To Put Things in Perspective Prologue Disclaimer: An OVA continuation. AIC and Pioneer owns TENCHI and all that goes with the title. This is just a typical fan fic, not too original. It has themes concerning Tenchi's choice and possibly more. I'm not that great a writer, I don't think I'm any good actually, just wanted to post this. If you enjoy this reading this however, I would be glad. Notes: brackets. ***** It was a sunny afternoon. The Cyprus sun illuminated upon the Earth and its inhabitants. Tenchi Masaki gazed outside the window, his mind drifted into the wind among the birds that flew so freely in front of him. A contented sigh echoed through his lips. Things at home were finally getting. organized. He was becoming more accustomed to those he lived with. Sasami seemed to be more.. Cheerful, in a way; ever since the Tsunami incident a few months ago, she had found out that everyone genuinely cared for her, no matter who she was. Ryo-ohki was learning quite fast and was becoming a really big help around the house, especially now that she regularly stayed in her humanoid form. Mihoshi had fixed her landing problem with the help of Washu. Washu's attempts on experimenting on him were at an all time low as she tried to get closer to Ryoko instead. As for Ayeka and Ryoko, the barriers of differences seemed to be diminishing as time passed, save for a couple arguments and a fight here and there once in a while. Tenchi himself was happy that some of it didn't directly center around him. They unconsciously seemed to be enjoying each other's company. This was his family. Summer vacation was three weeks away and he was actually looking forward to spending time with them. In the past couple of months, he had grown in character, both physically; due to his sword practice and determination to protect the girls from any harm, and mentally; as he considered everything that has happened and what possibly might happen in the near future. He had found things about himself that he had never noticed before, though it felt like it was within him since day one. For the longest time, he had tried to sort out his emotions toward the girls, but something deep inside his subconscious had kept him from a definite resolution. So he did the bravest thing he could come up with. He had asked Washu to help sort out his mind. .He had entered Washu's enormous lab cautiously. Aside from some mechanical equipment, and the usual cushion Washu sat on, a large nature based scene was placed before him. Washu had said that it brought inner peace to her and it helped her concentrate on her inventions. Sure enough as he ventured deeper into the lab, he spotted the ingenious little red head wearing a welder's attire. She was working with an unfamiliar device that seemed to have a natural glow to its metallic round surface. Sparks flew everywhere as a pen like device she was holding with her right hand came in contact with the other round metallic device. "Little Washu?" he called out to her. The little scientist was a little startled as the rain of sparks stopped pouring. She lifted the little goggles she had on and eyed the intruder with malice. Though as realization of who her uninvited guest was came to her, her gaze softened and a smile crept on her face. "Why Tenchi, what an unexpected surprise. Have you finally come to your senses and reconsidered giving me a sample, I still assure you it would be rather enjoyable." "Uh, errr. no, not really. Actually I came here to ask you if you can help me," hope was in his eyes; hope that Washu would consider his proposal. "Anything for my little guinea pig. So what is it?" He had to hand it to the scientist; she really gets to the point. "Well I guess you already know my situation with the girls. Well, actually. No offence, but it actually only concerns Ryoko and Ayeka." "I know what you mean. You know, I was only teasing you the whole time. Frankly I think I'm a little too much for you." Tenchi couldn't agree more with her statement. "Well anyways, it's been almost a year since I released Ryoko from the cave which started all this. Our problems seem to be at an all time low. well except for one. I think that there might be something holding me back from further understanding what I truly feel for them. I've tried to think about it, usually late at night before I go to sleep, but I just become more confused than before. I was just wondering if you can help me with my problem." A thoughtful finger made its way to Washu's chin. After a second of pondering, she gave a ready answer. "It seems to me that your problem may lie deep within your subconscious. It may concern something that may have happened in the past." She moved towards Tenchi and he reluctantly took a step back. "Calm down Tenchi, I'm just going to do a psychosis neural release. In other words, I'm going to use my highly developed mind to open the neural pathways to your brain which is blocking whatever it is you're having a problem with. Then I'll copy it to your conscious memory bank. This will allow you to view your problem in the third person perspective, but mind you, it's not a cure. You'll still have to deal with it on your own." "But I thought you would be able to help me." "No Tenchi, the best cure for this problem, whatever it is; is that you have to find it within yourself to overcome it, I'm afraid that any suggestions from myself would be biased and would only leave you with more things to consider, and then there's the necessity of self fulfillment that comes along with solving it by yourself. I'm not going to copy the information from your mind and put it into myself. I also suggest that you not tell me or anyone else the nature of your problem. I'm sorry to say but you're on your own on this one." "I guess I understand what you're trying to say little Washu, thank you." "Well I am the greatest scientific genius ever," she boasted as usual, "Anyways, are you ready?" "Yeah I guess." Tenchi acknowledged. Washu put a hand on his forhead for about a second then took it off. "All done," she said. Tenchi had a rather surprised expression. "Are you sure, I didn't feel a thing." "Yes I'm sure. Now just think of something that may trigger it, but in your own privacy. Now I got a lot of work to do, so if there's anything else you need from me, I suggest you start dealing with your problem." Tenchi walked out of her lab and went up to his room. He lay on his bed as he stared at the familiar ceiling. He started to drift into deep thoughts. he thought back to what Washu said. Suddenly two images started to appear in his mind. Images of Ryoko and Ayeka. he thought, but all of a sudden, the scene in his mind changed. Now he was looking at a little boy kneeling beside a woman laying on a futon. She was pale and seemed very week. Then it came to him, he was seeing himself as a little boy hunched over his mother's dying form. It was painful to recall this memory and it seemed to open up old wounds. The scene changed once again, now it was to an older self, about two years older than in his previous memory. He was standing in front of a grave. It was his grandmother's, the only other person he had come to love as much as his own mother, but she was gone as well. The pain doubled within his chest and he couldn't help but grasp his shirt in the area his heart ached. Now he knew his problem. He was afraid, afraid to show his feelings for someone, afraid to get too close to them, just to lose them in the end. It was a bigger problem than he could anticipate, but it was logical considering his situation. His mind once again drifted to the two women that wanted to claim his affection, but now it was different somehow. Slightly, just ever so slightly, he began to focus to only one image. Then he was just picturing one of them entirely. Like never before, he became completely entranced by her image. He was caught in her hair and the spiky contours that outlined its cyan color. His focus were then on her feral, yet alluring Golden eyes. He longed to touch her exotic angular face with his hand, imagining how soft and warm her skin would feel in his palm. He wanted to brush those long Cyan tendrils that outlined her beautiful visage with his finger. He could imagine the silky texture of her hair despite its appearance. He also wondered how those lips would taste, as well as how her small fangs would feel against his toungue. he thought. He had a hunch that there was more between them than he had anticipated just not to long ago, now he was certain. He was in love with her, in love with the infamous Space Pirate, the destructive Demoness.in love with, his best friend. He had imagined being in love with her for a long time, but due to his problem he had just only realized it. He felt that they had a connection, something he just couldn't describe. He imagined that it started when he became interested with the cave. Now he knew there was never a choice to be made. As the saying goes, 'You can't chose who you love', and he couldn't agree more with the statement. Now he began to try to find a way to tell her, but his problem got in the way once again, this time he was out of the third person perspective and started reliving those painful memories. Something was different this time; a new image crept into his mind. It was Ayeka, she was uncontrollably crying with her face buried deep in her hands. he thought , though he thought of her as a caring sister, he still didn't want her to get hurt. His head started to feel smothered and he couldn't think about the situation any longer. So he left his room and started walking down the hall. To his surprise, Ryoko had materialized in front of him, but she kept her distance. She had been more restrained and had become more modest around him ever since she had merged with Zero. It was an unexpected change from the old Ryoko but the thought of it didn't bother him whatsoever. "Hey Tenchi," She greeted. For the first time that he had ever been around her, he became completely wordless as he unknowingly started 'really' looking at her, as if he was some child at a candy store. He didn't acknowledge what she had said until he caught the blush rising in her cheeks. He quickly caught himself at what he was doing and returned a nervous greeting. "Anything wrong Tenchi?" She asked, her voice full of concern. he thought "Uh. Ryoko," he started to speak, but it became difficult and he became a nervous wreck. "Yes my Tenchi?" she asked, now with a new found hope. His mind screamed the words he wanted to say, but sure enough, the images of his mother, grandmother and Ayeka crippled his thought process. He was utterly defeated by his problem and was fully aware of it. Ryoko visibly became worried. Tenchi had to find a quick solution. "Ryoko, you-you can watch me sleep if you want to," came his answer. He was evidently just as surprised by his words as she was. "Really?" the shock in her voice was now filled of joy. "Just to watch, if it would please you, nothing more, if you know what I mean, but yeah you can," he said. Ryoko couldn't restrain herself any longer and gave him a tight embrace, but this time, he welcomed it by returning one of his own. "Okay, okay, I'm happy too, but I need to ask you a favour," he said. "What is it?" once again her voice was filled with hope and anticipation. "Can we keep this our secret?" he asked, "Ayeka might miss understand the situation." "Oh you're no fun," she said in response to the undesired answer, but Tenchi picked up the understanding part in her tone, "but anything for you my Tenchi." He chuckled at the thought. he couldn't wish for more. .Now as he gazed out the window, he could only imagine her soaring through the sky, as her cyan mane would wave majestically in the warm air. He imagined how it would be like to join her hand in hand. He had promised himself that he would someway beat this thing and finally let her and everyone know how he felt. Though one of his intentions were to prevent anyone from getting hurt if he ever became decisive, he also considered the possible pain that he may be causing them due to his indecisiveness. It was an Enigma to him. Whatever the solution he could come up with, there was no way to escape being hurt in one way or another. He prayed that some sort of miracle would intervene and would help the only predicament he thought he had left. Then everything would be perfect. Once again his mind drifted off to images of Ryoko and how it would be like to spend quality time with her alone. He noticed that his fantasies that concerned her became diverse and more numerous. He just couldn't keep his mind off of her. One time he had had a somewhat scandalous fantasy involving her and himself starting to engage in some sort of intimate and physical act, but after he imagined the first kiss, he had caught himself before anything else can happen. He had the utmost respect for her and deemed it unfair to suggest such things before she even knew how he felt. For now, just picturing her in a somewhat free state, enjoying life to its full extent was enough. "Mr. Masaki.Mr. Masaki. Hey Tenchi!" A voice rang out. Tenchi's train of thought was suddenly derailed as he gazed upon the tall, yet flimsy math teacher. "I understand that your vaction is in three weeks, but we have a lot to cover until then. Do you understand?" "Yes Mr. Kadoma," Tenchi groaned. After a compilation of formulas and calculations for about half an hour, The bell rang indicating Tenchi's lunch break. As he opened his locker to put his textbook away, a fat fingered hand lightly tapped his shoulder. "Hey what's up Mr. Stud?" his large friend inquired. Tenchi gave him a questionable look," What are you talking about Amagasaki?" Amagasaki's form seemed to block something behind him. He stepped to one side, and Tenchi's eyes widened. Sure enough, there stood a row of longing female students, all with the intention of meeting with him. "Uh, hi Tenchi!" they said in Unison. A large bead of sweat formed on the back of his head. "Uh hello," he chuckled nervously with his right hand scratching behind his head. A girl named Mai from his economics class walked up to him. She was about 5 foot 4, had short brown hair, green eyes and a petit physique. Tenchi had worked on an assignment with her in class in the past month. He had gotten to know her a little bit during the time they had done homework together after school. She was a nice girl but at times she could be a little forward, and could pass for a tease. "Hey Tenchi, you know what?" She asked. "What is it Mai?" He urged her to respond, but had a sinking feeling that he might already know her answer. "I think you're cute." Tenchi was now sweating bullets. Here he was, receiving a subjective compliment rendering him entirely speechless. A hand slightly pushed Mai to one side. "But I think you're hot! Tenchi." Tenchi was taken aback at the new set of words that came from the other figure. It was Fatora from his phys-ed class. She was taller than Mai by two inches. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail by a white band, save for her bangs that hung loosely in front of her face. She had dark brown eyes and an athletic physique. When Tenchi was first paired with her to create a new exercise routine, she had somewhat looked down on him, like some unworthy subject. Her views on him quickly changed as he demonstrated his uncanny abilities during the martial arts unit. She expressed her interest in him by regularly exercising, using some rather revealing positions in front of him. Tenchi knew exactly what she wanted from him. Though Ryoko's ways of getting his attention were similar, he knew deep inside that she longed for something more than that of the physical. That thought had comforted him, knowing that she felt the same way, perhaps even stronger for him than he did for her. The two girls started to argue and bicker over him, while the other girls just stared in his direction with dreamy eyes. he thought, but unlike his home, which he rather didn't mind the attention, these girls just frightened him. An idea popped into his head. "Hey what's that thing over there?" he suddenly pointed at Amagasaki. In turn, the girls stared off into the direction he had pointed out. It wasn't his best idea, but it had never failed him before. He ran towards a group of his friends down the hall, while his admirers were temporarily distracted. He decreased his pace and stepped in front of them. Toshiro, a student Tenchi has known since elementary took a step forward. He was a rather straight forward-type guy and somewhat thought highly of himself, but he was one that Tenchi could trust. He was roughly about Tenchi's height, had a slightly athletic build and blue marine eyes. Tenchi noticed the dyed blond hair on his head that was changed from its original red hue which flowed to his shoulders. Maybe he could grow it to that length someday. As for Toshiro's expression, a rather disappointed smile was pasted on it. "Tenchi, can't you see the options you have infront of you?" Toshiro inquired. Tenchi was fully aware of his statement but shrugged it off. Toshiro continued, "most of the guys in this school would love to be in your shoes, save for me of course," and there was the cocky side of his nature. Tenchi gave him one of his 'you know what?' looks. "Well, I didn't get this kind of attention before." "Yeah, I noticed. Something must have happened in the past year. I don't know what it is, but it made you attract all those pretty faces." It was true. Before he had met all his 'female' friends, Tenchi was just a regular guy trying to get through school. He guessed that the girls at home just made him more accustomed to the opposite sex. "Well, why don't you do something about it?" his friend asked. Tenchi was one step ahead of him. "I have someone else in mind back home," he answered. Toshiro quirked a disbelieving grin. "Really? Is she worth denying all of them?" he pointed to the group of females. "I can honestly say yes," was Tenchi's most truthful answer. Once again, Images of Ryoko grazed his mind. "Wow, can I meet her?" Toshiro asked, wondering who this mystery girl was. "I tell you what," Tenchi started to say. "If you hold them off for the rest of the semester, I'll introduce you to her after summer vacation." Tenchi didn't know if he could back up his promise in the long run, but he just didn't want to deal with all those girls. Toshiro considered his proposal, "Sure, it'll be my pleasure," he said with a determined glint in his eye. The school year was coming to an end. There had been a change in Tenchi's curriculum since the start of his school year. Unlike the previous grades before, his own won't be graduating this year. A new program set up by the government of Japan was given to the students to better prepare them for higher education. In other words, they added another grade, filled with first year University-level work. The other students despised the thought of it, but Tenchi was glad thinking about the new layout. Like many things in his life, he wasn't ready to take the next step just yet. When the final bell rang after two more classes, Tenchi was reluctant to get on the bus. Thinking about the girls that maybe waiting for him to venture outside troubled him, but as soon as he stepped through the front doors, Toshiro and his friends where successfully restraining them. Toshiro had kept his word and that made Tenchi guilty, since his own was uncertain. For now however, he can enjoy the long commute home, imagining about the object of his affection ready and waiting to greet him. ***** Feedback would be greatly appreciated, no matter what it is: flames, compliments etc. They would work as inspiration for me to continue. Send them to: Ipaua@hotmail.com As you see I'm a firm believer to the Tenchi/Ryoko pairing, but Ryoko herself is my all time #1 favorite character of all time.