Authors Note: Please don't hurt me or my family, I didn't write this to generate income. All characters belong to AIC and Pioneer, therefore, I own nothing of this story except the order of the words themselves. Reprint as much as you like, I don't care. I just had to write this. -Geno Calamari Eyes: A story about the first moments of awareness. `And people wonder why I watch him,' she smiled sweetly as he stirred underneath the covers, `don't they realize? Don't they see what I see in him?' She sighed happily at the idea, and floated down closer to him, `it's the look in his eyes, when he first wakes up, that look does it for me every time.' Again, she sighed, `He looks so relax, so tranquil. The serenity of the whole thing really gets me. He looks that way only at certain times, certain special ways, should you know what to look for. And sadly, he rarely ever does it for me. The calm, relaxed, and easy-going look makes me melt, like cheap GP cruisers.' Her thoughts turned bitter for just a second. `Oh sure, he gives it to the Princess, but she always did need a confidence-booster from time-to-time. I mean, honestly, what has she ever done to deserve that look?' she pondered as though reality itself would answer. `Huh?' Silence. `I'm waiting?' No reply. As though her theories were vindicated, she readjusted her position in the air and smiled victoriously, `I thought so.' Sadness took her again, as she looked down across the prone form of her could-be-amoroso, `But I have to watch closely, because the instant he sees that I'm here, he'll get weird about it, and try to get me to go away. And the look will be gone, for another day. It only happens briefly, so I have to be careful to watch closely.' She hugged herself carefully, `and one day, I can hope, he'll wake up, and I can see the look first- hand, as I lay right there,' she eyed the two-foot wide section of Tenchi's bed where her slim body could easily fit alongside her beloved. Right where his arms were at this very moment. To have those slim, yet strong, arms wrapped around her, `Oh please, Tenchi dearest,' her voice almost moaned. Reminding herself of her most favorite task, she quickly hugged herself tighter and looked back at his sleeping form. `Then I'll see it, and it won't go away. And I can look as long as I like.' A grin spread slowly across her love-struck face, `Until I make it go away, when I end his serenity,' she shuddered hopefully, `if only.' she pondered blissfully. `I want him to look at me like that! What's so wrong with that? Why can't I have the one and only thing in this universe that ever made me happy? After all I've done, all I've seen, suffered, experienced, life won't give me a single ray of sunshine to call my own?' He shifted again in his sleep muttering some words that only he understood. `So you open your eyes, day after day, and get angry at me for being the first thing past your eyelids. So you yell at me. And I will take it morning after morning, day after day, year after year.' She was now just inches in front of his face, `But I'll wait, morning after morning, until the day when you look at me with those soft brown eyes of yours. and I can see the radiance in them when you look at me.' Reaching down slowly, she planted a soft kiss upon his crimson lips. It had an immediate effect. Those soft brown eyes, the ones she so loved to watch, the ones that captivated her, the ones that she could get lost in like a never-ending pool of comfort, slowly opened for the first time that morn. She saw the look, and felt its affects, also. Her heart skipped a beat, her face flushed slightly, and her knees weakened at the mere action of receiving a second of his intoxicating gaze. Slowly, regretfully, she retracted her soft, ruby lips from his rough, warm ones. The gaze held for just a few soundless seconds, so she absorbed every last bit of it. But, as it did every morning, it turned sour. His wonderful look of calm, harmony, and tranquillity mixed with the joy of just being alive and awake again turned slowly to surprise. Then confusion. Then something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She pulled herself away from his gaze, and smiled to herself. `And you'll be happy to see me, someday, Tenchi Masaki. I know you will.' And the pirate vanished into thin air, leaving behind one confused and shaken male. He blinked at where she had just been. His hand slowly crept up to his mouth and touched his lips. `Was that a dream? It felt so real.' he wondered. He sat, staring, straight through where Ryoko had been for a very long time, that particular morning. So then, what does everybody think? Alrighty then, I'll tell you something. I felt very peaceful when I woke up this morning, and I wondered if I could capture this wonderful feeling and put it into words. Now, I think I did an OK job of it, but I feel that I lack certain eloquence for this type of writing, not enough action, too much introspection. Oh well, pay my musings no mind and send C&C to: genox27@lycos.com And please go easy on me, this is my first attempt at this kind of thing. Remember! If you don't have something constructive, helpful, humorous (to me), etc. to say, don't say it. Again! DON'T SUE ME PLEASE! I OWN NOTHING BUT MY WORD PROCESSOR!