Tenchi and Ryoko sat there for several minutes. Each of them was blushing madly and 
not wanting to let go.  They held each other clumsily, and yet somehow perfectly. 
Their hearts were practically in their throats, and they could think of nothing more 
to do than sit there in each other's arms.

They were a tangle of arms and emotions. Levels of passion flew between them as their 
kiss intensified. Tenchi could taste her old tears of sorrow along with her new tears 
of joy. Her composure was gone, and it was replaced by something Tenchi had never 
really seen in her before...a true heart.

Ryoko finally pulled back from their kiss and stared into Tenchi's face. He was so 
perfect. A gentle smile showed his defined features, and that only made Ryoko's heart 
swell again. What was love to her? 

In what ways had she ever known love or properly shown her love for someone? 
Tenchi...he was the only thing that she loved in this twisted universe. She had spent 
700 years alone, and finally she had a chance.

 Her dream had finally come true, but something seemed wrong. This wasn't how she'd 
imagined it. Her plan never included baring her soul to Tenchi. That was something 
she guarded very closely.

She didn't really want him to know the truth about her past. Life couldn't be 
disrupted. This couldn't be the way her life was supposed to go.

Ryoko was about to speak, but Tenchi blushed and released her. He scratched the back 
of his head and realized this was probably not the solution to solving Ryoko's 
problems. He really shouldn't have acted on his emotions so quickly.

He had feelings for all of the girls in his home, of course, and it just wasn't right 
for him to forget. Even if it's just for a second, they are all important to him, and 
this was definitely not the way to go about doing things.

The changing expressions on Tenchi's face told Ryoko what he was thinking. This moment 
couldn't end in embarrassment. Suddenly Ryoko smiled mischievously.

It should end in a proper way...the way it usually did.

Tenchi was immersed in thought. He knew that he loved Ryoko, just as he loved Ayeka, 
Mihoshi, Sasami, Washu, and even Ryo-Ohki. He could easily see himself spending the 
rest of his life with each of them, perhaps with the exception of Ryo-Ohki. 

He dreamt of each of them often. Many times it wasn't too pleasant, but he was always 
happy. He knew that as long as he had them he would always be happy. Maybe it didn't 
really matter that his life was in turmoil. Everyone has hardships, and most come 
through it. He had to face all of his problems using the truth that he felt in his 
heart.

Yes he loved Ryoko, but that didn't mean that he wanted to run away with her and live 
happily ever after. That just wasn't the way that these things were done. Nothing was 
ever that simple.

Tenchi remembered one of the first times he'd ever had a slightly embarrassing/intimate 
experience with one of the girls. It'd been after Ryo-Ohki was born. Ayeka had been 
wandering in the woods, and she injured herself. 

He was carrying her back to the house when it began to rain. The two of them took 
shelter in a shed, and they got around to talking. Ayeka was not ashamed to show her 
emotions, but that didn't make it any easier for Tenchi to see her cry. 

His first instinct had been to sit next to her and hold her as she wept. Instead, his 
brain acted first and he told her that she should really cheer up because things 
weren't as bad as they seemed. True, she couldn't go back to her home, but he didn't 
want her to leave. She was important to him.

As was everyone else here. 

He'd had an experience with each of the girls. His heart wanted to break to comfort 
Washu in her sorrow over her lost baby and her husband. It was one thing to lose your 
mother by death, but to be taken away from her. Tenchi didn't even really want to know 
the months or years of pain and suffering that Washu went through, not to mention the 
child that had to grow up without his mother...just as Tenchi had....

Poor little Sasami thought that every one would leave her if they were to find out 
the truth to her past, but she didn't even really know the absolute truth. She thought 
that Tsunami had created her and that the real Sasami was dead. One day she would 
understand.

Whenever Mihoshi cried Tenchi couldn't help wanting to hug her. She was so sweet and 
innocent. Ayeka and Ryoko considered her useless, but Tenchi and Sasami loved having 
her around. And, of course, Washu enjoyed trying to keep the ditz out of her lab 
whenever she was trying to do...things...

As Tenchi was sitting there pondering his life and feelings, he didn't notice that 
Ryoko had left until he began to think of his experiences with her. "Ryoko?" He stood 
up and looked around the clearing. 

His eyes slowly scanned the area, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. 
Sometimes it was unnerving to not know where she was, because there was no telling 
where she was going to pop up next. 

Unfortunately, she had a rather bad habit of floating up through the floor when he 
was in the bathroom or something like that.

The air was still...too still. Paranoia was definitely getting the better of him, but 
it was most likely due to experience. Ryoko would strike soon enough. If there was one 
thing that Tenchi knew she loved, it was messing with his mind.

"Ryoko?" Instincts told him to get out of there now, but what if he was wrong? What if 
she just went somewhere quickly and was coming right back? Yeah right...whatever...

Tenchi turned around and began to tiptoe out of the training area, but he didn't get 
too far. 

"TENCHI!" He spun around to find Ryoko diving towards him from the sky. Before he could 
really react, she tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. "I've got you now 
honey!" Well this was not turning out to be one of Tenchi's better days.

"Ryoko!" At first he didn't even bother to struggle, because he knew that she would 
let him go just before she was about to do something unthinkable. He yelled at her in 
his usual annoyed tone that she was so used to.

Tenchi finally began to squirm as she wrapped her arms around his body and tried to 
kiss him. He hated it when she did this...that was why she did it.

Ryoko had realized that Tenchi had been lost in thought, so she decided to have a bit 
of fun. She made sure that he hadn't been watching, and she'd phased into the ground. 
Then she quickly teleported to the sky so that she could get a good start to crash 
into Tenchi.

She nuzzled her cheek against his, and then finally let him go. The second he felt 
her release pressure on his body, Tenchi jumped up and ran as fast as he could. If 
she wanted to catch him again, then she definitely would. Despite that fact, Tenchi 
ran like the devil himself was after him.

However, Ryoko did not go after him. She simply sat on a rock and watched until he 
disappeared behind a tree. For several minutes her eyes stayed locked on the last 
spot that she'd seen Tenchi, then she rested her forehead on her knees. 

Tears began to sting in her eyes as she replayed the scene in her mind. She definitely 
did the right thing, but that moment was all that she'd really asked out of 
life...and she gave it up. This wasn't the first time that she'd tried to mask her 
feelings.

And she knew that it wouldn't be the last.

*

Ayeka watched nervously as Tenchi ran up the path to the house. She clearly recognized 
that run. That demon woman was after him again. Honestly now, almost every time she 
turned her back, Ryoko was doing something or other to Tenchi. She just wouldn't 
learn.

"Lord Tenchi, are you alright?" Tenchi huffed and puffed a bit when he skidded to a 
stop in front of her. He knew quite well that Ryoko wouldn't follow him, but it was 
always better to be safe than sorry. 

Ayeka had been getting the laundry, and she handed him a towel so that he'd be able 
to wipe some of the sweat off of his face. It wasn't that the run was tiring, it was 
just a hot day. Tenchi gratefully accepted it and sat on the ground for a moment. 
After a moment or two he caught his breath and looked up to the sky.

"Sure is turning out to be a scorcher." He said calmly. Ayeka nodded in agreement and 
sat next to him. There was some dirt on the shoulders of his shirt, which was no doubt 
the result of him being tackled by Ryoko.

"Why do you put up with that monster woman?" Tenchi smiled at how Ayeka was always 
able to detect when Ryoko had been up to her old tricks. And there was no doubt that 
Ryoko would hear of it whenever she came back. He just hoped that Ayeka wouldn't 
inquire as to what went on.

That exact question was itching in Ayeka's mind, but she was always firmly set on 
respecting Tenchi's privacy...unlike Ryoko. Hardly a day went by that Ayeka didn't find 
that woman hanging outside of Tenchi's room. Of course, Ayeka always got her thrill 
when Tenchi was a bit happier to she her than Ryoko.

"Well, what would we do without her?" Tenchi half laughed as he asked the question. 
If he'd never met Ryoko, then his life would have certainly been different. 

"Life would be much more peaceful. But then of course we may have never met. So I 
suppose she does have some redeeming qualities." Suddenly Sasami came out of the house 
with a few glasses of tea for them. 

"Did you have a good practice Tenchi?" She asked cheerfully. He tried not to wince 
at the question, and he nodded. Some of the things Ryoko said disturbed him. He'd 
never really realized just how troubled she was by everything. Now he was led to 
believe that there was something more beneath her mischievous disposition.

Undoubtedly she had a very disturbed past, but how on earth could he help her? The 
past was in the past, and there is nothing that anyone can do to change it, People 
just have to learn to live with it. That doesn't make it any easier though. 

Perhaps he should have a chat with Washu. But what could she do to help? Erasing 
several thousands of years from Ryoko's memory most likely wasn't the answer. What 
memories lay within her mind? What scenes of torture came to her in the middle of the 
night?

Tenchi wondered if she often had nightmares about the past, or maybe even flashbacks. 
What had Kagato done to her on those cold days?

"Tenchi?" Sasami's voice broke through his thoughts and he suddenly realized that 
she'd been talking to him, but he wasn't listening. There was a quizzical expression 
on her face, but Tenchi dismissed it with a smile.

She began to speak again, but for some reason Tenchi just wasn't able to listen to 
her. He was worried about his friend and her state of mind. As unheard words floated 
from Sasami's mouth, Tenchi wondered what Ryoko was doing now...

*

Ryoko finally raised her head from her arms and looked at her surroundings. Tenchi 
was long gone, as were the feelings they'd briefly shared. What would have happened 
if she hadn't acted at that moment?

Nothing would have happened. Tenchi was too much of a gentleman to do anything too 
irrational, and he cared too much about the other girls. 

Why couldn't he just care a little more about her though? Was love too much to ask 
for? Was Tenchi so blind that he couldn't see how she really felt?

Of course, that wasn't fair for her to think that. Tenchi did love her, just not in 
the way that Ryoko wanted him to. If he made quick decisions, then he wouldn't be the 
man that she loved...that all of them loved.

Ryoko settled back on the grass and let the warmth of the sun wash over her body. 
Although the day was growing hot, she felt unnaturally cold. The thousands of years 
that made up her life just weren't fair. But then, as they always say, who said that 
life was fair?

Foul, or fair, it didn't matter now. All that really seemed to matter to her now was 
love. A love that had been growing over the past seventeen years couldn't be suppressed 
forever. She eventually had to do something, or she'd go crazy.

She touched her lips and remembered the feeling of that kiss. It had all seemed so 
perfect, and yet so wrong. Somehow she had to right that wrong. Tenchi knew full well 
that she loved him, but he didn't know just how much. 

Ayeka once said that she would walk through fire for him, and all that Ryoko did was 
roll her eyes. She was never really one for the mushy scene and corny lines, but when 
her rival said that, she began to think of what lengths she'd go to for Tenchi. 

She'd give her life in less than a heartbeat...even her soul. Death was easy though. 
Anyone could do it, and at anytime. What was something that she would do for him that 
would be a true sacrifice?

The answer to that was quite simple: go back to Kagato. To save Tenchi she'd even 
return to her own personal hell complete with it's own Satan. And that wasn't an 
understatement. Every day on that ship was an eternity of pain and suffering.

Ryoko thought that once Kagato was dead and the accursed ship destroyed, she'd be free. 
That wasn't the way that it turned out though. Not a day went by without haunting 
memories returning to her. There wasn't a day that she did not cry for her own 
suffering. But that didn't matter.

In her own mind she had to stop being so selfish. All she ever thought about was 
herself and her own problems. If she thought that Tenchi was blind, then she was 
gravely mistaken. It was she who was blind; she blinded herself to everyone's 
problems and daily sufferings. 

She stood up and balled one of her hands into a fist. For a moment, she looked at it 
as her skin turned white, then she jerked her head towards the sky. Gentle clouds 
swirled overhead and created a sense of serenity on this fine day. 

Ryoko took no notice of the peacefulness of it all. Her eyes stared past the clouds 
and past the perfect blue sky into the vast reaches of space. Ancient senses implanted 
in her brain pinpointed an asteroid thousands of miles away.

Without another thought, she hurled a blast of energy through the sky and shut her 
eyes as the insignificant piece of rock was blown into oblivion. Then she slowly let 
her eyelids open and allowed light into her life once again. 

As always, the darkness had passed and she could go on living. Ryoko cursed her past 
and the stars. She assumed her cocky stance with her hands on her hips as she continued 
to stare at the sky. One of her hands contemptuously wiped away the tears that 
threatened to show the universe what she really was: a human with frail emotions.

*

Yosho looked on thoughtfully as Ryoko's blast shot up through the atmosphere. She'd 
asked him yesterday morning if she could have some time alone with Tenchi, and he 
suggested that she help him with his training. Now he figured that things hadn't 
gone according to her plans.

Young love was definitely a complicated thing. Even though Ryoko was several thousands 
of years old, she'd never experienced love. Yosho had been married several times, but 
he would not consider himself to be an expert on the subject.

He was still young as well, and he had a lot to learn. Each time one of his wives 
died, he swore that he'd never fall in love again, and every time it is proved that 
love hits you like a ton of bricks. 

Although he knew that he couldn't tell the future, he knew that a cycle was soon going 
to renew itself again. There was an itching in the back of his mind that his father 
might try to make him emperor now if he married again. Yosho knew that Azusa did not 
at all approve of Tenchi, and he never wanted to see a "barbarian" sit on the throne.

Yosho would never cooperate though. He knew, as well as Sunami did, that Tenchi was 
destined to be the emperor. He had a long way to go though. 

In the meantime, Yosho would continue to live his normal life on earth. However, he 
wondered how long it would last, and he wondered what Tenchi would think if he were 
to marry again. 

Tenchi loved his grandmother very much, and it might hurt him to see his own 
grandfather playing the love game again. Nothing was predictable though. Yosho 
would have to wait and see what the future held for him.

If love decided to pay him a visit again, then so be it. He knew that this wasn't 
the best attitude to have when a chance to love again was coming, but he knew what 
was going to happen. All reasoning would leave him, and when she passed away, he'd 
spend about twenty years in seclusion.

Life wasn't fair to anyone. It never would be, but Yosho had to take whatever it 
gave him and do the best with it that he could. Time is always shorter than is thought, 
and therefore it must be seized and used to its fullest.

*

Tenchi noticed a speck of light shooting up towards the sky. So many things seen 
and heard have turned to confusion. Rights turned into wrongs, and wrongs into rights. 
Things that seemed important a year ago were just so meaningless now.

Tenchi sipped his tea as he thought of the madness of the cosmos. He'd once heard 
a religious story. A man was walking along the beach trying to unravel one of the 
mysteries of God, and there was a child on the sand. The man looked on as this 
child ran back and forth between the ocean and a little hole that he'd dug in the 
sand. He kept filling a small bucket with water and dumping the water into this 
hole.

The man went up to the child and asked him what he was doing. And the child replied 
that he was trying to put the ocean in his little hole. The man laughed and told the 
child that was impossible. Then, to the man's amazement, the child said: "It would 
be easier for me to empty the ocean into this hole than for you to unravel the 
mysteries of God."

Perhaps it was the same for Tenchi. Maybe it was impossible for him to ever understand 
the way that the universe functioned. 

Petty struggles go on every day, and when everything boils down, they mean nothing. 
Years of bloodshed can pass before that truth is realized. All wars are a joke. 

How many people actually stop and think about what they're fighting for, and of the 
people that do, how much of that is true? False truths rule the universe. Nothing 
has true meaning, and nothing is truly meaningless.

Tenchi glanced at Ayeka and thought about kings and queens. Many civilizations are 
based on some sort of hierarchy, but what does it all mean? Why should one person 
have the right to decide for an entire planet? 

Tenchi would never understand the universe, and maybe he never really wanted to. He 
couldn't even get things straight in his own head. Why should he even try to 
understand the workings of the universe if he couldn't understand his own life?

"Tenchi, you are really preoccupied today, aren't you?" Sasami giggled as she saw 
Tenchi jump when he realized that he'd spilled his tea all over his pants. He 
groaned at his on absent-mindedness and brushed excess liquid off of his clothing.

"I guess I just have a little more on my mind today than usual. I'm going to go 
change." Ayeka and Sasami nodded as they watched Tenchi go into the house. Ayeka 
knew that something was bothering Tenchi, and she wanted to know what.

However, she never wanted to pry into his business. She silently watched him leave, 
and then stared into the sky as the shadows of the day lengthened.



***************

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