Author's notes: This tale takes place within the OAV reality, so keepthat
in perspective. Further, I believe that I should add that this fic contains
elements which could be classified as 'dark'. It is not a completely
dark fic persay, and there are indeed light hearted moments, I just felt
that I should warn you. So if you only like fics that are happy happy the
whole time, and you find the concept of mental angst and depression to
be completely unappealing to you...don't read.
Quote of the Day: "I don't see why a preacher should be stuck in
a situation like this. I'm a man of God, for god's sake!"
- Nicholas D. Wolfwood. (Trigun)
Dust to Dust
Ashes to Ashes
Soul to Soul
I will remember never again
Remember now
Remember now
The dream you had
Before you were born
The Dream has died out
Carry your heart to where you sense the cry comes from
Carry your heart till the end
Come and touch the feel of the heat going through my mind
Come and touch and don't be scared
If it's bleeding
Carry your heart to where you sense the cry comes from
Carry your heart till the end
-- "Message #9" -- from 'Gasaraki'
Cold. That was all she could really feel. The
biting coldness of her surroundings, creating an almost surreal experience.
There were other things, as well. Loneliness and fear were exceptionally
prominent, here in this extreme blackness. Black as far as she could see.
And yet, even though she hated black...hated darkness...hated loneliness...it
was nothing compared to the cold.
Ryoko blinked back tears as she called out
once again. "Washu? Hey...Washu? Are you there?"
Washu wouldn't just leave Ryoko here, would
she? Tie her up, and leave, when Washu KNEW that Ryoko hated cold. Hated
loneliness. Hated the dark. Washu wouldn't do such a thing, right? Washu
didn't hate Ryoko, right? Washu was Ryoko's mother...wasn't she?
Ryoko's breath quickened as she realized that
her cries were falling upon deaf ears. Tears began to freely stream down
her face unchecked. She began to cry out desperately into the darkness.
"Please, mommy! Mommy, don't leave me here!
Anything! I'll do anything! PLEASE!!!" Ryoko screamed again and again.
Ryoko realized that there was no one there
and simply put all of her effort into sobbing. She remained almost completely
motionless; sobbing and weeping uncontrollably strapped half-naked to a
large machine inside the darkness of Washu's laboratory, stripped of all
of her powers, and all of her sense of dignity.
Ryoko's eyes began to grow bloodshot as her
crying continued on and on. Her soul was screaming out to be rescued, to
be saved from her torment, but no one heard it. No one was there. She was
alone...again.
Ryoko was so caught up in her own despair;
she didn't hear the sound of someone chuckling to themselves faintly.
Washu watched with great interest as her camcorder
rolled, recording the frailness and torment of Ryoko's emotions.
<Hey, even the toughest eggs crack eventually,
right?> Washu thought to herself. <There now, Ryoko-chan. You can't
keep up that fake persona forever, now can you?>
Washu continued to chuckle to herself lightly,
as she continued to watch Ryoko sob uncontrollably to herself. Ryoko's
face was stained with tears, and mucus from her nose that was also streaming
down her face, as she had no way of stopping it with her hands, since they
were bound.
Then, with all of her strength, Ryoko managed
to look up, with clenched eyes, she screamed as loud and as desperately
as she possibly could,
"TEEEEEEENNNCCCHHHIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"
After which, she slumped over, and continued
to sob, only much slower, and much more painfully. If this continued, she
would surely pass out from dehydration.
Washu sighed, realizing when Ryoko screamed
exactly what kind of mistake doing this was. There was no reason for her
to do this to her own daughter...was there? Just because she wanted Ryoko
to open up to her emotions more, didn't mean she should be so callous towards
her.
However, Washu wasn't about to walk out and
cut Ryoko down, and let her go. Washu's pride was much too strong to admit
that she was wrong. Washu closed her eyes in slight regret as she turned
the camcorder off. Even though she never acted like it, she was indeed
Ryoko's mother. At the very least, she shouldn't have recorded Ryoko's
private shame.
Ryoko's breathing was slowing, as she was
starting to lose her ability to cry from exhaustion. All she could really
do now was tremble from the cold and the fear.
"Tenchi..." she whimpered, as her head slumped
over, and she fell into the realms of unconsciousness.
The young, short woman stood atop the roof,
looking out over the vast land in display in front of her. The woman stood
no more than 4 and a half feet tall, wearing a white long sleeved shirt,
which clung to her and fit her body shape perfectly. Her pants were black,
and a little bit baggy, but they were held in place by her large belt,
which also had a holster for her large blaster, which she kept at her side.
The woman had a large amount of spiky, red
hair, which descended down to her knees. Her green eyes surveyed the scene
before her with great interest. She sighed unhappily to herself, knowing
that this serene scene would soon be filled with carnage, bloodshed, and
this beautiful hillside would soon become nothing more than a sea of desolation.
She heard someone approach her, and she turned
to face her visitor when she recognized him. He stood about five and a
half feet. He was of an average build. His hair was short, black, and spiky,
and it had a short ponytail at the back. He was wearing loose ornate robes,
which were designed more for movement than looks. He wore a grin on his
face and a beautiful sword at his side. He looked at her gently through
his soft brown eyes.
He stepped up next to the girl, and looked
out over the valley with her. He stood quietly for a few moments before
he spoke.
"So Yuka-chan, I see that you've decided to
appreciate the finer things in life, hmm? I never thought you'd be one
to appreciate nature." He chuckled.
Yuka smiled as she returned her gaze to the
rolling hillside. "Yup, I guess you're right there! I'll probably always
be a scientist before I'm a human, Ashley. But...I suppose that if I ever
wanted to take an interest in something like this, now would be the time,
since it isn't going to be as pretty by tomorrow."
Ashley nodded his head sagely. "Indeed. It
really is a shame that so many people will be sacrificed."
Yuka shook her head and turned to look at
Ashley. "No, no. Don't think like that. Sumirei wouldn't want you to. Besides,
all of us are willing to give our lives for our cause, Ashley. You shouldn't
demean that by wishing it weren't so."
"You're right, of course." He chuckled. "Do
you really think that if we manage to take the palace...?"
"Well, that all depends on your girlfriend."
Ashley noticeably tensed. "Hey now, she's
not my girlfriend! We're just friends! Nothing more!"
Yuka chuckled. "That's funny. She gives me
a different account on that issue."
Ashley chuckled nervously, and scratched the
back of his head. "Come on now, you don't believe that, do you?" he said.
Yuka crossed her arms and threw on a playful
grin. "Well, who should I believe? The high priestess, or a lowly *knight*
of the High priestess? Hmm?"
"Umm..." Ashley nervously coughed, and desperately
wracked his brain to think of another issue to bring up, to change the
subject. "So...uh...are you going to be leading a squad, Yuka-chan?"
Yuka sighed, and returned her gaze to the
fields. She really wanted to keep teasing the poor guy, but there was no
sense in getting him angry. "Yes, I am. Sumirei asked me to lead."
Ashley nodded. "Yes, that's good. I'm sure
with you in command, we will be able to take the palace easily."
Yuka sighed. "I really hope Tsunami is right
about this...if she's not, it means the end of our order."
Ashley's only response was a silent nod. The
two of them stood silently gazing out over the hillside, trying to think
of their happiest times, before they were required to be plunged into the
onslaught of combat.
The two of them were interrupted from their
silent reverie when they heard the sound of someone approaching them. They
turned to see who it was.
Standing about 2 meters away, was a very beautiful
woman. She was clothed in beautiful raiments, wearing a priestess's gown,
which was a bright red, and lined with gold. She wore a beautiful golden
necklace. She stood about the same height as Ashley. Her hair was spiked,
in the same fashion as Yuka's. Only hers fell down no further than her
waist, and was cyan instead of red. She gazed longingly at Ashley with
her beautiful golden feline eyes.
Ashley stammered like an idiot, "Oh, uh, priestess
Sumirei! How...how are you today?"
She smiled gently at him......then tackled
him.
"Oh, Ashley! I missed you *SO MUCH*! You shouldn't
leave me alone like that! I was so worried if something had happened to
you!" She cried, nuzzling her face against his check, while he tried desperately
to escape her embrace on the ground, without offending her dignity.
Yuka chuckled. "*Just* friends, huh?"
Sumirei giggled as she stood up and brushed
herself off. Ashley slowly rose to his feet. As he did, Sumirei latched
onto his arm possessively. Ashley just shook his head, as the two girls
giggled.
Ashley cleared his throat. "So...are you prepared
for the assault tomorrow, Sumirei?"
She just stared into his eyes. "Uh-huh."
Ashley began to blush furiously.
Yuka walked a few feet closer to the roof's
edge. "I hope you are. We're all counting on you, ya know."
Sumirei's face became serious. "I won't fail,
Yuka-chan. I swear that our people will be avenged, in the name of Tsunami."
Yuka faced Sumirei. "That's good to hear."
Sumirei looked back up at Ashley. His eyes
began to twitch, and his face became an even deeper shade of red. She smiled
sweetly. "Smile, Ashley."
"Huh...uh...what?"
She held her gaze. "Smile. You look so handsome
when you do. There's no reason to be unhappy, Ashley. So smile. Let the
universe see your wonderful smile."
Ashley turned his gaze over to Sumirei. He
stared into her golden eyes...and he couldn't *help* smiling.
Yuka looked back and forth between the two
of them. She scratched her head. "Um...I'll go see if I left any of my
inventions running. See you!"
Yuka ran off like a bat out of hell. Ashley
and Sumirei watched her run off. They chuckled, and sat down together,
looking back out over the fantastic view. The sun was just rising over
the hillside, illuminating them with brilliant yellow faces, as they sat
on the roof of the majestic temple of Tsunami.
Ashley watched with contentness, enjoying
the company of his closest friend. Sumirei watched with contentness, enjoying
the company of the man she had spent her entire life trying to get him
to fall for her.
<Tomorrow is the last day either of us
could be alive...> she thought to herself. <No use holding back now...!>
Sumirei moved her hand over to Ashley's and
gently rested it on top of his. He tensed, and began to sweat a little.
Sumirei pressed on. She slowly intertwined her fingers with his, and he
did little more than allow her to. After holding his hand for a few minutes,
she looked over at his face. He eventually noticed, and turned to meet
her gaze.
She smiled her best smile. "You know, Ashley...we've
been close for a long time. Pretty much all our life, huh?"
Ashley simply gulped and nodded.
Her eyes fell down to their clasped hands.
"And...we always used to play together, right? Until...I had to become
a priestess. And you had to become a knight. And then we were separated."
Ashley nodded. "That was a long time ago,
Sumirei."
She smiled, still not removing her gaze from
their locked hands. "Uh huh. And do you know what I thought about, all
that time we were away from each other?"
Ashley gulped, and shook his head like an
idiot.
She returned her gaze to his, this time, with
tears starting to form in her eyes. "I thought only about you, Ashley.
About your smile. About the way it made me feel. About the way you made
me feel. About how I always loved being with you, Ashley. That was all
that was important to me, in my entire life."
Ashley shook his head. "You shouldn't say
that, Sumirei. What about Jurai? It's people? It would hurt them greatly
to hear that you cared only for me, and not them."
Sumirei shook her head. "That's...not what
I meant. I care for our people. I want Tsunami's tree back. I want everyone
to go on living the way it was before...but I want to be with you more
than that."
Ashley nodded in understanding, but remained
quiet.
Sumirei moved closer to him, and embraced
him gently, totally catching him off guard. She held onto him as tightly
as she could, making certain that even if he totally rejected her here
and now, she would always remember this moment, when she had held onto
him as tightly as she could, wanting more than anything for him to do the
same for her.
She leaned her face onto his shoulder as she
continued to speak. "I'm sorry if I'm always annoying you, Ashley. I'm
sorry if I've bothered you all this time. It's just that...tomorrow...could...and
probably will be the last time we ever see each other, and I want you to
know how I feel before then."
Ashley's eyes widened, and all he could do
was nod silently.
Sumirei sighed. "I'll admit it. I enjoy teasing
you. You turn the most wonderful shade of red!" She giggled a little, then
recomposed herself. "But...whenever I was with you, I was so happy, Ashley.
I...I love you. More than anything there is."
Ashley's eyes softened, and began to grow
teary. He slowly brought his arms up, and returned her embrace.
Sumirei's heart began to beat faster with
joy, that he had used his powerful arms to hold her, rather than to push
away.
Tears began to fall lazily from her eyes.
"I...I'm sorry to do this to you, Ashley, but I really wanted you to see
how I felt." Sumirei began to laugh and cry simultaneously into Ashley
shoulder.
Ashley managed to smile, as a tear glided
gently down the contours of his face, and fell onto Sumirei's robes. He
pulled back a little so he could look at her in the face.
She was smiling at him, with glossy, watery
eyes, and tears lined as miniature rivers descending down her face. Ashley
looked at her. She was so beautiful...even when they were children, he
always thought as much. He really had no idea what to do.
He wanted desperately to tell her that he
loved her, and that would be no lie, because he most certainly did...only
he felt that no matter what he said, it would never compare to the confession
that she had just made to him. So Ashley did the first thing that came
to mind.
He gently cupped her face with his hands,
and slowly brought their faces together. Sumirei smiled tenderly, and closed
her eyes, as she began to lean forward.
Their lips met, setting their love for one
another ablaze, as their first sensuous contact together in their entire
life, as both had longed to do for so long. Their salty tears streamed
down onto their lips, and they embraced each other, never wanting to leave
the beauty, tranquility and tenderness of this most benevolent moment.
Washu sat in her floating chair, hugging her
knees to her chest, quietly sobbing into them. It was morning. Ryoko was
still tied up. Why couldn't she have let her down? Why was she crying?
Why couldn't she let her down *now*? Why? *Why*? *WHY*?
She simply wept silently into her knees, crying
for her own foolish pride, callousness, and lack of any basic human skills
whatsoever. She raised her head to look at the viewing screen. Ryoko
was still slumped over, passed out. Dry remnants of tears were crusted
along her soft skin, mucus from her nostrils hardened around the top and
corner of her mouth.
Washu couldn't look at the sight any longer,
and she quickly buried her face in her knees again.
<Why can't I cut her down now? WHY? What
the hell is wrong with me?> she screamed to herself.
Washu managed to gain somewhat of a leverage
over her control, and picked her head off of her knees. She moved over
to the keyboard, and began to slowly type at it. After a few button presses,
the lights around where Ryoko was brightened to a normal level, even though
she was still passed out, so she wouldn't notice.
Washu continued to slowly type, and she turned
the heat of the area Ryoko was in up to a more comfortable level, even
though, again, she was still passed out, so she wouldn't notice.
Washu sighed to herself, as she wiped her
tears away. "I guess I'm like a phantom mother." She chuckled. "My daughter
never knows when it's me who does something for her...be it good or bad."
She stood up off the chair, and decided to
go and let Ryoko down. Her legs felt like absolute rubber, and she almost
fell over. As she regained her balance, something caught her attention.
Something that made her eyes go wide. It was a voice. And it was calling
for her.
"Hey, Washu-chan! Washu-chan! It's breakfast
time! Where are you?"
It was Tenchi. He had obviously come to tell
Washu about breakfast. Washu quickly looked around. There was no way Tenchi
could see that Washu was still in the lab with Ryoko, and she *hadn't*
forgotten about her. If he did, he'd tell her, and then Ryoko would forever
close her mind and soul off from Washu.
<Heh, I probably deserve it, anyway.> she
scoffed at herself.
She quickly glanced from side to side, and
then quickly open a subspace doorway, and ran inside, and closed it behind
her, removing any trace of her ever being there in the first place.
"Washu-chan! Hey!" Tenchi called. "Where IS
she?" he muttered to himself as he stumbled around the darkness of Washu's
lab. He also noticed that it was rather chilly. Moreso than usual.
He looked over to his left, and saw light
coming from one area. "Ah, she must be working back there on something."
Tenchi began to make his way over to that
area, and he instantly noticed that the closer he got, the warmer he seemed
to feel. He then looked down, and noticed that he had been subconsciously
rubbing his arms because of the cold.
He neared the lighter area. "Washu-chan! It's
breakfast time! Sasami already sent me to get you! Hey!"
He rounded a large machine to survey whatever
Washu had been working on...and when he did, his mouth fell agape. Washu
was nowhere to be seen, but no more than 3 meters away was a tied up, half
naked Ryoko. Tenchi's first impulse was to turn away, but he didn't.
He looked up at Ryoko, and noticed how tears
and other fluids had ravaged her face. His eyes softened, as he looked
at her with great sadness.
<Is this even Ryoko? Ryoko wouldn't cry
like that. I wonder what's going on here?> Tenchi thought.
Completely engrossed in the task of discovering
out what happened to Ryoko, he completely forgot about breakfast. He slowly
walked closer to Ryoko.
"Ryoko?" he asked in a somewhat timid voice.
She didn't respond.
"Ryoko?" He asked again, this time in a slightly
louder tone of voice.
Still nothing.
Tenchi was beginning to become extremely worried
now.
"Ryoko! Hey, Ryoko! Wake up, Ryoko!" Tenchi
called to her.
Nothing.
Tenchi's eyes grew wide with fear. He ran
up to her quickly, and reached for her. He shrieked in pain as his hand
was shocked by some sort of barrier, and withdrew it quickly.
Washu was watching all of this on a video
screen. She shook her head. "That won't work, you silly boy. Here...let
me help."
Washu quickly typed in a few commands, and
pressed the confirm key.
Tenchi was perplexed about how to help Ryoko,
when he heard the sound the machine was making slowly wind down, growing
lower in pitch, until it stopped altogether.
<What the hell is going on here? Where
is Washu? Why did she do this to Ryoko? Is she dead?> Tenchi's mind was
racing with questions.
He reached out once again, slower, and more
timidly than previously, but was glad once his hand passed the point where
it was shocked before without the same result. He stepped forward into
the circular machine.
He looked up at the bonds around Ryoko's wrists
and ankles. He began to reach to undo them, but for some reason he couldn't
understand, they retracted into the machine like a vacuum cleaner cord.
His puzzlement was pushed aside as Ryoko fell to the ground, but he quickly
caught her in his arms.
His eyes began to water as he looked at her
distraught face. "Ryoko! Wake up! Ryoko! It's me, Tenchi! Ryoko!" Tenchi
began to cry as he gently shook her, deciding to ignore the fact she wasn't
wearing anything from the waist down.
Ryoko's eyes began to slowly flutter, and
Tenchi's hopes were risen as they did. <She's not dead!>
Ryoko slowly opened her eyes, and they darted
around her in obvious fright for a few seconds, until she realized that
she was in someone's arms. She looked up. Tenchi was staring down into
her eyes.
"T...Tenchi? I...is this a dream?" she asked,
almost afraid of the answer.
Tenchi shook his head. "No, it's not. You're
going to be okay, Ryoko. I'm right here."
Ryoko's face pulled up, and she quickly threw
her arms around Tenchi, and began to sob desperately into his chest. Tenchi
held her close, and stroked her hair, while issuing gentle words to her.
Ryoko continued to cry and cry and cry, and Tenchi just held her close,
trying desperately not to end up crying himself.
Ryoko eventually managed to pull her face
from Tenchi's chest, and bring herself up to eye level. Her beautiful golden
eyes were throbbing, bloodshot, and soaking with fear.
"It was...so scary...Tenchi...the dark...she
left me...I begged her and begged her..." she choked.
Tenchi nodded, and rubbed her arms with his
hands, trying to warm her up. He smiled for her. "Come on, Ryoko. Let's
get out of here, huh?"
Ryoko nodded, and began to wipe the crusty
remnants of fluids from her face, as Tenchi bent closer to her, and picked
her up in his arms, cradling her, shielding her from the darkness, the
cold, and the loneliness which were in so much abundance from the previous
night.
Ryoko leaned into Tenchi as he carried her
away from that machine, and away from the room that had served as a cruel
and unnecessary reminder of how much Ryoko hated to be alone. Tenchi was
growing more and more furious at Washu with each step he took towards the
exit.
<How in the hell could she do this to her
own daughter? Or is there something I'm not aware of here? Well, one thing
is for sure, I'm going to have a LONG talk to Washu about how to treat
guests in my house, REAL soon.> He angrily spat to himself.
Tenchi felt so horrible for Ryoko, as he cradled
her. Feeling the softness of her skin against his hands, the scent of her
hair under his nose, and the quiet, labored breathing as she breathed in
and out. How could someone do this to her?
Tenchi desperately fought down his anger as
he approached the doorway to the Masaki household, when something clicked
in his brain.
<This is going to look *really* bad if
I walk out with a half naked Ryoko in my arms, right into the middle of
breakfast.>
He shook his head. <Who cares about that?
What's the embarrassment you'll feel compared to the embarrassment she
felt all last night and right now?>
He opened the doorway to the household, and
stepped back into his home dimension once again. Ryoko's breathing had
slowed, and he could tell that she had fallen asleep again. <Poor thing.>
He closed the door with his foot, and walked
over to the stairs, and then he stopped. He had no idea where he was taking
her exactly. Ryoko really didn't have a bed, and that support beam of hers
wasn't what she needed. She needed a nice soft bed to keep her warm, and
someone to stay by her side.
<My room.>
He began to briskly walk up the stairs, heading
back to his room. As he crested the stairway, Aeka was just about to head
down the stairs.
<Typical.> he thought to himself.
Ayeka gasped at the sight in his arms.
Tenchi shook his head quickly. "It's not what
it looks like! I swear!"
Aeka was about to accuse him, when she caught
a glimpse of Ryoko's face. Her hard expression melted away into one of
understanding, and puzzlement.
"What happened to her, Tenchi? Is she hurt?"
Tenchi shook his head. "I have no idea. I
went to find Washu for breakfast this morning, and I found her all tied
up just like this. Then I woke her up and she..." Tenchi trailed off, not
really sure if Ryoko wanted Aeka to know about her moment of weakness.
"...she fell back asleep almost right away. So I'm going to take her to
my room, then have a very long talk with Washu about this."
Aeka nodded. "I see. I'll go find Washu, if
you want, Tenchi."
Tenchi nodded. "Please. Tell her I'll be in
my room with Ryoko."
Aeka smiled for Ryoko's sake, then headed
off down the stairs.
Tenchi was almost slightly surprised at how
well the princess had taken this little dose of information, but decided
to worry about that later, because, well...Ryoko was still half naked.
He walked over to his room, and slid the door
open with his foot, walked in, and closed it in the same fashion. He walked
over to his bed, as pulled the freshly folded covers back with his foot.
He smiled gently as he laid the broken woman into the bed, and pulled the
covers up to her chin.
He couldn't help but smile at her beauty as
she lay in the state of distress she was in. She was like a fallen angel,
a wonderful soul that had been crushed for no reason by two people on more
than one occasion.
Thoughts about the way Kagato had treated
her ran into his mind, and how she never deserved it. It made him mad,
but not half as mad as what Washu had just done. He pulled a chair from
his desk up beside the bed, and sat down, staring at her face.
Sure, Ryoko was most definitely a pain in
the ass sometimes...okay; maybe that's not true. More like almost always,
but she certainly didn't deserve the treatment she received last night.
<Don't you wish that she were more manageable?
That
she wasn't so annoying? That way you could fall for her no problem!>
<But...that's not her. And it never will
be. So why even think it?>
<Hey now...I'm sure if you worked at it,
she'd come around!>
<What's the point of that? She works at
my feelings all the time in hopes that they'll come around, and I haven't,
so this wouldn't be any different!>
<You bastard.>
<What?>
<You *know* she has feelings for you. That's
what.>
<So?>
<So? SO!? How the hell can you *say* that?!?
You think that you can just throw those feelings away? Her *life* is what
*you've* given to her! What were you just saying, for god's sake! How people
have treated her like shit for *no* reason! Maybe they physically and mentally
abused her, but that's what she expected of them! But *you*! She wanted
you to treat her with love and respect! AND YOU TREAT HER THE SAME WAY?!?!?>
<What are you talking about? I could never
do those horrible things to her!>
<Bullshit! You *have* done those horrible
things to her! You have never *once* talked to her about your feelings!
You just go on, day to day, as if they aren't there, that they don't matter
to you or her, when you *know* that they matter to her?!>
<But...that's not fair! I don't love her!
You think I should simply force myself to love her because she loves me?
What kind of logic is that? What about Aeka? If I just say I love Ryoko,
that'll make her happy, but then Ayeka will feel the hurt too!>
<I'm not saying that you have to love her,
friend. All I'm saying is that you had damn well better start treating
her with a hell of a lot more respect than you have. That's all.>
<What about now? I treated her with respect.
Doesn't that count for anything? And besides, how can I treat her with
respect when she never treats *me* with any? She always barges in on my
privacy, and...>
<You little *asshole*!! How long is it
going to take to get it through your head?! She invades your privacy? So
WHAT!?! You said it yourself, for thousands of years; she got the worst
treatment imaginable! And now she's FREE! Free of all that! She doesn't
do it to make fun of you. She doesn't do it to irritate you. She does it
so she can be *happy*, because *you* are *there*!! And you get *mad*, and
throw her out, denying her happiness like that monster she was imprisoned
to? And then you go off and get mad about how Washu did this to her? You're
nothing but a pathetic hypocrite!>
<I...I...I don't know anymore.>
<Yeah? Well that's too bad. Maybe you should
listen to this piece of advice: Respect her, and be DAMN thankful that
she's here. Aeka, too. And Sasami, and Washu and Mihoshi. Why? Because
they are *here*. They could be *gone* in an instant, and you have taken
*all* of them for granted like a pathetic chump. It's *sick*. Everyday,
you whine on and on about how Ryoko invades your privacy, and won't leave
you alone. About how Aeka always fights with Ryoko. Well, what if all that
disappeared? What would you do *then*, huh?>
<......>
<I'll say this once more. Respect her.
If you don't love her, that's your business. But you want my opinion? You
don't even DESERVE her love.>
Tenchi hung his head, as his inner voice repeatedly
beat on him, and he began to feel absolutely miserable about how he had
treated Ryoko since she had come to live with him. And all the other girls
for that matter. He suddenly became somewhat puzzled. His inner voice was...telling
him what to do?
How is that possible? I am myself; I can't
have two viewpoints on something. I'm only one person! Tenchi shook his
head, and decided that if he indeed was going crazy, he'd worry about that
later. Right now, he was going to listen to his dilutions, and stay right
here with Ryoko.
As Tenchi struggled away from his internal
admonitions, he found himself staring at Ryoko's sleeping face. He frowned
at the crusty remnants of fluid sticking to her soft skin. Shaking his
head, he stood up, and left the room. Tenchi marched down to the bathroom,
and retrieved two wash cloths. He turned the water tap on, and wet one
of the cloths before turning the tap off, and leaving the room.
As Tenchi walked back to his room, he sighed
regretfully. He really had taken all of the girls for granted, and even
so, they all still loved him. He suddenly felt very small, feeling sorry
for the girls, having placed their strongest emotions in the hands of this
fool.
As he entered his room, he decided to shake
the feelings of self-guilt, and focus on solving the matter at hand. Tenchi
quickly walked over beside Ryoko, and sat back down in the chair. She was
still sleeping soundly in his bed. He smiled as he gently ran the wet wash
cloth across her face, removing the stains on her face.
The mucus required him to press a bit harder,
but he did so as gently as he could, so as not to awaken her. After successfully
cleaning her face, he set the wet cloth down on the floor next to the chair,
and leaned forward as he began to slowly caress her face with the dry cloth.
He found that breathing had become much harder, as the thin cloth gently
caressed the contours of her beautiful face.
<What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't
I love her? WHY?>
He screamed at himself as he continued to
gently caress her face with the cloth in his hand. As he did, images of
Aeka and Ryoko fighting, Ryoko invading his privacy, acting callously towards
others, and damaging his property flashed in front of his eyes.
He shook his head, and found that he had rested
his hand on her cheek, and the cloth had slid off of Ryoko's face, and
his bare skin was touching hers. She stirred in her sleep, but didn't awaken.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly and surely removed his hand from
her face, and leaned back into the chair.
<Why can't she just be normal?>
<Why can't I accept that she isn't?>
<Why don't I ever think this way about
Aeka?>
<Why can't I call it love?>
<Why did Washu do this?>
<Why was Ryoko created in the first place?>
<Why did Kagato do those horrible things
to her?>
<Why does she love me?>
<Why can't anyone ever tell me how I should
feel?>
<Why can't ANYTHING EVER MAKE SENSE?!?>
Tenchi's mind was racing with questions, and
screaming at him, and reveling in causing him psychological torment. Tenchi
found that he was staring blankly at the wall, sweating profusely, under
a catastrophic amount of self inflicted trauma.
<How many times have I sat here like this,
trying to understand myself?>
<How many times have I sat here like this,
trying to understand Ryoko?>
<How many times have I sat here like this,
trying to understand exactly what the hell has happened to my life?>
<Why can't my mom be here to see me? To
help me?>
<Why am I always in the dark?>
<Why do I always have to ask questions
about everything?>
<Why can't anyone ever understand me?>
<Why can't I ever understand myself?>
<WHO AM I?!?>
Tenchi was shaking with rage; fright, inquisitiveness,
angst, dislocation, perpetuation, and an onslaught of other emotions, when
he was jarred from his inquiry that was assaulting his sanity by a soft
knock at the door. He quickly shook his head, wiped the sweat of his brow,
and walked over to the doorway, and slid it open quietly.
"Tenchi-sama?" Aeka said quietly then motioned
her head to the left, to show that Washu was standing next to her, her
face and eyes downcast.
Tenchi nodded, then stepped into the hallway,
and slid the door shut behind him.
It was...different. That was for certain. The
room was very...blue. Blue was evident throughout the large...structure.
It wasn't really a structure. The floor was made of rippling cerulean water,
as far as the eye could see in every direction, which was mirrored on the
ceiling. The ceiling, which was about 50 feet above her, was a perfect
match of the floor, an endless pool, spanning father than one could fathom.
Ryoko stood naked, looking at the ceiling,
and then at her partially submerged feet in the water below her. Then she
turned her gaze to the horizon, which was also a mirror image of the floor,
rippling, cascading water. Her entire surroundings were restrained and
harnessed water.
Ryoko looked around and around, to see if
there was possibly any other sign of life, other than that of her own,
but there was nothing. She called out.
"Is anyone there? Tenchi? Hello?" she yelled,
and despite the grandness of the 'room', her voice seemed to echo off of
every ripple of water, causing her voice to channel around and around.
Ryoko decided to take to the sky to get a
better look at her surroundings, when she found that she couldn't move.
It was as if everything below her neck had freed itself from her dominion,
and was revolting against her by standing stiff and erect, but not willing
to move in any way.
Ryoko struggled fiercely, but her body refused
to acknowledge her. She shook her head around, hoping that maybe that would
send some sort of signal to the rest of her body to get in gear, but...nothing.
"Dammit! What the hell is going on here?"
Ryoko spat into the endless symphony of rippling water.
[Your body has been sealed...at least for
now.]
Ryoko's eyes snapped to full attention.
"Who said that?!"
[I did.]
Ryoko growled. "THAT'S helpful. And who are
you?"
A face shimmered along the ceiling of the
pool, in a place that Ryoko only needed to tilt her neck back slightly
to get an adequate view of. It was a male's face, but the rippling liquid
made it unidentifiable.
Ryoko reiterated her question. "Who the hell
ARE you?!"
[Unimportant.]
Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that."
[Very well...let's say...a friend.]
Ryoko sighed. "Fair enough. Now how about
telling me what the hell is going on here, huh?"
[You have lost your physical form. Your consciousness
dwells here and nothing else.]
"Umm...okay. That's...super. So, I'm dreaming?
Is that it?"
[Not quite.]
"Then what is going on?" Ryoko asked, getting
more and more annoyed.
[You have simply abandoned your flesh, and
your mind is now flowing freely throughout the endless sea of the universe.]
Ryoko's face became puzzled. "Why is that?"
[Because you wanted it to.]
Ryoko scoffed. "Yeah, that sounds like me
alright. I always did want to get rid of that hideously ugly body of mine."
The apparition apparently understood her implications
of sarcasm, but its tone remained unaffected.
[Think about it. Is not the body but a shell,
constricting and confining the soul and mind which god gave us? Restraining
our true selves, in a cage of flesh, which holds something with such vast
reach and potential?]
Ryoko sighed. "Look, I don't care about your
little philosophy lesson, just tell me what's going on, and how I can get
back to Tenchi!"
[Oh yes, that boy. What about that boy interests
you?]
If Ryoko could've moved her arms, she would've
buried her face in her hands in annoyance.
"Why the hell do you care about that? Just
tell me how to go home!"
[Home? Home, you say? The home where no one
ever loved you? Where the boy who you wanted more than anything to love
you has nothing but shallow feelings for you? The home where you're mother
felt that it was necessary to bludgeon you with emotional torment for no
reason?]
Ryoko shook her head back and forth with some
partial understanding. "I get it now...this is all some hoax to make me
get down on myself, isn't it?"
The apparition disappeared, and Ryoko chuckled
to herself over her victory...even though the victory wasn't complete.
Even though she had brushed it aside, his words had cut her internally,
in a way that she resisted showing. But that didn't matter, because he
was gone now, right?
Suddenly, the area where the apparitions'
face was began to shimmer. Slowly at first, but eventually it came, quicker
and quicker. Ryoko looked on at it, curious as to what was happening.
Her eyes widened as the image cleared thoroughly
until it was very easy to recognize. She saw herself. She watched intently
as she floated over to Tenchi, and wrapped her arms around him lovingly,
only to get him angry, and shove her aside.
And she tried to resist it, but it *hurt*.
To see it...because it wasn't some hallucination, it was a *memory*.
The image changed to a time when she kept
a midnight vigil over his bed, making absolutely certain that he was safe...only
to be met with harsh words in the morning.
Ryoko shook her head quickly, and glanced
down, away from the image, but the floor now reflected the same image as
the ceiling. And so did the walls. She tried desperately to close her eyes,
but her eyelids had now revolted against their master, refusing to give.
She continued to watch, as Tenchi ran away
in fright as she tried to stand in the cave. She continued to watch, as
she watched Kagato kill Tenchi before her very eyes, and laugh about it.
She continued to watch, as Tenchi time and time again yelled at her, and
pushed her away as she desperately tried to touch him. She continued to
watch as Tenchi spoke kind words to Aeka, then to Mihoshi, then to Sasami,
then to Washu, then angrily spit accusations at Ryoko.
If Ryoko could move her arms, she would've
tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face.
If Ryoko could move her arms, she would've
tried to blast every last image that was showing her the memories in her
mind.
If Ryoko could move her arms, she would've
gouged out her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch anymore.
But she couldn't. She continued to stare,
as time and time again, Tenchi spoke harshly to her, scolded her, pushed
her, and closed himself off from her. Ryoko then watched as Washu had tricked
Ryoko into doing a 'quick' and 'harmless' experiment, and then as Ryoko
was left strung up, naked, alone, cold, and frightened all night.
Ryoko tried to scream for the images to stop,
but now her throat had completely seized up. Not a sound erupted from her
throat. Not an eye moved. Not a limb twitched. There wasn't any sign that
she was even alive, other than the endless stream of tears that were flowing
unchecked down her face.
Finally, the images swirled and coalesced
into another frightful conjuration of images...only Ryoko didn't remember
these. And she was very, very glad she didn't, because they were the worst
of all.
Ryoko watched as images of Tenchi kissing
Aeka passionately, Tenchi repeatedly hitting Ryoko, Tenchi seeing Ryoko
tied up and screaming and laughing at her, and Tenchi being killed repeatedly
by unknown assailants flashed by, crushing her strong yet now brittle spirit.
Ryoko managed to let a moan escape her lips,
as she tried so desperately to scream, to stop everything that was happening
*from* happening. But...she couldn't...and the images didn't stop coming...and
no one was there to console her...and she couldn't stop watching.
<Kill them. Kill them all.>
<So then...who says you even really exist?>
<Darkness...Despair...Return to nothingness...>
<If only you'd let me...I could've actually
done something for her!>
<I am simply what you decide to think of
me.>
<I create you, as you create me.>
<I never want to do anything except be
happy.>
<Tenchi...>
<Click...click...>
<Falling...am I falling? Into what? From
where?>
<I don't want to be more important than
you! I want to be the same! The SAME!!>
<It is foolish to listen to someone who
will not listen to you.>
<When we get there...I want nothing more
than to see you rise up and take what is rightfully yours.>
<Is this...Tsunami? What the hell is going
on here?>
<The...the wave existence?>
<Out. I want you out. A worthless child
like you is a stain on this family. Go to your worthless man. Go to him,
and let him stain you! For you have already stained US!>
<I think now I know...what loneliness is.
And...I think I was happier without knowing.>
<Why can't anyone hear me? Why am I doomed
to such solitude?>
<I hate the cold...I hate it...I HATE IT!!!>
<Let me down...please...I don't want to
be here anymore...PLEASE!>
Ryoko's eyes snapped open with a start, her
head and vision in a severe case of disarray from the voices, which had
been assaulting her in her state of defenselessness.
She remembered...dreaming. Dreaming about...something,
but she couldn't quite remember exactly what it was. All she could remember
were the voices and...water. Water...water...
Thoughts of water caused her to bring her
hands to her face to wipe off her tears, which had been left for hours.
She became suddenly surprised when she discovered that her face was completely
clean! And...she became even more surprised when she realized that her
arms were free!
Wasn't she in Washu's lab?
Wasn't she tied up to that horrible machine?
Was that all part of the horrible dream?
If not, where was she now?
As Ryoko's vision began to slowly return to
her, she began to slowly realize exactly where she was.
Tenchi's room.
More specifically, Tenchi's bed.
And...Ryoko could feel that she was practically
naked underneath the soft sheets.
Was it really a dream? Was she here with Tenchi?
No way, that had to be the dream.
Unsure of herself, she slowly turned her head
to the other side of the bed, hoping to see Tenchi in the bed with her,
but, as she suspected, the bed remained empty, other than herself.
Ryoko sat up, and as she did, she lowered
her gaze to her shirt.
It was the red tank top.
It WASN'T a dream.
But...how did she wind up in Tenchi's bed?
<No use thinking about it, I guess.> Ryoko
thought to herself.
Taking in a deep breath, Ryoko sat up all
the way, and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but stopped
herself in mid-stride.
A chair.
Next to the bed.
SOMEONE had been sitting here, with her.
Ryoko smiled at the thought of Tenchi sitting
in the chair, looking patiently over her, happily making sure that she
was okay, and assuring her that everything was going to be alright. And,
as quickly as that idea had surfaced, she slew it.
<No way, not Tenchi. He's way too shy to
do something like that. Aeka probably wouldn't let him, either. But then...what
the hell am I doing in his bed?>
Sick of being met with more and more questions,
accompanied with absolutely no answers, Ryoko managed to pull herself out
of the softness of the bed. Stretching, she felt her muscles were much
looser than she expected them to be.
She shook her arms about a little, to work
the circulation back into them properly. Looking down at her current attire,
she decided that walking around the house wearing only a skimpy tank top
would probably upset more than one person. So she phased into something
more appropriate, and common. Her blue and gold striped dress that she
was so fond of.
<I love this dress...it's so comfortable...>
she thought to herself quickly, before setting out on a mission to find
out exactly what the hell was going on.
Ryoko walked over to Tenchi's doorway, and
stopped in front of it. She clenched a determined fist, took a deep breath,
and phased through the thin layer of wood.
She was met with a rather empty hallway, which
was what she had pretty much expected. She was about to float off down
the stairs, when a sound stopped her in her tracks.
A voice.
An angry voice.
Tenchi's angry voice.
Praying silently to absolutely anything that
would listen it wasn't something that she did, she started floating off
in the direction of the voice. It wasn't hard, it was rather loud. Ryoko
was in fact slightly taken aback by the sound; she had never heard it like
that.
Tenchi was *yelling*.
He never did that.
Angrily yelling.
Ryoko was becoming more and more afraid that
she'd done something to evoke this slightly wrathful side of Tenchi, but
she was determined to find out exactly what was going, so she kept floating
off towards the sound.
She stopped in front Nobuyuki's study.
Tenchi was definitely in there, and he was
definitely yelling.
Taking a deep breath, Ryoko pressed her ear
to the door, and listened carefully.
"Oh yeah? That doesn't give you a reason!"
Washu was looking down at her feet. Tenchi
was furious at her, and she could tell that Aeka was as well, regardless
of the fact she hadn't met her gaze, and the princess hadn't said anything.
And they had a right to be.
"I'm waiting!" Tenchi spat angrily.
Washu looked up timidly at Tenchi. She had
never been scared of Tenchi before. And really, she wasn't scared now,
either. It was Tenchi's emotions that frightened her. Not from his anger,
but from what had triggered them. Tenchi never got this mad at anyone,
not even Ryoko.
Washu realized that in order to get him this
angry, she must have done something completely terrible. And that was what
frightened her.
She had absolutely no reason to do such a
horrible thing to Ryoko. She didn't need any data. Ryoko didn't need to
be frightened like that. Washu never was really that cold. So...why?
Washu looked into Tenchi's glaring brown eyes.
"I really don't know why, Tenchi."
"Is that what you're going to tell Ryoko?
That you just demeaned and humiliated her beyond a reasonable limit just
*because*?" Tenchi said, his eyes, voice and tone not wavering.
Washu sighed. "Look, Tenchi. I'm SORRY, alright?
I'll apologize to Ryoko. Not because you want me to, but because I know
it's right. I feel horrible, Tenchi. I really don't know why I did what
I did. I guess...I thought it would be...funny, I suppose."
Tenchi's eyes grew wider. "Funny? What the
hell could be funny about THAT?!"
Washu closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I don't KNOW! I said that already! I knew after a while that I had done
something horrible to Ryoko...but I just...couldn't stop." Washu admitted
shamefully.
Tenchi softened his gaze a little seeing Washu
being humbled a bit. "Why couldn't you stop, Washu? If you knew that it
was wrong, why didn't you?"
Washu scoffed angrily. "Don't you lecture
ME like I'm some little kid, Tenchi!!" she spat.
Tenchi grew angry again. "Don't you talk like
THAT! I'm going to lecture you EXACTLY like that! This is *my* house. You
are a guest. When you do a cruel, *childish* prank on another one of my
guests, while hiding yourself in the body of a *child*, you had damn well
be ready to be lectured *like* a child!"
Aeka had sat in between the two of them, trying
to be somewhat of a mediator, but she found that the longer the argument
went on, Tenchi seemed to prove Washu wrong again and again. She had now
found herself glaring at Washu, for the thing she did to Ryoko.
"Washu-san, I think you should apologize to
Ryoko." Aeka said finally.
Tenchi and Washu looked over at Aeka. Tenchi
nodded in agreement, and Washu did the same after seeing the expression
of absolute seriousness on her face.
They were interrupted as Ryoko phased in through
the doorway, wearing her blue and golden dress.
Tenchi turned to her. "Oh, Ryoko! How are
you..."
He stopped when he saw the expression on Ryoko's
face.
It was one of pure hatred, and it was radiating
straight at Washu.
Ryoko shook her head angrily. "You...were
there...the whole time..." she fought desperately from directly striking
at Washu.
Washu sighed and nodded. "Yes."
Ryoko began to take slow angry steps toward
Washu, but Tenchi was quicker. Tenchi leapt up and grabbed Ryoko by the
shoulders, and looked her in the eyes.
"Don't, Ryoko." He shook his head. "Don't."
Ryoko's face softened a little as she looked
at Tenchi's face, covered in absolute sincerity.
Aeka stood up, and decided that this was no
time for rivalry, this was a time for friendship. She walked over next
to Ryoko, and when she held her gaze, nodded in silent agreement with Tenchi.
Washu continued to sit on the floor, refusing
to look up at Ryoko, unable to meet her gaze. She had violated her daughter,
and it was going to take a lot of work to fix the damage that had been
done.
She cleared her throat. "I...I'm sorry, Ryoko."
At the sound of Washu's voice, Ryoko became
visually angered again, but Tenchi was again there to stop it.
"Ryoko...it's not worth it..." He looked back
at Washu, who was still looking at the ground, then back into Ryoko's eyes,
"...not worth it at all."
Ryoko closed her eyes and sighed. She opened
them again a moment later, and looked at Tenchi, and nodded once, slowly.
Tenchi smiled back at her.
"Hey, why don't you
go wait in my room? We can talk, if you want." He suggested.
Ryoko smiled, and decided that she would take
him up on his offer. Most of the time, it would of set her on fire to be
invited into Tenchi's room, and she would have tried her best to see that
it progressed into Tenchi's *bed*, but now...she really just wanted to
talk to Tenchi. To be with Tenchi. When he wasn't mad.
She silently turned, and floated out of the
room, leaving the three of them in the room together. Tenchi sighed, and
turned to Aeka.
"Aeka-san, umm...thanks." He said, in a humble
voice.
Aeka blushed slightly. "For...?"
"For everything. You went and got Washu, and
you sat here with us to keep us in line, and you were there for Ryoko.
That means a lot to me." He said.
Aeka smiled, as she stared into his eyes.
"I'm...glad I could help you, Tenchi."
Aeka looked back once at Washu, then left
in the same quiet manner that Ryoko had.
Washu's mind was screaming at her. She had
never felt like this before. So why now?
<What have you done?>
<You didn't even mean it when you apologized!>
<What is happening to me?>
<Why can't I show my love for my daughter
like any other mother?>
<Why can't I be normal?>
<Why can't SHE accept that I'm *not* normal?>
<Where is your science now, hmm?>
<When did I start to think like this?>
<Who am I?>
<What have I become?>
<What have I done to my daughter?!?>
She was startled out of her thoughts as a
gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up to see Tenchi's hand,
then traced her view up his arm, and to his face, to see his gentle yet
stern expression, staring right at her.
"Washu...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled
like that. But...I'm still angry...but I forgive you, Washu. Because I
know you're sorry. I can see it. And I know how hard it is going to be
with Ryoko, so I won't yell at you." He said in his normal gentle demeanor.
Washu sighed. "Thanks." Was all she could
muster.
Tenchi nodded, and proceeded to leave the
room.
TO BE CONTINUED
MUSIC: Hey, thought I'd run you through this for the first time. When I write, music *completely* inspires me. Therefore, the majority of the scenes have been written to a specific song, so I thought I'd let you know which song went where. Because, as you could probably guess, listening to that song while reading that part, really enhances the scene.
SONGS:
The Space Battle: "Shudder",
from 'Einhander'.
Ryoko tied up: "Rei I",
from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'.
Ashley and Sumirei: "Explosion!
Dragon Slave!", from 'Slayers TRY'.
Tenchi finding Ryoko: "Lost
Planet", from 'Trigun'.
Tenchi's inner Torment:
"Do you love me?", from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'.
Ryoko's Dreamworld:
"One who bares fangs at God", from 'Xenogears'.