Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Ryoko's Sacrifice ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N The owner of Tenchi Muyo is actually Pioneer and AIC and some author, whom I give
many thanks for creating such a wonderful universe and characters and a truly
unique situation. Cheers.

however the ideas in this story are mine, if you wish to use them contact
me FIRST at either ring_princess@hotmail.com or ring_princess2001@yahoo.com the worst
I'll say is no.

I just reread my own story and realize WHY people like it so much. (slaps forehead) okay,
I need to write this more often. HUMOR!!!!! I apologize for not updating in over
six months, that is a crime against humanity. (wink) hope you like the new chapter

Ryoko's Sacrifice
Part Eight: Nesting
by N. RingPrincess


Ryoko was humming again. Her hands were on hips and she was staring at the kitchen cupboards
in vexation. She stopped humming for a moment. "How come the very things I want are on the
TOP shelf? I really need to speak to Noboyuki or even Tenchi."

"About what?" Tenchi's voice said from behind her.

Ryoko whirled and her jaw dropped. "Your home!" She gasped.

Tenchi grinned, it was hard to get the drop on Ryoko. He then shrugged. "Yep, now
what did you want to talk to me about?"

"These cupboards." Ryoko waved her hand at them. "They're too high, I always have to use
a chair to get what I want, and so does Sasami. I was wondering if you or your father could
move them down a bit, so it wouldn't be so hard."

She looked over at Tenchi, he was standing there silently staring at the cupboards. "I'd
forgotten how tall mother actually was." He whispered.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tenchi. Maybe I shouldn't. . ." Ryoko began.

"No, you're right Ryoko, these cupboards are too high for you and Sasami and even Washu.
We should bring them down, there is more than enough room and then I don't know you can
decorate the tops or something." Tenchi shrugged. "I'll go ask Dad for a hammer."

Ryoko's eyes widened. "You don't have to start now!" She protested.

Tenchi grinned. "No time like the present to do something." He walked over and gave her
a hug. "I'm doing this for you, let me do it, okay."

Ryoko blushed. "Okay."

Tenchi let go of her and headed out of the room. "Hammer, hammer." He was muttering. "I
know we have one somewhere."

Ryoko waved a hand in front of her hot face. "He confuses me." She muttered.

Funaho walked into the room. "Why is Tenchi looking for a hammer, Ryoko?"

"Oh, Lady Funaho, would you help me empty these cupboards? Tenchi is going to lower them.
You must agree they are much too high." Ryoko suited actions to words and began to
empty the shelves nearest to her.

Funaho walked around the table. "Yes, they are high, but Noboyuki tells me that Achika was
a tall woman."

"Yes, she was." Ryoko agreed, then smiled. "She loved Tenchi and Noboyuki so much." Ryoko
sighed. "For the short time that she was with them, she was a fine mother. Tenchi and
Noboyuki still honor her memory every winter." Ryoko turned her head to look at Funaho. "I
think it is very sweet of them to do so. I am going to join them this year."

Funaho started slightly, and set down the stack of plates in her hands. "That is very kind
of you Ryoko."

"I wish I had been able to know her." Ryoko sighed, her shoulders drooped slightly, then
she smiled brightly. "I guess knowing Tenchi is a way of knowing her though."

Funaho nodded. "I agree. You love Tenchi very much, don't you Ryoko?"

Ryoko smiled, her lips turned up ever so slightly and her eyelids dropped over
her amber eyes, giving her a extremely soft appearance. "Tenchi is everything to me. He
freed me from the darkness, and taught me what love really was."

Funaho stared at the ex-pirate. "I see."

"I found a hammer, oh hello Lady Funaho." Tenchi broke in on their conversation.

Ryoko turned to Tenchi, face brightening. "Good, Lady Funaho was helping me empty the
cupboards so you can take them down."

Tenchi laughed. "I'll help too, or the both of you will be here all day."

"Don't you have chores, Tenchi?" Funaho questioned.

Tenchi grinned sheepishly. "I informed Dad and Grandpa of what I was doing."

"Oh." Funaho blinked, surprised. "I thought it was taking you that long to find a
hammer."

"I asked Dad and he asked me why I needed one and told me to tell grandpa and there you
have it."

Funaho raised an eyebrow, but turned back to taking dishes out of the cupboards.

Ryoko returned to humming and then suddenly blinked. "I forgot the entire reason why
I was in here." She slapped her forehead. "I mustn't get so caught up in things."

Tenchi was laughing silently, shoulders shaking as he set down a pile of casserole dishes.

"This isn't funny Tenchi." Ryoko glanced at him.

"That is a matter of opinion, Ryoko." Tenchi grinned.

Ryoko sighed.

Funaho smiled. "Ryoko was telling me that you and your father honor your mother's death
every winter, Tenchi."

Tenchi nodded. "Yes, She is buried near the lake. I can show you her grave sometime if
you'd like, Lady Funaho."

"No. That isn't necessary. I was thinking though that was a wonderful tradition."

"It is a way for us to remember her." Tenchi nodded.

Ryoko was carefully taking down vases. "Tell me before you go this year, Tenchi."

"You would like to come."

"Of course. You are my family Tenchi." Ryoko looked over at him, catching his eyes. He
winked at her, she winked back.

"I'll remember to do that, Ryoko."

Funaho smiled softly. "Family is important to you, Ryoko."

Ryoko nodded. "None of us would be here without family, Lady Funaho."

Funaho nodded, but inwardly she was pondering over Ryoko's words.

--------------------------------

Sasami greeted the change to the kitchen enthusiastically and settled down with to a
long conversation with Ryoko on how to decorate the tops.

Ryoko had a pile of sake cups in front of her. "We have so many of them, we should
display a few."

Sasami clapped her hands. "I know what we can do."

Ryoko looked over at her, eyebrows raised.

"We can get some fake flowers and use the sake cups and some of the vases."

Ryoko pulled one off the pile. "This one has always been my favorite." She turned the
pale blue cup in her hand, it was more like a saucer and had a rim of gold and a border
of delicate white cherry blossoms.

"Then you should have it for your own room, Ryoko." Sasami grinned. She also began
to play with the sake cups. "You know, if you had the right materials you could make
a fountain with these."

"That is a wonderful idea, Sasami." Ryoko grinned. "But how?"

"Well, you'd have to have pump and a hose and something else other than the sake cup, Little
Ryoko. A fountain would be just the thing, very soothing."

"The thing for what, mother?" Ryoko wrinkled her nose.

::The nursery.::

::Oh.::

"It would, Lil' Washu." Sasami giggled.

"Now, what is going on here?" Washu mused as she looked about the renovated kitchen.

"Oh, Tenchi moved the cupboards down," Sasami gushed. "It was Ryoko's idea. Now
we can get things easier. We were discussing how to decorate the tops, they look so bare."

::I do believe your nesting, dear.:: Washu commented dryly to Ryoko privately.

"Meow, Meow, Mia MiYA!" Ryo-ohki added emphatically.

Ryoko and Washu laughed.

Sasami pulled Ryo-ohki off her head and shook her head. "That wasn't nice Ryo-ohki. You
should apologize to her."

"MIYA!" Ryo-ohki shook her head.

"It is okay, Sasami." Ryoko giggled. "I don't think you heard her quite correctly."

"Oh, I am learning though."

"Yep, you are, and that is no mean feat." Washu chuckled. "I made her speech difficult
on purpose." She cocked her head and raised a magenta eyebrow. "I think though, she may
be giving you a bit of help."

Sasami blinked. "Really."

"She likes you, Sasami." Ryoko grinned. "But beyond the obvious, you are friends, friends
should be able to understand each other."

"Now, enough of this, on to making that fountain." Washu interrupted.

"And decorating those cupboards." Ryoko nodded.

--------------------------

Aeka sighed as she stared around the kitchen. "Was this really necessary, Tenchi?" She
asked the rooms only other occupant for the moment.

Tenchi shrugged. "It made them happy, who am I to argue?"

"Lord Tenchi, just because Ryoko says something is the matter doesn't automatically mean
that something is." Aeka sighed.

"Now, Princess, even YOU had trouble with the cupboards, not that you're in the kitchen
much to use them anyways." Tenchi countered.

Aeka blushed. "Maybe you are right Tenchi."

"I think they are doing a wonderful job." Tenchi gazed around the tops of the cupboards,
"But I have a feeling they aren't done yet. Not with Washu helping them."

"She has them cornered in her lab, working on who know's what at the moment." Aeka wrinkled
her nose. "I just hope it isn't tacky."

"I never do tacky, Ms. Aeka." Washu defended herself from the doorway. "Extravagent,
perhaps."

"We do not need flowers made of solid gold." Ryoko sighed as she walked around Washu. "Help
me up, Tenchi." She commanded as she pulled out a chair.

"Ryoko, how. . ." Aeka began, but Tenchi was already helping her up onto a chair.

Sasami bounced in, "I think we got all of them." Her arms were loaded with yellow flowers.
Ryo-ohki perched on top of her head, flowers tucked behind both ears and also carrying
a few in her arms.

Washu sighed. "The solid gold would last longer though, Little Ryoko."

"I want yellow flowers, not gold." Ryoko crossed her arms. "Sasami agrees with me, two
against one, the yellow wins."

Tenchi snickered.

"I don't know why this had to be a democracy." Washu humphed, crossing her arms under
her expansive chest.

Tenchi looked between daughter and mother and chuckled.

Ryoko purposefully undid her arms and glared at him.

He managed to get his laugh under control.

"Mother, just help me put them up, I can't tell exactly where each one would look
best."

Funaho walked in after hearing all the commotion from the living room.

"First you took the cupboards down, then you cleaned them and now your decorating." Funaho
shook her head. "I wish I had so much energy."

Ryoko peered over her shoulder. "What do you think, Lady Funaho, Gold or yellow?"

"The yellow is fine." Funaho smiled. "I couldn't imagine a gold chrysanthemum."

Washu grinned and opened up a space portal.

"Here she goes, showing off again." Ryoko moaned as she placed more of the large yellow
flowers between the sake cups and the vases.

"Hah! You are just jealous of my genius, Lil Ryoko." Washu declared as she pulled the
solid gold chrysanthemum out of the hole. "It is quite heavy so be careful." She warned
as she handed it to Funaho.

Funaho lifted it up and down to gauge the weight, but admired the work that went into it.

"Besides, my daughter is a hypocrite that right there is going on the fountain we are making
together." Washu smirked.

Ryoko flushed. "MOM!"

Sasami stared at the vases. "We forgot the cherry sprigs, Ryoko." She dashed off to get
them.

"Along with the brass branches and mother of pearl cherry flowers and malachite
eucalyptus."

Tenchi raised his eyebrows.

"Don't forget the ordinary bamboo mother." Ryoko sighed. "And the lake pebbles."

"Oh yes, and the precious stones mixed in with them." Washu shook her head. "Really, Ryoko."

"You are the scientist, you SAID it would be easy." Ryoko reached over to place another
flower. "And you proclaim yourself the greatest genius in the universe. This should be
simple for you."

Washu rolled her eyes. "Simple yes, it is. I just think this is extravagent for a simple
fountain."

"Hey, I wasn't the one to ordinarily suggest all those things." Ryoko pointed out.

Sasami returned out of breath and grabbed another chair and began to place the with
Ryo-ohki's help into the vases she could reach.

Ryoko got off the chair and sat down, watching as Sasami went around the room putting
up the rest of the flowers and cherry sprigs.

"It sounds very beautiful, Ryoko." Funaho smiled.

"Thank you, Lady Funaho."

"So, when is the baby going to be born?" Funaho winked at the dumbfounded shock of
all those in the room.

------------------------

END CHAPTER!!!!

(giggles, that is rude of me I suppose.) (apologies on the lateness.)

Okay, Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the right to pound on me more if I don't get
chapters of this out sooner. I forgot how much fun this is to write. (hee hee hee)