Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Choices and Consequences ❯ Can Sorrow Become Hope? ( Chapter 11 )

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: Can Sorrow Become Hope?

I do not own Tenchi Muyo, or any of its characters or ideas, but I wish I did. As for this story, it was written as a sort of what if, while I wait for OVA 3 and GXP to be released stateside. I started on this after wondering, what if he actually did make a choice? For those that have read the "True Tenchi Novels" that detail the backgrounds on the characters, I have not read those. I guess you could say that this is an AU as I have made certain decisions on their backgrounds to fit my story. And if the Character appear OOC, there is a good reason.

I want to send a very BIG THANKS out to Doug Dennis, Top Quark (Shadow Quark) and Chendzeea Li for helping me with this story.

+++++

From Last time:

"I meant what I said in there… I know we got the words off that silly show as you called it," she looked down at him and she saw the pain in his eyes. "It may have been a stupid TV show, but I wanted to tell you the same things… I will be there, through better or worse…" her voice choked up and Ayeka caught on to what she meant.

"I meant it too," his eyes turned to Ayeka. "We watched that same show together; it only made sense to same the same things to you, for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health… Since we were not having a typical Juraian or even a typical wedding at your grandfathers' shrine we made up our own lines… be we meant them."

Tenchi didn't know what to say, he felt unfit for them, not just because of his appearance now, not just because he could no longer protect them, but also because of what he had just done. Ryoko stomped over to where Ayeka was sitting on the bed and he could feel her fury through the floor. Picking Ayeka up Ryoko turned towards him. "If you don't want us, we'll leave… I'm sorry we… we…"

"We're leaving the decision to you," Ayeka finished. And with that, Ryoko flew past him. He watched as they left him, lying on the floor, in a pool of his own self pity, self doubt and a pool of his own tears. Hearing the door open, he turned to see that Ryoko had set Ayeka down for a moment, before picking her back up. Tenchi could only watch in agony as both sides of his heart prepared to leave him, leave him behind… possibly forever.

++++++

And now

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: Can Sorrow Become Hope?

Before Ryoko's feet even left the floor, he knew his answer, and though his voice was strained, they heard it, "Wait…" Ryoko did not want to look around; she was too scared that she had gone too far. Ayeka peeked over Ryoko's shoulder to see Tenchi trying hard to turn himself over. "Don't… go…" he pleaded.

"Why not?" Ayeka asked surprised at her own harshness.

"I… Love you… both of you…"

"Then why…" Ryoko started as she turned around to see him. Just the sight of him made her heart twist in pain.

"I… I-I'm scared…" he said as he tried to kneel only to fall backwards against the table. He gestured down at himself helplessly; "I can't protect either of you anymore… I can't even sit up…"

"I think you're forgetting something Tenchi." All eyes turned to Washu who was sitting on her floating pillow. Had this been under better circumstances she might have enjoyed the show of emotions between them. "When you were on the Soujya and later in space and on the Ryo-Ohki, you were standing."

Ryoko suddenly looked up in sudden remembrance, "That's right he was!"

"How?" Ayeka and Tenchi both wanted to know.

Waving her hand a video screen appeared from when they were on the Soujya. In it, all of them could see Tenchi standing on his feet, but what was so amazing was that his missing leg was glowing and partially translucent. "You see Tenchi, the wings created not only a leg for you to stand on, but an arm as well."

His two wives returned to his side as the three of them watched it. "I never really thought about how… I mean how you did that… I just thought you were…" Ryoko told him as she sat Ayeka on the bed again then helped him off the floor.

The three sat on the table watching as Washu bombarded them with information. He could feel both of his wives holding on to him and he began to silently curse his new inability to hold them both. Though he listened to Washu, he was not very hopeful in what she was saying. Something was nagging at him; he had a sinking feeling that the implants she was talking about would not work.

"So you see…" Washu continued, and he had to blink a few times to realize he had missed a lot. "He can still generate a leg and arm with the wings, but it demands concentration and energy. That's why he can't rely on those permanently, however by inserting a few parts here and here,' she said pointing to a diagram of his body. "I can give him some mobility back."

"But…" Ayeka started to ask; as she had a feeling that something was being left out.

"Well, since Tenchi's never let me really study the wings before I don't know how they will handle the implants… I mean things could be great and they would be unaffected… or the wings could burn them out or disintegrate the parts."

"I see your point…" Ayeka added sadly.

"I guess we'll have to take that chance," Tenchi said slowly. "But what about my arm?" He didn't want to say it, but he missed being able to hold them both. He thought that without his leg he could survive, but he felt like he was dying since he could not hold them, both.

"That is an easier problem to fix, you see your arm was cut off around the elbow, but the… um… stub… that remains at least gives me something to attach the replacement to. Since your leg is missing entirely as is a part of the hip I can't just attach it to anything right now."

He just sighed and resigned himself to his fate. "Ok but when could you have the arm ready… since it requires less."

"I could give you one of many different arms, but I need to get some scans of your current arm, other wise the replacement will…" she hesitated trying to find the way to say what she had thought, "not look right…"

"Ok, let's get to this then."

"It's not that simple Tenchi, I need to get scans, and then I need to build it and then…"

"OK, ok… I get the point… I won't have it in the next five minutes…" his sigh was heard and Washu for once cursed her inability to make something for him that quickly.

"I'm sorry…" she said softly.

"Washu… you don't need to…"

"The hell I do! Damn it! It was my ship that caused this problem, it was my design that allowed him to hurt you and I can't seem to think fast enough to… to…"

"Washu…" he called again. "I'll live… get some rest." The look in his eyes warmed her though she still hated not being able to help faster. "It wasn't your fault that they used your ship that way… you aren't to blame." Ayeka and Ryoko saw the love returning to his normal self and they were happy in that he could, after what has happened forgive like this. They were still hurt from earlier, but they knew that he loved them.

For her part Washu nodded tearfully, she was still feeling like she had failed him yet again, and she wondered how she could consider herself a genius if everything she had made was taken from her and used in such an evil way. Even her own daughter had been ruthlessly taken and forced to destroy, 'it's just not right!' And it wasn't once, but many times now her daughter had been taken from them, and him. She could scarcely feel the desire to call herself the greatest in light of what has happened recently. She watched as Ryoko and Ayeka now both helped Tenchi out of the lab, and back into the house.

Moving into the house had been interesting as Ryoko still clutched his mangled left side, her tears not yet reaching her eyes, and she could barely keep her composure. She knew that this wasn't her fault, but it was still the power of her gems, that had taken this away from him. They stopped suddenly as a set of feet appeared in her vision from where she was watching the floor. Looking up, she was met by a face she had learned to hate for seven hundred years. Then after barely becoming able to come to terms that the old man was the same person that was stripped away and he had been proven to be young again. During the past five years she had come to forgive him as their perfect fantasy had played out like a dream, a dream that has been shattered now.

Before Ryoko could move though a hand had slapped his face, and though she knew he could have deflected it, he didn't. "Damn it brother!" The owner of the voice shouted causing Ryoko to look at Ayeka surprised. "I bet you are here just to patronize him, to tell him that you still plan on having your silly little fight…" tears were running down her cheeks as she stood there impassive and seemingly uncaring. "What gave you the right to destroy my life!"

He looked at her, his gaze unwavering, "Destroy?"

"Yes DAMN IT!" Even Mihoshi and Sasami were caught off guard not only by her words, but also by her voice. "Even now you know…" A quiet voice and a gentle squeeze stopped her protest.

"Ayeka…" Tenchi told her quietly, "Let me." She nodded and Yosho looked at his grandson, the look in Tenchi's eyes spoke louder than his next words. "Lord Yosho, I will die before I let either of my wives be taken from me. Now if you will move aside, we've had a hard day." Tenchi smiled at the surprised look he received from his grandfather. Gripping his loves as tight as he could without having both arms, he let them lead him upstairs.

As they rounded the corner and were out of eyesight Yosho placed a hand on his cheek and cringed at the bruise he felt. Though it still hurt he smiled, 'You've grown up, all of you… finally.' Turning around, he walked briskly out of the house trying to shake the pain out of his jaw.

Sasami had been speechless, she'd never heard her sister talk like that, but now she smiled and looked at Mihoshi who also was surprised. The little princess just smiled though and returned to the kitchen. 'Well since they went upstairs, I guess they won't be here for dinner… I know I'll take it to them!' Humming happily she made dinner for her family. When everything was ready, she was only slightly disappointed when only Nobuyuki and Mihoshi were the only ones to show up. She knew that Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka would not be there, but she had expected Washu to be. Sighing she had Nobuyuki help her take dinner to the three upstairs. Of course, Mihoshi wanted to help too, but with her bad habit of tripping Sasami didn't want her to carry the food. Thinking quickly, Sasami had agreed to let Mihoshi carry the utensils and napkins and such.

After getting the three started on dinner, Sasami went back downstairs with Mihoshi and Nobuyuki. She was surprised that Washu was still not out, so making a plate for her, she had Nobuyuki carry it in to her knowing that Mihoshi would probably only make the scientist upset. Nobuyuki she thought was overjoyed at the idea, and he happily took Washu her dinner allowing Mihoshi and Sasami a chance to eat.

Stepping into the lab, Nobuyuki was surprised that he didn't see her anywhere. He began to call out, "Washu… Oh Little Washu?" In the distance, he heard the faint sound of cursing so he headed in that direction. Arriving where she was he was surprised by the number of wires and parts that littered the area around her. Again and again, he could hear her muttering and cursing about something. "Miss Washu?"

"What!" She nearly screamed as she turned around. When she saw who it was she relaxed and slumped into a chair.

"Are you ok?" She just shook her head as he handed her a bowl of noodles. As she ate, Nobuyuki looked at the thing on the table. Had it not had the millions of wires protruding from it he might have mistook it for a cybernetic leg. Looking around he noticed many different pictures, scans and charts for Tenchi and he smiled for a moment. The scans and pictures had showed what he looked like, with both legs. That realization caused him to frown and become discouraged for a moment. "I… I see you're building him a leg…" He tried hard to sound at least some what positive.

She just nodded her head and finished off the noodles. "I'm trying…"

"But?"

"But nothing seems right… I mean look at this one…" she held up a completed leg and he guessed it looked ok. "I had just finished the exterior and had it matched up with his scan here." She pointed to a screen.

"Well that sounds good."

"NO it's not; did you know he's grown a few inches since that was taken? When I realized that I had to throw this one out because he can't walk on it as it's too short now."

"I see, so what are you doing with this one?"

She sighed heavily, "I was trying to build it so that it would auto-adjust to his other leg…"

"And?" He asked excitedly.

Shaking her head, she looked at him then at the leg. "I have tried a number of things, but it won't adjust properly, it seems that the materials can't be so precisely adjusted. It will be either just a little short, or a little long. But even then I have the problem of how is it going to connect and how is he going to control it?"

"I see; that could be a problem." Nobuyuki thought about it, and he remembered seeing that part of Tenchi's hip was gone. "What about just growing another part or cloning it?"

She let out a short laugh, "I could grow it easy enough, but I still need a way to connect it. But even then, the place where his hip joint should be is gone! I would have to install a hip joint, and then have to try and re-connect his leg back to his spine and… and…"

"And?" He asked and she could see in his eyes that he believed she could do it.

"I've never tried anything like that before…" she acknowledged sadly. "I've learned enough about anatomy and biology to create Ryoko, and make her as perfect as I could." Washu sat down on her floating pillow feeling horrible. Mainly she felt that she is letting everyone down because she just never learned how to do this, with Ryoko she never needed to.

Nobuyuki was looked at her shocked. "Oh, I never knew… I mean you just seemed to be so good at everything…" She felt even worse as he tried to cheer her up. "…I mean even when they cut off Ryoko's hands they grew back and you can't even tell it…" she kept catching small phrases from him but was not paying much attention. "Washu… Washu?"

"Huh? Sorry…" she felt even worse because she had brushed him off.

"It's ok; I just asked how did you replace Ryoko's hand? Tenchi told me once before that he and grandpa had cut off one, but I couldn't ever tell it was gone."

"No, she did that. The Masu allows her to regenerate limbs once they have been cut off."

"To bad Tenchi doesn't have that power. Then he could re-grow his arm and leg."

Washu snorted, "Yea but he doesn't have any…" she paused and her eyes went wide.

"I know; he doesn't have any Mass or what ever you call those things." He turned around to look at her and she still had her eyes open wide. "Washu?"

"Nobuyuki you're a genius!" She shouted then grabbing two handfuls of his hair; she pulled him into a kiss.

The kiss would have been broken immediately, but for one thing. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. He wasn't sure of a number of things. Mostly why she had called him that, and secondly why had she kissed him. But he wasn't about to complain about either, or even give up a kiss. Not only that but he was not sure at what point in the kiss that his arms had wrapped around her pulling her closer. He paused only long enough in the kiss as he felt her body changing and he sighed happily to have her in her adult form. In her child form she was cute, and still Washu, but he preferred her more mature looking form, not only that she had larger breasts in that form which he could now feel pressing against him.

'I may be a dirty old man, but at least I'm happy,' he thought as the kiss finally broke.

"Nobuy…. I-I…"

"It's ok," he told her smiling before planting a small kiss on her chin earning a low moan from her. "Would you mind telling me why you…" thinking of the best way to say it he paused. "Why'd you call me a genius?"

"Don't you see?" She said excitedly, "he can't regenerate because he doesn't have the Masu cells in him!" He looked at her confused and she chased the stray thought of how cute he looked away. "Ok it's like this, he can't regenerate because he doesn't have the Masu, but if we were to assimilate the Masu into him then…"

"Then he can reg…regen… damn it, re-grow," he smiled at her before continuing, "His leg and arm."

"Damn Right!" She squealed happily. "Not only that but the Masu will grow with him and they aren't damaged by the Light Hawk Wings!"

He looked confused, "Why were you worried about that?"

Hoping out of his arms her mind protested a little, as did he. "Well you see, the wings he has seems to work best with organic things, and I was worried that if I placed a cybernetic joint or parts in him then every time he used the wings it could melt the implants, destroy the leg… or it could continue to function."

To say the least he was amazed, "I never thought of that."

"I know… I didn't until today." She turned away from him; ashamed of her own inability's again.

Stepping up behind her he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back towards him as he held her tight. "I knew you could help him, he has faith in you… so do I," he said as he kissed her neck, though he was not sure why. He guessed it was to show her his support, or his belief that she could do it. What ever his reasons, his simple kiss did not stay so simple.

When the sun finally crested over the mountains guarding the Masaki Valley, it brought its light to a family that has had a very dark night. One in which everyone involved hoped that they could awake from it as though it was a bad dream. Sadly, it was not a dream, and as realization set in for three of the families' members, one after the other closed their eyes and for a brief moment tried to go back into their dreams. Where they knew it was only a dream and when they awoke everything would be ok again.

For Ryoko the night, her dreams and the reality of things were weighing heavily on her mind. Over the past five years, she had become very used to the feeling of him beside her. How his arm would hold her as she slept, how his leg would become entwined with hers as they slept. Now, there was no arm to hold her, there was no leg to become entwined with, and though she could feel the rise and fall of his chest, and she could hear his breathing, she felt alone. Lying beside him, although she loved him more than her own life, had become its own torture, a reminder of how her power had hurt him.

Many times, she had thought there was a way to use her power to bring him back to normal, but she couldn't discover how. It had taken her over five thousand years to actually create her own Light Hawk Wings, 'would it take another five thousand to learn how to use them?' This and other thoughts had plagued her mind, and her dreams.

'Ryoko,' a voice sounded off in her mind.

'Go away.'

'Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko, R-Y-O-K-O,' the voice taunted over and over again.

'What?' She mentally screamed.

'I found the answer…' it taunted.

Ryoko sat up in the bed eyes wide. 'You… you did?'

"Ryoko are you ok?" Tenchi asked from beside her.

She just nodded at him, 'Tell me… what did you find out?'

'I need you and Ryo-Ohki in my lab in ten minutes,' she heard Washu tell her then she was gone.

'Washu… Washu…' she was greeted with silence, "Damn it." She looked at him and she smiled, 'maybe she's not playing with me.' Kissing Tenchi quickly, she rushed out of the room saying to him, "Washu needs me in the lab, I'll be right back…" and then she was gone.

"That was strange," Ayeka said getting up.

"Yes, it was…" he added then they too began trying to get ready for the day.

Ryoko flew down the stairs; grabbed Ryo-Ohki before she was even awake as was in the lab a few seconds later. She could feel her mothers' presence, and more importantly, she could feel that her mom was happy about something and she guessed it was about what ever she discovered. Bolting through the door leading to where she knew Washu was she was not ready for the sight that greeted her. In front of her was a bed, but not any bed, but Washu's. But most importantly on the bed was the nude forms of her mother and Nobuyuki, both barely covered by the sheets and they were currently locked in a passionate kiss.

"M-M-MOM!" She screeched out.

The kiss stopped cold and both of them looked nervous. Nobuyuki jerked the covers up over his head, as Washu sighed. "I said ten minutes, not ten seconds."

"B-b-but…" Ryoko stuttered as Washu poked her head under the covers and with Ryoko's sensitive hearing she could hear yet another kiss before Washu pulled herself away from him. As she moved out of the bed Ryoko was shocked to see that her mom was in her adult form again, but she was unable to comment on it.

Pulling Ryoko out of the room, she began to explain her ideas. "I need you and Ryo-Ohki to go on a hunting trip for me…"

"A hunting trip?"

"Yes, I need you to track down and capture more Masu. I…" she noticed that Ryoko was not understanding why she needed them. "What would you say if I told you I could get Tenchi's arm and leg to grow back, without surgery?"

"What!? You can do that?"

"Yep, Nobuy helped me discover the answer. He can be such a genius at times…" she stopped at looked at her daughter, "Don't tell him that." Ryoko nodded mutely, this was bordering on too much for her to handle. "Good, I have created a stasis pod that I can put into Ryo-Ohki's ship form and I have modified this pulse cannon to only stun the Masu so it can be captured."

"Ok…"

"When you get back, I can then get Tenchi to assimilate with the Masu which will give him the ability to regenerate his body at will."

"REALLY?" Ryoko began to hop around happily.

"Yes, and the faster you get there the better, I can upload the coordinates to Ryo-Ohki easy enough, when will you be leaving?"

"Right now!" Ryoko shouted and after Washu had given the information to them, they were gone. The only sound that the rest of the family heard was Ryo-Ohki's excited cries as the two of them flew up into the air.

Washu just grinned at her daughter, then disconnecting her lab from the house she returned to her bedroom, where Nobuyuki was waiting. She stepped through the door to see him trying to pull his pants on, "No way," she grinned at his flustered look. "You promised that we'd go out this weekend, well, I want to stay in…"

Her grin caused him to blush and as she stalked towards him she banished her clothes again, 'I won't be needed these for a while.' For his part, Nobuyuki just grinned and dropped the trousers before they were even up past his knees before she had kissed him and pushed him back onto the bed.

From inside the house Tenchi and Ayeka could hear Ryo-Ohki leaving. Looking out their window they say the ship vanish into the sky. "I wonder where she's going." Ayeka asked out loud.

"I have not a clue, but I think Ryoko is with her."

She turned towards him, "How can you tell?"

"I-I'm not sure… I more feel that she's not here than anything."

"Oh, I see." She looked back out the window. "I wonder where they are going then."

"I haven't a clue," he told her then the two of them worked to get him dressed and downstairs for breakfast.

Since Tenchi was missing part of his hip and leg he could not hold himself up without help, so Ayeka set him on the end of the couch as she went about getting breakfast for him. For Tenchi, this was a test of patience and his emotions. He felt useless as he watched Ayeka waddling around the house getting things for him. 'I can't stand this!' he mentally yelled. With each stoop, he wondered what would happen if she fell over, or if she got hurt, what would he do then? 'Damn it, I've got to do something… I won't live like this.' Tenchi closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, he knew he was able to call the wings before, so he was hoping that he could do it again.

As he concentrated he heard Ayeka moan and he looked up to see her holding her stomach. "Ayeka!"

Before he even registered what he was doing, Tenchi was beside her, holding her up from where she had nearly fell over. "Oh thank you Tenchi… I…" she stopped as she realized he was standing on two feet.

When she gasped, he looked to see his second foot was a ghostly sight. In the light it was barely even visible. But when they moved out of the light, he could see the white opaque leg that the wings had created for him. "Tenchi… you're foot…"

"And my hand…" he said reaching out towards her. Ayeka recoiled at first unsure if it would hurt her or not. Looking at his saddened expression she reached out and touched it.

What followed was more than either of them had planned on. Ayeka felt her body temperature rising and the searing heat seemed almost unbearable. However, just moments after that heat, there was nothing, only coolness and looking at her hand in his ghostly one, she did not see any damage to it. 'That's a relief,' she thought.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't think it would hurt,' he responded.

She smiled at him; 'even now he's more concerned about me.'

'I will always be concerned…' it was in that moment as he answered her that they both realized the truth of the situation. They had been talking to each other, without opening their lips.

"Ayeka… I was…AHEEE!!" Sasami screamed as she saw the two of them. Before her, both Tenchi and Ayeka seemed to be enveloped in a white light. However in the instant that she screamed the light vanished, and he fell towards the floor.

Ayeka stopped his fall and both of them staggered over to the couch before falling onto it. "Tenchi… are you ok?"

'Yea…' he responded mentally hoping he could still hear her, but he was met only by silence. "Yea… I'm ok. I guess." He grumbled the rest and she sighed of relief.

"Isn't there a better place to do that?" A voice called to them from the doorway. Ayeka jumped up trying to say nothing was going on when she tripped over his foot and ended up falling back onto the couch.

Tenchi was glad to see that she was not hurt, but the mere possibility of her getting hurt seemed to ignite his anger again. Before any of them could breathe, Tenchi was holding his grandfather up off the floor with one glowing hand. "Leave her alone! Don't you think you have caused enough pain to her for one lifetime? If you still want to fight, let's get this over with!" Tenchi then tossed his surprised grandfather back, and through the glass doors, Tenchi followed closely with a sword appeared in his hand.

Ayeka watched in horror as Tenchi advanced on Yosho, and she was not sure what she felt. Inside she was scared, excited, proud, and nervous. From the look on Yosho's face, he seemed to mirror some of her feelings as well. Finally able to take no more, she screamed out, "Tenchi!"

Upon hearing Ayeka's voice, he turned to look at her and he could literally feel her fear. Turing back to see his grandfather, he noticed that his sword was at his grandfathers neck. "Oh gods…" he mumbled before falling over. This time is was Yosho that caught him. "I… I'm sorry…" he tried to apologize.

"No Tenchi, I should apologize. I only forced that duel on you to get you to take a stand and defend them. You have, and last night when you talked to me, I knew that you had won the duel."

"But… we didn't even…"

"I know, but even with out being capable of fighting you would have fought to defend them. Your honor, and my sisters' honor, is in tact. There will be no duel as you have already won."

"I have…"

"Yes, I was merely suggesting that you two take yourselves back to your room if you're going to be doing that on the couch." Yosho laughed as Tenchi grumbled.

"But we weren't doing anything!"

+++++

To be continued…

I could always use help with pre-reading the story before the next chapter is posted. If you would like to help please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffru/
I have the next several chapters posted there for my beta readers to help me on.