Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. (This does NOT have any connection to my previous fanfic about Ayeka) My name is Tenchi. I grew up just an average kid with everyday problems, but all that changed. One day I awoke to find that I was actually an alien prince from the planet Jurai. Try to imagine my surprise. Not only that but now I have five beautiful alien women, who are all supposedly in love with me, living in my house. Lucky me. I really do care for all of them though. Things can get pretty hectic from time to time, but I am pretty happy now. I miss my mom. She died, when I was very young. I never really had any strong female influences in my life. It's always just been Dad, my Grandpa, and me. Now I have to hide in my room just to get away from these girls. I remember my mother used to always tell me that I should lead my life with love, and that I should never hurt anybody. I was so young, I didn't really pay much attention, but I remember what she said. I could never really understand just what she really meant by them, until now. I miss her so much, and I wish I could tell her that I finally see what she meant. But I can't. She's gone. But I will always, always remember to lead my life with love, and to never hurt anybody. I made Ryoko cry today, and I feel like the biggest jerk in the world. It was pretty innocent I thought. We where just sitting around watching TV, when she turned to me and asked if I would go run away with her and get married in space! What was I supposed to say to that? She's so impulsive, and she means absolutely everything she says. I didn't want to go, and after she had already dragged me by the arm out into the yard, I yelled at her. That was so stupid. I bluntly said I didn't want to go to space with her. She looked like someone just tore her heart right out of her chest. I saw as her eyes began to tear, and poof she was gone. I really hurt her. I didn't mean it like that, I panicked and it just came out wrong. So here I am, right in front of her door. I've come to apologize; I really hope she forgives me. I shuffle my feet a little cause I'm kinda nervous. But I finally lift my hand and knock on the door. " Ryoko, it's me Tenchi, can I come in?" I said. " Tenchi!" came a surprised voice from behind the door. " Yeah sure, come on in." I slid her door open and walked in. Her room was so much different then everyone else's, it wasn't very clean but not too bad. She had this weird lamp in the corner and one of those walls that you change clothes behind. She slept on a red couch/bed thing. I never really understood why she would sleep on something like that instead of a normal bed, but she seemed to like it. There she was lying on her stomach face first into her pillow. When she realized I was there she sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest. " Listen Ryoko I didn't mean to say that." I said to her. " Yes you did Tenchi. Don't lie to me. You didn't want to go with me and that's what you said." Ryoko's voice sounded so distant. " You know Tenchi, sometimes I really wonder if this is ever going to end." " What do you mean Ryoko?" I asked. " These games. I wonder if they'll ever end. I wonder if you'll ever chose between me or the other girls or if we'll just spend the rest of our lives living in this house still fighting over you. I guess I like the other girls and I do enjoy the time we've spent here, but I just love you so much Tenchi and I just..." she began to cry. I hated to see her like that. She's such a strong woman too. It just means that I'm hurting her that much more. I sat down next to her on the edge of her bed and she cried onto my shoulder. I wanted to comfort her, I wanted to just make whatever was hurting her to just go away, but what was hurting her was me. She looked up and I wiped a tear that was falling down her cheek. " Why don't you love me back Tenchi?" I stared at her, trying desperately to come up with an answer to that impossible question. I had to look away. I couldn't stare at her any longer, it was too much for me to handle. " Why Tenchi? Tell me why!" she yelled at me forcing me to look at her again. " Ryoko, I...just, I... can't I." I couldn't even form a whole sentence. There were just so many things darting through my mind. But I couldn't escape the question, so I spoke right out of my heart; I said the first thing I wanted to say. It was the only thing I could say. " Why do you love me?" Ryoko didn't expect such an abstract response. She looked at me, no longer sad but confused, and then her face changed as if she just suddenly had a revelation. " That's it isn't it? That's why. You don't know why I love you?" Ryoko said in a whole new tone. I couldn't face her, my own eyes beginning to sting, I turned away still on her bedside. I slouched over my knees and put my hands over my face. " What's the matter Tenchi? Don't you believe that I really love you?" Ryoko sounding distressed and clearly worried about me. " You can't love me, I can't be loved." How can I say this to her? Why was I saying this to her? I should never have said that, I came in her to consol her! Not to open up my own issues. " Your wrong Tenchi! I do love you! And so does everyone else in this house! Of course you can be loved!" Ryoko was sounding so upset. " Then tell me Ryoko! Tell me why you love me! Tell me what's so damn great about me that you love me!" I said coldly. " Tenchi you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the kindest, gentlest man I've ever known. You care about others first and yourself second. Your not afraid of anything and you always stand up for what you believe in!" Ryoko said. " No I'm not. I'm not brave I'm a coward. You say that I'm selfless, and that I care about others more than I care about myself. But your wrong, I don't care about myself at all. I hate myself. That's why it seems like I'm courageous, but in truth I just don't care what happens to me. Yeah I'm not afraid of death sure, but it's life that I can't handle." Tears started to form down my face. " Why are you saying those things Tenchi? They're not true! You are a wonderful person, full of love and kindness, and a beautiful soul. If it weren't for you I would be dead! You saved my life just like you saved the lives of everyone in this house, everyone on this planet! Remember Tenchi? Remember how you beat Kagato?" " You mean how I killed him, don't you? How I murdered a man. It's pointless Ryoko, I'm just not worth it." My voice was cracking as I spoke. Ryoko got up in front of me, standing before me with near anger in her eyes; she raised her hand and slapped me across the face. When I looked back at her, stunned, she was now sobbing. Every second I spent with her I hurt her more. " Damn it Tenchi! Open your eyes already! I love you, I'm standing right in front of you and that's real! Can you see that! I really love you because you are worth loving! Hell! You're more than worth loving, you deserve it more than any one else I've ever known!" Ryoko said sincerely. " I f that where true, then why... " I started bawling into my own hands, " Why did she leave me? Why did my mother leave me?" I fell to my knees and cried more than I ever thought I could. My hands still covered my eyes because I couldn't look at her, I couldn't look at Ryoko. " ...Oh Tenchi..." Ryoko said. She knew now. Why I felt I couldn't be loved, because my mother left me, because I wasn't good enough! I didn't listen to her when I should have. I f I was a better son, or if I hadn't been so reckless, she would still be alive, she would have stayed with me. Ryoko got on her knees and wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. Now I was crying on her shoulder. " Tenchi, you think your mother abandoned you? Tenchi, you mother died, because she was sick. She loved you more than anything else in the world, and she hated the thought of you growing up without her. I know Tenchi because I was there, in the cave, I saw you two together, and I saw how she loved you. The love she had for you was stronger than anything I could've ever known. Tenchi your mom loved you and was so proud of you before she died. And she was so sorry she had to go, but people die Tenchi and she couldn't control it. You where loved then... " Ryoko lifted Tenchi's head to face her, and they looked into each other's eyes, " just like I love you now." She loves me. Ryoko really loves me. I'm loved. I can't believe it. She's right. Mom didn't leave me because she didn't love me. She loved me. Oh thank god, thank you so much. I'm truly loved for real. I'm honest to god loved. She loves me Ryoko loves me. My mother loved me and I'm really worth loving. I have never been so happy in my entire life than I am at this moment. Thank you Ryoko, thank you so much. I love you. The End