Title: Happiness That Could Have Been
Author: Rann Aridorn
Series: Tenchi Muyo
Stuff: Tenchi and crew are copyright whichever faceless corporation
possesses their souls and the soul of their creator.
Warnings: Shoujo ai, mild angst
Ryoko lay on the roof of the Masaki home, a light autumn breeze
setting the long strand of grass and the arched spikes of her hair to
swaying, the cyan tresses providing an odd counterpoint to the
purple-orange evening sky framing them. Amber eyes gazed up at that sky,
seeming to look past it to the diamond-flecked midnight beyond it.
"That's an awfully thoughtful look. Especially for you."
Annoyance shifting her features, Ryoko sat up and turned away,
letting her legs dangle over the edge of the roof. "Mind your own business."
"But my darling daughter's mood IS my business," Washu replied
magnanimously, sauntering over to stand beside the other woman. "Especially
when I know what she's thoughtful about. More like, what she's sulking about."
"You don't know anything," Ryoko grumbled, folding her arms over
her chest and looking away.
"Actually, I know almost everything. Oh, don't worry." The
pink-haired woman was still quite cheerful as she sat down next to her
daughter. "I told everyone else it was because you got freaked out by
visiting a time when you were still imprisoned in the cave. But that's not
even a tenth of the real reason, is it?"
"You know, how come I don't remember that?" Ryoko cut in, griping.
"I was spiritwalking all the time back then, I couldn't have missed
something as big as THAT whole mess. I'd certainly remember seeing myself
staying at the house!"
"One of those little things about time-travel," Washu said
philosophically, rubbing a finger along the side of her nose. "If you'd
known, you could have warned us all ahead of time about what you heard, and
we could have prevented Kain's escape in the first place. But then, we
would have had no reason to go back in time, and so how could you have
known? It's one of those little things the universe takes care of for us,
and we probably shouldn't think too hard about. Except for the great
geniuses like me, who have an intuitive understanding, of course!"
"Of course," Ryoko repeated, rolling her eyes.
"But that's just a little closer to the real reason you're feeling
all sulky, isn't it?"
"..." Ryoko remained silent for almost five minutes, before slowly
unfolding her arms and leaning back on her hands. "It was the first time,
seeing her for real... actually being there, watching her laugh, walking
down the path to school with her, sitting on the bus with her... teasing
her, seeing her blush..."
"Things you must have imagined many times, just as you imagined
them with Tenchi," Washu prodded gently, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"Well, a LITTLE different with Tenchi," Ryoko corrected almost
absentmindedly. She smiled a little. "... Maybe not all that different. She
had everything that made me love him. She had such kindness, such
openness... that smile... all that stuff. I guess, I dunno, maybe if things
had been different. But they weren't, were they?"
"Weren't they?"
Ryoko blinked, turning to look at Washu. "Huh? You're not makin'
any sense... not that that's new, or anything."
"Here!" Grinning, Washu whipped out a device roughly the size of a
toaster turned on its side, a number of blinking lights surrounding it, and
an obvious hand print on its surface. "Put your hand here."
"What's it do?" Ryoko muttered suspiciously.
"Oh, come on, if I just wanted to do something unpleasant to you,
I have plenty of ranged instruments for that! Just put your hand here!"
"... Okay, there's something creepy about it, but somehow I just
can't argue with that logic." Shrugging, Ryoko reached out to rest her hand
on the device, sliding her fingers into position.
...
......
............
........................
"Father, you leave this place in such a mess, sometimes," Achika
sighed, shaking her head and setting her ponytail to swaying lightly behind
her. She set about sweeping the floor of her father's office, giving him a
disapproving look all the while.
"But you're always there to clean it up for me, Achika." Chuckling
quietly, Katsuhito turned and made his way out the door. "I have duties to
attend to. Remember your other chores when you're done."
"Of course I will!" Frowning lightly after her father, the young
woman resumed sweeping. "Honestly, as if I were the one that needed to be
reminded to do things like chores or cleaning or... eat!" She huffed a
little, then leaned the broom against the wall to turn her attention to the
paper-strewn desk. "Really, how does he EVER get anything done?"
Seizing up a pile of papers to arrange them in a neater stack,
Achika blinked as a pair of keys on a plain ring dropped out of the pile to
clank onto the desk. 'Those... are the keys to the gate over the cave.'
All her life her father had told her stories of the horrible demon
that was locked away down in that cave, of the great hero that had slain it
with an amazing sword, and how the shrine had been established to forever
safeguard it. And, of course, all her life she had been curious. Was there
really a demon and an amazing sword down there?
Slowly, almost without realizing she was doing it, Achika's hand
strayed towards the key ring...
'It is here,' Washu's voice suddenly spoke up, intruding on
Ryoko's consciousness. 'That, outside, an eagle began hovering overhead,
and Yosho called Achika out to see it. Achika was perhaps a more obedient
child than Tenchi, and never again went looking for the keys to the gate
barring your cave. However, suppose that eagle had spotted a mouse
scurrying across a field many miles away, that it would have otherwise
missed...?'
'I... I don't understand...'
'Suppose that the eagle swooped down to catch that mouse, and
alighted in a tree for a time to eat it. It would not have arrived here at
the shrine for another twenty or even thirty minutes, perhaps.'
'...'
Achika's heart raged in her chest like a herd of wild horses, and
she forced herself to stop and take some deep breaths when she realized
that her hand was shaking so badly she'd have a hard time getting the key
into its place on the lock. After a moment, feeling much steadier, she slid
the key into the lock and turned it, hearing rather rusty tumblers turn
together, before the lock dropped open. With only a light tug, the lock and
chain fell to the ground, and Achika quickly yanked the gate open and
hurried inside the cave before she could think better of it.
'Why... are you showing me this?'
'You were curious to know. Curiosity's a good trait, I like to
encourage it.'
'... This is hurting me...'
'Oh, curiosity can hurt, too, that's true. But it's still better
than not knowing.'
She'd been so distracted thinking about the events of the previous
afternoon that Achika had completely missed her bus home. Since it was one
of the few that came out so far, she'd had to wait almost four hours for
another one. By the time she started climbing the many steps up to the
house, it was late evening, and the sky was already a deep, nearly-black
shade of blue.
"Myaaah!"
Blinking, Achika turned her gaze up from her tired feet to see a
little brown and cream-colored cat sitting on the steps above. Despite her
general annoyance at the day and tired demeanor, Achika felt herself break
out in a smile. "Kitty!" She set her school pack down to lean against her
leg, then held her arms out. "Here, Kitty!"
"Myaaaaaah!" The cat bounded forward, the little bell on its plain
red collar jingling merrily. It leapt from a higher step, down towards
Achika's arms... and faded away.
Achika gasped, almost taking a step back, but remembering just
where she was soon enough to avoid that. "K-Kitty?" Glancing around
worriedly, some part of her mind insisting that maybe the cat had simply
missed her and gone past, and hurt itself falling, she turned a little to
look behind her, then back to look up. "Where...?"
The sound of a low, soft chuckle drew her attention further up, to
the feminine form outlined by the moonlight. Someone was standing at the
top of the steps, silhouetted by the moon... but Achika was sure it was no
one she knew, the odd, spiky shape of the hair was enough for that.
"Ryoko."
"What?" Achika blinked, startled at the sudden speech from the
figure above.
With another little chuckle, the woman took a few steps down,
features becoming distinct as she came out from in front of the full moon.
The strangely-cut pink and teal dress... almost feline features, including
yellow eyes... odd, spiky cyan hair. Achika's eyes widened a little as the
woman held up a hand to show Kitty's collar looped over two fingers, the
bell jingling faintly as the stranger almost caressed it against her cheek.
"That's my name." With a smile, the strange woman shifted the
collar in her hand, as if to throw it to Achika... then seemed to
reconsider, instead slipping it over her fingers to rest around her wrist
like a bracelet. She nodded a little to herself, as if having made some
decision of importance, then began descending the steps again, slowly
drawing nearer to the other girl.
"Uh... hello, Ryoko. I'm Achika Masaki, and-"
"I know who you are," Ryoko interrupted, coming to stand directly
in front of Achika, looking down at her from one step higher, her
expression unreadable, save for some vague hint of mischief playing around
her eyes.
"... Um... have you seen my cat? That's her collar, and MMPH!"
Achika's eyes went wide and her body went stiff as she was
suddenly hauled up eye-to-eye with the other woman and kissed soundly on
the mouth.
'I would NOT!'
'Oh, wouldn't you?'
'No way!'
'When was it you realized you loved Tenchi, Ryoko?'
'I watched him grow up, I always knew!'
'Are you sure?'
'Of course I'm sure!!'
'Are you sure it wasn't the moment you actually saw him there in
your cave, face-to-face for the first time?'
'...'
'And why did you attack him?'
'That... was just for fun.'
'Fun? Why fun?'
'Well, I'd seen him train with the old man, I figured he could
take it.'
'Achika wasn't much for training, though, was she?'
'... No, not really... I think she was mostly too gentle to
fight... I mean, unless she got pissed over someone hurting someone else...'
'So maybe you wouldn't have thought she "could take it"?'
'... I dunno... maybe...'
Achika sighed quietly, trying to concentrate on the odd television
show before her, but having trouble due to the cyan-haired alien woman who
was cuddling up very close on her right side, and the purple-haired alien
princess glaring around her from the left.
"I cannot imagine the sort of audacity it must take to lay your
hands on royalty like that!" Ayeka cried after a few minutes, apparently
unable to contain her outrage any longer.
"Eh, I bet you're just jealous I'm not laying my hands on YOUR
royal jewels," Ryoko shot back with a smirk, snuggling up all the closer to
Achika in retaliation and setting the other girl to positively squirming in
her seat.
"Lady Achika, merely say the word, and I shall rid you of that
nuisance!" Ayeka seethed, her teeth almost grinding together.
"No, no, it's alright," Achika replied quickly, despite her
obvious discomfort. "Please don't fight... I... don't mind."
"You're all missing the show!" Sasami protested as she hurried
back into the room carrying a tray, a cookie-munching Washu in tow. The
younger Juraian princess held the tray up. "Tea, Achika-neesan?"
"Thank you, Sasami," the Earth girl said sincerely, finding a
smile tugging at her lips despite the tense situation. She took two cups of
tea and handed one to Ryoko, and the other to Ayeka, before taking a third
for herself and sitting back. The handing-out of refreshments seemed to
derail the building argument, and the other two sat back as well, eyes
turning back towards the blobbish-person soap opera on the screen.
Ryoko lightened up her intense cuddling to an arm draped around
Achika's shoulders, and the dark-haired girl relaxed a great deal. It
wasn't that Ryoko was unattractive (and that had certainly been a
revelation all of its own when it had come, hadn't it?), or that Achika was
necessarily opposed to... being her girlfriend (yay, more startling
revelations). But Ryoko came on very, very strong. And there was still the
fact of Nobiyuki... who was scared to death to talk to her anymore. Who
could blame him? The cat-eyes and fangs certainly gave Ryoko an
intimidating glare.
Still... there was something nice in all this, even somehow
familiar, though she didn't understand it. The odd new arrivals at her home
gathered around, almost like a big family, the strange but intensely
fascinating alien TV show. And there was something nice, too, about Ryoko's
more gentle affection, the arm around her shoulders, the feel of her
sitting close by and sharing her warmth.
'Tenchi... he'd be really uncomfortable even with that. And Ayeka
would be trying to tear me a new one over it.'
'Hm, yes, but it doesn't look like Ayeka's in love with Achika.'
'... No. It doesn't.'
'Nice little scene, isn't it? Lacking a few people, but still. All
sitting together with no serious fighting... being so close to someone and
it being comfortable...'
'Stop it... I don't want to see any more of this... it's all a lie...'
'You must remain on the ride until it comes to a complete stop.'
"She should be the next queen of Jurai!" Ayeka shouted, her voice
carrying through the forest where she and Ryoko were standing, glaring at
each other.
"What's that matter?! She doesn't wanna be anywhere but here! Her
life is HERE!" Ryoko snapped back, stabbing a finger downwards to indicate
the Earth.
"What, because you're here with her?! Because it's where you want
to be with her?!"
"And what if it is, huh?!"
"She's too good for you!"
"I KNOW!" Ryoko roared, wheeling and slamming her fist back
against the trunk of a tree, bark and splinters flying. Ayeka seemed
stunned, staring as the other woman simply stood there, her fist still
against the trunk. When Ryoko spoke again, her voice was almost a whisper.
"You think I don't know it? She's more of a princess than you are... she's
everything I'm not. But..." She slowly raised her head, the anger gone from
her features, tears gathered in her eyes. "... But can't you see how much I
love her anyway?"
"... Ryoko..." Ayeka seemed at a loss, unsure of what to say, as
if she wanted to comfort the other woman, but at the same time still
disagreed, somehow.
"I love her because she's what I'm not. She's... good, and she's
kind, she's not harsh at all. And she doesn't love me. I'm not so stupid I
don't know that. I see the look in her eyes when she looks at Nobiyuki, and
I see when she looks at me. I can see the love there when she looks at him.
And I don't see it when she looks at me."
Ryoko almost jumped as she felt Ayeka's hand touch her arm, and
she turned a surprised look on the princess.
"... I think you sell yourself short. And her as well." Ayeka
smiled a little. "It's true she's kind and gentle... but I don't think she
would tolerate you without a word if she did not in some way care for you."
"If it were you, waiting on someone you love... would them just
'caring for you' be enough?" Ryoko challenged quietly, bitterness tinging
her voice.
"I... don't know." Ayeka turned away again, tucking her hands
inside her sleeves. She remained silent for a moment, gazing
contemplatively up at the canopy of leaves above. "But would it be any
better for you to just give up and leave? Would it hurt any less, in the
end? Perhaps... I can't say for sure... but perhaps, were I in your
position... I would endure every pain and heartache... just for one of the
times when she would turn and smile at me."
Ryoko stared ay Ayeka for almost a minute, before turning to lean
her back against the tree, sinking down to sit on the ground. "You're
right. It is worth it."
"Ah well. I suspect I shall find out, some day." Ayeka moved back
over to the tree, trying to be a bit more dignified as she sat down next to
Ryoko. "Still. I suppose you aren't the worst person in the universe for
Juraian royalty to associate with."
Ryoko rolled her head to one side to look at Ayeka, grinning just
a little. "That so?"
"Hm. Yes." Ayeka looked up again, smiling a bit herself. "I think
that's so."
"So... you think I have a chance?"
"I think it's worth everything in the world to see if you do."
'...'
'... Ryoko...'
'...'
'Ryoko, please don't cry... it will be over soon... it's okay...'
"Just please, tell me," Ryoko said, her voice hoarse with emotion,
cheeks shining with wiped-in tears. "Tell me what you feel. If you love me,
I'll accept anything... I'll accept that you love him too, I'll treat him
kindly, I'll do ANYTHING. If you truly love me, it's all I ever need, all I
ever want."
"..." Achika looked at Ryoko for long moments, where the other
woman was standing below her on the steps. Above, at the top, the entire
group was gathered. Ayeka, Sasami, Washu, Katsuhito, even Nobiyuki. "..."
She turned to look up at them, and especially at Nobiyuki, meeting his eyes
for long moments. "... Ryoko..."
"Yes?" the cyan-haired woman whispered, feeling fresh tears well
up in her eyes.
"You remember the first time we met, right here, on these steps?"
Achika paused for a moment, though it was obvious she wasn't really waiting
for confirmation. "A lot's happened since then. I've found out I'm part
alien... I've fought in battles and seen others fought... taken part in
things I could never have imagined. I've wielded a sword of light against a
foe made of shadow, with alien princesses and space pirates at my side."
Achika turned back to face Ryoko, taking a step at a time, until
she was standing directly in front of her, looking down from the slightly
higher position. "And it's all because I met you."
"Achika, I'm SORRY, I never meant to MMPH!" Ryoko's eyes went wide
and her entire body went stiff as she was suddenly hauled up and kissed
soundly on the mouth.
........................
............
......
...
Ryoko yanked her hand back from the device as if it were spouting
molten lava, turning teary eyes on Washu. "WHY?!"
"I told you. You were curious," the scientist answered placidly,
tucking the device away again.
"I was curious?! Because I was curious, you showed me a life that
could've been mine if it weren't for some damn mouse not getting noticed by
an eagle?! Because of curiosity, you gave me a glimpse of a happiness I can
never have?!"
"That's a happiness another you could have had, Ryoko." Washu
stood up, perching easily on the edge of the roof, resting one hand on her
hip. "Any happiness in this world is still open to you. That's the
happiness of another time and another place."
"... But..." Ryoko wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks.
"I don't... I don't get it."
"For once in your life, little daughter, take a lesson from
something I show you." Washu continued to regard Ryoko evenly, her voice
steady. "Happiness doesn't come easily, without struggle or heartache. You
can find it here, if you continue searching hard. The things that other you
loved about Achika are all there in Tenchi. Maybe you're going about
relating to them the wrong way. Maybe you're not. Maybe your pride's still
getting in the way of your heart. There are a thousand maybes in any given
moment. Which one you choose can have no consequence, or it can lead to a
whole new life."
Washu turned and began walking off, Ryoko sitting silently in
place. "You never know which one will be which. But you can still choose
which one really feels right. In the end, that's all you, or anyone else,
can really do."
Tenchi Masaki wiped a towel across his forehead. The cicadas were
thrumming away, and the sun was hot, and he still had a few more steps to
climb and a lot of sweeping to do.
"Tenchi."
Blinking, Tenchi raised his head and shaded his eyes, making out a
familiar silhouette against the sunlight.
"Oh. Hey, Ryoko."
Ryoko moved down the steps, a smile on her lips. Tenchi blinked a
bit again... there was something different about her. Something about the
look in her eyes.
"What's up?"
Ryoko moved to stand in front of Tenchi. She seemed to pause, as
if reminded strongly of something, then looked into his eyes. "There's
something I need to tell you, Tenchi."
"Hm? What is it, Ryoko?"
'I'm pregnant.'
'I'm going to leave, Tenchi, if you don't kiss me now.'
'Do you care about me at all?'
'I think I have feelings for Ayeka.'
'I'm dying.'
'Do you know how precious you are to me?'
'Sex. Here. Now.'
'I hate my mom.'
'I love you. I love you so much. Marry me, please.'
Ryoko just shook her head, smiling, and moved to stand beside
Tenchi on the steps, slipping her arm through his and walking up the rest
of the way with him. "Just some nice stuff about your mom that I thought
you'd like to know..."
~End~
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