Disclaimer: I do not own any of these Tenchi Muyo! characters, they are copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer. This fic is for entertainment value only, not for profit. So please don't sue me, I'm broke. "Standing in eternal bliss This perfect moment when we kiss Whether it's wrong or whether it's right This is what we need tonight So take my hand and take my heart Pray for us to never part No matter what comes after this I'll always remember our first kiss" ~Heather *For a Princess* A Tenchi Muyo! epic fanfic by Heather B. Kytes 3: Remembering the Kiss "They've been in there forever!" Tenchi complained loudly. He was sitting on the edge of his seat. His fingers dug so tightly into the upholstery that his knuckles were pure white. "What the hell are they doing?" Washu gave Tenchi a look. "Just calm down. I think he can help her." "Like hell," Tenchi growled. "Tenchi," Aeka said calmly. "Let Gary try. If he is from Ryoko's past, maybe he *can* help her." Sasami cleared her throat. "What exactly was Gary's role in Ryoko's life, Washu?" she asked quietly, trying to steer the conversation onto more pleasant topics. "He was her first love," Washu said. There was a collective gasp in the room. "I thought Tenchi was her first love," Aeka said, voicing many of the others' main thought. Washu shook her head. "She had a life before this place," she said quietly. "Even locked up by Kagato, I had vague knowings of what went of in Ryoko's life. He adventured with her for a long time. You see, he's a prince." "A prince?" Aeka shrieked. "How can that be?" "Sh, let Washu talk!" Kiyone exclaimed, leaning forward towards Washu so she could catch every word. "What planet is he a prince of?" "It's a tiny little planet called Destiny," Washu replied. "Destiny," Aeka said, raking her memory. It seemed vaguely familiar. "Oh, that must be the planet my father is always complaining about. He says the king is a real pain." "He is," a voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Gary standing in the doorway, a very tired-looking, but conscious, Ryoko in his arms. "Ryoko!" Tenchi called out, standing. Gary held out a hand to stop him. "She's still weak," Gary said. "But I think she's decided to try and fight it now." Washu blinked in amazement. "Why?" she asked. "Washu!" Kiyone snapped. "How can you be so cold?" "She wanted to die, Kiyone!" Washu shouted back. "Excuse me if I find it hard to believe that my stubborn daughter actually changed her mind." "I--" Ryoko said. Her voice was quiet and strained. "I don't want to leave. I-I was drowning in this water-- and the pain was-- I was so frightened . . ." Gary stroked her hair, holding her tighter. "It's okay," he murmured. "I won't let you get hurt again." Ryoko closed her eyes, her grip on Gary tightening. "I need food," she muttered. "And sake. Lots of it." Sasami laughed with relief. "That's our Ryoko!" she exclaimed, hopping to the kitchen to fulfill Ryoko's request. "Ryoko," Tenchi said, and everyone quieted. His tone was full of sorrow. Ryoko looked back at him, her face an unreadable mask. "Yes?" He gazed at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing," he said, turning away. A shadow fell over his eyes. "Get better soon, okay?" "You won't mind if I stay here, will you?" Gary asked Tenchi politely. He'd done a complete 180 degree turnaround, trying to be civil just because Ryoko was there. "I want to make sure Ryoko recovers." "Stay as long as you like," Tenchi said angrily. "Everyone else does." He bolted out of the room, the door to his room slamming shut a few seconds later. "Oh, Tenchi," Ryoko murmured, her lower lip trembling. She pulled free of Gary, standing shakily. "Hey," Gary protested. "Take it easy, Ryoko." "I'll be okay," Ryoko said firmly. She took tentative steps towards Tenchi's room, then, gaining confidence, walked normally to his room, knocking on the door. "What?" Tenchi demanded crossly. "Tenchi," Ryoko said. "Let me in." There was nothing, then the door opened. Ryoko disappeared inside. Kiyone sighed. "This is such a screwed up situation," she muttered. "He's a screwed up guy," Gary said. "Shut up, you vagrant!" Aeka hissed. "Don't you ever badmouth Lord Tenchi!" "Vagrant? What are you, Old Maid?" Gary replied breezily, turning his nose up at her. "Some princess you are. Shouldn't you have gotten married years ago? Hey, did you know your father tried to pawn you off on me? He even offered me a bribe, he was so desperate, and I can see why." "Oh--" Aeka sputtered for a response. Gary got bored and walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. "I never thought I'd say this," Aeka said, turning to Kiyone. "But Ryoko's too good for that guy!" "Tenchi," Ryoko said, her voice full of pain. She was gaining physical strength by the second as her superb immune system killed the disease inside her, but emotionally she was still as wrecked as ever. She thrust herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him desperately. Tenchi stood there motionless, letting her hug him. His heart was confused. He didn't know what he wanted. He didn't know why Gary was bothering him so much. And most of all, he didn't know why Gary had been able to fix Ryoko and he hadn't. "What's wrong?" Ryoko cried. "Why are you being this way?" "That guy, Gary," Tenchi said, feeling his face curl up into a snarl. "Your first love?" "Yes." Ryoko lifted her face and looked up at Tenchi. "What does it matter, Tenchi?" Tenchi felt cold. "I thought you wanted to die. I thought you said you saw the future and that I wouldn't choose you. I thought you didn't want to live in a world like that. So Gary came back and changed your mind? Do you love him?" "No, Tenchi! I don't love Gary anymore! I thought," Ryoko began passionately, then paused and said carefully, "I thought that I would die if you didn't love me. That my heart would just turn to ashes and blow away. I-I didn't want that kind of pain." She paused. "But you kissed me." She brought her fingers to her lips, remembering. "You kissed me, and I--" Her eyes filled with tears of joy and pain. "--I thought that I could make it, even if you did choose Aeka, just by remembering that kiss." Tenchi stared down at her. He wasn't sure what to say or do. He wished he had more experience with things like this. He just knew there was something he should be doing here, or saying, but he had no clue what. "What about Gary?" he asked finally. Ryoko furrowed her brow. "What *about* him?" Tenchi frowned. "You know. What's between you?" "The past," Ryoko said. She straightened up so that she wasn't *slumped* in Tenchi's arms, and she rubbed her cheek against his in a playful fashion. "You know *you're* my only love now." Despite himself, Tenchi smiled. The old Ryoko was back. He'd missed her much more than he realized. He tightened his arms around her, actually letting himself *enjoy* holding her. "Mmm," Ryoko purred. "My Tenchi." Tenchi's smile grew wider, a quiet tear rolling down his face. There were times when he thought he could stay like this with Ryoko forever, but other times when he looked at Aeka and questioned it. Either way, he knew he cared deeply for both girls, and though he couldn't make a choice yet, he would always love both of them for the joy they had brought to his life. "Will you wait for me to make my choice?" He whispered into Ryoko's hair, slowly pulling back. Ryoko nodded, touching her forehead to his and smiling. "Don't you keep me waiting, Tenchi," she said mock-warningly. He turned serious. "If I choose Aeka, you won't kill yourself?" Ryoko sighed, considering the question. "I--I promise it'll only be a last resort, Tenchi. If I'm in unbearable pain, I can't promise I'll sit there and take it." Tenchi nodded. That was understandable. He stroked the side of her face. "Now go get something to eat. You're nothing but skin and bones." Ryoko grinned at him, then whisked out of the room. Tenchi wiped the remaining tear off his cheek. No more need for tears, he thought. It seemed that everything would finally return to normal. He only had one more problem to deal with. Prince Gary. I sat at the dinner table and watched, eating silently as everyone else chattered on about this and that. It was a very lively conversation, I had to admit, much unlike the silent, stuffy dinners me and my father had every night. I realized with a start why everyone here was so chatty and alive. They were friends. Wow, I hadn't had much of *those* in my life. "So what happened while I was sick?" Ryoko asked, leaning forward in her seat, her eyes sparkling, partly from joy at being recovered and partly from being half-drunk. "Anything interesting?" "On my television show, they killed the main character!" Mihoshi exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowing as she remembered the horrifying event. "It made me cry so hard!" "They brought him back to life in the next episode!" Kiyone exclaimed crossly. "They killed a clone, remember?" Mihoshi brightened. "Oh yeah. I forgot." "Well, actually my boss called and said I'm being considered for a promotion," Kiyone said. She was beaming. "They're thinking of putting me and Mihoshi in the 'moderate to pressing' crimes division." "That's great," Ryoko said. The others seemed surprised at the sincerity in her tone, but I wasn't. I realized her brush with death had temporarily renewed her joy in life. And I was happy for her. Not so happy for me. She fit in so well here. There was no way I was going to convince her to come back with me. So much for *my* reason to live. Pushing my plate away, I stood. "Well, I should get going. My father's expecting me." "Your father?" Ryoko demanded. Her eyes narrowed at me as she stood also. "What do you mean 'your father'?" I gazed coolly at her. My defense mechanisms were kicking in, and I felt my heart hardening towards her again. "What do you think I mean, Ryoko?" I asked, my voice sub-zero. She looked taken aback for a second. She was sobering up fast as her brain processed my words. "You hate your father, Gary. Why did you go back to him?" "Where was I supposed to go after you left me?" I shouted, passion sneaking into my voice. Everyone else at the table glanced around uncomfortably. "I depended on you for everything! I couldn't make it on my own!" Ryoko stared at me. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "I didn't know." "You didn't care," I shot back, "so why bother yourself with it now?" I turned around and began walking to the door. "I gotta go." "Wait!" Ryoko teleported in front of me, and grabbed my arm. I continued to stare at her calmly, making sure to keep my eyes emotionless. "What is it?" I demanded. "My father doesn't like to be kept waiting." "Don't go back there, Gary! You don't belong there!" Ryoko exclaimed, her grip tightening on my arm. I tried to shake her off. "Let go of my arm." "Not until you listen." "I can listen without you breaking my arm," I snarled in reply. Blinking, she let go. "Gary, you don't belong on Destiny," Ryoko said. "I remember how hard you begged me to take you away." So she did remember the day we met. Didn't matter now. "Things change. You should know that." Ryoko's eyebrows raised. "Is this about us?" "What us?" "Are you still mad that we broke up?" Perceptive question, damn her. My eye twitched, and she knew she'd hit the mark. "Of course not. Get over yourself," I said, but my words were hollow, and she knew it. Hell, everyone within hearing distance knew I was lying. I hated her. As much as I loved her, I hated the way she did this to me. Without hearing what she had to say, I pushed her aside and stormed out of Tenchi's house, walking out into the inky night. Swallow me up, I silently pleaded to the stars. Just take me away from my miserable existence. For the past five years, all I could remember was Ryoko, and pain, and I was just sick of it. "Gary!" I heard her flying after me, but I didn't stop. Why didn't she drop it? She left me before, why couldn't she do it again? Her hand fell on my shoulder. I shook her off, turning on my heel and glaring back at her. "Just drop it," I said, my eyes flashing. Heated anger rushed to the surface. "Go back to your friends." "*You* are my friend," Ryoko replied. "Like hell!" I laughed bitterly. "We aren't friends, not anymore." Ryoko shook her head furiously. Her golden eyes reflected the moon's solemn light. My mind wandered back to another time I had seen the moon in her eyes . . . It was two weeks after our meeting. We were flying along in Ryo-Oh-Ki, through the Milky Way Galaxy in search of a planet to plunder. Our funds were running low, mainly because my royal tastes demanded that I only eat top quality food. No Chef Boyardee for Prince Gary. We were eating dinner, and Ryoko was complaining again about my eating habits. "You're so picky," she said as she ate a bowl of tomato soup. "Just because it's from a can doesn't mean it's poison." I shrugged. "I just don't trust it," I responded, eating my perfectly cooked lasagna. I'd learned to cook at an early age, having nothing better to do than watch our cook in the kitchen. What a boring life. Ryoko gave me a steely look, then slurped up the rest of her soup. "I think it's time to get rid of your refined tastes and show you what *real* food tastes like," she said, getting a wicked gleam in her eye. I eyed her nervously. I didn't trust her yet. "Huh?" I asked. She grabbed my plate of lasagna and put it aside. She reached into her mini-fridge and pulled something out. "What's that?" I demanded. She held it up so that I could see. A package of bologna. "Ugh," I said, twisting my face into an expression of revulsion. "How can people eat that garbage?" "We're starting at the bottom, Gar," Ryoko said. "After you eat a slice of this, you'll *beg* to eat canned soup. I folded my arms across my chest. "You'll never get me to eat that stuff," I said, gesturing to the bologna. Ryoko raised an eyebrow at me. "You assume you have a choice?" Before I could blink, she jumped on top of me, knocking me onto my back and pinning my arms at my sides with her elbows, leaving her hands free to stuff the bologna in my face. I struggled but to no avail. She was definitely stronger than me. "This is for your own good, Gar," Ryoko said. Her gold eyes twinkled at me with a mixture of compassion and twisted joy as she took a piece of bologna out of the package and held it near my nose and mouth. "Get a good whiff." I twisted my head from side to side. "Stop it!" "Don't be a baby," Ryoko replied. "Eat up." "I don't want to," I replied, pressing my lips tightly together. "Gar." Ryoko used one hand to pin my arms over my head, and used her other to tickle me on the sides of my waist. It killed me, but I held in laughter. "Okay, maybe bologna is too advanced," Ryoko said after awhile. She placed the slice back in the package. She remained on top of me, her body pressed into mine, her face inches from my own. I stopped struggling, and her hand pinning me slowly let go, making my arms free. I was confused at the rush of emotions flooding me. Why wasn't Ryoko getting off me? I looked up and found myself looking into her eyes. To my surprise, I saw the Earth's brilliant moon reflected there, along with a confusion I realized was mirrored in my own gaze. I knew about my feelings for her, but I was sure she didn't feel the same about me. Did she? My arms now free, I was sure I could have pushed her off me. Instead, I hesitantly brought them up, and around Ryoko's slender body. I was *holding* her, waiting for her to push me away. Instead her eyes closed, her face moved down, and bang, like that, she kissed me. And bang, like that, I knew I loved her. Impossible. How, in two weeks, could I have fallen in love with a complete stranger? A wanted, merciless criminal? But I did. That incredible kiss that left me breathless left my mind clear. I loved her. She pulled away, smiling at me. "Gar," she whispered, her fingers tangling in my hair. I tentatively smiled back. I knew my emotions were written all over my face. Before I could say anything, she kissed me again . . . "No!" I shouted, clearing my head, coming back to the present. I had to stop this. I had to stop remembering the kiss. I glared at Ryoko, shoving aside my feelings. "Just leave me alone." "You can't just come back into my life and leave so quickly!" Ryoko shouted. "You were my first friend, my only friend, for such a long time. I can't forget that!" "You left me!" I yelled, feeling such anger that I could punch her lights out and not even care. "You didn't care how I felt then, so why do you care now? You've got your Tenchi!" "I never meant to hurt you, Gary. I don't want to drag up the past. I'm talking about the present. And your future. Why are you following back in your father's footsteps? You told me over and over that you didn't want to be like him." Ryoko looked at me quizzically. I glowered at her. "I changed my mind, remember? I told you I wanted to be the prince again, and I asked you to be my princess. You said no. It was your choice, not mine." "I hate princesses," Ryoko murmured. "Come on, Gar. Can you imagine me as royalty, 'cause I sure as hell can't!" "You would be Tenchi's princess," I said coldly, knowing I spoke the truth. From the look on her face, I got confirmation. Ryoko was speechless, but she said it with her eyes. *Yes, I would be Tenchi's princess.* I nodded, smirking with no satisfaction. "I thought so." I began walking again. "Why did you come to see me?" Ryoko asked finally. I stopped and answered without turning around. "To say goodbye." "You said you loved me. I heard you." My eyes stared through the ground. "So I did." "Gary. Stay here with us." "What would be the point?" "It's great here, Gary. Living the normal life. If you give everyone a chance, they'll be your friends." Ryoko's tone was pleading. "I've missed you, Gar. My friend, my best friend . . ." I could hear her crying. Why do women do that? I couldn't take it. I slowly turned around and walked to her, taking her in my arms. "I'll stay," I said, regretting my words because it was a promise I couldn't break. Wasn't this what I had wanted? Wanted to be with Ryoko forever. As her best friend. Crap. We walked back, and I glared up at the sky. *Should've swallowed me* I thought bitterly. Send comments to me at: frozen_angel18@hotmail.com