Part 5: Ayeka’s Sad Side

I had been beaten to the bone on Jurai. It hurt me, badly. Not just pysically, but mentally, too. It formed a sort of cell in my head that can multiply from sorrowful things. It destroyed me. It started the day Tenchi told me he loved Ryoko. I couldn’t understand why he would pick her over me. He did, though. It hurt me. The cell multiplied. I suddenly found that I couldn’t hold in my tears. I couldn’t control them. Every day I wept while Sasami sat with me in her lap on the bed. I felt foolish but that didn’t really matter. Every day brought Tenchi and Ryoko closer. I wept at the sight of Ryoko’s head on Tenchi’s shoulder. I was embarrassed to go outside. As more cells grew, my anger began to get out of control. Ryoko always picked on me. One day, I couldn’t take it, though. It was the day she and Tenchi were engaged. I punched Ryoko as hard as I could. I tried to stop myself, but it seemed as if I couldn’t control me. I knocked Ryoko of her chair. I drew my light hawk sword. I jumped at her many times. I only scratched her, though. She kept dodging my strikes. Finally, I landed a blow that cut deeply into her shoulder. I moved over her so that the shadow of the light hawk sword was over her neck. That’s when I asked myself what I was doing. I tried to lower my arms, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t control my body.

“Ryoko, I’m tired of your pranks. It’s hard enough for me to know I’ll never get Tenchi. You don’t need to rub it in!!! We’re great friends when Tenchi’s not around, but when he is, you’re a whole different person. I CAN’T TAKE IT!!!!” I cried. Ryoko looked helpless and very frightened. I wanted to snap my sword in half and hug her. I wanted to tell her it wasn’t me. But I couldn’t. That’s when Tenchi burst in. He stopped me. I was thankful. But that’s when I realized how mad he was at me. The tears burnt down my face uncontrollably. The cells multiplied.

Sasami held me and rocked me. But no matter how funny her jokes or how happy her memories, I couldn’t smile. I cried and cried. I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, Sasami was just coming to bed. It seemed late. In bed, we talked for a little. That’s when I heard Tenchi coming. I immediately shut my eyes. I knew that if I was awake, he would curse at me hard and possibly strike me. He bid Sasami goodnight and then looked at me. I opened my eyes just enough to see him but not enough for him to see I was awake. He drew his hand back a little. I became afraid. But he lowered it. His eyes were full of pure hatred. Tears began forming in my eyes. But I was afraid of what he might do if he saw me cry, knew I was awake. I tried hard to hold them back. That’s when he cursed me. As he turned around, I let tears slip. I was afraid he would turn around and see me. But he didn’t. I rolled over like I was asleep. As soon as I heard the door shut, I began crying. Hard. My cheeks stung from them. My pillow became quite wet and uncomfortable. The cells mutliplied.

My pillow was soggy. I couldn’t sleep. That’s when I remembered going back to Jurai and becoming queen. So I got up, put a few of my most prized possessions in a pillow case, and started to leave. That’s when I noticed Sasami. The full moon outside shone on her little face very brightly. She looked so peaceful. I woke her up. We talked for awhile about the great fun we had had. I told her that she should get a hold of me if she wanted to return to Jurai. Finally, I kissed her on the cheek. I then started out of my room.

“Ayeka,” I heard someone whisper. I turned around to face her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” I said, tears begining to drop. She just smiled.

“It’s okay. It’s happened to me before many times,” she established, remembering Kagato. As I looked at her, tears formed. I couldn’t help it. I lept at Ryoko and hugged her. She seemed surprised at first. But then she hugged me back. I was losing control.

Pushing me back she began to speak. “Lady Ayeka. I know you are going through hard times. I want to help you through them. What do ya say we go sing Karaoke until we get kicked out and get drunk on sake one more time,” she suggested. I felt a spark of happiness and hope.

“Ryoko. That would mean everything in the world to me,” I smiled at her. And so we did. We sang Karaoke. We got drunk. She saved me from falling off the roof seven times. But finally, we knew we had to part. We hugged. I boarded Ryu-oh. I couldn’t look back. I knew I would see the expression on Ryoko’s face and break down. So boarded. Out the window I watched her disappear. I watched the house disappear, the forest, and finally, earth.

I reached Jurai and ran off Ryu-oh. I met daddy on the way in.

“I’m going to become queen,” I announced. He smiled and nodded. Then, I ran to the throne room where Queen Funaho was. I entered and drew the light hawk sword. She stood up.

“I knew this would come one day. Remember not to hesitate. See me as the foe. I want a fair fight for I shall not see you as my daughter but as a threat to my life,” she said solemnly. More cells.

I nodded in agreement. We began to walk toward each other. Just as we started to pass each other, she struck at me. I was ready. I jumped backwards and hit her hard. Visions flashed through my mind. I remembered all the times we had together. Then I snapped back to reality when I saw her getting up and coming toward me. I struck her again. This time, I heard sickening cracks from within her. She lay there, dying. I tried to be solemn and walk away. But I couldn’t. I jumped backwards into the air and turned around, tears streaming. I ran over to her side and looked into her face.

“They trained you well, Ayeka,” she said, forcing a smile. I was crying hard. She lifted her hand to my face and wiped away the tears. “Don’t cry. You did what you had to. I congratulate you.” That’s when her hand fell. “I love you.” Those were her last words. I whispered the same back to her. Then I got up to leave. I was queen, yet more cells formed.

I decided not to go back to earth. I wrote a letter to the Masaki family telling them that. I knew I would miss Sasami, but it was for the better, I think. I only returned twice. The first time was to see Tenchi and Ryoko marry. I lost control. I cursed at them and swore to kill them both. I stayed on earth for a little. I stayed long enough to watch my sister stab herself. I shed a tear, then kissed her. I vanished, then.

I swore to ruin their lives. I made my hand icy cold. I used my new forming brain to make myself invisible, too. I laid it on Yosho’s back. He had a heart attack. Then, I transported out to where Nobiyuki was driving. I made a tree fall on his car. It killed him instantly. Then, I saw another window of opportunity. I invisibly teleported to where Ryoko was. She had kicked Ryo-oh-ki. With one hand, I pushed Ryo-oh-ki hard into the wall. With the other, I cut her deeply with my nails to leave a blood mark on the wall. Three I had killed that night. Yet, it wasn’t me doing it. It was some other soul inside of me. I was just a tiny cell who couldn’t control her body. I witnessed every death and tried to scream and cry. I never managed.

The next day, the evil one inside me made me spread water on the steps of the Masaki shrine. I used new power to freeze it. I also froze the lake at the bottom. I watched invisibly as Tenchi slipped and fell. Once he had broken the ice, I bashed his head against a jagged part to seal his fate. The other soul on the outside was laughing. On the inside, I was screaming.

One night, I appeared to Ryoko. I was all shadowed with a blue outline. I pulled her into pitch black sub-space. I saw fear wash over her. I couldn’t control myself at all. I was locked inside to witness it all. I drew the lighthawk sword and tried hitting her, missing, hitting, till I finally scored. I cut deeply into her leg so she couldn’t walk.

“Who are you?!?!” she screamed. I wanted to hug her again, but I couldn’t. That’s when she realized it was me.

“Ayeka!!” she screamed. I raised my sword above my head.

“Please, Ayeka!!” she pleaded. That’s when I brought the sword down. “NOO!!!!” Ryoko screamed. That’s when I let her return to her room as I watched.

“Just a dream,” she thought to myself. That’s when her face became twisted and gruesome. The hole I had left in her stomach was bleeding much.

“It wasn’t a dream!!” she cried. “No, I CAN’T BE DYING!!!” I could tell she wanted to live badly. I wanted to make things right, but I was locked inside myself.

“AYEKA!!!!!!!!”

That was her last word.

Only Washu and Mihoshi were left. Washu was trying to create a new brain for me so that I would be normal. I wanted to thank her. But when she was doing the hardest part, I made Mihoshi come in. She tripped over a cord. I fired a shot that made an explosion. Washu instantly ran to Mihoshi’s side. I made a ring of fire around them. Soon, the entire place, including them, was only ashes. I couldn’t take it anymore. I gained power. I took over my own body. I knew I had to destroy myself. I drew my lighthawk sword.

“This is for destroying the relationship between them and me!!” I yelled, stabbing myself once.

“This is for what you did to them!!!” I choked forcefully, stabbing myself again. I fell backwards. I placed the sword over my head.

“This is for how you destroyed our lives!!!!!!” I mumbled with as much force as I could. “I only wish I could be with them again. But that is only a wish. If only wishes could be dreams and all my dreams could come true.” I then drove the sword through my head. I was free.