Tenchi, the other characters, yadaa yadaa yadaa, belongs to pioneer and AIC , blah blahh blah, "(It's Hard) Letting You Go is of Bon Jovi and their label, yea yea yea so don't sue my broke azz. "It ain't no fun lying down to sleep and there ain't no secrets left for me to keep I wish the stars up in the sky would all just call in sick And the clouds would take the moon out on some one-way trip." -Bon Jovi It's Hard Letting You Go - Part:1- The Walk, The Confession, and the News It was a warm day. Ryoko was lazing quietly in her tree waiting for Tenchi to return home from school. The morning had gone pretty usually. Ayeka yelling that she never helps with the work and Sasami had made yet another great breakfast. Washu working in her lab not being seen all day. Kiyone and Mihoshi at yet another bad part time job. Ryoko was dreaming of a day when her and Tenchi will go and be together, forever. Oh how she loved him. "Ryoko, I see you up there," she was snapped out of her dream by his sweet voice. "Tenchiiiiii," she said while phasing out and into in front of him. " I missed you so much." "I missed you too, Ryoko. Skipped out on the morning chores again huh?" "Well I . . . umm," she said slightly blushing "How was your day love?" "Boring, you know the usually." "Tenchi, it's Friday. Why don't we go somewhere for the weekend?" She said wrapping her arms around him. He could smell the sweetness of her perfume. "Ryoko, you know I can't do that," he said with a sigh. "Then how about we go for a walk? Right now." "Well . . ." he was about to refuse, but realized that it might be a good ideal. A good ending to a dull day. "Ryoko I would love to." "ahhh err you would?" She really did expect him to comply so easily. * * * They walked for awhile, talking and smiling. They came to set on a large rock over looking a small grassy cliff. After that there was a beautiful hill with trees in Spring. The cherry blossoms was blowing around them. For a just a little while in their lives time held no meaning. "Ryoko, this was a great ideal. Thank you for inviting me." Tenchi said finally braking the silence. "There is no one in the whole I rather be here with," and when she spoke Tenchi knew that she really meant it with everything she had. "Tenchi . . ." she said slipping a arm around his shoulder. "Hmm." "I . . ." she gently stroked his cheek then turned his head so that she was liking straight into his brown eyes. "I have watched you for years from the cave as you grew up, the last few months as we spent time together, and this is the truth. Tenchi Masaki what I feel for you is not a little school girl crush. I truly deep down in the bottom of my heart . . . I love you my dear. I love you," she gently laid her head down on his chest, and he put his left arm around her. Still looking over the cliff, he realized at that moment that he really did love her too. "Ryoko..." "Hmm," she said expecting him to brush it off as he did so many times before of course she never said it quit like that before. " Yes love." "I. .I. .I. .love you too." There he said it. He actually said it. She slid her head upward so she was still on his chest but looking at his face. " What did you say dear?" "I said that I love you," the answer came again. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After all these years he finally said it. "Tenchi, I don't know what to say." "Don't say anything, for I can't; not to anyone," he fell salient. "What do you mean?" "Come on Ryoko, yes I do love you, but you know me by now. I still have feelings for Ayeka even if it's only friendship I could never hurt her or any of the other girls like that." "I understand," she said simply. "Ahh . . . you do?" Was his answer. "Yes my love. I don't like the prissy princess act, and she acts like she own the world, but beyond that she doesn't seem that bad. I'm not gonna lie to you. I would love to throw this at her, and as for the other girls they would probably get mad at you say you should of told them sooner, and that would be too cruel to both them and you my dear," she slid her head back down his chest to it's original position. "Ryoko . . . now I don't know what to say." The sky was now lit up orange and light red from the beauty of the sun slowly sitting for it's nightly slumber. "Tenchiii," she said seductively. "I wish this moment would last for forever." "Yea, me t . . ." he was cut off. "Ahhhh!!!" Was all she said grabbing the extreme left side of her abdomen. "Ryoko, what is it?" "It's nothing just a sharp pain. Must have been something I ate." "Ryoko this is the same spot that Kagato hit you at in space. Is this the first time this has happened?" "Well," she did not want to keep anything from him anymore. She also knew that she never could anyways. Somehow he always knew she wasn't telling him everything. "The last week or so it has happened a couple of times . . . a day " "Ryoko, have you told Washu about this yet?" "Are you kidding, just what I need to hear is that 'greatest scientific mind in the universe' shit again." "Ryoko, I'm worried about you. I'm asking you please see Washu. I'll go with you." "Well ok." * * * "Well, well, well to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" Washu said not moving an eye from the screen of her computer as she sat cross-legged on the hovering pillow as Tenchi and Ryoko entered her lab. "Miss Washu, it's Ryoko. She seems to be having a sharp stabbing pain." "Ahhh, drinking a little to much sake huh?" the red headed girl said mockingly. "Well I guess the Greatest scientific mind in the universe can come up with a hangover cure." Ryoko glanced at Tenchi with the I told you she would act this way look. "No Washu it's at the spot that she was hit by Kagato." She sighed and turned to face them. "How long has this been going on, and how often?" "A couple of times a day for about a week." Tenchi spoke after a few seconds, as Ryoko remained salient. "Whattt!!! Why didn't you come earlier?" Washu had lost her joking manner. Something that doesn't happen to often. I Guess It's because her daughter is involved. Tenchi thought to himself. "I'll have to do some tests." Ryoko knew that was coming and sighed at the thought of been strapped down to one of Washu's cold metal tables. She hated the tests that Washu did it always made her feel like she just went to the doctor, eye doctor, and the gynecologist all in one visit. "Like I didn't know you was gonna say that." "Hey don't get fresh with me." While she spoke metal arms came from above and grabbed Ryoko guiding her to a table behind her and Tenchi. "Now if you would wait outside, I'll come and get you when I'm finished," she said turning to Tenchi. * * * "Lord Tenchi, how are you?" He heard Ayeka's voice come from above him on the stairs. He was leaning ageist the wall beside the door of the broom closet. "Is there something wrong?" "Ohh, Miss Ayeka, no there nothing at all. Everything's just fine," Tenchi spoke in his usual half laughing way he does when he is lying, and waving his hand. "Are you sure?" She said worriedly. "Oh yes, yes everything is alright," He hated lying to her, but he promised Ryoko that he wouldn't speak of it to anyone but Washu. "Ok, well I'm gonna go she what Sasami is making for dinner. See you then," she said, and walked off hurriedly towards the kitchen. Somewhere in the back of her mind the feeling struck her that maybe, just maybe everything wasn't alright. "Tenchi." A solemn voice from behind him said. It was Washu. She had snuck up on him as he was finishing his conversation with Ayeka. when Tenchi turned to face the usually sweet little voice behind him he immediately wished that he hadn't. Washu had tears swelling in her eyes. "Tenchi,"she said again this time shuting her eyes. When she open them again a few seconds later she spoke ghostly. "I can't do anything. I'm the smartest mind in the universe and I can't do anything. She, Ryoko, my own daughter is dying, and I can't do anything about it." Willis43@hotmail.com