Lovers Revealed
Sequel to Rainy Day Lover
(A
cloud of black smoke appears in front of readers. When the smoke clears, a dark
figure clad in black from head to toe is left standing. He is a white male,
approximately 6’3” in height. A dark cloak cascades down his back and swirls
around in front of him. A hood at the top the cloak covers all but his nose and
mouth.)
“Greetings readers, my name is
S.S. Shadow, and I come here to share a story with you. Please read the
disclaimer, and my author’s notes at the end of this story. This story is a
sequel to Rainy Day Lover; therefore, if you haven’t read Rainy Day Lover yet,
I strongly suggest you do. It won’t hurt the story, but the beginning might
make more sense. Anyways, on with the story, presenting: Lovers Revealed. Read and enjoy.”
(The cloud of black smoke surrounds him completely,
and when it clears, he is gone.)
Disclaimer: I herby declare that I DO NOT own
any of the characters presented in this story. They are the sole property of
Pioneer. I do however own the plot for this story. I do this for no financial
gain whatsoever. I do this for the sole purpose to entertain you, and myself.
“talking”
‘thinking & emphasis’
Tenchi slowly opened his eyes as
gentle rays of light from the morning sun softly filtered through the living
room window, illuminating everything within its reach. He stretched his arms
outward as he greeted the day with a long yet soft
yawn. While rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Tenchi finally took notice of the
lovely teal-haired goddess that lay upon his chest with her arms wrapped
possessively around his waist, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. As
memories of the previous night’s activities began to come to the surface in
vivid detail, a smile of contentment formed on his face as he remembered the
events that led up to this moment in time, laying here, with the one that he
loved in his arms. Slowly, as to not disturb her, Tenchi pillowed his left arm
behind his head. Then with his free hand reached down and lightly stroked
Kiyone’s hair, which was now splayed over her back, and with the light from the
sun, shone like a glowing curtain of silk. He continued to run his hand through
her soft, sleek locks while admiring the peaceful and serene appearance that
currently graced her beautiful face. As the sunlight illuminated her
captivating features in their entirety, Tenchi wondered if it was possible
whatsoever for her to appear more beautiful then how he saw her at this
instant. Gone was the stressed out, overworked, galaxy police detective that
everyone knew, and in its place, was a woman of such loveliness and innocence,
that if he didn’t know better, would believe her to have been an angel from
heaven itself. Tenchi loved Kiyone with all of his heart; there was no question
of that, and knowing that the love of a beauty such as what he held in his arms
was reserved solely and entirely for him made Tenchi wonder, what had he done
to deserve pure and complete happiness such as this?
Tenchi furrowed his brow and shut
his eyes in concentration for a moment as he tried to remember what day it was.
‘Lets see, I went shopping last night and I always do that on Friday, so that
would make today Saturday.’ With that done, Tenchi reopened his eyes and turned
towards the window. As he noticed the leaves on the trees beginning their
seasonal metamorphosis from green to brown, orange, yellow, and red, he was
reminded that fall would soon be here, and with it, Tenchi’s first year of
college.
Upon graduating, Tenchi had
decided that he wished to be an architect like his dad. He already had his
father’s skills, and he seemed to have a natural talent for designing. This,
with the combination of determination, many long, hard nights of studying,
(which, considering the company he kept, (mainly Ayeka and Ryoko) was no easy
task) and a little additional tutoring from Washu, the little live-in genius,
helped him earn the grades he needed to attend his desired college, Tokyo
University (A.N. I know, not real original, but for Pete’s sake throw me a bone
here will ya), which just happened to be the same college that his dad
graduated from as well. Normally the distant factor would be a problem, but
once again, Washu came thru with yet another one of her inventions, much to the
relief of certain individuals, this time, in the form of a two-way portal, one
end in the house, and the other end in a location of his own choosing. That
however, was the future, and right now all he wished to do was refocus his
attention back to the present, and the lovely lady whom he held in his arms at
this time. Tenchi gazed upon his love’s sleeping form, drinking in her silent
beauty once more as she started to wake.
Kiyone awoke from what she felt,
was more then likely, the most pleasant, and fulfilling night of sleep that she
had acquired in years. As she lay there, dispelling the last remnants of sleep
from her mind, Kiyone thought of how truly pleased and content she was at that
moment. The nights that she had wished for this, to fall asleep, and awaken in
the arms of the one that she loved, had been far to
many to bear in mind, and for a while seemed impossible, but last night, after
praying for what seemed like an eternity, her wish and strongest desire had
finally come true. Thinking back, Kiyone tried to remember the last time she
had felt as happy as she did right now. Her promotion to First Class Detective
was immediately the first thing that came to mind. Feeling that this was the
start of a wonderful career, Kiyone was extremely upbeat, that was, until she found out that she had been partnered with Mihoshi
of all people. After a few weeks of duty with the blond ditz, Kiyone saw all of
her dreams of furthering her career crumble to dust and tossed to the wind.
Through Mihoshi’s bumbling, and plain dumb luck, criminals escaped, and cases
were lost, along with what Kiyone thought would be her patience and sanity,
fate then decided to cut her a break.
After a finishing a case that,
despite their luck, was actually solved, Mihoshi was sent by HQ on a solo
mission and ended up missing. When told of the news, Kiyone practically
screamed for joy, and although she put on an upset face in public, inside she
thought that her luck was finally changing for the better. With Mihoshi gone,
Kiyone managed to rebuild her reputation, solve cases without a hitch, and
regain her confidence. Yes, things were certainly looking up, then she received
what she viewed, as the worst possible news; reports indicated that Mihoshi was
found in what was classified as: area zone 4264: solar system 195 located on
backwater planet classified as Earth. Her job was to proceed to Earth, retrieve
Mihoshi, and report back whatever important findings she discovered, if any.
Upon arrival, she was surprised to find that not only had she found Mihoshi,
but also Ayeka Jurai, the 1st crown princess of Jurai, Sasami Jurai,
the 2nd crown princess of Jurai, Prince Yosho, and Tenchi Masaki,
the officially named crown prince of Jurai, Ryoko, the most wanted space pirate
in the galaxy, and Washu, the supposed greatest (also maddest) scientist in the
universe, living under the same roof. To think that a GP officer, a mad
scientist, a space pirate, and practically the entire Jurai royal family living
in the same house were unusual would be an understatement. It was down right
bizarre.
After hearing her report, HQ
decided to appoint Mihoshi and herself to Earth’s solar system as protection
for the Juraian royalty. Once again Kiyone felt her dreams of glory and success
shatter like fine crystal, all because of Mihoshi.
Looking back on the situation
now, as opposed to when they were first assigned to this post, Kiyone realized
now, that despite what she had thought was once again bad luck on the part of
Mihoshi, was actually the best thing that could have happened to her. If it
hadn’t been Mihoshi’s situation getting her stuck here, then she wouldn’t have
met Tenchi. Sure, she had a few relationships in the past, but none of them
even came close to working out. Everyone else that she dated had always been too
concerned with himself to ever give her, or anyone else the time of day. After
a while, she just gave up any hope of finding love, figuring that for her, it
would never happen. After that she buried herself in her work, and although it
did help somewhat to ease the pain, she could never dismiss the longing in her
heart for someone to love, and who would love her in return.
At first she didn’t know what to
make of Tenchi, or what it was about him that the others had found so
attractive about him, but as time went by, and they became friends, she started
to notice exactly what it was that they all saw in him. Unlike most guys his
age, heck, unlike most guys ANY age, Tenchi was about as close to being the
perfect guy as one could get. He had a maturity that extended beyond his years,
was well disciplined and morally sound, always kind and understanding, even in
the worst predicaments he was never quick to judge, always helpful, and
incredibly kind. He was a regular boy scout. He also controlled a power so great,
that it could destroy whole worlds, yet despite such power, he never let it go
to his head, and like the others, these were the
things that eventually led her to falling in love with him.
In the beginning she tried to
deny it, but eventually admitted to herself that she had indeed fallen in the
love with Tenchi, though she wouldn’t dare admit it to anyone, lest she draw
the attention of a very aggressive Ayeka and/or Ryoko. The last thing she
needed was to be seen by them as another rival, so she continued to act as if
she had no interest in Tenchi past the point of friendship, while in reality,
she wanted nothing more then to express to him her love and affection, and to
have his in return. The idea though, of him truly having any such feelings for
her seemed unimaginable, especially when he could have his choice of ether
Ryoko or Ayeka. The likelihood that he could want her instead seemed
unbelievable, but it never stopped her from dreaming that it was possible, and
every night she would pray to whatever god or goddess that might happen to be
listening, to hear her wish, and send to her, the one that she longed for with
all her aching heart. Someone must have been listening and finally answered her
heartfelt cry, for last night, she had finally received what she wished for,
the opportunity to express her feelings to the one she loved, and to her great
joy, was blessed with the his love in return. Reliving last night’s episode in
her mind as if it were a real dream come true, Kiyone sighed in contentment,
for at this moment, she was truly happy. These thoughts continued to run
through her mind until she felt Tenchi begin to move beneath her.
Tenchi watched as Kiyone slowly lifted her head up
to meet his loving gaze, remnants of last night’s visit from the sandman still
clearly evident in her eyes.
“Good morning,” he softly greeted her, as a warm
half-smile crossed his face. Kiyone returned the smile with a similar greeting
of her own as she emitted a small, tender yawn. Tenchi took his hand, and gently
brushed away a few stray strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes
during the night. He tucked them behind her ear before bringing his hand back
to gently cup her cheek. Leaning in, Tenchi pressed his lips to Kiyone’s in a
brief kiss that was both light and gentle, yet at the same time full of
passion. “Sleep well?”
“Very well, I had an extremely comfortable pillow.”
Tenchi blushed slightly at this comment, which in turn earned a small giggle
from Kiyone.
“I guess it’s time to get up.”
“Do we have to?” Kiyone softly wined as she snuggled
closer to Tenchi. “It’s so nice and warm right where we are.” Tenchi sighed
quietly in response.
“Yes, we can’t sleep her all day you know.” ‘Though
it IS quite tempting’ Kiyone reluctantly unwrapped herself from Tenchi, and
gave a tiny mock-pout as she sat up. Smiling at how childlike she appeared with
such an expression on her face, Tenchi sat up behind Kiyone and encircled his
arms around her as he gave her cheek a light kiss before standing up, and arching
his back forward as he extended his arms out above his head. Kiyone stood up
next to Tenchi, now with a smile once again on her face, and joined him in
stretching her back, which had also become rigid during the night. When they
finished, Kiyone excused herself as she left the room; only to return about
five minutes later carrying Tenchi’s now dry clothes.
“Here you go,” Kiyone said as she handed Tenchi his
clothes. “You can use the bathroom again to change.”
“Thanks,” he replied gratefully. Kiyone nodded, and
turned as she headed towards her bedroom to change, while Tenchi proceeded to
the bathroom with the same intensions. Ten minutes later, Tenchi emerged,
dressed in his black t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. With the sweatshirt and
sweatpants that he had borrowed the night before folded and tucked neatly under
his arm, Tenchi made his way to Kiyone’s room, and upon arriving, waited for
her to finish getting ready. Shortly afterwards, Kiyone emerged from her room.
She was dressed in a pair of black jeans that to Tenchi, seemed to hug her legs
rather well, a pure white sweatshirt that fell down to about mid-thigh. A black
belt worn on the outside, held the shirt to her waist, and her trademark orange
headband completed the ensemble (A.N. I think she wore this ensemble in the
Tenchi Universe Saga, but I know she wore it in the first Tenchi movie. Just in
case you wanted a better visual). After dropping off his borrowed nightclothes,
Tenchi and Kiyone made their way to the kitchen, where an ever-cheerful Mihoshi
greeted them. Dressed in a pair of tan slacks, and a cotton candy pink
turtleneck, Mihoshi took a sip from her cup of tea while looking up from the
magazine that she had currently been reading as Kiyone sat down.
“Morning Kiyone, Tenchi.” She happily exclaimed.
“Morning Mihoshi.” They both chorused. Walking
over to the counter, Tenchi poured two cups of tea before joining Kiyone and
Mihoshi at the table. As he sat down, Tenchi handed one of the two steaming
cups of tea to Kiyone who smiled and thanked him in return. Closing her
magazine and laying it to the side, Mihoshi looked up to interrogate the new
couple.
“So…” Mihoshi started, as she casually took another
sip of her tea, “…How was last night?” She couldn’t help but smile slyly as the
two of them looked down with their cheeks turning a light pink in response
before Kiyone started to reply.
“It was uh…”
“…Eventful,” Tenchi finished as Kiyone trailed off.
“Yeah, very eventful.” Kiyone agreed. ‘You have
no idea.’
“Hmm…I’ll bet,” Mihoshi replied. The two of them
suddenly found their tea very interesting as they each took a few long sips
from their cups, before continuing to stare at them, and by doing so failing
miserably in hiding the crimson that by now had completely filled their cheeks.
Mihoshi had to restrain a small giggle that threatened to escape her before
continuing. “So when’s the wedding?”
This caught both of them off guard, and for a few
minutes they just looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
“W-w-wedding?” Kiyone stuttered nervously.
“What wedding?”
“Oh come on, I saw the two of you this morning. It’s
pretty hard not to, so like I said, when’s the wedding?”
“Uh…I-I think we’re just going to take this one step
at a time Mihoshi,” Tenchi sheepishly replied while scratching the back of his
head.
“Yeah, we don’t want to move too fast,” Kiyone
agreed.
“Oh all right,” Mihoshi complied with a hint of
dejection in her voice. “When you do get married though, can I be a
bridesmaid?” she asked, a little of her old perkiness restored.
“Yes, of course you can Mihoshi.” Kiyone answered.
“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Kiyone,” Mihoshi
blubbered as she hugged her partner and best friend. She then proceeded to
remove the now empty cups and empty them in the sink before returning to the
table. As she began to ask another question, Tenchi, who sensed what she was
going to do, beat her to the punch.
“Hey, maybe I should get going. I’m sure Sasami will
be eager to get her groceries, and the others will probably be wondering what’s
taking me so long to get back.” Hearing this, Mihoshi’s smile disappeared, and
her face turned more serious.
“Speaking of the ‘others’ Tenchi, what do you plan
to tell Ayeka and Ryoko?” Kiyone turned to Tenchi as well; worry clearly
written on her face. Tenchi took her hand in his, and after giving her a
reassuring smile, turned to Mihoshi and simply said
“The truth.”
“They’re not going to like this. You know that
right?”
“They don’t have to like it, just accept it”
“What if they get violent?” Kiyone asked, visibly
shaken at the thought. “You know how they are when they get jealous.” Kiyone
closed her eyes, and sighed in comfort and relief as Tenchi gently pulled her
into his protective and loving embrace.
“I know they’ll be upset, but I doubt they would
turn violent. Tenchi pulled away just enough so that he could look into her
eyes. “If something should happen though, I want you to know that I won’t let
anyone hurt you, alright?” Kiyone nodded her head in recognition and was once
again fully embraced by Tenchi’s strong, safe arms.
“Well, I suppose we should get going then,” Mihoshi
said as she stood up.
“We?” Tenchi asked slightly
puzzled.
“Yeah, I think it would be better if all of us we’re
there just in case, besides it’ll be easier to break it to everyone if the two
of us are there to support you.” Mihoshi stated matter-of-factly. Kiyone voiced
her agreement as well. With the decision made, the three of them made their way
to the front door. Tenchi grabbed his brown overcoat, which had dried as well
during the night. Picking up the remaining groceries, the trio exited the
apartment. Locking the door behind them, Tenchi, Kiyone, and Mihoshi headed to
the bus stop.
The bus arrived at their stop
about an hour before
Stealing a glance to his right at Kiyone, who walked
beside him, Tenchi truly hoped that such actions wouldn’t be necessary, upon
ether of them. If they were though, Tenchi knew that he wouldn’t hesitate in
the slightest, to do what he had to in order to protect the one he loved, and
who now held his heart in her hands. He knew that even though it wouldn’t be
needed should something happened, Mihoshi, who was walking on his left opposite
of Kiyone, would not hesitate as well to help in whatever way she could to make
sure that her best friend wasn’t hurt. Tenchi wasn’t stupid; he knew that when
she wanted to, Mihoshi could be just as smart and mature as any of them, its just that no one took the time to notice, and she was
loyal to a fault. Kiyone was truly lucky to have a friend like her. It wasn’t
that he thought Kiyone was weak or anything even similar to it, but even though
she was a GP officer, probably one of the best, if not the best, Tenchi knew
that in a real life or death fight with Ayeka or Ryoko, despite all her skill,
that the odds of her winning were practically non-existent due solely on the
fact that she possessed none of the unbelievable powers that they did, so he
hoped once again that their reactions would not force him to step in and take
actions of his own. As the house loomed in the distance, Tenchi decided that
they’d cross that bridge when they came to it, and refocused on how he was
going to tell everybody the news. When they reached the house, Tenchi paused as
he grabbed the doorknob, stared at Kiyone and Mihoshi who were both now just a
few feet behind him.
“Ready?” he asked, both girls replied with an
affirmative nod. “Alright then…” Tenchi turned back to the door, and as if he
was preparing for war, opened it. “…Lets do it.” With that, they walked in,
preparing themselves for the task at hand, and bracing themselves for the
backlash that would certainly follow.
Hearing the front door open,
Sasami entered the living room from the kitchen in her usual green and blue
kimono and greeted the trio as they took their shoes off and made their way
into the house. The ever-faithful Ryo-okie perched conveniently on top of her
head. “ Hi everyone, your just in time for lunch. It
should be ready in about half an hour.”
“Thanks Sasami, by the way, where’s everyone else?”
Tenchi asked, as the four of them headed back to the kitchen with the
groceries. They set the bags on the counter before Kiyone and Mihoshi excused themselves to clean up and get ready for lunch, while Tenchi
helped Sasami unpack everything.
“Well, Ayeka’s with grandfather at the shrine,
Ryoko’s still asleep, and Washu’s been in her lab all day. As for me, I’ve been
in the kitchen for most of the morning. Oh, and father called, he said that his
meeting ended early so he’ll be getting home a little later tonight.” They
finished unloading the groceries in silence, and afterwards Tenchi excused
himself as well to go get cleaned up, but stopped when he reached the doorway
to the kitchen, and turned his head back to Sasami.
“Oh, Sasami?”
“Yes?”
“Could you make sure that everyone is present for
lunch today?”
“Of course Tenchi, but why?”
“I’ve got a special announcement to make.” Tenchi
almost chuckled at Sasami’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
“You mean you…” Tenchi smiled and winked at her in a
manner that clearly said *that’s right*, much to Sasami’s delight.
“I did.” Sasami ran up and hugged him around the
waist, practically bursting at the seams with happiness. Tenchi returned her
affectionate hug with one of his own. After breaking the embrace, Tenchi went
upstairs to get ready while Sasami, now with an extra spring in her step,
proceeded to finish making lunch.
When lunch was ready, Tenchi,
Kiyone, and Mihoshi, thinking that it would be best to do this as a group
entered the dining room together. As they walked in, everyone greeted them
since they were the last to arrive. Sasami was sitting on one end of the table,
her sister Ayeka who was wearing her traditional violet kimono sat beside her
on Sasami’s left. Yosho, sitting on the opposite end, was wearing his shrine
tunic, sometimes it seemed like they were the only clothes he owned, and this
would have suited him fine though. Washu flanked him on his left, her all to familiar scientist uniform chosen as choice outerwear for
the afternoon, but then again, when was it not? Finally, on his right sat Ryoko
in her blue and yellow striped apparel. (A.N. what exactly IS it? A dress? Pullover? Do you know, cause I surly would.) Seeing him, Ryoko phased out, and then
reappeared behind Tenchi, hugging him around the neck. “Tenchi,
your back. I was so worried about you.” Her actions of course, didn’t
sit to well with Ayeka, who immediately started to respond, but was cut short
as Tenchi beat her to it. Gently, but forcefully, Tenchi removed Ryoko from his
back.
“It’s nice to see you to Ryoko, but I’m sure
everyone is waiting to eat, so lets sit down alright?”
Ryoko slightly pouted at this, but did as she was told. Mihoshi went and sat
next to Sasami, while Kiyone sat between her and Washu. Tenchi then took his
spot between Ryoko and Ayeka. With the news he was going to announce afterwards
however, he might as well have been sitting between two nuclear warheads.
As if fate itself couldn’t wait
for Tenchi’s news, lunch passed rather smoothly, Ayeka and Ryoko didn’t fight
or even argue once. Though this was a pleasant experience for everyone else,
unfortunately such feelings could not be shared with Tenchi, who had been
hoping for such a disagreement to buy him more time in which to prepare for his
announcement. Finally, after lunch was over and the dishes had been cleared
away, the moment of truth had arrived. Removing himself from between the twin terrors
known as Ayeka and Ryoko, Tenchi made his way to the head of the table behind
Sasami and prepared to make his biggest, and hopefully not his last, speech
before the gathered group who had over time become his unique family.
Standing up behind Sasami, Tenchi turned to glance
once more towards Kiyone, and then to the pint-sized, pink-eyed princess below
him. Receiving a reassuring smile from both of them, Tenchi cleared his throat
in order to gain everyone’s attention. As every eye at the table turned to
focus on him, Tenchi took a moment to gather his thoughts before starting.
“Okay, first of all, I’d like to thank you all for
being present today. As I’m sure Sasami has told you all by now, I have a very
important announcement to make, one that may very well change what happens
afterwards.” He paused to gauge everyone’s current state of mind. Seeing them
remain silent and attentive Tenchi’s voice remained calm and neutral as he
continued. “As you know, we have all been living together for roughly the past
two and a half years. You have all asked me who I wanted to be with, whom I had
chosen to give my love to. At the time I didn’t know the answer to your
question, but all of you decided to stay with me until I did. Well, your wait
is over, for I have finally chosen.” This caused an immediate buzz around the
table, but before anyone could make themselves heard,
Ryoko had phased out and then back in behind Tenchi, wrapping her arms around
his neck in the process and squealed like a little schoolgirl.
“Oh Tenchi, I knew it was only a matter of time
before you chose me.” This wasn’t taken well by Ayeka who immediately stood up
to voice her opinion.
“Now see here Miss. Ryoko, what could possibly make
you think…” Ayeka began, but was cut off as Tenchi raised his hand to silence
her. Ryoko shot a smug, triumphant grin at her rival but was mildly taken aback
when Tenchi brought his hands up, and firmly but
gently removed her arms from around her neck. Tenchi then guided her around
till she was facing him before speaking.
“Ryoko, please go back seat, I’m not finished yet.”
With increased confusion, and now a small fraction of worry in reflecting in
her eyes, Ryoko reluctantly returned to her seat. After she had reseated
herself, Tenchi continued. “As I was saying, I have made my choice. Actually, I
had made it about a month ago, but had not acknowledged it until now. However,
before I say whom I have chosen, I want you all to realize that it may or may
NOT be you, and that just because you weren’t the one I chose, that doesn’t
mean that I care about you any less. You have ALL become as dear to me as any
possible family could be. That is why I hope that you’ll be able to accept, and
respect my decision should you not be the one I have pick
to give my heart to.” Deciding to make herself the spokesman for the group,
Washu spoke up first.
“Tenchi…” Washu cautiously began, “…Please don’t
make us wait any longer. Tell us, who have you chosen?” Everyone else at the
table nodded in silent agreement.
‘Alright,’ Tenchi thought, ‘This is it, no turning back now.’ Sighing once
to steel his resolve, Tenchi stepped from behind Sasami, walked around Mihoshi,
and halted behind Kiyone. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Tenchi stared at
everyone in the room and watched for a moment as their faces all started to
display an image of realization, as what he just did registered in their heads.
“Everyone…I have chosen Kiyone.” Silence reined as the realization of Tenchi’s
words began to sink in.
#CRASH#
The silence was broken as the glass that Ryoko had
previously been drinking out of shattered within her firm grasp. Ignoring the
pain in her hand, Ryoko stood up and glared accusingly at the couple before
her. “What? Tenchi are you serious? I mean come on, Kiyone?” Slightly offended,
Tenchi glared back.
“I am VERY serious, and why NOT Kiyone?” he
retorted. Ryoko was about to answer when Ayeka stood up as well.
“I must agree with Ryoko on this Lord Tenchi. We
have both made it painfully obvious that we both harbor feelings for you, while
Miss Kiyone on the other hand has shown none whatsoever. How could you possible
choose her over ether of us?” She asked, her voice
remained calm but slightly upset as well. Tenchi switched his gaze between
Ryoko and Ayeka as he spoke.
“The reasons for the decision I made are mine and
mine alone. I did not come to this decision easily, especially knowing how you
two would react, and although it wasn’t an easy choice, in my heart I knew that
it was the right choice.”
“No, Tenchi please don’t do this,” Ryoko pleaded.
“Ryoko…”
“Lord Tenchi, please reconsider.” Ayeka begged.
“NO,” Tenchi shouted. His voice softened as the
beginning of tears began to form in the eyes of both Ayeka and Ryoko. “I’ve
made my choice, a choice I cannot and will not reconsider. I love Kiyone and
nothing will change that. I’m sorry this hurts you, but I stand by my decision.
I had hoped that you’d be able to understand.” Sobbing quietly, Ayeka turned
and left the room before quickly proceeding up the stairs to her room. Ryoko in
turn merely phased out, but not before shedding a few sorrowful tears upon the
dining room table.
“Ayeka wait, come back,” Sasami cried as she ran off
after her sister. Washu stood up and patted Tenchi’s back before she proceeded
towards the hallway.
“I know where she’s going, don’t worry, I’ll talk to
her.” Pausing in the doorway, she glanced back once more towards Tenchi and
Kiyone. “Oh, and by the way…congratulations.” Giving them one last parting
smile, Washu left the house and entered the forest. Politely excusing himself
from the table, Katsuhito congratulated the young couple before returning to
the shrine.
Sighing deeply, Tenchi sat down next to Kiyone in
the spot formally occupied by Washu and hung his head in exasperated defeat at
the way things had turned out. “Well, it could have been worse. I’m surprised
it turned out as well as it did. At least no one was hurt, at least physically.
I just hope that Ayeka and Ryoko will be okay.” Sliding over next to him,
Kiyone wrapped her arms around Tenchi’s waist from the side, and gently laid
her head on his shoulder.
“It’ll be okay Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka are just a
little upset that’s all. They’ll be okay once they’ve had a chance to calm
down.” Slipping an arm around her shoulders, Tenchi tenderly pulled Kiyone
closer as he laid his head atop of hers.
“I hope your right Kiyone, I hope your right.”
Leaving her friends to comfort one another, Mihoshi quietly began to clear the
table. It was more then obvious that lunch was officially over.
Making her way down the hall, Sasami stopped outside
the door leading into the room that she and Ayeka shared. Momentarily pausing,
Sasami knocked softly on the door before entering. “Ayeka?
Are you okay?” Sasami asked timidly. Entering the room, Sasami found her sister
curled up in a fetal position on top of her bed with a pillow clutched tightly
to her chest, her sobbing had now fallen to mere whimpers.
“Please go away Sasami, I-I just want to be alone
for awhile,” Ayeka replied. Sasami simply walked over and kneeled down next to
her sister from behind.
“Ayeka, don’t push me away, I hate seeing you like
this. I want to help you, but you need to talk to me. Ayeka, please talk to
me,” Sasami lightly pleaded. Slowly, Ayeka rolled over to face her sister.
Sasami could see the red in her sister’s eyes from her recent crying, and it
nearly broke her heart to see the unshed tears still waiting to fall.
“He didn’t choose me Sasami. Why didn’t he choose
me? What did I do wrong? Ayeka asked. Unable to watch her lay there and suffer
anymore, Sasami laid down next to her sister and
wrapped her arms around Ayeka’s shoulders. Ayeka in turn threw her arms around
Sasami’s waist and buried her face in her sister’s shoulder as she began to sob
once more. Sasami held his sister as tightly as she could and softly stroked
her back as she whispered soothing words of comfort into Ayeka’s ear.
“Ayeka, you didn’t do anything wrong. I know
Tenchi-nichan didn’t choose you, but that doesn’t mean he loves you any less,
right?”
“Yes, but I still wanted him to choose me.” Ayeka’s
crying had died down to soft sniffling. Sasami sighed softly.
“Sister, do you want Tenchi to be happy?”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” Ayeka replied,
slightly shocked as to why her sister would ask such a question.
“Well Kiyone makes him happy. Would you want him to
be with you and not be happy, or with a trusted friend who does make him happy?
Sasami reasoned. Ayeka sighed in defeat.
“You know I want Lord Tenchi to be happy, and if he
is happy with someone else, I’m glad it’s someone like Kiyone.”
“I’m happy as well, besides, it’s not like he’s
going to abandon us. After all, we are family,” Sasami said while smiling.
Ayeka silently nodded her head in agreement before chuckling lightly.
“Since when did you grow up Sasami? I thought ‘I’
was suppose to be the big sister.”
“Oh don’t worry, your DEFINATLY the big sister.”
Sharing a small, tired laugh, Sasami and Ayeka remained in each other’s arms as
they peacefully drifted off to sleep.
Arriving at her destination, Washu stopped to
collect her thoughts before entering Ryoko’s cave. Making her way downwards
towards the center, Washu could already hear the heart wrenching cries of
emotional torment that her daughter was going through. Reaching the core of the
cave, Washu was greeted with the sight of Ryoko sitting against the wall of the
cave next to the spring that she had slept in up to the time that Tenchi
released her. Ryoko had her knees pulled up to her knees pulled up to her chest
and was sobbing into her arms which were folded and resting on top of her
knees. Walking over to her, Washu stopped and sat down next to Ryoko. Reaching
over, she gently guided Ryoko until her head laid in her lap. Cradling her head
with her right hand, Washu ran her free hand through Ryoko’s thick locks of
cyan hair. “Are you alright little Ryoko?” Washu softly asked. Suppressing her
cries, Ryoko turned in Washu’s lap so that she now faced her mother. She stared
at her with hurtful eyes.
“How can you ask me that Washu?” Ryoko asked mildly
upset. “I’ve lost Tenchi. Does it ‘look’ like I’m okay?” Despite the harshness
in her words, Washu remained calm and relaxed. She had expected such a
response.
“What makes you think you’ve lost him my dear?”
“What do you mean? He chose Kiyone instead of me.”
“True, but that doesn’t mean he no longer cares
about you does it?”
“Well, no…”
“And just because he chose someone else, that
doesn’t mean that he’s going to ignore the rest of us, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s wrong? Even though Tenchi didn’t choose
you, he still cares about you.”
“I know, but all I have left is Tenchi. I have
nothing else.” Hearing this Washu couldn’t help but softly laugh. This puzzled
Ryoko, and made her a little angry as well. “What are you laughing at? You
think it’s funny?” Washu composed herself before responding.
“Ryoko my dear, are you listening to yourself? What
do you mean Tenchi was all you had?”
“Well what else do I have?” Washu shook her head at
her daughter’s innocence and naïveté
“What you ‘have’ my dear is a place to call home.
What you ‘have’ are people who care about you, and will fight to protect you.
What you ‘have’ Ryoko, is a family.”
“A family…?” Ryoko whispered, more to herself then
anyone else. Thinking about it, Ryoko never had anyplace to call home, or
anyone to call family, but since meeting Tenchi she had acquired both. Yes, she
had a family, a little unusual family, but a loving one all the same. Realizing
this, Ryoko couldn’t help but smile, which in turn made Washu feel better as
well. “Home…family…I like the sound of that.”
“Feel better?” Washu asked.
“Yes.” Washu nodded her head in acknowledgment.
Ryoko folded her hands up and rested her head on them before snuggling into
Washu’s lap and closing her eyes. “Thanks…mom.” Washu couldn’t stop the single
pair of solitary tears that happily slid down her face.
“You are truly welcome…my darling daughter.” With
that said, Washu closed her eyes as well, and together mother and daughter
drifted off into dreamland.
It was almost
“Ayeka, Ryoko, are you two okay? I didn’t mean to…”
Tenchi was cut off as both Ryoko and Ayeka enveloped Tenchi in a loving hug,
Ayeka on Tenchi’s right and Ryoko on his left.
“I’m sorry Lord Tenchi. I’m sorry for the way I
acted earlier.”
“I’m sorry as well,” replied Ryoko. “I’m sorry I
didn’t handle myself as well as I should have.”
“Can you ever forgive us Lord Tenchi?” Smiling
wholeheartedly, Tenchi returned their hug.
“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m just glad that
you’re both alright.” Standing there together, Sasami couldn’t hold herself
back. She rushed forward and hugged both Tenchi and her sister while Washu did
the same with Tenchi and Ryoko.
“Yay, group hug!” Mihoshi cried as she
reached out and hugged Ayeka and Tenchi. This in turn ended up pinning Sasami
in the middle. Kiyone would have been fine just standing there watching them,
but Ryoko saw her standing alone.
“Get in here Kiyone, you’re just as much a part of
this group as we are,” Ryoko laughed. Grabbing hold of her collar, Ryoko pulled
Kiyone forward into the mass hug so that she ended up hugging Ryoko and Tenchi,
pinning Washu in the middle along with Sasami. Even Ryo-okie
who had up to this point been sleeping, upon seeing the group hug, jumped up
and latched herself to Tenchi’s head in an attempt to get in on the action.
#SNAP#
Everyone looked up from the hug towards the sound
and a grinning Nobuyuki standing in the doorway with a camera in his hands.
“Now this one is defiantly going into the album.”
“Dad, your home!” Tenchi exclaimed while
greeting his father with a hug.
“Yeah, I’m sure Sasami gave you my message. I got
done sooner then expected so I took an earlier train home.”
“It’s great to have you back dad.”
“Well it’s great to be back. So, anything
interesting happen while I was gone?” Tenchi shared an amused laugh with the
others before responding.
“More then you know.”
“Well give me a few minutes to unpack and then you
can tell me all about it.” Nobuyuki then proceeded up the stairs to his room.
Noticing the time, Sasami went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
Mihoshi followed her in order to help, and Ryoko flew off to tell Katsuhito
when dinner would be ready before returning to the house. When Nobuyuki came
back downstairs, he joined Tenchi and the others minus Sasami and Mihoshi in
the living room. Tenchi then began to explain the events of the past couple
days.
As the clock chimed
“So you’ve finally chosen someone then?” Nobuyuki
asked.
“Yes, I have,” Tenchi, responded while holding
Kiyone close to him. Nobuyuki gazed around the room at its occupant’s from
Tenchi and Kiyone on his left, clockwise passing Ayeka, Washu, and finally
Ryoko, before turning his gaze back to the happy couple in front of him.
“Well I’m happy, first of all because you have
finally chosen, and two, because everything turned out okay. The house is still
standing and nobody’s hurt.” Everyone present had a small laugh at this
comment. Everyone sat in silence for a moment before Sasami entered the room
and announced that dinner was ready. Everyone stood up and proceeded to the
dining room. As he walked by, Nobuyuki pulled Tenchi aside for a moment and
waited till they were alone before speaking.
“Something wrong dad?”
“No Tenchi, there’s nothing wrong. I just wanted to
say how proud I am of you. Your starting to make some big decisions in your
life son, this being one of the biggest.” Tenchi smiled.
“Thanks dad.”
“Your mother would be so proud of you. Your turning into the fine young man that she always wanted
you to be, that we ‘both’ wanted you to be,” Nobuyuki proclaimed, pride evident
in his voice. A tear of happiness made it’s way down
Tenchi’s cheek as he listened to his father’s words. It was rare for his dad,
or ether of them to speak of his mother anymore, the pain of her loss heavily
inflicted with every mentioning of her name. In response, Tenchi leaned forward
and hugged his father tightly. Nobuyuki returned the embrace with one of his
own. Father and son both stood there for what seemed like hours, but was
actually mere minute before parting. “Alright, go on into the dining room. I’ll
be in there shortly. Tenchi nodded once before turning and exiting the room.
Walking over to the far wall, Nobuyuki took down an old 8x10 photo of his late
wife Achika and began to stare at it. “Our little boy is growing up my dear. I
just wish you could be here to see it.” Smiling at a memory of long ago he
placed the picture back upon the wall before proceeding to join the others for
dinner, unaware of the single solitary figure that had just bared witness to
his emotional outtake, and who had ducked back behind the adjoining wall as to
not make herself known.
Later that night, after dinner
was over and everyone said their goodnight’s, the house became silent once more
as it’s occupants settled down for the night, all that is, except for one.
Sitting at the living room table, Nobuyuki flipped through the pages of various
photo albums, stopping once in a while to gaze at a certain picture that he
would come across. Pleasantly sighing at the memory of his most recent photo,
Nobuyuki failed to notice as Washu emerged from her lab. Surprised to see
someone other then herself up at such a late hour, Washu walked over to greet
him. “Good evening Lord Nobuyuki. Why are you up so late?”
“Oh, good evening Ms. Washu. I was just looking
through some old photo albums that I dug up. Seeing Tenchi and Kiyone together,
it just made me think of Achika and myself when we were younger.”
“Yes, they both seem to fit each other so well. It’s
so wonderful to see young love bloom.” Washu commented as she took a seat next
to Nobuyuki. Looking down at the page that was currently opened, she noticed a
picture of a much younger Nobuyuki standing next to a dark haired woman that
Washu assumed was Achika. In her arms was Tenchi as an infant. He couldn’t have
been more then 2 or 3 years old. Washu’s attention was drawn back to Nobuyuki
as he spoke.
“At least now Tenchi has someone to love. Heh, even
with all of you young ladies around I was afraid that
he might somehow remain alone. I’m glad he finally chose someone”
“Who did ‘you’ think he would pick?” Washu asked,
caught off guard by Nobuyuki’s thought. Laying the album down, Nobuyuki leaned
back into the couch and removed his glasses before massaging the bridge of his
nose and sighing tiredly.
“Truth be told, I was hoping that Kiyone would be
chosen. Her personality reminds me so much of Achika. It seemed the natural
choice, but Ayeka and Ryoko certainly had me worried. Speaking of your
daughter, how is Ryoko doing? I know how she acted earlier, but this must still
be hard for her.” This time it was Washu’s turn to sigh.
“It is, but the pain will ease with time, it always
does. You know how kids are, they’re always learning. I just wish it wasn’t
always so hard on them.” Nobuyuki chuckled lightly.
“I guess we both have our share of parental
problems. It’s funny; we’re both parents, yet no one would be able to tell just
by looking at you that you were one. You could be ageless and no one would
know, at least as long as you still look like this.” Nobuyuki said while
gesturing at Washu’s childlike appearance.
Washu simply smirked.
“Oh really?” Nobuyuki opened his eyes
and leaned forward ready to respond, only to come face to face with Washu, only
now she was in her adult form. Whatever he was about to say died on his tongue
as he took in Washu’s new appearance. Washu stood up in front of Nobuyuki and
twirled twice before placing her hands on her hips. “What about now?” Wide-eyed
and red faced, Nobuyuki dropped his gaze to the floor as he tried to think of
something coherent to say. Washu bent down near Nobuyuki and upon seeing his
blush, let an amused grin fill her face. “Why Mr. Masaki, are you blushing
because of little old me?” Raising his head to meet her eyes, Nobuyuki
silently, as if almost afraid replied.
“I always blush when I’m in the presence of such a
beautiful woman.” That said, Nobuyuki dropped his gaze
back to the albums in front of him. ‘I can’t believe I said that to her.’
Washu stood up and glanced away, blushing as well at Nobuyuki’s statement.
Silence fell upon the two of them and remained so until Nobuyuki stood up,
walked over to the nearby bookcase and placed the albums upon the shelf. After
securing them, he walked over to the sliding doors leading outside and stood
there staring out into the cool clear night, and the millions of diamond stars
blanketing the clear
“Huh?”
“Your husband, I know he didn’t die, but do you
still miss him all the same?” Washu shut her eyes for a moment before
responding.
“I did at first, but as the years went by I found
myself missing him less and less. These days he’s just another name I remember
from time to time.” Washu turned her head to face Nobuyuki. “Why do you ask?”
Nobuyuki stole a glance at Washu before turning his gaze back to the stars.
“Curiosity I suppose. Despite the end result, you
had a husband and son for a number of years. I on the other hand lost Achika
after nearly our third year of marriage. Tenchi was absolutely heartbroken, and
I…well I suppose I never really recovered from it as well, before you girls
started falling from the sky I was becoming worried about him. Except for the
few friends he had at school, all Tenchi did was ether study or train with his
grandfather. He never even ‘though’ about girls, and now, these few short years
later, he’s become a prince, a mighty warrior, and to top it all off, he’s
finally got a girlfriend, and a fine one at that. Hopefully he won’t be doomed
to suffer the same fate that I have. I don’t want him to end up like me.” The
sadness that lined his voice as he spoke hurt Washu to no end.
“What do you mean ‘end up like you’? Your still
young, if you dropped the act I know you could still find someone.” Nobuyuki
looked puzzled.
“Act?” Washu became slightly flustered before
calming down with a sigh.
“Yes, you pretend to be this perverted old hentai
whose only goal is to catch a girl naked, but you and I both know that’s not
true now is it?” Nobuyuki turned his back to Washu.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he replied silently.
“I wouldn’t understand?! What wouldn’t I understand?
That you’re hurting because you lost the one you love, and in order to avoid
being hurt again you’d rather forego any chance at happiness again, even if it
means being alone the rest of your life?” At this point Nobuyuki whirled around
to face Washu, light anger in his eyes.
“You seem to have it all figured out don’t you? You
have my problem figured to a tee?” Washu, not one to be easily intimidated,
stepped closer to Nobuyuki. With a mere two feet between them, she responded.
“Yes, I think I’ve covered pretty much everything.
Why, did I miss something?”
“No, but don’t be so quick to judge me when you’re
no better.” Washu took a half step back.
“What!?” she asked, genuinely surprised.
“You heard me. You accuse me of hiding behind the
mask of a hentai while you do the same thing. The only difference is that yours
is that of a scientist. You become consumed with your experiments in order to
hide your own pain and loneliness. So you go ahead and say what you want about
me, but just realize that you’re no different.” Having said that, Nobuyuki
turned back to the view outside. Washu stood there for a moment in pure shock,
processing what she had just heard; realizing that he was right Washu just
sighed once more in defeat and returned to observing the night sky. The next
few minutes passed without sound until it was broken once more, this time by
Washu who expressed a small chuckle.
“I guess we both have our share of problems. We’re
just a couple single parents doing the best we can to raise our kids right…”
“…While preventing others from seeing who we really
are by wearing masks?” Nobuyuki finished her thought.
“Exactly.” This exchanged seemed to lighten the mood
around them considerably.
“For the past fifteen years since Achika’s death,
nobody except those who knew me before her passing ever saw what I was really
like. All they saw was my mask. You’re the first person who’s ever been able to
see past it…” Nobuyuki paused and closed her eyes for a moment while he took a
breath, and then opened his eyes again. “…And I think that’s why I’ve fallen
for you.” Nobuyuki tilted his head down as he closed his eyes, waiting for
whatever backlash that might occur. The only thing Nobuyuki felt though was a
warm hand on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Washu turn his face towards
hers as she smiled warmly up at him. Nobuyuki shifted his body to take the
strain off his neck and was now facing Washu entirely.
“Nobuyuki, did you know that what you just said is
the exact reason I feel the same about you?” Nobuyuki was momentarily shocked
at what he had just heard but recovered quickly.
“Washu, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He asked, hope evident in both his voice and eyes. Washu said nothing as she
slipped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as she quickly pressed her
lips to his in a soft, gentle kiss. Once his brain caught up to what was
happening, Nobuyuki responded with equal passion. Standing there, bathed in
moonlight, both figures remained as they were until finally, Washu slowly
pulled away, and eyes of polished mahogany met sparkling emerald once more. “I
think I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I’m tired Nobuyuki,” Washu replied with a weary
sigh. “I’m tired of wearing a mask. I want someone to love, and who’ll love me in
return. I want…you.”
“I’m tired as well Washu, and up till now I thought
I was doomed to wear mine forever, but now I feel as if I can finally remove
it. Washu, if you’ll let me love you, and have your love in return, I think we
can both finally remove our masks, for good.” Nodding in agreement, Washu
rested her head against Nobuyuki’s shoulder, and he in turn rested his head
against her soft mane of fiery crimson hair, both finally relieved of an
emotional burden that no longer needed to be carried. The two of them stood
there together in one another’s embrace, as love and emotional bliss seemed to
radiate from every fiber of their very being. Opening his eyes, Nobuyuki stared
out at the stars. Would you care to accompany me on an evening walk Ms. Hakubi?
It’s beautiful out tonight” Smiling widely at his gentlemanly manner, she
responded in turn.
“I think a walk would be wonderful Mr. Masaki.”
Opening the door, Nobuyuki offered his arm, which Washu graciously took, and
together, the two of them stepped out into the cool autumn air. With their
masks forgotten, and a bright future ahead of them, the two new lovers
proceeded on their way. Though where this new road would lead them was unclear,
one thing was certain, they would travel it together.
THE
END
(A cloud of
black smoke appears, and as it clears, in its place stands Shadow)
Author’s Notes: “Finally, after months of
planning, writing, and rewriting, I am proud to finally be able to bring you
the first of what I hope will be four sequels to my debut fanfiction story
Rainy Day Lover. As for the remaining three sequels, I have no idea when I will
be able to write them. It could be months, or maybe even years (god forbid),
but I WILL find a way to eventually write them. You the readers can help motivate
me by submitting your reviews. As for now, I’m going to currently postpone the
construction of any and all major projects in order to return to my current
Dragonball Z project, Love and War. If you’re a DBZ fan you can’t miss it. As a
side note (or advertisement, you pick), if you favor yourself a Gundam Wing fan
as well as a fan of unusual pairings, then check out my GW fanfiction story,
Old Love, New Love. All right, it is now time for you, the viewers to cast your
opinions about my story. I spent a great deal of time writing this story,
trying to give you the readers, my very best. I would like to take a moment to
thank Vincent (Author extraordinaire` at www.tmffa.com)
for all of his help and advice that he provided me with on the construction of
this story. Once more, I do not own any of the characters of Tenchi Muyo. I
hope that after reading, you will take the time to read and review this story. Compliments, and constructive criticism are welcome, for
they are the lifeblood of every fanfiction author. It is what inspires us to
continue writing. As for those of you who wish to flame me, I will take your
flames, and cast them into the darkest, and deepest
depths of oblivion in existence. Until next time, this is S. S. Shadow fading
out.” (A cloud of black smoke surrounds Shadow, and when the smoke clears, he
is gone once more.)