Ohayo Ryoko! Place: OVA universe Time: About two weeks after episode 7, morning Ryoko appears behind Tenchi and hugs him, as usual; he shakes her off, as usual. "Why do you always do things like that? Eh? Why?" "Tenchi…" Tenchi keeps walking down the hall and as he starts down the stairs there’s a terrible crash! Ryoko runs to go see, but finds herself in the middle of a field she looks down to see a headstone. "Masaki Tenchi" Ryoko wakes up with tears streaming down her face. It’s still very late at night. "Tenchi!" She cries as she grabs her robe. She runs down the hall to Tenchi’s room. When she first reaches Tenchi’s door she grabs the handle but then stops and knocks first. "Who is it?" "Tenchi…" She can barely hold back the tears as she asks him "May I come in? I need to talk to you." "Uh… Sure, do you know what time it is?" he says as he squints at his alarm clock in the dark. "Tenchi, I…" is all the farther she gets before bursting into tears and falling to her knees. "Ryoko what’s wrong? Can I help?" She looks up at him and cries more quietly. He brings her a handkerchief. "Here, you can use this." She takes it from him, dries her eyes and gives it back. "Now, what’s wrong? Eh? Bad dream?" He sits down on his bed. She nods. "You died. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye or tell you…" "Tell me what?" She looks up at him as her tear-streaked cheeks redden. "Tell you how I really… how I really feel about you." "Eh?" He squeaks as his cheeks redden. "You see I… I’m sorry. I’ll go." Still blushing he manages to stutter out "N-no, you can finish, please, go ahead." "Well, okay… Tenchi?" "Yes?" "I apologize." "For what?" "For all the teasing, I’ve acted so foolishly and now I feel… I feel so ashamed…" "Ryoko I… I don’t know what to say." "Tenchi, every summer since you were born I watched you. I saw you grow from a little child to a handsome young man. I fell in love with that handsome young man, Tenchi. I love you, Tenchi. I’ve never, not in 2,000 years felt this way about someone. I never told you before because I hoped you would just know from how I acted, but now I see that I acted like an idiot. I apologize." She bows her head to the floor. "It’s okay, Ryoko. I think I understand, I don’t know what to say, but I understand." "Oh, Tenchi…" she says as her eyes fill with tears. She jumps up and hugs him around the neck, sobbing softly. "What’s wrong now?" he says, confused. "Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. Everything is perfect." She sits down next to him and lays her head on his shoulder, loosely looping her arms around him. When she finishes her cry she sits up and says "Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning…" blushing loudly. But as she stands up… "Ryoko." "What is it, Tenchi?" "Please wait, I need to sort this all out. You see I’m not sure how to respond to that…" "You don’t need to say anything right now." "Ryoko, please just sit here. I’ll be able to figure it out sooner if you’re here." "Okay." He sits there nervously for about a minute, thinking. For Ryoko, it seems an eternity. She holds her shoulders as if cold. "Ryoko, do you want a blanket?" "Tenchi?" "What?" "Hold me?" "Uh… Alright."   Tenchi awakes to the smell of carrots cooking downstairs. "Ah, breakfast. What a strange dream." He moves a little then notices something and looks down. "Oh, no. How embarrassing. I’d better sneak these down and wash them myself, after all It’s Washu’s turn on laundry." Just then, Ryoko’s arm wraps around his chest. "Good morning, darling." "Uhh…" "What is it?" "Ryoko? Then it wasn’t a dream?" Slightly hurt, she pulls a little away from him. "Of course not, Tenchi. How can say such a thing?" "So you really said…" "Yes, I love you, Tenchi." "And we really…" "Yes Tenchi, We made love last night, it was the most beautiful experience of my life. I’d imagined what it would be like with you before but I never thought that it would be so wonderful." Blushing, the flattered young prince replied; "Wonderful? Really?" "Yes, because I really love you, so… it was special." "Oh, Ryoko." He plants a small kiss on her lips. "Come on. We’d better go wash up before breakfast." They snuck out of the room unnoticed and Ryoko was to be first at the Onsen. All would have gone well if they had put on their own clothes. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Aeka screamed. Ryoko was already outside and was used to hearing that particular sound. So she didn’t think much of it. "Tenchi-sama! How could you do such a thing?!" "W-what do you mean, Aeka-san?" Washu taps him on the shoulder "You’re still wearing her robe." "Oh, my. How embarrassing. Hey, what do you mean ‘still’?" But she was already in her lab. "Aeka-san I know how you must feel, b-" "NO, YOU DON’T!! You fiend! How long has this been going on? A week? A month? Since before I arrived?!" "Aeka-san! No! Tonight was the first time! I give you my word!" Sasami barges in with a spoon. "What are all of you talking about? You should be eating! It’s getting cold! Huh? Tenchi-nichan, why are you wearing Ryoko’s robe?" "By mistake Sasami-chan. It was an accident, that’s all, and nothing more. My, breakfast smells good! I’ll go change and be right back!" Once in his room he quickly panics. "What’ll I do? I was hoping to break the news more gently than this… Oh, no! I need to get this robe to Ryoko before she returns or Aeka-san will probably make me explain the facts of life to Sasami-chan!" Ryoko is bathing by the waterfall. "Tenchi…" she whispers as she stares into space, remembering the night before. "I’d better get back. Tenchi will be waiting, he really will be waiting for me…" "OOOAAAAA-UHNN!!" Yelled Tenchi as the gutter’s drainpipe ripped free of the house, giving him, for a few seconds, the glorious feeling of flight. "Ouch!" Quickly glancing around the drag-prince sprinted across the lawn towards the onsen. For about five feet. Just before crashing face first into the ground, his entangled right foot twisted inside the length of Ryoko’s robe producing a cracking noise. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" "Tenchi!" Ryoko flew straight toward the sound of Tenchi’s scream without bothering to dress. "Tenchi! What is it?" "My ankle! I think it’s broken!" "Here, I’ll carry you." "Thanks. Wait your robe, my robe, our robes!!!" "What? Oh, that can wait. You need help quick." "Okay, but hurry, I don’t want Sasami-chan to see us like this." "How? Together?" "No! Naked and wearing each other’s clothes!" "Oh." "Silly Ryoko-chan." "Tenchi." "They moved quickly, going strait to Washu’s lab. "Washu-chan! Washu-chan!!" "What is it, Ryoko-chan? A friendly visit to your mom’s job?" Said the youngest 20,000-year-old scientist in the galaxy without turning from her computer console. "I don’t have time for your jokes! Tenchi needs help!" "What? Did you damage him?!" She spun around. "Oh. Well I can probably help. How bad is it?" "I think I broke it." "Well, first thing’s first. Let’s get these robes off." Washu said with a grin. "I don’t think so, ‘Mom’" "Okay just bring him over here…"       "I hate cold carrots… Well, when I remember why I’m eating them cold it’s not so bad. Huh, Tenchi" " I guess not Ryoko-chan" "Oh, Tenchi, do you really need to go to the fields today? I mean, it’s only one day after all." "Well, what did you have in mind…" "Nothing I just don’t want you to go away." "Sure it’s only one day." They walked slowly hand in hand upwards toward the shrine. Upon arrival, Tenchi’s grandfather ‘greeted them’ "Tenchi, you’re late! Oh, Ryoko too? What is it?" Just then, he noticed their hands "I see. Well, Tenchi, it seems you have at last selected one." "Sure, Grampa. In a minute." He said absentmindedly as he and Ryoko stared into each other’s eyes. "He’ll be of no use for at least today," muttered Yosho under his breath. "You may go!" "Alright, Grampa," he said without moving. "GO!" "AAI!" To be continued This is my first fic of any kind. So, forgive my poor writing style. I consider this v1.0 BETA build 4 so please don’t email me till it’s an official release. The nature of the dialogue will seem strange to many people because a have small Japanese vocabulary and will picture as much in Japanese as possible before moving to English. Thus, it looks like a mediocre subtitle translation much of the time. Before all the critics out there scream "LEMON!" I’d like to clear a few things up. The only reason I have them sleep together is because I needed a sudden, unexpected, and dramatic event that would cement a relationship in a very short amount of time. Just Ryoko’s confession to Tenchi would have made it a slightly more serious, but still quite normal episode. Anything else I would have done would have made this look like Shojo Manga. ANYWAY, to give me tips, compliments, or money, email me at OngakuMuyo@fcmail.com I’m too lazy to go find out who owns all the copyrights, check the bottom of someone else’s fic.