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.

Excerpt from "The Prisoner",
A sonnet by Sondra G.

'Should I compare it to a winter's day?
Cold and quite gloomy, raging with loud shouts
What crime did I commit, I have to say
At age twenty, it makes me want to pout
But now I am back to reality
Being on death row with ten hours left
Leaving the world means nothing to me
Only cries and sobs were heard as I wept
Sitting in my cell, just about to die
Though a prisoner, my heart can still fly'

*For a Princess*
A Tenchi Muyo! epic fanfic by
Heather B. Kytes

6: Prisoner

Outside, rain fell.
        Inside, tears fell.
        Drop after drop splashed against the window
pane.  Drop after drop rolled down the princess's
cheek.
        Lashes lowered, blinking tears away,
blurring vision.  Through a fuzzy haze, mournful
eyes gazed down at slender fingers intertwined,
bare white flesh untouched by the sun.  Then up,
to gaze out the window at the world below.
        High in a tower.  Untouchable.
        A noise at the door.  A key turned in the
lock and the cell door swung open heavily.
        Footsteps approaching.  Stopping.
        "Dinner time, Princess."
        "Place it by the door and get out," came the
regal, quiet reply.  Shaded eyes stared outside.
        "Now, now, is that any way to talk to your
savior?" was the mocking reply.  Deep throated
laughter.  "You should show more gratitude,
Princess."
        Eyes narrowed.  "Gratitude for what?  Taking
me from my family and friends?"
        "Saving you from the duties of royalty.  You
know, life is not easy for a princess.  Being Queen
of Jurai, nasty business, that.  Should be thanking
me."
        A quiet laugh.  "You expect me to believe you
did this for other than selfish reasons?  I'd never
be that stupid.  You just wanted Aeka to ascend the
throne because you know she's not even half as
powerful as I would grow up to be.  And her
*boyfriend* is nothing compared to my Gary."
        "*Your* Gary?" More mocking, deep laughter.
"Since when is he yours?  If my memory serves me
correctly--and I'm quite sure it does--Gary was
arranged to marry you, and he fled Destiny twice
to escape that fate.  How is he yours?"
        More tears slipped out of sorrowful eyes.
"I've loved him since we were little children.  We
grew up together."
        "Didn't answer my question.  Oh well."  The
footsteps came closer and large hands clasped over
her slender shoulders.  "Just take it from me.
Gary Destiny is nothing."
        The princess leapt out of her chair, shoving
her captor back.  "Don't ever touch me, you filthy
animal."  Words sharp like razors and cold like
ice.
        He just laughed at her.  "You don't appear to
understand yet.  You don't give the orders anymore.
You are *my* toy, with what to do as I wish."
        "Go to hell."  Whispered words of hate.
        "Someday I probably will."  A gleeful laugh.
"Okay, I definitely will.  But guess what.  I'm not
dead yet."
        Her eyes moved to the dirty cement floor.
"Take me home."
        "No."
        "Damn you!"  Crystal tears flew out of her
eyes as she whirled to face the monster.  "Damn you,
Kagato!  Why are you doing this?"
        Kagato's cold eyes gazed at her emotionlessly.
"Because I can, and it's fun.  What, did you think
I would tell you my plans?  Don't be such an idiot."
        She sat back in the chair, yanking it nearer
to the window and further away from Kagato.  "I
can't wait for you get caught."
        "Listen, sweetheart, I haven't been caught by
those loser Galactic police my entire career as a
criminal.  That just ain't gonna change, all right?"
He smiled at her with vicious white teeth.  "You
really *should* be thanking me.  You know you're
the outcast.  The secret product of your father's
affair with an earth woman other than his precious
Funaho.  He was going to ship you off to Destiny,
you know that, and pretend you never existed.  How
embarrassing and painful it would have been for
you."
        "That's not true!  My father loved me and
wanted me to be happy!  He promised me that the
kingdoms of Destiny and Jurai would be joined, and
ruled with me as Queen and Gary as King.  He knew
I loved Gary and did everything in his power to get
us together."
        Kagato smiled.  "Yeah, he forced you on the
poor prince.  Hmm, I suppose *Gary* should be
thanking me as well.  Oh well, I'll just get a favor
from him someday.  Yes, that would be sufficient.
But what would I--"
        The princess cleared her throat.  Kagato
glared at her.  "You still here?"
        "You're in my cell," the princess said.  "I
don't have many pleasures in my god-forsaken life
right now, so  I would greatly appreciate it if
you would go away."
        Kagato sighed.  "I suppose."  He turned around
and walked slowly to the door.  "You look awfully
pale, Princess.  Maybe when the rain stops and the
sun comes out, I'll let you go outside.  Would you
like that?  Princess?"
        Her heart was torn between wanting to feel the
brilliant sun again and not wanting to accept any
favors from the evil pirate.  He waited patiently
for her answer, paused in the doorway.
        "Fine," she whispered, hating it.  Hating him.
        She heard a smile in his voice.  "All right
then.  Bon appetit."
        The door shut and locked.
        Untouchable once more.
        The rain fell with her tears.

        High in a tower.
        Locked away from everything he cared about.
        A prisoner.
        Tenchi stared out the window and silently
chided himself for being so melodramatic.  *Come on,
Tenchi* he thought.  *It's not so bad here on Jurai.
Just because you need two guards with you whenever
you go anywhere, even to get the morning paper, not
that you actually do that, they have servants, and
cooks, and drivers, and maids--*
        Tenchi sighed.  He hated it here.
        He missed his grandpa and father, he missed
Washu and her experiments, Mihoshi's airheaded
antics, Kiyone's grudging acceptance of them, doing
his chores, and always--Ryoko . . .
        "You're married now," he said to himself
quietly but firmly.  "To *Aeka*.  You're the heir
to the throne.  Accept it."
        He stood in front of the full length mirror
mounted on the wall, trying to get the slight slump
in his posture to go away.  He stood like that for
a long time, his shoulders held proudly back, then
sighed and returned to his imperfect, normal
posture.
        What an imposter.
        "I'm the last person who should be Crown Prince
of Jurai," he muttered, falling back on his bed and
flipping on the big screen TV in the corner of his
room, staring at the screen blankly.  It didn't
matter that he was Yosho's son and was sort of the
heir to the throne.  He wasn't cut out to be a
king.  He knew that much.
        The news came on.  "It's time for: Today in
the Universe, our daily segment focusing on the
planets that live around you!  Today's planet is
Destiny, a developing planet with plenty of
potential to become as powerful as Jurai."
        Tenchi rolled his eyes.  "With Gary as King,
not likely," he said to the television sarcastically,
still feeling a small flash of hatred for his former
rival.
        "The young King Gary still hasn't chosen a
bride despite several offers from powerful planets
such as Zabadu and Fenton.  Is this guy picky or
what?  Rumor is he's pining away after some no-name
commoner chick, but evidence of this is nonexistent
as of yet.  Another tidbit of info is that Jurai is
negotiating with this planet called Destiny to join
the Alliance, which is currently made up of planets
Jurai, Zabadu, Fenton, and Rawel.  Destiny appears
to be making things difficult by rejecting even the
most generous offers."
        Tenchi unconsciously leaned forward,
something in his gut telling him that this was
important.
        The news report continued.  "It is well-known
that there exists a Black Night, or Anti-Alliance,
so to speak, made up of planets opposed to the
Alliance's ideals of pacifism.  Ambassadors trying to
arrange the alliance with Destiny are beginning to
suspect that Destiny may in fact be part of this
Black Night.  Other planets suspected are Earth,
Skyy, and Unferth.  Rest assured that Destiny will
be closely scrutinized in the months to come, which
is bad news for young King Gary, especially if he's
got advisors that aren't being completely honest
with him, if you catch my drift.  Plainly said, his
planet may be part of an evil organization he knows
nothing about."
        "That's kinda bad," Tenchi admitted softly,
lowering his eyes to the remote in his hand.  Soon
*he* would be the one leading this planet's actions
and spy networks and alliances.  Heck, he was
horribly confused by the things Azusa considered
simple and easy.  He was sure he'd be a terrible
king.
        *I'll let Aeka handle it* he thought.  His
mind drifted to thoughts of his wife, his *wife*,
and he shivered.
        Only a month married, but there had been no
honeymoon.  There would never be one.  This was a
pity marriage, plain and simple.
        It made him feel sick to think about it.  It
was so cruel.  Aeka deserved a chance to find a
man that not only wanted to be a king, but also who
wanted *her*.
        He turned the TV off and fell back on the bed,
pulling the covers up and around himself.  He closed
his eyes, wishing he could block out the reality of
what his simple, normal life had turned into.
        A nightmare.
        As he began dozing off, his thoughts once
again drifted to a hazy, warm place that filled his
soul with lost comfort.
        *I just wanted to love her. . .*
        He just wanted a chance to be with Ryoko, to
see what loving her freely was like.  He would give
anything for that chance.  Anything.
        He knew it was futile to hope, but the glimmer
in his heart refused to die.
        Maybe, someday, he would find his love again.
        His hand automatically closed around the locket
around his neck and brought it to his mouth, and
kissed it gently.
        He smiled.
        *Though a prisoner* he thought, *my heart can
still fly.*

        Rielle felt a gentle pressure on her cheek, and
her eyes shot open to see what had caused it.
        She was alone in her room.
        Rielle lifted a hand and placed it over her
tingling cheek.  *This sensation* she thought.  *Almost
like--like--I've been kissed . . .*
        A nice kiss.  It flooded her heart with waves of
love she hadn't ever felt before, not even when Tealik
kissed her. . .
        No.
        It was a silly idea.  The tingling must have
been left over from a dream she couldn't remember.
        To add to the long list of other things she
couldn't remember.
        Total, permanent amnesia.  Though she was quite
pleased with the way her life was going now, she
couldn't help but wonder if her previous life had been
better.
        Gary sure made it sound good.
        King Gary. . . he was making himself out to be a
problem.
        Flowers, candy, and jewelry every week.  She felt
like she was in Gift-of-the-Month club or something.
It was his disgustingly sweet way of courting her.
        Blech.
        He was nice enough to have for a friend, but she
was still head over heels for Tealik.  She had no
romantic feelings for the king whatsoever, and felt
horrible about his apparent obsession over her.
        She sat up in bed, looking across the moonlit
room towards the bureau where she placed all of his
gifts.  They were piled on top of it, a towering
mountain of sweetness.  If she ever ate one more
assorted chocolate in her life, she knew she'd be
irreparably ill.
        *I'll give them to Jasmine first thing in the
morning* she thought, laying back down.  Her gold eyes
focused on the dark ceiling above.  She felt really
strange, like she was about to fall asleep but somehow
some part of her was resisting it.
        *I just want sleep, dammit.  Sleep is all I--*
        It came out of nowhere and hit her hard,
knocking all her thoughts our of her head.
        Her first memory.
***
        "I want to sleep," her voice came out a quiet
whisper in the dark night.  Eyelids grew heavy over
golden eyes, steps slowed, posture weakened.  She
felt herself start to fall forward into the dark abyss
of unconsciousness, but she was caught before she
hit the ground by a pair of strong arms.
        "Ryoko."  The voice of the boy was soothing
and familiar.  "Ryoko, don't close your eyes.  You
have to stay conscious, okay?"
        She yawned suddenly, feeling much like a little
girl.  "But I'm tired," she whined quietly, snuggling
deeper into the warm embrace.  "So. . . tired."
        "Ryoko."  The boy shook her, gently at first,
then harder when he saw her not responding.  "Come
on, fight it.  Stay awake."
        "I'll be okay."  The name of the boy escaped
her memory, but at the thought of him, her heart
was filled with lightness and love.  She opened her
eyes and reached up with a limp hand, placing it
in his soft black hair.  She felt wetness over her
cheeks, but she wasn't crying.  Tears were streaming
down the boy's face and dripping down onto her.
"Why are you crying?"
        "I don't know."  The boy shook his head, his
brown eyes full of liquid pain.  "You're hurt, and
so is everybody else.  It's all my fault. . ."
        "We make our own choices.  We knew the risks
coming into this."  Her eyes lost their tenderness
and hardened.  "We have to face the consequences of
the choices we make."
        "I know that, Ryoko, but that doesn't stop it
from hurting.  If one of you dies, I'll never
forgive myself."  His eyes closed and more tears
slipped out.
        *Tears are worthless*
        "Don't."  Feeling bold, she hoisted herself
up so that her face was next to his, and she
delicately kissed a tear escaping his eye.  She
pulled back and looked into his surprised eyes,
watching the heat rise in his cheeks, and feeling
her own heat up.
        "Ryoko. . ?"
        She shook her head, moving out of his embrace
and standing before him.  "Don't."
        "I--"  He was at a loss for words.  His hand
unconsciously moved to the spot her lips had
touched.  The flow of his tears had almost magically
halted.
        She slowly lowered herself to the soft grass.
"I'm going to sleep now," she said, folding her
arms and resting her head on them.  Her lashes
lowered.  "Sleep is all I want."
        She could feel him hesitate.  "Are you sure
you'll be okay?" he asked.
        Everything was clear in her mind.  Everything
*would* be okay, because she had him.  She would
always have her love for him.  "I'm sure.  Go finish
the battle.  We're gonna win it."
        She was dozing off when she felt a light touch
on her forehead as her bangs were idly pushed back.
"Sweet dreams," her love whispered in her ear.
        She slept.
        She dreamed of him.
***
        Rielle's eyes shot open.  The memory had
lasted no more than twenty seconds, but she was sure
the impression it had made on her would last
forever.  "Ryoko," she murmured, remembering the name
from when Gary had first met her on the street.  Was
it true?  Was her real name Ryoko?
        "Everyone knows me as Rielle," she muttered.
Still thinking of the memory, she remembered not
the love she felt for the mystery boy, but the pain
instead.  A deep, everlasting pain because he didn't
feel about her like she felt about him.
        Her eyes narrowed in the dark.  "I don't want
my old life," she muttered.  She pulled the covers
more tightly over herself and shut her eyes.  "I want
to be Rielle, not Ryoko.  Ryoko is dead."
        And she was.
        Ryoko was a prisoner.
        A prisoner inside her own mind.

End of 6

To be Continued

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