For The Love of Kiyone


A Tenchi-Muyo fanfic by Keiichi Masaki
(Keiichi_dono@hotmail.com, Keiichi_dono@scifianime.com)


Tenchi and Kiyone Masaki (did I hear a collective faint?  Good!), as
well as the rest of the cast from Tenchi-Muyo!, are the property of
Pioneer and AIC.

Author's note/rant: This is my response fic to Dr. Tran's challenge on
the FFML, and to a similar one made at GenSao's this weekend.  Ten-Kiyo
fics are my stock in trade (no apologies whatsoever to the RFFC), and
so, being the High Priest of the Temple of the Teal-tressed Goddess, it
falls to me.


(Author ducks rocks and bricks thrown by various RFFC members bearing
the words "traitor" and "heretic")

Well..... on with the fic:

Chapter 1: Up On The Roof

	"Kami-sama, don't they ever give it a rest?!" Tenchi was stretched out
on the roof, staring into the night sky.  "Good thing it's summer," he
mused to himself, "or I'd be freezing up here."
	The house rocked with another explosion.
	Tenchi sighed.  For some reason, the fights between Ayeka and Ryoko had
been getting more violent the past few weeks.  All it would take these
days was for their eyes to meet, and bang!  The house would need a new
wall.  
	Good thing Washu works for food, he thought.
	"Tenchi?  Tenchi, you up there?"
	"Eh?"  Tenchi leaned over the edge of the roof and looked down.  Kiyone
was standing halfway up the ladder, peering up at him.  "Oh, Kiyone. 
Come on up."  He reached down a hand to her.
	"Thanks."  Kiyone took his hand and hauled herself onto the roof.  She
seated herself next to Tenchi, and smiled wryly at him.  "Up here for
some peace and quiet?"
	"Not like there's any in the house," Tenchi agreed.
	As if to underline his statement, the house shook again.
	Kiyone sighed.  "That sounds like another wall."
	"Wait....." Tenchi held up his hand, waiting expectantly, and brought
it down at the very moment of another explosion.  "That sounded more
like two walls....." The house shook a final time.  ".....and a support
beam.  Washu'll be earning her breakfast tomorrow."
	"What were they fighting about this time?" asked Kiyone.
	"Sasami had made some rice cakes.  Ryoko and Ayeka's hands met over the
last one."
	Kiyone winced.
	"Yeah, I know."
	"Have you tried talking to them?" Kiyone inquired.
	Tenchi's face went red.  "I've tried."
	"Tenchi....." Kiyone sounded exasperated, just a few notches above when
she was dealing with Mihoshi's blunders.  "This'll go on forever unless
you try to stop them..... unless you decide between the two of them."
	"I know..... you're right, of course....." Tenchi blew out an
exasperated breath. "I've tried, you know.  And every time....."
	"Are you in love with either of them?" pressed Kiyone.
	"I..... I don't know anymore.  When Ayeka first arrived, I thought I
could love her, but then I started getting closer to Ryoko, but every
time I tried to tell one or the other, something happened, the moment
passed..... and ever since we went back in time to save Mom and Dad, the
littlest things set them off!  You've seen it; in the past month we've
had to replace five walls, the TV, the stairs, Dad's car, and the entire
kitchen!  If it wasn't for Washu, Dad would be even further in debt!"
	"I know, I've been there, remember?" she reminded him.
	"And the worst thing of all..... this may sound a little egotistical,
but..... sometimes I don't think either of them care about me.  Oh, I
know I've seen a lot of evidence to the contrary, but the way they
fight, and the way nothing or no one else matters when their ire is
up..... sometimes I just feel like one more think to fight over."
	"That's understandable, and not as egotistical as you think, Tenchi." 
Kiyone abruptly shivered.  "Ungh..... getting a little cold out here."
	"That tends to happen when you go up on the roof in shorts and a
T-shirt."  Tenchi undid the sash of this shrine tunic and pulled it off,
then draped it around Kiyone's shoulders.  "There.  Better?"
	"Mmm, much.  Thank you."  Kiyone wrapped the tunic tighter around
herself.  "You were saying?"
	"Oh, yeah.  Now..... I dunno..... there's no nice way to say it,
y'know?  I've been trying to find those feelings again, but..... I don't
love either of them, Kiyone.  Not anymore.  Sometimes, I start to wonder
if I ever did."
	"That's understandable," Kiyone responded.  "You're only-what? 
Seventeen?"
	"Yeah."
	"Believe me, when I was your age, I was second-guessing myself on an
hourly basis.  And you have to admit that the circumstances you live in
aren't exactly normal by any stretch of the imagination."
	Tenchi smiled at Kiyone.  "Thanks.  I guess I needed that."
	"And you also need to tell the two of them how you feel-or don't feel,"
she continued.  "I know you don't want to hurt them, but leading them on
like this, however unintentional, isn't helping matters."
	"You're right," agreed Tenchi.  "There's just one thing that worries
me."
	"Oh?"
	"If I tell them this-they may get really angry, and that I'd expect,
but more than that, they may become convinced that someone 'stole me
away.'  They may feel a need to fight for me."
	Kiyone didn't bother to stifle the snort of amusement.  "Neither of
them are big on logic, are they?"
	"Not really."  Tenchi smiled at Kiyone again.  "You know, I feel a lot
better now.  Ever thought of doing this professionally?"
	"Counseling people?  Sorry, but no one in Japan would accept my college
diploma."  
	After their laughter had subsided, Tenchi leaned back, laying on his
back again.  "Y'know, in all the time we've know each other, you've
never talked much about yourself."
	Kiyone chuckled and shifted around, so she could look at her
companion.  "Oh, it's a very boring story....."
	"A boring story would be a nice change from all the excitement around
here," he countered.  "So, talk."
	"Well, all right.  I grew up on a world called Megami....."
	They spent the next two hours talking on the roof before moving inside
to continue the conversation.  As the night grew colder, neither of them
noticed the moment when they drew together, for warmth.  When Tenchi
wrapped an arm around Kiyone and she snuggled closer, neither of them
was aware that it was for anything other than staying warm.  Nor did
they notice that when Kiyone went to bed, she was still wearing Tenchi's
tunic.
	Someone else would notice, however.