DISCLAIMER: Y'all know that none of these here characters, cabbits, and/or kawaii battleships belong to me. They all belong to Pioneer and AIC over yonder. So no one sue me please, though I know y'all could if ya wanted to. I don't got no cash anyhow, I used it all up buying anime soundtracks. Oh yeah, the characters I made up, like Akumu "Ah Be Baaaad" Noroi, belong to me, so y'all can't use 'em, 'kay? For those interested, Akumu Noroi translates to English as "Nightmare Curse" Arigato Leon-san! Chapter Six, the final chapter of the First Series of No Need For Souls! Special Thanks go to Kelly Loyd, Leon-san, and Lisa Vu for proofreading. I'd also like to thank all those people who sent me feedback for this story. Nothing but love for ya! Now, the fanfiction begins... No Need For Souls! A TM! Fanfiction By RP-Otaku Chapter Six: No Need For Resolution! Yosho faced off with the Ojoran, Tenchi-ken ignited and held glimmering before him. The Ojoran whispered eagerly, "Yosho-dono... You've arrived. I thought I would have to fetch you. Now, we must have a rematch, as I once promised we would." "You are no longer a worthy opponent," Yosho replied, "your soul has faded to nothingness. You are not a true warrior." "You lie, Juraian! You wish to save yourself! I am more powerful than ever before! I am all-powerful!" The old man shook his head slowly. "You are nothing more than a soul whose body has withered to dust... You do not belong here." >From the ground, Ryoko struggled weakly to raise her head. "Yosho... You know him?" She groaned. "Yes." the old man answered her. "He is the infamous one called Soul-Stealer by some, the Seducer by others, but his true name is Akumu Noroi." Ryoko's eyes widened. "No... It can't be... I killed him... two-thousand years ago..." Akumu smiled unpleasantly. "Yes, you did. And for that you will pay dearly. You started me on my journey of despair, which only now I may end, by taking the body of Masaki Tenchi." "You have no place here!" Yosho shouted. "You need to die! It is the only way to end this!" "Is it?" the Ojoran challenged. "I won't die until I have more power than anyone else EVER did, including Tsunami!" "How did you survive?" Ryoko asked despairingly. "I sliced off your head and cast your body into space! No one could survive that!" Akumu shook his cowled head. "You don't even question my longetivity. Or my connection to Jurai's Royal House. You are so base. I cannot believe I ever thought you were worth possessing." Furious, Ryoko launched herself at Akumu. Dismissively, the man slapped her away. Ryoko went sprawling, blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth. Slowly, Akumu Noroi pulled back his cowl. Underneath the cowl was the face of an extremely aged man, frail and brittle. Wisps of gray hair covered his scalp sparsely, and his face was so covered with wrinkles as to resemble a raisin. His crimson eyes burned brightly however, and he grinned at Yosho. Aeka shuddered at the sight of crooked blackened teeth. "As you can see," the Ojoran said, "this body is nearly gone. I need a new host. And I believe I have finally found a suitable one. Where is Masaki Tenchi?" >From the ground, Mihoshi asked absently, "Who are you?" Akumu gazed at the detective. "So you're awake once more. I am Akumu Noroi, the Seducer and Stealer of Souls!" He announced grandiosely. Mihoshi offered her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you! I'm Mihoshi, a detective of the Galaxy Police." A huge sweatdrop appeared behind the Ojoran's head as he sighed in resignation. "So... What's your story, anyway?" Ryoko asked. "I believe you deserve that last request, Hakubi Ryoko, before I kill you." Akumu responded. "It all began a little over two-thousand years ago, in a palace on Ojora..." --- Tenchi sat unhappily on the grass, staring worriedly at the hulking mass of the Ojoran ship. Next to him, Washu sat silently, staring into empty space. At one point, Tenchi heard her gasp loudly. "Washu-chan? What is it?" "Oh my," the genius scientist responded, "This Ojoran is the oldest living one of his kind! I've never seen an Ojoran this old that isn't resting in the dirt!" "What? What do you mean?" "This Ojoran must be nearly two-thousand years old! I've never heard of an Ojoran living for more than fifteen hundred years, and that was a man who was preserved in a lab for the last thousand years of his life! Incredible!" "You're WATCHING them!?" "Well, yes, of course." "And you're not letting ME see?!" Washu shrugged sheepishly. "Oh. It didn't really occur to me. Gomen." On the ground in front of them appeared an image of the interior of the Ojoran ship. Ryoko, Aeka, and Mihoshi were lying on the ground, each of them showing signs of injury. Yosho had Tenchi-ken poised towards the Ojoran. The Ojoran had his cowl back, and was talking "...once more. I am Akumu Noroi..." --- "After the Second Galactic War, I, being the Duke of one of the most powerful Ojoran provinces, was arranged to marry a Princess of Jurai as a gesture of good faith. Well, let me tell you, she was a real bi-" Aeka cleared her throat. "Err, I didn't like her, and she didn't like me. She was a rather evil woman, she didn't know that I knew, but she enjoyed torturing her servants. Lots of whips, manacles and chainsaws were involved. But we did what we were supposed to, and we had two children, sons. Azusa and Sagami. Azusa grew up away from home, with an aunt. When he returned, he was in his teens and had developed some noble sense of justice. What a waste. I kept Sagami close to me, though, and he grew up just like his old man. Together we plotted against the current emperor. I was ambitious, and I wanted my children on the throne of Jurai. So after a few well-planned assassinations, Sagami was next in line to inherit the throne after the current Jurai emperor. What I hadn't counted on was blind luck. My wife, Sagami, and I were traveling to backwater planet in order to take a vacation. Azusa did not join us, he said something about college. What a waste. However, my wife didn't know was that I was going to take this chance to set up the assassination of the emperor, and to find some convenient way to dispose of my ball and ch-" Aeka cleared her throat louder. "Umm, I planned to kill my wife. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. The assassin who was intended to kill the emperor was already on his way, and as it turned out, he succeeded in killing that old bag of wind. It was on the day I was to viciously stab my wife to death after I had flayed her alive..." "You hated her THAT much?" Ryoko asked. "Yes! Like I said, she was..." Akumu glanced at Aeka. "I didn't like her. But I had the cyanide on hand, and it was almost time, when Kagato decided to crash the party. He was after some mystical dagger, I don't remember exactly..." "It was the Dagger of Xian." Ryoko volunteered. Akumu shrugged. "Anyway, his little love-slave here..." Ryoko glared fiercely, but didn't say anything. "...attacked the hotel where my family was staying, as a distraction, I'm sure. I confronted her and we dueled. After a long, arduous battle she finally had me at her mercy..." Ryoko snorted. "What?" Akumu asked irritably. "It took me fully two and a half seconds to disarm you and have you kneeling on the floor and soiling yourself!" "I was not soiling myself!" "Then what would you call that wet stain on your trousers?" Indignantly the villain replied, "I had just exited the bathroom, it was splashback! Their water faucets had *very* high water pressure..." Yosho cleared his throat. "Err, right. Anyway, Ryoko decided I might make a good captive for Kagato, so she imprisoned me in that blasted ball of fur. When we got to Soja, I made a daring escape..." "He kicked me in the shin and tried to run." Ryoko interjected. "...whereupon she sliced off my head and kicked me out the airlock," Akumu finished unceremoniusly. "It was then that I learned the technique of soul separation. I survived quite by accident. Then I saw Ryoko bring my wife and Sagami to Kagato. As it turned out, Kagato killed my wife for me, earning a couple of stars next to his profile in my mind, almost enough to make up for my death! Although there was no flaying involved, it was fun. Anyway, Sagami was ransomed back to Emperor Azusa, who, in my absence, had ascended to the throne. You have no idea how pissed I was! All my carefully laid plans ruined! I used all of my power and took over Sagami's body, which I intended to use to kill Azusa and take over Jurai. It was around then that Azusa brought home a hot little Terran number, this babe named Funaho-" Yosho raised Tenchi-ken. "That's my MOTHER you're talking about!" "Think of it as a compliment! Anyway, I trained hard, learned the most complex of all Juraian powers, and I gained mastery of the most intricate fighting techniques. Meanwhile, Azusa had uncovered some of my documents on assassinating his mother and the emperor. And my diary full of hate letters about him. Now that he knew what I had done, I knew it was time to make my move. Azusa, his wives, and his two spawn were all together in the emperor's bedchamber. So I entered and revealed my true identity, revelling in their fright. I prepared to finally triumph. Then Yosho intervened. The boy was scrawny, he hardly looked like he could lift a sword, let alone wield one. It was my fatal mistake, not paying attention to all of the details. We dueled, Yosho and I. He was truly a master swordsman, even then. I fought with all the skill and strength I had acquired in those long years on Jurai and I still could not beat him. I barely managed to escape with my life. "I lived in exile for over a thousand years, learning dark powers and ways of extending my life. I sucked the life from my victims, came to them at night and coerced them into letting down their guard. Then I took their lives effortlessly, regaining my eternal youth. I learned things beyond your imagination, and I gained the power to use them! But there is still one thing I cannot do, that one thing which Masaki Tenchi can. He is the only one in this galaxy who can conjure the Wings of the Light Hawk. Recently, my body began to deteriorate, and I can't stop it. Now my only choice is to take a new form. I arrived back on Ojora for the first time in nearly two-thousand years, and I coerced the king to give me a ship and the soldiers to man it." Akumu Noroi laughed bitterly. "Now they are dead, and I am the only one left. Now we're facing off against each other, and one of us will die. I will not let it be me. Are you ready to leave this mortal coil? I think it's time we dueled. You will all pay for what Jurai has done to me!" --- Tenchi stared into Washu's conjured image, stunned. Aeka descended from this man? Yosho and Sasami too? Taking his body? Destroying Jurai? It was too much to handle. Washu looked pityingly at Tenchi. He finally knows why Aeka has those ruby red eyes. --- "So now what?" Aeka asked. "Now," Akumu responded, "you die!" He instantly conjured a Light Hawk Sword and slashed at Yosho. Yosho parried swiftly, and counterattacked. The two warriors dueled at length, their swords clashing so quickly that it almost seemed that the clangs ran together as one long sound. Yosho feinted, Akumu jabbed. Akumu slashed, Yosho parried. Yosho thrust, Akumu dodged. The swordsmen fought evenly, neither giving ground. Ryoko knelt on the deck. Tendrils of crimson energy snaked around her body, healing her wounds. Ryoko reached up with her left hand and removed her earring. The red gem glowed in Ryoko's hand for a moment as it attached itself to her right wrist. The space pirate slowly rose to her feet. Aeka summoned several tiny logs around herself. They glowed bright blue with the power of Jurai, and Aeka's wounds were healed. Mihoshi twisted her cube until a large assault rifle appeared in her hands. Akumu Noroi saw them out of the corner of his eye. Unworried, he growled. "A clever trick, delaying me like this, Yosho-dono. But for naught." An orb of electricity formed around his fist and the Ojoran smashed that fist into Yosho's chest. The prince of Jurai flew backwards, Tenchi-ken sliding away from him. Akumu turned towards the three warriors. Aeka flew at him, powering up her force field. Akumu turned insubstantial for a moment, and Aeka flew straight through him. As the princess passed him, he turned and fired an energy blast into her back. She cried out in pain as she collided with the wall, blacking out. Mihoshi fired, but her blasts were turned aside by a black force field of Akumu's. Panicking, Mihoshi drew a hand grenade and threw it at the Ojoran. He caught it and crushed it in his hand. Akumu pointed at Mihoshi and a bolt of electricity flared out, pinning the detective to the wall. Mihoshi wailed in pain. She thrashed until she finally passed out. Yosho groaned. Akumu turned and threw a fireball at the old man. Yosho fell unconscious. An energy blast collided with the Ojoran, twisting him around. He coughed, then let loose a hail of energy blasts. Ryoko teleported behind the man, slashing with her saber. He parried with his Light Hawk Sword. The two exchanged blows for a moment, then Ryoko tried a leg sweep. Surprised, the Ojoran fell, barely catching himself before falling on his face. Ryoko stabbed downward, her energy sword slicing through the hull of the ship as Akumu rolled out of the way. "No more fun and games!" the Ojoran yelled. He drew back his hand and threw a gigantic fireball at Ryoko. Unable to phase out in time, Ryoko was hurled against the wall. Akumu walked up to her. "Poor little girl. You only just barely escaped from Kagato, and now you die. Too bad." Akumu slashed downward, only to be blocked by Ryoko's energy saber. The woman glared at him in utter hatred, a thin line of blood trailing down from her nose. She bared her fangs and snarled as she summoned her power and hurled an energy blast into Akumu. The Ojoran reeled backward from the blow, collapsing. Ryoko rose to her feet and raised her sword above her head, preparing for the killing blow. From the ground, the Ojoran murmured, "Poor little girl..." His hands rose up and fired an arc of energy at Ryoko's wrists, severing both of her hands. Ryoko cried out and crumpled to the ground. "You just seem to have the worst luck with hands, don't you?" Akumu asked maliciously. Ryoko's right hand exploded violently. --- Tenchi cried out with shock. "Ryoko! I've got to help her!" Washu looked sharply at Tenchi. "And how do you expect to do that? You are in no condition for battle!" "I... Washu, there must be some way!" Tenchi climbed to his feet. He started to limp towards the battle ship. Washu easily matched his ungainly gait. "You'll never make it," she said, just as he collapsed. He sobbed and pounded the ground with his fists. "Washu-san, there must be *something* I can do..." Washu looked down at him with pity. --- Ryoko looked up resignedly at Akumu. He was poised for the final blow. "So this is where it all ends. All of my training was useless. Yet another useless invention of Washu's. Funny, I had always thought that I would eventually be killed by a Juraian, seeking revenge against me." "This body is half Juraian. However, I certainly don't care about your past crimes." The Sword of the Light Hawk came down. Silently, Ryoko screamed. --- [TENCHI!!!] --- And he was there. Akumu Noroi's Light Hawk Sword collided with the Wings of the Light Hawk. The blade dissipated, and he found himself staring into the furious eyes of Masaki Tenchi. The Emblem of Power was inscribed on his forehead, and a pair of flowing ribbons emerged from the shoulders of his battle suit. The Light Hawk Wing Sword appeared in his hand, and he attacked Akumu Noroi. A pitch black energy sword appeared in the Ojoran's hand, blocking Tenchi's sword. Tenchi roared a ferocious battle cry, and lightning crackled around his blade. He gathered his power and slashed at Akumu. The Ojoran barely blocked. He channeled his own energy, and hurled a massive orb of darkness at Tenchi. It collided with the Wings of the Light Hawk, and the two powers crashed together in an incredible flash of power. When the dust cleared, part of the chamber's ceiling had collapsed, a bit of sunlight leaked in. The Light Hawk Wings still shone. Akumu involuntarily took a step back. "No..." he whispered in disbelief. Silently, Tenchi ran him through. Akumu Noroi's body erupted in flame and disappeared. Smoke drifted through the air. Tenchi's normal Juraian combat outfit appeared on him. Tenchi looked around. Mihoshi, Aeka, and Ryoko were all comatose. Washu appeared in front of Tenchi. "Great work! I knew you were capable of something like this!" "Washu-chan... Is he dead?" Washu smiled. "Yup! There's nothing in the Universe that can stand up to the Wings of the Light Hawk! Soul separation won't even work! Theoretically, that is. It's never really been tested." Tenchi looked at her curiously. "But...Washu-chan, how did Kagato come back from the dead?" Washu frowned. "The thought had crossed my mind. From what I can tell, Kagato *wasn't* resurrected." "What? But we fought, and I killed him again, and...with the Light Hawk Wings...and..." Washu grinned. "I'd say it was all a plot by two lab mice to take over the world!!" Tenchi sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get a straight answer from Washu at this point. Odds were that *she* didn't even know. "Is everyone all right?" "Uh-huh. No one hurt too badly. I'm actually a little surprised that that little stunt of yours at the end didn't bring the roof down on one of them, but they seem to have survived." Then something occurred to Tenchi. "Jiichan!" He rushed over to where the old man had fallen. A large piece of the ceiling had fallen on him, and he was unconscious. Washu waved the Juraian off as unimportant. "He'll make it through. Don't worry." Tenchi sighed, when something caught his eye. He bent down and picked up the sword he was named after. "Washu-chan... Would Ryoko have won if she'd had these gems?" Tenchi asked the scientist contemplatively. Washu smiled. "No, Tenchi. If she'd had all of her gems she would have killed everyone, and Akumu would have won." Tenchi looked at the short scientist. "How can Akumu do those things? His powers were unlike anything I'd seen before. Kagato could do nothing like that." Washu looked reflective. "It has been a while since I've seen that particular style. It's taught by a cult of devil worshippers who call themselves 'Shi'." "Shi?" Tenchi asked. "Four?" A sweatdrop appeared on Washu's head. "No Tenchi, not 'four'. 'Death'." "Oh." They were silent for a couple minutes, when they heard a low creaking. "Washu-chan..." "Tenchi-dono, I think you had a bit TOO much power output at the end there. Grab the girls!" Tenchi obediently ran and picked up all of the women, straining under the weight. Washu punched in a few commands in her phantom laptop. The chunk of metal on top of Yosho slowly levitated and floated off to the side. Yosho's body rose into the air, and all five occupants of the chamber disappeared. A moment later, the ship shifted again, and the entire ceiling fell. --- Bright light stabbed through Ryoko's eyelids. She slowly opened her eyes. Outside, she could hear birds chirping. She smelled a familiar scent... Tenchi... Suddenly she realized that she was lying in Tenchi's bed. And she was wearing a nightdress of some sort. Pink, she noted. Washu entered. "So, Ryoko-chan, you're awake. And before you ask, *I* am the one who dressed you, Tenchi-dono would have gotten a nosebleed at the very thought." Ryoko's mother smiled at her daughter. "What happened?" Ryoko asked hesitantly. "The last thing I remember... Akumu killed me." "He came close. Tenchi managed to summon his powers just in time. He was instantly healed and by your side. The Light Hawk Wings triumphed again." "He...protected me?" "Hai." "Where is he?" "...Aeka-dono's room." Ryoko flinched as if struck. "Ryoko-chan, don't think that..." "That he cares more about her than me?" "Ryoko-chan, she was hurt very badly." "So? I was hurt too. He didn't give me so much as a second glance, did he?" "Ryoko-chan..." "Washu! We've been through two incredible battles, once in Soja against Kagato, and one against Akumu Noroi. The first I didn't even get to greet him after I thought he was dead! Now he hovers over Aeka, and doesn't give a damn about whether or not I survive!" "He also appeared just in time to save your life both times." "Only because Aeka was never threatened." Ryoko's voice was cold. "I've tried so hard this past year, hoping, praying that something I did would show him how much I love him. Every time, Aeka arrives and 'saves' him from me. Is that really how it is? Am I just getting in the way of their burgeoning romance? Is that it? These last few days were my last resort. I stopped chasing him. I tried to emulate Aeka a little bit. And what happened? Aeka is being watched over by Tenchi, I'm being watched over by my mother. My creator. I'm not even a real person!" "Ryoko-chan, you were made with my ova, you ARE a real person!" "I'm an invention, created by 'The Greatest, Most Kawaii, Most Brilliant, Most Pompous, Stuck-Up, Insensitive, Arrogant Scientist in the Universe!' You could create as many of me as you want! My blueprints are in your hard drive!" Washu lowered her head. "No they're not. I deleted them as soon as you were made. And all my backup files were destroyed with my lab." When the scientist raised her eyes again, Ryoko was gone. --- "Tenchi-sama?" It was the first time Aeka had spoken. "Yes, Aeka-san?" "Did you watch over me the whole time?" "Most of it." "Did we win?" "Yeah." Aeka closed her eyes again. Tenchi had come through, she was certain. There was no way anything short of the Light Hawk Wings could have beaten that man. "He was my grandfather." she stated. "He was my ancestor as well." Tenchi added. "He hated Jurai so much. I never REALLY knew why. There were stories that he was studying the dark arts somewhere off in the nether reaches of the galaxy, but we hadn't seen him for so long, he faded from our memories. Because of that, he almost succeeded in destroying us." "He's dead now. Why did he hate Jurai so much? His reasons didn't seem all that great." "He wasn't gettin' any at home." Washu's voice answered Tenchi from outside the room. Tenchi blushed furiously. Washu entered, a smirk on her face. "Ryoko's awake." Immediately, Tenchi stood. "Can I see her?" he asked. Washu shook her head. "She flew off somewhere. But don't worry, she'll return in her own good time." "Oh." Tenchi replied, disappointed. He asked if anyone wanted something to eat. "You," Washu said, pointing at Tenchi, "need to get some rest. You've been awake far too long. Your bed's empty now, so go for it." After Tenchi had left the room, Aeka asked Washu, "She...was in his bed?" "Well she doesn't exactly have a room of her own." Aeka sighed. "Is he finally dead?" Washu didn't have to ask whom Aeka was referring to. "As far as I can tell, yes. There is a 0.1 chance that there was a possibility of him surviving. I don't have a lab here." "That reminds me, was Ryu-Oh..." "Ryu-Oh survived. Your tree's environment is not technically part of my lab, so it didn't go boom with all the other dimensions my lab was in. Now get some sleep. When you wake up, Sasami will have a meal ready for you." "Arigato, Washu-sa... err, Washu-chan." Washu smiled and walked out the door, saying, "Of course, I AM the Universe's most advanced mind!" --- After a long soak in the onsen, Ryoko's anger at Tenchi had subsided. She would give him a chance to explain himself before she jumped to any conclusions. Odds were, it was Washu's suggestion. She relaxed, nursing a bottle of sake. She sighed in contentment. Akumu was dead, she was alive, and Tenchi was still Tenchi. Ryoko smiled at the thought of him. Sasami opened the door to the onsen. "Ryoko-neechan! Lunch is ready! Could you wake up Aeka-oneesama please?" "Certainly," Ryoko replied. With a thought, Ryoko was clothed and in the princess' room. She saw Aeka's sleeping form, and considered putting the princess's finger in a bowl of warm sake, but decided that while *she* might enjoy it, neither Aeka nor Tenchi were likely to find it funny. Frowning, Ryoko shook Aeka's shoulder gently. "Oi, Princess, wake up." "Hmm?" Aeka groggily opened her eyes. "Ryoko-san. Ohayo. What is it?" "It's afternoon, Princess. Sasami's got lunch ready. Let's go." Aeka slowly stood, rubbing her eyes. Ryoko looked around the room. "So, where's Tenchi? I heard that he was in here." "He left a little while ago, after I woke up. He should be asleep now." "Should I wake him up?" Ryoko suggested, considering various methods for that task. Before Aeka could form a scathing response, Washu opened the door. "No, Ryoko-chan. He needs his rest. After channeling that much energy through him, he's likely to be tired for quite a while." Ryoko sighed. "Alright. Let's eat." --- Later, Ryoko sat on the roof, Ryo-Ohki on her lap. She idly petted the cabbit, and the little animal purred with pleasure. "Will it ever end?" she asked the cabbit. She was answered by a soft "Miya..." "No, I don't want it to end. Like I told Tenchi, I love all the jousting with Aeka and just being around him. I only wish..." "Miya?" "I wish I could have him to myself. It hurt me so much when I learned that he had been with Aeka the whole time after the battle. If he was asleep somewhere else, I could have understood. I would have loved to wake up to the sight of his soft brown eyes..." Ryoko sighed with longing. "But...staying with Aeka..." "Miyaaa." "Perhaps. I just hope he hasn't chosen...her..." "Miya, miya. Miya miyaa, Miya Miyaaa Miyaa Miya miya Miyaa!" Ryoko laughed at her. "You're right! Who could *ever* turn down the human of the Most Brilliant, Greatest, Most Kawaii Cabbit in the Universe?" Satisfied, Ryo-Ohki settled down for a nap. Ryoko smiled at the cabbit. "I wonder, though. Would you be singing the same tune if you were competing for some cute guy cabbit?" --- As Tenchi entered the living room, Mihoshi seemed intent on a Ouija board. "Waah!" she yelled. "Tenchi-san! Every time I do this, it keeps saying 'Not Applicable'! There must be something wrong!" A large sweatdrop appeared on Tenchi's head. "Are you sure you're doing it right?" "Definitely! Someone must have tampered with it! Fraud, UCIN #12093487! The culprits must be punished!" Tenchi got a larger sweatdrop. "Maybe you should do it tomorrow." Mihoshi relaxed and nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm kinda sleepy right now." --- Aeka sat under Funaho, conducting an inner battle. Waking up with Tenchi by her side had been one of the most joyous moments of her life, especially once she realized that he had chosen to be with HER instead of Ryoko. Thinking of Tenchi, a feeling of warmth permeated her body. I should tell Tenchi, she decided. I've been hiding my feelings too long. This morning... All I wanted was for him to hold me, but I knew that couldn't happen. Because of Ryoko. Oh, I wish he could be mine! To love and cherish forever... We would rule Jurai together, with a gentle yet just hand... It would be so perfect! I could show him the joys of royalty, and we would live in happiness together, forever, preserved by the Water of Life. And he DID stay with me and not Ryoko, so he probably feels the same way! I'm certain of it! Oh, I will tell him! Today! Determinedly, she stood and walked towards the house, prepared to end the endless dance and declare her love for Tenchi. --- "Tenchi..." Tenchi turned, surprised. Usually it was someone else's voice when he was addressed that way. "Aeka-san?" Aeka checked quickly to see if anyone else was in the living room. "Tenchi, there's something we need to talk about... Actually, something I want to say to you... All my life I've been surrounded by suitors. Nobles who have vied for my hand, through their purses and through their power. Tenchi, you are the first man that *hasn't* done that. Tenchi..." Aeka paused. "Aeka-san?" Tenchi asked, not quite certain what she was getting at. "Tenchi... Even before I learned that Yosho had abandoned me, I knew that I couldn't let Ryoko just take you. But Tenchi, it wasn't until you died that I truly knew that I loved you." There, she thought. It's out now. Now Tenchi will choose... He must! Tenchi stood silent, stunned. He had known that both Aeka and Ryoko felt like this about him, but he still didn't know how HE felt. And now... He HAD to respond. Aeka looked into his eyes, searching for some sort of answer. Tenchi began to mouth "Aeka-" and Aeka kissed him. She took the remaining step separating them and pressed her mouth to his, as hard as she could. Surprised, Tenchi opened his mouth, letting her tongue in. She kissed him fiercely, until she heard an anguished cry from above. Tenchi pulled back sharply as he heard Ryoko's cry. She screamed and vanished. "Ryoko!" Tenchi called, tearing out of the front door. "Tenchi!" Aeka yelled after him, and followed as fast as she could. --- Ryoko flew as far and fast as she ever had in her life. She had entered the house just in time to see the couple kissing. As soon as I'm gone they start making out, she thought bitterly. Tears flowed freely. I wonder how long this has been going on? Just wait for the old woman to leave, then the young couple gets to have its fun! Ryoko screamed in despair. --- Tenchi couldn't find her anywhere. Aeka had tried to talk to him, but he had ignored her. Aeka followed him around the countryside, until he had lost her in the forest. Regretful and confused, Aeka turned back to the Masaki household. --- Tenchi couldn't believe what had happened! He didn't know what he would do once he found Ryoko, but he knew that he had to find her. Baka! He yelled at himself. It was your indecision that caused this! If you'd chosen before, none of this would be happening! But who would I choose? I still don't know. I...I just can't let Ryoko leave without explaining everything... Tenchi finally found her, in the place where he had first seen her. Ryoko was floating above the underground lake in her cave, crying. "Ryoko..." Tenchi said softly. "Leave me alone." "Ryoko, what you saw, it's not what you..." "Not what I think? I THINK I saw you and Aeka kissing. I THINK that you were more concerned for Aeka after yesterday's battle. I THINK that you have always resisted whenever I tried to kiss you, but you just jumped right in when Aeka tried it. I THINK that no matter what I've tried, I've never even gotten a compliment from you, yet you gave a GIFT to Aeka after the battle with Kagato! And you yelled at me when I was up all night protecting you! Do you know what I THINK, Tenchi? I think that you chose a long time ago, and you didn't choose me!" "Ryoko, that's not true!" "Tenchi! What is *wrong* with me?! What do you love about that flat-chested princess?! Am I not pretty? Do you...think I'm ugly?" "Of course not! And I never said I was in love with her!" "So you kiss her just for fun? Just...to hurt me? Do you...hate me?" She whispered it fearfully, her tears shimmering on her cheeks. "No!" "Tenchi... Don't try to deny it... You love her... I've been in the way. Freeloading, and irritating you. But... Tenchi..." Ryoko broke down in tears. "Ryoko!" Tenchi cried out, and started to approach her, wading into the pool. "Why did you torment me like this?! I love you Tenchi! Why don't you love me!?" "Ryoko! I..." Tenchi paused, coming up short. He stood silently, waist deep in water. "What?" she asked, staring into his eyes. Tenchi froze, wrought with indecision. How DO I feel towards her? "I... don't..." It was all Ryoko needed to hear. She sobbed bitterly. "That's what I thought... I'll... I'll miss you Tenchi..." She choked. "Remember me..." "Ryoko!" Ryoko vanished. --- Ryoko appeared in Tenchi's room. She opened his dresser drawer, finding Tenchi-ken inside. Wiping her tears away, she focused the power of her mind. The sword named Tenchi rose up from it's resting place, the hilt standing vertically in the air. Ryoko raised her hands towards it. One of the jewels began to glow a light blue, disappeared from the pommel, and appeared on her right wrist. A second jewel began to glow, and it attached itself to her left wrist. Ryoko opened her eyes and stared at the last jewel. "I don't need it." she whispered. "Remember me by it, Tenchi." The sword hilt fell to the floor. Ryoko was about to teleport away, when something on Tenchi's desk caught her eye. A picture set in a cheap frame. It was of everyone. Tenchi stood in the foreground, smiling. She and Aeka were sitting together, happily watching Tenchi. Mihoshi and Washu were off to the sides, waving at the camera. Ryoko picked up the photo, staring at Tenchi's blissful face. Tears once again welled up in her eyes. "I will remember you, always." --- Washu felt her mental link with Ryoko suddenly spring into being. She stopped trying to restore the lab, and tuned into her daughter's thoughts. Only to be ferociously batted aside. Washu flinched at the incredible despair she had felt for only an instant. "Ryoko-chan..." Washu mouthed. "I'm sorry, my child. I'm so sorry... Once again I could not protect you..." Washu sat dejected on a floating cushion. Quietly, she prayed that her daughter would come through all right. --- Tenchi began his slow walk home. Above, he heard a loud, plaintive "Miyaaaa!" Ryo-Ohki's huge form filled the sky. Tenchi's eyes widened as he remembered Ryoko's parting words. "Remember me..." Tenchi shouted out, "Ryoko! No! Wait! Don't go!" It was in vain. Slowly, as if reluctant to be leaving, Ryo-Ohki disappeared into the starry sky. Tenchi ran home. He dashed inside and upstairs to his room. Distantly behind him he heard Aeka's startled shout. Inside his room, his dresser drawer was open, and Tenchi-ken was lying on the floor. Only one of the gems was embedded in the pommel. On his desk, he realized that there was something missing. He realized it was a picture of him and everyone else. "No..." he whispered in disbelief. "Ryoko..." --- Ryoko watched the Masaki household slowly disappear from Ryo-Ohki's viewscreen. The house slowly got smaller and smaller. "Ryo-Ohki... Maximum Zoom, Tenchi's window." The view zoomed in a tiny bit more, and Ryo-Ohki informed her that she was at the maximum. But Ryoko wasn't listening. She was watching Tenchi's face for the last time, as he silently said her name. Once again with tears in her eyes, she told Ryo-Ohki, "Turn off the viewscreen. And get me some sake. As for our destination... Head for some place we've never been to before." --- Tenchi sat on his bed, staring despondently at his sword. Aeka quietly entered. "She's gone." he murmured. "Gomen nasai, Tenchi. It's my fault." she replied apologetically, sitting next to him. "No it's not, Aeka-san. I'm the only one to blame." "Don't blame yourself." "But it's true!" he answered despairingly. "If I had chosen, this would not have happened!" "Yes it would have. We both loved you from the moment we met you." Tenchi looked out the window. "You loved me even when you ordered your guardians to kill me?" Chagrined, Aeka replied, "Well, maybe not. I didn't really know you. But Tenchi..." "She's been here ever since before I was born, and I drove her off." "I'm here for you Tenchi." Tenchi looked back at his sword. "Aeka-san...I think I want to be alone for a little bit." Aeka nodded and got up to leave. "What is going to happen?" she asked. Tenchi shook his head. "I don't know. I just hope that she comes back." Aeka exited, shutting the door again behind her. Tenchi stared deep into the jewel on Tenchi-ken. "Ryoko," he whispered, "Please come home." E-Mail Palador98@yahoo.com with Comments, Criticism, Questions