridor, and
she beamed as Tenchi’s head popped out over. "Sure, come on
in!"

"Well… I was wondering since me and Sasami got the house all
cleaned up after Ryoko created the mess yesterday, maybe we
could go out in the snow and play a little." She smiled sweetly.
"Sasami’s looking forward to it very much, Tenchi."

"Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve got some homework to do…" Tenchi looked
a little downcast. "You mind waiting for a moment?"

"Sure…" Aeka blushed slightly as she asked the next line. "You
mind if I came in and watched you do your work?"

"Uh… okay." Tenchi looked somewhat nervous. "Sure, come on
in."

"Thank you, Tenchi…" Aeka walked over into the room and sat
down on the bed.

As Tenchi is settling back into his chair by the desk, Ryoko
suddenly appeared out of nowhere and flung herself onto him. 

"Hallo, Tenchi!" She laughed, hugging him tightly.

"Ryoko!" Aeka sprang up, her eyes flashing anger. "I order you
to stop that!"

"Oh?" Ryoko stuck her tongue out at Aeka. "Says you and what
power?"

"Erm… Ryoko?" Tenchi managed nervously. "You mind letting
me go?"

"Let him go this instant!" Aeka shrieked, as she grabbed Ryoko
by the waist.

"Shan’t!" the cyan-haired girl retorted, deciding not to simply
because Aeka so desired that obedience from her. 

Aeka gripped tight, then threw herself backwards with a sharp
tug, before the pressure suddenly gave and Ryoko was pulled
off backwards off Tenchi before the two girls were sent rolling
about in a heap. There was a brief flurry of kicking, shoving and
untangling of limbs, then the two girls stood up before each
other, sparks spitting in the air between their eyes where their
furious gazes met.

"How dare you do that to Tenchi!" Aeka shrieked.

"What I do is none of your business!" Ryoko shot back. "Nosy
parker… especially when it involves him and me…"

"I don’t believe that! I…"

"Calm down you two…" Tenchi tried, looking at once sheepish,
worried, and for some reason, very, very frightened. "And
please… don’t blow up the house again."

Ryoko and Aeka both turned to glare at him. "Stand back
Tenchi!" Their gazes locked against one another’s once more.
"This is just between you and me."

"Oh damn…" Backing away from them as more sparks flew,
Tenchi looked around anxiously, as if trying to find some cover.

"Hey, what’s going on?" A high, girlish and charming little voice
sounded out, and Tenchi blinked as he saw Sasami wander into
the room. "Where’s my sis… oh."

"Do something, Sasami!" Tenchi cried, desperately.

"Oh okay…" Pouting slightly to herself, Sasami walked over to
where Ryoko was preparing to flatten out her sister, and
suddenly tugged at Ryoko’s sleeve.

"Huh?" She turned to look down at Sasami, curiosity written all
over her face. 

"Erm, hi," she looked worriedly at Ryoko. "Is something wrong,
Ryoko?"

"Something!?" she turned to glare at Aeka. "Of course
something is wrong! What do you expect with your sister
around!?"

"Oh?" Sasami turned to look at Aeka. "What happened, Aeka?"

"You’re asking me!?" Aeka stared back with wide eyes. "It’s this
woman, she’s been embarassing Tenchi again!"

Sasami looked from Ryoko to Aeka, looking mildly perturbed,
and they somehow felt compelled to watch her, as though she
were a judge deciding who was in the right.

Then very solemnly, Sasami said, a little softly, "I think I feel
sorry for Tenchi…"

Ryoko and Aeka both blinked, as Sasami turned her back on
them and went to Tenchi, who was hiding behind the foot of his
bed. "Come on, Tenchi," she said, pulling at his sleeve. "Aeka
and Ryoko are misbehaving again, so let’s just go down now
and play with the snow." Still tugging gently at Tenchi, she
turned back to face the bewildered Ryoko and Aeka. "We’ll leave
you both out, as you both have been bad, and anyway you’ll be
busy fighting…"

Aeka and Ryoko both watched, a little shocked, as Sasami led
Tenchi out the room. Then suddenly… 

"Hey wait up!" they both ran after them. Certainly they were not
going to miss out having fun with Tenchi.

Sasami turned on them, now reprovingly, like a teacher
chastising two pupils. "Oh? Is that what you want?" For some
reason, both girls screeched to a halt in front of her, and
nodded. "Then you must promise not to fight or get mad…
especially if we play a snowball fight."

Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other uncertainly, as if thinking
‘I can if you don’t… is it a deal?’, then after a momentary
exchange of glances, nodded again.

Sasami gave them a slight pout, "Promise?"

"Yes, Sasami." Aeka replied, sounding a little anxious yet tired.

"All right then," Ryoko mumbled.

"Shake hands now!" Sasami looked from Aeka to Ryoko. The
two older girls looked at each other suspiciously again, then
reluctantly, shook hands.

"Yay!" Sasami laughed, doing a cheer. "Now we can all go play,
what fun it will be!" And so saying she let go of Tenchi and
started skipping down the stairs to the door, tailed by the line of
her three still slightly bewildered elders.

====================================

"And they all lived happily ever after." Aeka concluded, her face
bright with merriment, then her eye wandered over to Ryoko.
"Well, as happily as possible with Ryoko in the same house, I
suppose."

"Well at least you had the courtesy to put me in the story after
you accused me of doing all those things, although I admit I
would like to hug Tenchi, and I’m not so weak that you can just
pull me off of him like that," Ryoko commented, a little ticked off,
but overall, amused and rather happy, that Aeka did indirectly
think she might get a chance of living in Tenchi’s house and
seeing how nice it all was. "And for a moment there, when you
sat on that bed, I thought you had forgotten the story is about
Sasami, and not about you and Tenchi."

Tenchi blushed at the comment, but Aeka was feeling too nice
to bother with nervousness.

"Of course I wouldn’t forget, Ryoko," she smiled almost too
sweetly at Ryoko for the Synerean’s comfort. "You really must
think better of me, you know."

"Yeah right," she answered drily. "You think that would have
happened though? Sasami stopping us just like that where
Tenchi couldn’t?" She eyed Aeka speculatively. "You look like
the type to go mad off your hatter on those moments you know
that." Seeing Aeka’s frown, she decided to add in another line.
"And so would I, I guess." She was rewarded by seeing Aeka
nod and her brow clear. "What makes you think we would listen
to her at all?"

Aeka shakes her head. "I really don’t know… she just manages
it somehow. Even when I quarrelled with dad over the nursing to
be sent out here, when she spoke, we found that we both had
stopped and listened…" She smiled. "She really is commanding
at times…"

"Oh," was all Ryoko could manage. "I’d really like to meet her."

"I would too," added Tenchi, himself beaming. "Say what was
that about blowing up the house?"

"I don’t know," Aeka confessed. "I suppose you meant it
figuratively, so I just put it in as it sounded about right."

Tenchi nodded. "Okay, I see." His thoughts wandered back to
Sasami, "It would be nice to have your little sister around, she
sounds like someone I would really need around the house,
especially if mom gets tired of cooking."

"She likes stories… a lot." Aeka’s eye rove speculatively to
Tenchi. "I’d like to listen to your stories too, you know?" she
whispered.

"Oh really?" Tenchi replied nervously. "I’m not very good at
telling stories…"

"Well, Sasami and I both won’t mind, besides, she usually falls
asleep during or after the story…" Aeka tried to, but could not
restrain a yawn from herself. She realised she was very tired
after the emotional stress from earlier as well as from the long
hours tending to the wounded at the makeshift medical shelter
behind the reserve trenches. "She does look such a dear when
she’s asleep."

Looking at her, and thinking of Sasami sleeping, both Tenchi
and Ryoko yawned together too, causing Aeka to bring her
hand up to her mouth to try to hide her giggle.

"Huh?" Tenchi looked from Aeka to Ryoko. "Oh…"

"I guess we must be tired," Ryoko yawned again. "Sure feel like
sleeping."

"Yeah," Aeka nodded her head too in agreement. "It feels good
to be able to sleep one night on this front without having to
worry about waking up to the sound of gunfire, and the cries of
the wounded."

Tenchi blinked once more, as Ryoko settled her head against
his shoulder. Aeka gave her a strange look that seemed to imply
at least one level of outrage, then followed suit by resting her
own head against Tenchi’s other shoulder. There was a certain
tension in the air, as they both tried to ignore the other, while
Tenchi was positively certain he was on the edge of a mental
breakdown. He felt two hands, each owned by a different
person, go around his back, and then he trembled as the hands
met, and he felt both the girls stiffen.

Oh my god, this is it…

His eyes widened as he spotted, then. He couldn’t be sure, but
he thought he just made out the figure of a girl slumbering on
the ground a good distance him, curled up so that her head was
facing in Tenchi’s direction, and the rest of her body was hidden
behind some other distant obstacle, maybe a tree, a box of
ammunition, or something.

I must be dreaming…

Even as the thought dawned on him that he was seeing her
head with her long blue hair and two ponytails as clearly as
though he were seeing her in the day, the girl raised her head,
and he spotted the large, pink eyes, the cute and cheeky little
freckled face, before she winked once cheerfully at him.

Sasami?

He blinked, then she was gone…

"Ryoko?" he whispered, softly, almost as if in awe. "What do
you think Sasami would do if she were here?"

"She’d sleep," Ryoko and Aeka answered together, and looked
at each other in surprise from behind Tenchi’s back.

"Yes… I think that’s a good idea…" Almost absently, Tenchi put
his arms around the shoulders of both the girls, still gazing as if
he were lost in a dream in the direction where he thought he
saw the beautifully kawaii and loveable cherub, and both girls
relaxed and lost their emnity as they felt his grasp,
concentrating their attention on treasuring this moment. Tenchi
felt his eyelids start to weigh down heavily on his eyes, and lay
back some more, once again to the surprise of both girls. "I
think I have to get some sleep…" he whispered. Perhaps the
long hours and weary days of war were finally getting to him,
but he felt inordinately at ease, with a peace of mind that was
ludicrous given the situation he was in. "Good night, Ryoko,
Aeka…"

"Good night, Tenchi…" Ryoko kissed him gently on one cheek.

"Sweet dreams…" Aeka kissed his other cheek.

Tenchi smiled, even as his eyelids close. "Thank you… both of
you… I know it has not been easy, and I’m sorry for that." There
was another pause, and they both thought he had gone off to
sleep, but then they heard him say one last thing… "Merry
Christmas."

Looking at each other over Tenchi’s slumbering body, Aeka and
Ryoko watched each other. Then like two rivals watching each
other warily, they slowly lowered both their heads onto his
chest, not taking their gaze off each other.

"Ryoko?" Aeka asked, uncertainly. "You tired."

"Yeah, of course." Ryoko smiled back. "Good night…"

The nurse brightened up at her acknowledgement. "Treasure
this moment, Ryoko…"

"Don’t worry, I will," she rested her head fully against Tenchi’s
chest, feeling the gentle up and down as he breathed evenly,
and though there was a slight surge of jealousy within Aeka’s
breast, it was superceded by the happiness of seeing Ryoko’s
blissful, beauteous expression as she closed her eyes. "Sweet
dreams, Aeka."

Watching Ryoko for a moment more, Aeka let her eyes droop
down too, then she was aware of a gentle tug on her hand, the
one that was placed across the front of Tenchi’s waist…

"Peace?" she replied, and their fingers locked together, before
the darkness claimed them, to the soothing tune of ‘Silent
Night,’ being hummed by the soldiers.

====================================

"Get up, Synerean." Commanded a gruff voice. "Dumb
homosexual." He snorted.

"Huh?" Ryoko opened one eye groggily, to find the sky was still
rather dark, and the next moment she had her revolver out and
at the ready.

The darkness parted to reveal a row of white teeth curling up
and facing her. "Not bad," the shadowed figure replied. "I like
my men alert and at the ready."

It dawned on Ryoko that in the dim light, the officer probably
had not recognised her as the one who was awarded special
status and rated as "extremely dangerous, keep separate from
the rest". 

"Come on, now, back to your stations." The man growled, and
Ryoko felt a chill fear seize her.

I don’t want to go back…

For a moment she considered shooting the officer, then she
managed to make out the shape of a rifle being aimed at her.
Apparently no one liked having a revolver trained on him.
Around her, she too could make out the tramp of boots as
officers from both Juraian and Synerean sides gathered their
troops about the rings of dying embers of firelight, and most, if
not all were armed. Granted, of course, it was unlikely anyone
would shoot, as if the sound of gunfire rang out it could rouse
the soldiers who might rush back and open fire on them before
they could gather their men. Judging from the lack of large rings
of slumbering figures around the dying embers on the ground,
by now about two thirds of the men on either side should be
back at their posts, already, and it was about maybe fifteen
minutes to daylight.

"Move it soldier," the officer growled. "One day’s rest enough
for the likes of you peace-mongering softies." He glared at
Ryoko. "Next thing I know you’ll be saying you want to join
them." The smile fell as he looked at Ryoko’s gun once more.
"And keep that damned thing." Reluctantly, Ryoko kept it, and
though he could not see she was the "Bitch", as she was
known as, he could sense her anger and unwillingness. "All
right you, back to the camp…"

Ryoko nodded, and made to walk past him. If she could get
pass and surprise him from the back, she might be able to twist
his neck without kicking up a fuss…

Instead, the officer turned with her as she went past, his eyes
not leaving her, and his rifle point facing her all the way. "Get a
move on." He smiled, taking pleasure in seeing Ryoko’s
unwillingness. "I’m not letting any deserters get away…" He
prodded her with the rifle, and the sharp bayonet point poked
against the small of her back. "Keep walking! I’ll see you back to
camp."

Ryoko could only sigh, her heart crying in anguish and defeat
as the man followed her back to their own side. Turning around
hesitantly, she made out the figure of another man going over to
them, in what was dimly visible as the dress of a Juraian
officer…

Oh Tenchi, Tenchi! I wish I could be with you…

"OW!" she cried as the knife point poked harder into her back,
but did not cut significantly deep.

"I said keep walking!" the officer growled.

Biting her lip, Ryoko walked on and tried not to think that she
might be seeing Tenchi for the last time. If she were closer she
might have heard Aeka comforting Tenchi as he looked about
anxiously for her, calling her name, to the amusement of the
Juraian officer who thought he had been having a wet dream.

She felt her heart tremble as she walked past the barbed wire on
the Synerean side, and descended once more into the living
scars across the land that were filled with miserable soldiers.

Feeling her sorrow threaten to whelm her again, she tried to
hold back the tears…

Well… at least Tenchi’s all right…

She smiled sadly to herself.

Who knows… Aeka might even get him out of the war…

====================================

It has been over two months since I last saw her, I wonder how
she is doing now over there. Hopefully she has been granted
reprieve, but I doubt it… just like sometimes I even doubt that
she exists. She seems like an angel, like a ghost… here one
moment and then gone again. A beautiful lady one moment,
then no longer… resting by my side for that one instant, then
gone… Sometimes, I would ask myself if it all had been just a
dream, a Christmas gift from above that I might know her and
get to meet her. If it weren’t for Aeka, I don’t know what I’d do…

He realised he looked forward to the evenings on the last day of
his three-day shifts nowadays, and his rest in the support
trenches where the violet hair nurse would show up to get away
from her duties and chat with him. Aeka was a pleasant
companion, even if she was looking more tired and haggard
nowadays. It was delightful to talk to her as they walked back to
the back of the trenches, especially about Ryoko and Sasami,
and how they would all live after this miserable war was over.
Sometimes, especially as they were walking away from the front
trench, it almost seemed that as they talked that they were clear
out of the war already. Aeka herself was no less unpleasant to
watch, for though she would walk in from the back lines tired, it
would seem that she would bloom in his presence, as if drawing
strength from him, even as he did from her. God knows those
were the occasions that kept him going in trying times, when he
was weary from keeping watch in the goddamned waterlogged
sticky mud of the trenches, with the rats crawling underfoot,
occasional grenades exploding on the No Man’s Land, and the
sporadic gunfire punctuated now and then by a gurgle or
scream.

Things had gone badly for the Juraians since that fateful
Christmas day that seemed from so long ago. They had already
tried two charges to break the Synerean line, to little avail, and
the resulting casualties and injuries had occupied the medics,
and tied up Aeka’s evening visits for up for almost two weeks at
a time. Tenchi had been fortunate, as he had been off duty at the
time of the charges in the reserve trenches, but nevertheless he
was horrified by the slaughter that had covered the field from
the charges when he had been called out of reserve following
the charges to man the trenches, especially considering that
machine gun fire practically shredded the men into little bits of
flesh. The sheer number of injured and the magnitude of their
injuries also bewildered Tenchi, and those were usually the
ones that led the charge, as they would be shot down as they
climbed out of the trenches and fall back in for medics to
rescue. As for those that fell upon No Man’s Land, their blood
covered the ground while the smell of iron filled the air, and their
groans of agony went unheeded beneath the merciless fire of
the machine guns and rifles. Tenchi tried not to imagine how
many were those who had bled to death on the ground, and
occasionally he would wake up screaming and clutching his
rifle up as if to fire. As for most of those who had celebrated
Christmas, almost half of them had not got past the first two
months, with casualties sent to the back. Sergeant Donald
Smith had been killed while leading the initial charge upon the
Synereans in late January, a charge he had bitterly opposed,
while Hurasami Darashi had lost both his legs to a grenade
when he was blown back to the trenches during the second one
in about mid February. The only ones that seemed to be
enjoying the war were the vermin that skulked underfoot,
gnawed on boots, weapons, and on the bodies of the dead
upon the field of death.

For now he peered over his own shoulders, to the west. The sun
was setting, and evening of his third day shift at the firing trench
would come soon, and he smiled a little as he thought of Aeka,
and prayed that Ryoko would be doing fine.

As the appointed time came, the soldiers in his shift relaxed and
lowered their rifles, but not completely, in preparation another
set of fresher looking troops, looking no less miserable, started
gathering their gear. Tenchi smiled as he thought somewhere
within their group, Aeka was making her way over too to meet
him.

As the sun had just half disappeared over the horizon behind,
there was a cry of alarm, and rifle fire sounded. Quickly, he
rushed up back to his post, but just managed to make out the
dot of a small metal article being hurled over to the side,
illuminated clearly against the sunlight, and had the presence of
mind to hurl himself away just as the thing started descending
from the apex of its trajectory. As the grenade exploded, he
threw himself to the ground, and the whizz of the deadly
shrapnel was accompanied by screams of pain and agony, as
the enemy bombarded the lines. 

Quickly placing his rifle over the edge, Tenchi opened fire as the
faces and bodies of the Synereans charging were somewhat
visible against the rapidly dimming light of the setting. Beside
him those of his shift who had survived, quickly followed suit,
as another man kicked the body of dead machine gunner from
the position he occupied, and the metal killing machine was
unleashed upon the line of Synereans with devastating effect.
Tenchi felt part of himself falter as he just thought he heard the
screams against the firing of weapons, while beyond the barbed
wire the figures of Synerean troops fell like flies but were
followed by yet more of their comrades, and another grenade
took out a section of the support trench diagonally behind him.
There was the squelching of mud as the support troops ran in
trying to fill up the vacated positions, and as Tenchi quickly bent
down to reload his rifle the face of the Juraian shooting on his
right exploded in a spray of blood into an unrecognisable mess
due to a well aimed bullet hit him square in the face, and Tenchi
trembled as the corpse thudded down into the mud before him.

Cursing to himself in fear, cold sweat running down his face,
Tenchi put his head over the trench just in time to see a soldier
hurl a grenade straight into the clump of barb wire in front of his
section of the trench, and panicking slightly, he tried to back off,
and his feet slid into mud, causing him to tumble back ontot the
corpse as the grenade exploded once more. One soldier, who
had just finished reloading, was unfortunate and unobservant
enough to look up over the trench for targets as the majority
ducked their heads down under from the grenade, and was
rewarded as a shrapnel struck him in the throat and passed
through, almost severing his head from his body as the blood
spurted out. The impact from the explosion sent a section of the
barbed wire flying back, and several of the soldiers taking cover
on the left screamed as the roll of wire rolled over the edge of
the trenches and landed full onto their backs, the rusty spikes
digging deep and tearing the flesh open. Tenchi looked up, just
in time to see one Synerean running in, towards the last
remaining section of the barbed wire, and he pulled the trigger
back sending the man hurtling backwards slightly before
collapsing on the ground. Another Juraian nearby took down
two Synereans, hitting one in the thigh, and the other in chest,
before another bullet struck him somewhere and sent him
reeling back into mud. Another blast heralded the blowing up as
the machine gun fell to a well thrown grenade. 

Looking on, Tenchi fired the same time as a Synerean did, and
the spray of mud beside him as the man collapsed with a bullet
through his stomach caused him so much fright he thought his
heart might burst. Another Synerean ducked down behind a
fellow trooper, as shot took out the leading man’s throat, and
replied with a bullet that avenged his comrade. The soldier saw
Tenchi taking aim, and there was another spurt of mud before
him that got into his eye, and he fell back, trying desperately to
wipe the grime out though he could have sworn the Synerean
had not aimed his rifle at him. Quickly getting back, he saw the
Synerean had pushed the corpse forward, and was shooting
with one hand on the rifle, taking out yet another Juraian on his
left, as at the same time more blood exploded out from the
corpse’s lower stomach at an angle and a man on his right
screamed, clutching at the side of his head which had been
grazed by a bullet. 

Tenchi aimed his rifle, but the soldier rolled to the left of his
vision, and at the same time kicked the corpse into the barbed
wire, which obscured Tenchi’s view. Seeing more enemy troops
coming in from his right, Tenchi quickly tried to aim elsewhere,
and just missed a Synerean, who was taken down by another
Juraian, then his next shot sent another man tumbling to earth.
He blinked as he detected a movement, then saw to his
astonishment the rolling figure hit the dirt near where the corpse
was impaled onto the barbed wire, before leaping up onto the
figure while crouching, and he could see that where most men
carried one gun, this one held two weapons, a revolver in the
left hand and a rifle in the right. Tenchi ducked aside just in time
as the revolver’s bullet just missed where his head had been, as
the rifle’s burst fire claimed two lives from the support troops
that were running in to fill his depleted section, even as the
Synerean rushed in towards the trench. Tenchi, full of fright as
he righted himself, did not even notice his helmet had tumbled
off as he brought his rifle to bear upon the figure, and he saw
the revolver aim at him he prepared to pull the trigger back…

"TENCHI!!!" He heard a scream, somehow, that carried even
through the gunfire, a scream that seemed to come from both
directions at once, both front and back, and seemed to be
composed of two different voices, of the two people that had
haunted his dreams.

"Ryoko?" he whispered his rifle, lowering slightly.

"Tenchi, no!" Aeka screamed from behind as she saw him do
something close to suicidal.

In the last burst of the setting sun, the Synerean with the
revolver fired twice more to the side, rifle not ceasing firing even
for an instant as he darted aside, then hurled the thing away as
his hand reached up to his helmet and tore it off. "It’s me!"

For one moment, in the last, dying light of the setting sun,
Tenchi saw Ryoko, her resplendent cyan hair shining lustrously
before him, her form triumphant and yet radiant, and her entire
form seemed to reflect the light back at him…

Tenchi didn’t even get a chance to blink before something
Ryoko flinched as a bullet struck her in her right shoulder, and
her rifle fell to earth mere seconds before she did, reaching over
with her left hand to scoop up her weapon. Two more Juraians
fell, as Tenchi stood shell shocked, then another bullet burst
right through her body, through her left pelvis.

"Ryoko, NO!" he screamed, tears blurring his vision as he saw
her left hand loosen, and the rifle leave the hands, the head loll
over. "You can’t DIE!"

"She’s not dead!" Aeka shouted from behind as she ran up to
him. "Those wounds aren’t fatal!"

Not even thinking, Tenchi hurled his rifle from him and crawled
out over the top of the trench…

==== End of Part 1 : Reprieve ====

NOTES

Please send all opinions and Comments & Criticisms to
zyraen@yahoo.com, all and any opinions welcome, especially if
their constructive, especially on writing, character portrayal,
interaction and plot, and as always I look forward to tips on
improving, especially as this is only my 2nd fic ever written,
the other fic being Darkness & Light, under Regulars at TMFFA.

Many apologies but I could not finish this fic in time
for Xmas, so it has to be split into 2 parts…Originally when I
realised I was short of time I intended to end the story here, but
thanks to some encouragement from 2 of my friends, I’ve
decided not to, and just split the story into 2 parts, although I am
worried the second part will prove poor relative to this first part.
Do tell if you feel I should end this fiction here, or write a second
part, and let me thank you in advance for readin this and square
the thanks for providing feedback. 

Just a note I will be away until next yr, about 1st January 2001,
so just to let you know if I don’t respond to feedback. Thought
as I entered a new century (technically at yr 2001) might as well
remind us of, in my opinion, the most splendid examples of
brotherly love on Earth in a time of turmoil.

HISTORICAL DISCREPANCIES (only for those interested)

In 1914, the war did not begin as a trench war. It started out with
normal tactical advances during about July to August, but for
the purposes of the fic, though Tenchi left his parents about late
July, he did not participate in normal action (hence veteran) but
was posted directly to the trenches, which were set up in the
first week of September.

During the Christmas of 1914, on both sides of the lines there
were likely more than one pair of soldiers crossing over, in fact
quite a few on either side. Fires were uncertain, as given the
snowing during the Christmas season it would be harder to
start a fire but more desirable to have one, but it could have
happened in the southern areas along the war front. During
WWI, most soldiers on both side could not communicate as one
side spoke French or English, and the other German, not the
English on both sides as apparent in the fic.

As for the presence of medics, this is entirely questionable, but
likely, though possibly not with any females. The presence of
rum and other alcohols is uncertain, except for the medical
alcohols use to clean wounds. Cigarette smoking and wearing
scarves were likely to have been around, given the cool
weather, and helmets were likely worn throughout Christmas
day. The proper medic centre would also, rather than be around
the reserve trenches, be a really good distance behind reserve
lines, with some makeshift centres near every stretch of the
front.

Concerning the ending of the Christmas peace, it is not very
certain, but senior officers on both sides were furious that the
war had stopped, and it is likely fighting occured the very next
day, although whether they returned to their quarters to rest,
just fell asleep over the fire, or maybe even sang all night long, is
uncertain, or how they prevented desertions and infiltrations.
Likely both sides took very strict measures to prevent this, as
reflected above. 

At the time photos were in black and white, so Sasami’s picture
should well have been the drab colour of the landscape of war.
Tenchi’s war rotation seemed to be on every few days, but in
reality soldiers remained in the firing and support trenches for
stretches of few days up to a week, and were rotated to the
reserve trenches for rests. During their stint they might rest now
and then, and might have been divided into shifts, but it is
uncertain.