Tenchi Muyo: No need to be a Ghost, Tenchi' Wake
After the flash Tenchi stood between the girls surprised at first that 
he was still standing then he started going off again trying to tell 
them to stop fighting. But Ryoko's scream brought him out of his 
tirade. He looked back and forth at them. Ayeka was on her knees, and 
Ryoko was crying. He took a step to Ryoko to stop her tears and that's 
when he felt something unusual, or rather he felt nothing.
Tenchi looked down to see his feet touching the ground, but he could 
not feel it. Then as he looked back to the spot where he had been he 
saw his body on the ground. He tried to touch his body but his hand 
passed through it. "This is strange." He spoke aloud but to no one in 
particular. He tried again to comfort Ryoko, but his hand passed 
through her as well. And the same happened to Ayeka.
When Washu appeared he tried to talk to her but she walked through him 
right to where his body lay. He watched in mortified silence as all 
three girls looked over his body and then carried it back to her lab. 
Tenchi followed the three hoping to be able to talk to someone. But in 
her lab Washu had no good news for either girl.
"Ryoko, Ayeka, I am sorry but..." She could not bring herself to say 
it, but Tenchi's body had no visible signs that he was still alive. 
Tenchi could see the fear in their eyes as Washu spoke, and when she 
finally did she said, "I am sorry but he appears to be dead."
Both girls began crying harder over their lost love at their own hands. 
Washu placed his body in a sleeping chamber for the time being. Then 
she left to go tell the others. Ryoko and Ayeka looked at his lifeless 
face and they knew that they had killed their love.
Ryoko turned to Ayeka first, "Ayeka, I, I can't go on like this I, I 
can't face the others." Ryoko began to cry harder as Ayeka took the 
crying pirate in her arms and tried to calm her.
"Ryoko, Ayeka, why could you not become friends before. I have waited 
for a long time to see you two being nice to each other." He then 
realized that if his body was dead then that meant he was dead too, so 
why was he still here? He looked at his own body; he saw the burns and 
the lifelessness of his old shell.
Just a short time later everyone had assembled in the lab. Washu, 
Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Ryo-Ohki, Mihoshi, and even his dad and 
grandfather were here. Washu then began to console everyone as she told 
those assembled that he was dead, none of her scanners could pick up 
any sign of life. But she had placed him in suspended animation to 
preserve him and his memory.
Tenchi watched as everyone was crying and telling stories of things 
that he had done for them. Remembering and cherishing his past. He 
listened intently as each one, one by one talked about him.
To his and everyone else's astonishment Ryoko told them how she had 
seen him on his mother's back many years ago as an infant, then how he 
used to come there and play. She told them just like she told Ayeka how 
all she wanted was to be with him. Never had she known love or what it 
was but as she relayed those events everyone, including Tenchi could 
tell that she loved him. As she spoke she could not hold back the tears 
as event after event played before her eyes, of how she threatened 
Kagato to leave him alone. Even how she escaped her imprisonment when 
she thought he might have been hurt.
Ayeka realized now why Ryoko had said that she would destroy Kagato 
even if it killed her, because she had nothing else to live for. As all 
of them relived the moments of their lives with Tenchi he could not 
help but feel sorry for Ryoko. No one ever showed her kindness or love. 
Tenchi knew he was guilty too, of not showing her his love, sure he had 
shown her kindness, but he never told her how he felt.
This went on for several hours and everyone was crying as they all 
talked about him. He had never known he had meant this much to them. As 
night fell everyone went upstairs for the night, Ryoko being the last 
one to leave. Instead of going to her room she instead went into 
Tenchi's. He followed her in as she kneeled on the floor and cried over 
his bed. He wanted so much to comfort her, to place his hand on her and 
let her know that everything would be all right.
After an hour of her crying she climbed into his bed and covered 
herself up with his sheets. She stayed like this till she cried herself 
to sleep. Tenchi would have cried if he could, but he could do nothing 
more then watch. Finally he laid himself down behind her and wrapped 
his ghostly arms around her hoping for one night with her to ease her 
pain.
As she slept images of the past day haunted her. But then she felt 
something, not anything physical, but in her mind telling her that all 
will be ok. She tried to accept it but without him she had no reason to 
live especially since she had killed him.
As she slept her dreams tormented her with the vision of Tenchi jumping 
between them just as the blast hit him from either side. She woke up 
crying out his name as she wept. "I've killed him... I am just the 
monster that everyone thinks I am." Lifting her arm up she created an 
energy sword and placed it to her chest. Tenchi watched in horror as 
she did this unsure what to do.
She whispered, "I can't live without him." Rising the sword up she then 
tried to pierce her broken heart with it, but for some reason her arm 
would not move. Tenchi had tried to stop her by grabbing her hand or 
her arm but his hands passed right through her. He then noticed that 
even though he could pass through her there was one place where he 
could not. His hand was able to hold onto her gem, and since she used 
that hand to create the sword he could then hold her arm and sword away 
from her.
Unable to move her arm Ryoko thought it was her own cowardice that 
would not allow her to continue. Canceling the sword she cried even 
more, as she could not live without him and she could not kill herself. 
Curling up on his bed she could smell him, and it brought her some 
comfort as she cried herself to sleep.
In his new form he needed no sleep, he did not even know how to sleep 
anymore. He held her that night trying to comfort her. As he stroked 
his fingers down her arm his fingers stopped at her gem. He touched it 
and marveled at how it seamed to be real to him. Wrapping his fingers 
around the gem he lifted it up and surpassingly her arm lifted too.
He placed her arm back down and thought he must be asleep or dreaming 
because that should not be possible. Sure he had tried to stop her from 
killing herself just a few moments ago, but he was not sure if he 
stopped her or if she stopped herself. As he lay there with her he 
placed his hand on the gem and spoke softly to her, "Ryoko, I don't 
blame you for this."
Instantly she jumped up and screamed. He looked at her puzzled as she 
was sweating profusely. Soon everyone had run into the room looking at 
her. "I, I..." that was all she could say.
"Ryoko? What's wrong are you ok?" Ayeka was truly concerned as Ryoko 
seamed to be frightened.
Looking at the floor she said back, "I'm sorry I was having a bad dream 
I guess." She did not want to tell them that she had heard his voice 
that he did not blame her. But how did she know that how? He had to 
blame her, if not for her then he would still be alive. The rest of the 
night she spent with Ayeka and Sasami. All three were sleeping in 
Tenchi's room.
He surveyed the scene then sat in the corner to think. About dawn he 
moved over to Ayeka and placed his hand on her arm just like he did to 
Ryoko. Just to see if there was some place that he could touch her too, 
but he could not find any such spot on her. He returned to Ryoko and 
taking the gem in his hand again he tried to lift it and to his 
surprise it happened again.
As he held her gem he spoke to her, "Ryoko, tell Ayeka that I forgive 
her." Just as before Ryoko screamed and jumped up. Stepping back to the 
door she tried to move away but the wall stopped her, as she was too 
startled to use her powers. Ayeka and Sasami were awake in an instant 
looking at the terrified look on her face.
"Ryoko? What's wrong?" They both were concerned as Ryoko seamed to look 
terrified. Ryoko could feel a tingling sensation around her gem and was 
unable to explain it.
Tenchi still had his hand on her wrist. And he repeated, "tell her."
Ryoko looked down and smiled, "Ayeka I am not sure if it was a dream or 
not, but when I was asleep I heard Tenchi say that he forgave you."
Ayeka stumbled back as she looked at Ryoko. Tenchi smiled, as he knew 
that he had found a link, something that could help. As he smiled his 
feelings of happiness swept over Ryoko and she too smiled.
It was not long before everyone had shown up at the sound of Ryoko's 
scream again. However, they saw that Ryoko was smiling this time and 
Ayeka was the one in fear. Poor Sasami was confused as ever. Tenchi 
smiled at Ryoko and said to her still holding her gem, "I forgive you 
too."
Ryoko began to cry as she smiled; somehow she knew that he forgave her 
too. Looking up at Washu she said proudly, "He forgave us. He forgave 
Ayeka and me." She could not help but smile, as everyone looked at her 
bewildered and confused.
Washu looked at her and at first thought Ryoko had gone insane, but she 
was smiling, a true smile. She was happy. Tenchi could tell that her 
gem had created a link to her, but he did not know how long it would 
last. He let go of her and stepped back. Ryoko looked at her gem and 
felt the tingling go away, and she looked sad again, but she knew that 
he forgave her.
Sasami went downstairs to fix breakfast, but no one was really hungry. 
Ayeka still looked terrified of Ryoko, and Ryoko was definitely not 
acting like herself. Ryoko spent the rest of the day in her favorite 
spot, sitting up in a tree with the cherry blossoms blowing in the 
wind. 
It took some time for Ayeka to calm down, as she had accepted the fact 
that since she was the first to strike then she was the one responsible 
for his death. "How could he forgive me? He asked me not to jump to 
conclusions and I did, I acted rashly and very unbecoming of a 
princess. Now because of me he is dead! How can he forgive me?" The 
thought that he did forgive her seemed totally impossible, she could 
not even forgive herself.
That night Ryoko Slept in Tenchi's bed again but this time without 
nightmares. Tenchi lay next to her his hand on her gem again. It seamed 
to comfort them both as he did that. But as he lay there he kept 
thinking of how, how could he talk to Ryoko if he was truly dead? And 
why could he pass through everything except her gem it did not seam 
right, it was far from any logical or rational thought.