Tenchi fanfic Love's Labor Lost by Ryan Anderson Part 2:Friendship is a four letter word. Ryouko quietly floated up through the floor of Tenchi's room, hovering cross-legged before Tenchi's bed, watching him sleep. It was hardly the first time she'd watched him sleep, several times she had crept through the walls at night, just to watch his beautiful face, so peaceful in sleep. It was late, the moon getting low on the horizon, but it was shinning into the room just enough to create an eerie glow. For awhile she just sat there, feeling the power that flowed from him, watching him sleep, then her resolve firmed. Gently she reached out a hand and shook him awake. Tenchi sleepily blinked the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. As his vision adjusted to the glow of the moon, he spotted Ryouko sitting at the foot of his bed, facing away from him. He started sweating profusely. Ryouko, in his room, at night, _alone_ usually meant trouble... But she just sat there. Slowly thoughts besides fear began to creep into his sleep-fogged mind. He noticed that for once she wasn't glomping onto him, and her entire demeanor seemed different, almost sad. "Ah... Ryouko... what do you want? It's the middle of the night..." he said quietly. Still facing away from him, Ryouko was racked with indecision. What could she say? She'd never tried to "talk" to anyone before... she'd always lived by the philosophy that actions spoke louder than words. However, she just _had_ to talk to him, she couldn't take the silence anymore. Quietly she replied, a pleading note in her voice. "Tenchi... I-I need to talk to you." That caused Tenchi to come more fully awake. Ryouko, talk? This was getting more and more strange. She sounded concerned though, so he decided that he'd better pay attention. "What is it Ryouko? Couldn't it have waited until morning?" he asked. "No Tenchi, it couldn't. Every time I try to have a real conversation with you during the day, someone interrupts. This seems to be the only time I can get you alone." she replied. Tenchi pondered for a moment. He supposed it was true, he had complained to Sasami earlier that neither of the girls ever really talked to him, but when did they get the chance? Their lives had been so full of adventure that they'd been too busy dealing with the situations developing around them to really talk. Ryouko continued, "Tenchi... What do you remember about your early childhood?" That was a new one... Why would Ryouko want to know about his childhood? "Well, not very much... I remember vague impressions of my mother, and my father before he turned into a hentai..." "Do you... remember anything about the cave where I was imprisoned?" asked Ryouko hesitantly. "Hmm...." Tenchi had always been fascinated by the cave. He remembered it as a place that always seemed... magical. A place where his childhood dreams came to life. The mysterious cave had always been his favorite play place, and his imagination had always populated it with goblins and dragons for him to slay, and, of course, a wicked Oni which he would always single-handedly beat back in titanic battles... He looked over at Ryouko, that same Oni he had imagined battling so many times, sitting at the edge of his bed, looking very small and very alone. "I remembered it always seemed like a magical place... something more than real. It was a fun place to play as a child, and an enigma to be explored as I grew older... Why do you ask, Ryouko?" "Did you know, Tenchi, that I could see you? When you came there to play as a small boy, you were so full of life..." Ryouko choked for a moment, struggling to remain in control of her voice and emotions, as the flood of memories came back to her for a second time that night. "...It was you who inspired me to do everything in my power to escape the cave. I had been trapped in their for _seven hundred years_.... hundreds of times longer than you have even been alive. When we first met, I told you you could never understand what I had been through in there, and I'll tell you the same thing now... You simply cannot know, and if I have anything to say about it, you never will." "Ryouko..." Tenchi started, feeling the pity welling up within him creep into his voice. "Oh stop it!" she said, turning to him at last, a playful smile on her face, though there was an infinitely sad look in her eyes. "It was nothing less than I deserved... and it gave me the opportunity to learn that there was more to life than piracy and death... I needed that, even if it took me seven-hundred years of hell to learn it." Tenchi returned her smile, wondering what had come over Ryouko. This was a totally different side of her than he had ever seen. Ryouko had always been an enigma to him, so beautiful but so violent, always ready to use violence to solve any problem. Inwardly he chided himself for thinking that was all there was to her. "You must have experienced so much in your life time...." Ryouko smirked. "Ha! experienced maybe, but I never learned anything from it." She looked away again. a voice in the back of her mind said. Tenchi was at a loss for what to do, then decided to do what felt natural. He scooted over next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He instantly regretted it, however, as she turned to face him, her eye's wide with shock at his action, a look of fear mixed with longing on her face. He smiled at her anyway. "Ryouko, I'm really glad I could be here to help you out. I count you as one of my closest friends." The look of shock disappeared from her face, and for just a moment there was a look of pain... but it was gone in a flash, replaced by a smile. So sudden was the change that Tenchi wasn't sure if he'd actually seen it or if it was some trick of the fading moonlight. Ryouko slowly stood up. "Sorry I woke you up so late..." "Oh, don't worry about it Ryouko, it was nice to talk to you for once. But next time, just try to find sometime during the day, ok?" "Sure Tenchi, good night." *** Ryouko exited Tenchi's room (actually using the door, instead of just walking through it). For a while she just stood in the hall, listening to the sounds of people sleeping, her fists clenched. Her heart felt like it'd just been flung into the deepest, darkest black hole in the Universe. Determinedly, she blinked back her tears. She thought to herself. She disappeared from the hallway, heading toward the roof to watch the sunrise. As she disappeared, Washu stepped from her hiding place among the shadows, staring sadly at the spot Ryouko had just vacated. "Ah, Ryouko-chan... If only you could understand the world without having to experience the pain it can bring...." *** As Tenchi drifted back off to sleep, a new dream came to him. He stood outside of the dream, a helpless observer. He watched the scene unfold before him; Tsunami stood calmly to one side as Ryouko threw herself at her, beating on her impenetrable shields again and again, tears rolling down her face. Tenchi was surprised to see that Tsunami was also crying, but neither was letting up for an instant. Ryouko's amazing abilities beat relentlessly against Tsunami, but never once did the goddess budge. Finally, as Ryouko staggered toward her, tired beyond caring, her sword raised for another futile strike, Tsunami reached out and touched her lightly on the forehead, her first offensive movement throughout the battle. Ryouko instantly crumpled to the ground, fading from view. Tsunami turned toward the watching dream- Tenchi and quietly said "Someday may come sooner than you think, Tenchi." *** Tsunami let the dream fade and gave a deep sigh. Things were getting desperate. Tokimi was making her move against this dimension, and Washu wasn't going to help her. Tsunami was the youngest of the three sisters, and this had always been _her_ pet dimension, and only she had invested a significant amount of time (as immortals tell time) here. Now Tokimi was out to make this dimension part of her domain, and Tsunami wasn't at all sure she could stop her. Tokimi was by far the most powerful of the three goddesses, with hundreds of dimensions subservient to her, yet Tsunami had been preparing to defend her dimension for eons, and had finally succeeded in creating her champion.... but would he be enough? Tokimi had her own champion, and it was a good bet that he would be more powerful than hers. Tsunami bit her lip in frustration. she thought. Why wouldn't she help her fight? With both Goddesses aligned against Tokimi, there was no way they could lose, but if Washu fought against _her_ instead of Tokimi.... It was a three way stalemate, yet something HAD to tip the balance, and Tsunami intended it to tip her way. Already she was marshalling her forces in this dimension, increasing the number of Jurai Tree ships, doubling the number of recruits for the GP, calling in favors from everywhere... Yet as Tokimi's pre-emptive strike against Tenchi had shown, she had been woefully unprepared for such underhanded and small-scale tactics. If it hadn't been for Washu's subtle gamble to win Zero over to her side, Tenchi would have been lost to them all forever. That set her back a moment, a feeling of fear racing through her. she thought. Tenchi had become more than just a pawn in all this though, she knew. Perhaps it was Sasami's Juraian feelings affecting her, or maybe it was the way he refused to give up in the face of overwhelming odds. Of course, she would never have allowed him to die, but even though he had been deathly afraid, he had been willing to go in alone after the girls... Tsunami sighed again. She knew she shouldn't feel this way for a mortal, but she just couldn't help it. She had spent so many centuries playing with blood lines, tinkering just enough to one day produce Tenchi... she had been there influencing his life from the very beginning. She had wept with him when his mother died, laughed with him when he had played by the cave.... Silently she cursed herself. Yes, that damn cave. Why hadn't she seen that coming? Why hadn't she felt Washu's presence? Before she had been able to stop her, Ryouko had almost taken Tenchi from her, almost brought him over to Washu's side, an action which would have completely tipped the scales in Washu's direction. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of Aeka, it would have ended right there. And yet... she had a feeling she was still missing something. Washu had failed in her gambit, but she hadn't left, as she usually did. Instead, she had brought herself physically to Tenchi, forcing Tsunami to once more show her hand and come physically to earth as well. What was Washu up to? Tsunami paced over the deck of the ship that bore her name, plotting for the war to come, and she knew it would. There was only one thing to do, as much as she dreaded doing it. She would have to bring Tenchi to her once and for all. She had hoped to wait a few more years to let Sasami finish her childhood, but there just wasn't any time left. If Washu had changed her tactics so much that Ryouko was trying the sweet and gentle approach, Tsunami had to act now before Washu could snatch Tenchi out from under her nose. Tsunami shed a silent tear, taking one last look out at the cosmos, then descended toward earth. *** The next morning at breakfast, everything had seemed back to normal. Ryouko had nearly gotten in a fight with Aeka (narrowly averted by the timely use of "please" by Sasami, causing both girls to glare at her, as neither of them had told her about their little agreement), Mihoshi had wolfed down thirds and made empty headed comments, and Sasami had been her bright cheery self. Yet something seemed amiss to Tenchi, some ineffable quality was missing from the group. He went out to work in the field again that day, and again Sasami brought him lunch. They talked about the weather and other nothings for quite sometime, until finally Tenchi maneuvered the conversation toward that mornings meal. "Sasami-chan, did you notice anything.... different at breakfast this morning?" he asked. Sasami looked at him funny. "Nope! Did you Tenchi- niichan?" Tenchi shrugged. "I guess it was just my imagination. Something just seemed... well, different!" Ryouko, who was watching from the brush a little ways away, could have told him what was different. It was Sasami, she looked... well, older, for one thing. It was as if she'd aged overnight. Ryouko was pretty sure that Aeka had noticed too, but Tenchi seemed oblivious. "Hey Sasami, wanna hear something else weird? Last night, Ryouko came and just _talked_ to me! Is that strange or what? I think I probably ought to ask Washu if she's replaced Ryouko with a robot again or something." Tenchi laughed. Sasami looked blank for a moment, then she too laughed. "Ah, maybe she's just growing up or something." "Yeah, maybe..." replied Tenchi. "Well, I gotta get back to start on dinner, see you later, Tenchi-niichan!" said Sasami, running off. Again Tenchi seemed oblivious to anything strange happening to Sasami, thought Ryouko. Ryouko certainly hadn't missed her delayed reaction to Tenchi's statement. Quietly Ryouko crept off. *** Sasami looked sadly at Tsunami in the water of the lake. "But... but Tsunami-chan... why?" Tsunami also looked sad, as she stared up into little Sasami's eyes. "I'm sorry Sasami-chan. I had hoped to let you grow up into a normal girl, letting this come on you slowly, but the situation has forced my hand. I have to have you grow up faster, in order for you... for us to be able to fight the things that are coming." Tears fell unchecked down Sasami's cheeks now. "Tsunami- chan, I'm scared... I'm not ready to... deal... with these new grown up things!" "I'm sorry Sasami-chan.. The fate of the Universe depends on us to see this through! I wish there were some other way, but there just isn't anymore time! Please Sasami, be brave. I'll try not to let too much of my consciousness spill over into yours too quickly." "I...I..." Sasami put her head down in the grass and sobbed. *** Washu shook her head sadly. It really was too bad for Sasami. Washu had grown quite fond of the little girl. Still, Tsunami had to learn from her own mistakes. Washu gave a bit of sigh, there was so much pain here... and she was pretty sure there was going to be a lot more before too long. She just wished that she wouldn't have to be the cause of so much of it... Still, it was the only way. *** Ryouko crept back through the brush, doing her best to keep Sasami in sight without giving away her presence. Sasami was obviously not heading back toward the house, instead she made her way to the far edge of the lake. Ryouko knelt down behind a bush, strategically out of Sasami's sight, but close enough that Ryouko could still see her. It appeared Sasami was talking to herself, and Ryouko strained her ears to make out what she was saying. "But... but Tsunami-chan... why?" Suddenly Ryouko heard a twig snapping to her right, and looked up just in time to see Aeka beginning to walk toward Sasami. Ryouko quickly reached and grabbed the elder princess, dragging her behind the bush and clapping a hand over her mouth. "Shh! Quiet Aeka! Listen!.." she said as quietly as she could, slowly releasing Aeka. Aeka shot her a mean glance at having been handled so, but reluctantly she did as Ryouko said. As the two girls watched Sasami break down into tears, all the missing pieces seemed to fall into place. Tsunami wanted Sasami to grow into her *now* not in ten years when she should. Ryouko cursed under her breath. This was just what she *didn't* need, another rival for Tenchi... especially one that looked like Tsunami. As Sasami got up and ran back toward the house, Ryouko and Aeka sat up, staring at each other, their rivalry momentarily forgotten. "This is bad.." started Ryouko. Aeka seemed to have a different take on it. Instead of being depressed at having another rival, she looked _mad_. "How... how dare she! Tsunami is robbing poor Sasami of her childhood!" Aeka's fists clinched in rage. "Woah woah woah, Oujosama... If it hadn't been for Tsunami, Sasami would never have even *had* a childhood." Aeka seemed to deflate a little, pondering that. Finally she hung her head. "That doesn't make it right!" Aeka looked up again, fixing Ryouko with a fierce stare. "We've got to do something Ryouko-san! We've got to stop Tsunami!" "Uh, sure Aeka... but how? Its not like we can go fight her or anything." "We'll find a way... We've got to!" *** Dinner was an interesting ordeal that evening at the Masaki residents. Conversation seemed non-existent, though Tenchi still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Aeka and Ryouko actually sat peacefully, neither speaking to the other, while Sasami seemed wrapped up in her own thoughts, rarely glancing up from her food. Mihoshi, at least, hadn't changed a bit. She quickly gobbled down everything she could get her chopsticks on. Tenchi sighed. Unable to take the deafening silence any longer, Tenchi decided it was up to him to start the conversation. "So, uh... What did you all do today?" Ryouko looked up at him, "Oh, you know... Just watched TV, nothing special... right Aeka?" she said, elbowing Aeka in the side. "Oh, oh yes... nothing interesting, just you know...." Aeka trailed off. Tenchi eyed the two of them skeptically. Something was definitely amiss here. As he examined the two girls, he couldn't help but notice that they would both occasionally take secretive glances at Sasami... Looking to the object of their consideration, Tenchi took a good long look at Sasami himself. The blue-haired girl immediately looked up and met his gaze. He found himself looking into eyes that just weren't right. It was as if their were two sets of eyes staring back at him, both the same hue, but one innocent and slightly sad, the other one ancient and powerful. There could only be one explanation for it... Tsunami. Sasami looked decidedly uncomfortable under the secretive scrutiny of the table, and found herself fidgeting every few minutes, picking at her food but not really consuming anything. It was almost like she could feel her body growing as she watched... she felt all awkward and strange, as though she was in someone else's skin. She'd been constantly bumping into things and knocking things over all day, completely unused to the length of her limbs. However, worse than her physical state, her emotional state seemed to be going through so many fluxes she had no idea what she was feeling at any given time... one minute she would feel like she was on top of the world, the next it would be all she could to do keep from breaking into tears. Suddenly Sasami became overly aware that everyone was watching her... and she looked up, meeting Tenchi's gaze. "What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Tenchi just swallowed hard and looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Secretly though, his heart leapt at the thought that perhaps his blue-haired goddess wouldn't make him wait 10 years for her to grow up... Aeka, however, answered Sasami's question. "Tsunami..." she hissed, staring at Sasami. "Why are you doing this? I demand that you leave my sister alone!" Sasami just stared at her sister in shock, not knowing how to respond to that, but then she felt something else well up within her, pushing her consciousness to the side. Suddenly she was completely without control of herself, but she could hear herself saying. "Aeka, I do these things for my own reasons, reasons that I cannot explain to you at this time. Sasami will always be your sister..." As quickly as she was forced to relinquish control of herself, she had it back, and she found herself staring into several very shocked faces. Everyone was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and horror, and suddenly it was just too much for her. Feeling tears begin to run down her face, she dashed up the stairs and into her room. *** Tokimi's ship drift across the blackness of space, the goddess herself staring out the window. Slowly she looked away, a smile creasing her usually emotionless face. Tsunami was far too inexperienced to be any sort of a threat. She'd never even see Tokimi's attack coming. --- Author's note: Phew! Well, this chapter has certainly been a long time in coming. I started love's labor lost all the way back in march, and wrote the first chapter (which was the first thing I posted to RAAC and the FFML) and wrote about half of this chapter... then promptly stopped writing it until today. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from this series, and I really do want to do a lot of exciting and interesting things with it, but I've just found it so hard to get in the mood to write Tenchi lately that I haven't really been willing to pick it up. Anyway, hopefully I'll be doing more of it now, though I wouldn't expect another chapter for at least a month, PHD is just taking up too much of my limited writing time (which I should, probably, have been working on instead of this, but oh well.) An update of PHD 3's progress: it's about half done. I know I posted that teaser last week saying I'd have it finished last weekend, but I just haven't had time to write, things have gotten really hectic around here. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think! C&C always appreciated, even flames, so drop me a line! Ryan Anderson andersor@cs.colorado.edu http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~andersor/fanfic/fanfic.html http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~andersor/tenchi/ryoko.html End Part 2