Well, I @#$%ed up the ending. This isn't the first time I've been overcome
with excitement as I've seen the end of a lengthy 'fic approaching, and as a
result completely missed an important part of the plot. For those of you
wondering "What happened to Washu's baby?", this is now answered. Search for
the word "teleported" to go straight to the new text. (I've also spell-checked
it, which I'd forgotten to do.)
Strange how much better the ending works now that the missing piece has been
added. Sometimes I feel that all my stories have already been written, and
that all I'm doing is finding all the pieces of those stories and expressing
them...
TENCHI MUYO! : "Mother's Day"
by Ryan Mathews
CHAPTER EIGHT
Washu, the greatest genius in the known universe, the master of a
science so advanced, it was indistinguishable to most from magic, prepared
to attempt the most difficult feat of her twenty-thousand-year life. Washu
was about to beg for help. She was about to beg for her daughter's life.
She was standing outside the entrance to the Great Hall of the
Juraian Council. The Council was the de facto governing body of the Jurai
Empire, second in authority only to the Emperor himself, or in his absence,
the Queens. It was at the request of both Queens that Washu had been
granted an audience. She had hoped that Misaki and Funaho would issue a
joint edict allowing her to bypass the Council altogether, but sadly, that
was not to be the case. Washu understood. She was asking a lot.
When Ryoko had collapsed shortly after the defeat of Lhim-Zen, Washu
had her quickly beamed back to Ryo-oh-ki. It was there that she discovered
the truth: Ryoko was in far greater danger than she had been while Zen was
alive.
At some time during Lhim-Zen's enslavement of Ryoko, he had
implanted a nanomachine virus into her body. It had been meant as a
failsafe device, to ensure that, should Ryoko somehow escape his control,
she would not pose a threat. The virus was designed to radically
destabilize Ryoko's internal power metabolism, unless periodically reset via
the controller. When Ryoko had temporarily freed herself from the
controller's influence, the virus had become confused and went active.
Washu had since purged the virus from Ryoko's body, but it was too
late. The power inside Ryoko's body had become unstable and was growing
more so by the minute. The gems had been removed from her body, which
helped somewhat, but not enough. She was currently attached to devices
designed to keep her power in check, but they would buy only a few hours.
Eventually, Ryoko would explode.
And, as much as she wished otherwise, Washu could do nothing to
prevent it.
Given enough time, she knew she could find a way. Nothing was
beyond the power of her mind. Washu truly believed that. If she had a few
weeks or months, she'd have the solution. But she had only hours, hours
that continued to tick away as she waited for the doors to open.
At last, they did.
Aboard Misaki and Funaho's ship, Tenchi found his way to a small
waiting room. Through a window, Ryoko could be seen, lying on a bed with a
dozen small pads affixed to her body. Cords ran from the pads to a console
next to the bed. There was one central indicator on the console. Tenchi
had no clue what it meant, but it was nearly in the red.
"My God," said Tenchi, softly. "Hasn't she been through enough?"
Save for Washu, still campaigning before the Council, the whole gang
was there. Aeka and Sasami sat close to their mother, with Funaho sitting
nearby. Mihoshi nodded, fighting the urge to doze off. No one said a word.
"How is she?" Tenchi asked.
"We don't know," said Aeka.
"Well, has anyone talked to her?"
"Washu advised against it," Funaho said. "She said we shouldn't
excite her."
Tenchi stared through the window for the long time. Finally, he
went to the door and opened it.
"Tenchi, no!" shouted Misaki. "Washu said--"
"I know what she said. Ryoko's dying in there! Does she expect me
to just sit and watch?!" He went inside.
Tenchi pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ryoko. She was half-
asleep, possibly the effect of the power-damping device, Tenchi thought. He
touched her shoulder. "Hey, there."
Ryoko blinked awake. "Tenchi!" A smile spread across her face.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit. How does it look?"
Tenchi laughed. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."
Ryoko opened her mouth to call him a liar, then shut it. <Let him
lie,> she thought. There was something she wanted desperately to say to
him. What was it? The damned damping field was making her mind so fuzzy.
It came back to her. The scene in the orchard. Tenchi seemingly
about to kiss Aeka, Ryoko saying "I hate you", then flying into the sky
against her will. She had to clear that up. She couldn't let Tenchi think
she'd actually *meant* that!
"I just want to apologize," said Tenchi.
"Wh-what?" Ryoko stammered, completely thrown off-stride.
"It was wrong of me to sneak off to Jurai behind your back. I was
just so curious to see what Jurai was like, and Misaki was so persuasive.
It was still wrong, though. I'm sorry."
"Don't be! If you hadn't been here, I'd still be Lhim-Zen's slave!"
Tenchi laughed again. "You're right! Funny how that worked out,
isn't it?" He leaned forward, "Washu will be back soon. I have to go
before she gets back or she'll turn me into a kappa or something. I just
wanted to say..." His voice trailed off.
Ryoko waited patiently.
Tenchi gently took Ryoko's hand. "I just don't want you think that
you mean anything less to me than Aeka. I don't want you to think that you
were a burden. I just..." Tenchi stopped. "Dammit," he muttered, "I'm not
saying this right."
"Take your time," said Ryoko, softly.
Tenchi held Ryoko's hand in silence for a few minutes. Finally he
lifted his head, at last sure of his words.
"When we first met, I risked my life to save you from Kagato. I
want you to understand that I'd do it again. I'd risk my life for you a
thousand times, if I had to. I just wish..." His voice cracked. "I just
wish that I could do it for you now."
Ryoko's heart raced. She could feel the blood rushing to her face.
"Tenchi, I..." She sat up and leaned toward him taking his hand in both of
hers. "I... I... I love--".
Alarm claxons blared. The warning console, its indicator well into
the red, shrieked and screamed warnings of all kinds. Ryoko's body glowed.
Tenchi yelled and pulled his blistered hand away.
The door slammed open. "OH MY GOD!!" screamed Washu. She pointed
at Tenchi. "You! OUT!"
Tenchi hurried outside as smoke from the charred sheets began to
curl about Ryoko. Washu hurriedly fiddled with the buttons on the console,
her hands moving so fast that they became a blur. Finally, Ryoko returned
to normal and slumped back on the bed.
Washu emerged, panting, a few minutes later. She confronted Tenchi.
"I understand why you were in there. And as touching as I'm sure the scene
was, get this through your head: you nearly ruined Ryoko's one chance for
survival and killed us in the bargain."
Funaho spoke up. "What did the Council say?"
"They agreed. Fifty Juraian ships, staffed with skeleton crews,
will rendezvous with this ship within the hour."
The spirits of everyone in the room brightened immediately. "That's
wonderful!" exclaimed Misaki. "But may I ask what you said to convince
them? I honestly thought they would be thrilled to hear of Ryoko's
impending demise."
"They were," said Washu. She imitated the voices of the men on the
Council. "'We understand your position as her mother, but we believe Jurai
will be better off once Ryoko's gone.' Assholes. So I offered them the
core of the Souja, the source of the only power ever to prove a serious
threat to Jurai, if they would agree to help."
"So that's how you did it," said Aeka.
"Not quite. It was what I threatened to do with the core if they
didn't agree." Washu grinned. "I said I'd sell it to the highest bidder."
Deep in space, several dozen million kilometers from Jurai, the
fleet of ships maneuvered into position, forming a enormous sphere, the nose
of each ship pointing toward the sphere's center. From the bridge, Tenchi
watched the formation take shape, marveling at the graceful movements of the
massive Juraian vessels. Washu had wanted him in a safer place, farther
inside the ship, where the Juraian royals were waiting it out, but Tenchi
had refused.
"The fleet is in position," the captain of the ship said to Washu,
who was monitoring a small terminal. "We can begin the operation whenever
you're ready."
Washu nodded and hit a button. "You hear that, kiddo? We're ready
to rock and roll! How are you feeling?"
"How do you think I'm feeling?" came Ryoko's voice over speakers.
"Let's just get this over with."
"It'll be over before you know it. Just sit back and let Washu
handle everything. You'll be back to your old self in no time!"
A bead of sweat belied Washu's optimistic tone of voice. Tenchi
knew what she was thinking. This was a longshot, plain and simple. The
plan was to allow Ryoko to explode, then catch the energy of the explosion
and put her back together. Easily said. Almost impossibly difficult to do.
Tenchi took two steps toward Washu, intending to speak to Ryoko.
Washu held up her hand, and slowly shook her head. Tenchi was disappointed,
but understood. If Ryoko got too excited, it would mean the end of
everything.
Washu turned to the captain. "Begin."
The captain nodded. "Launch capsule!"
The ship vibrated slightly. A small black capsule came into view on
the main screen, moving toward the center of the sphere. As it reached the
center, the capsule split open, depositing its cargo, a naked Ryoko. Its
purpose complete, thrusters on both halves of the capsule fired, sending it
racing to the other side of the sphere.
"The capsule has cleared the perimeter," announced an officer.
"Inform the other captains they may deploy their lighthawk wings,"
said the captain. "What's next?" he asked Washu.
"We wait."
Ryoko drifted, slowly, grateful for the peace of space, the utter
silence. She wanted a moment alone with her thoughts before the end.
<Is this it?> she wondered? All around her, lighthawk wings
unfurled, looking more like the wings of angels come to carry her off to the
afterlife than her only means of salvation. Then the wings spread,
stretching thinner and thinner, until they formed a single translucent
sphere, and the image was lost.
She wondered if her life had truly been worth living. She'd been
around for more than two thousand years, but so many of those years had been
wasted. Seven hundred years trapped in a cave. Over a thousand spent in
slavery to Kagato.
Then came Tenchi. Ryoko smiled. Of course. Those few years with
Tenchi had made all the rest worthwhile. But, she thought as her mood
turned bitter once more, that was what was so damned disappointing! Until
she had met Tenchi, she'd never truly been alive. She knew that now. To
have her life snuffed out just after she'd found a truly real reason to live
had to be a cruel hoax.
There was so much she wanted to do with Tenchi, so much she wanted
to show him, to share with him.
<Just one more day,> she thought. <If I could only spend one more
day with Tenchi.>
She felt something brush against her mind. Something familiar.
Something wonderful.
She looked ahead, and though the flagship was kilometers away, she
could see him, standing on the bridge, never taking his eyes off her. He
called to her.
<Tenchi...>
Tears of pure joy cascaded down Ryoko's cheek, crystallizing as they
rolled off into space. Tenchi was there for her. He would always be there
for her. <TENCHI!> Ryoko shouted with her mind. <I love you...>
Then she exploded.
The explosion was more powerful than anyone watching had imagined.
It was as if a new star had been born, right in front of them. Those
misfortunate enough to have been looking at Ryoko as she detonated were
temporarily blinded, including Tenchi. He stumbled and fell as the bridge
shook.
"Primary energy wave encountered and absorbed!" announced an
officer. "Secondary energy wave arriving in twenty-eight seconds."
"So far, so good," said Washu.
Tenchi's vision began to clear. On the main screen, he could see
the secondary energy wave, moving more slowly but packing ten times the
force. "That used to be Ryoko," he muttered softly.
A claxon sounded. "We have a failure in the perimeter." The
officer turned to the captain. "It's the Junaho, sir. Their wings are
failing." On the screen, a hole formed in the sphere of translucent wings.
"Have them pull back!" shouted the captain. "Order the rest of the
fleet to close the gap!"
"But sir! That means moving closer to the wave!"
"DO IT!"
The sphere shrank, and the hole closed. Moments later, impact.
Officers were thrown out of their chairs. Washu's tiny frame was
sent flying across the bridge where she bounced off a wall. Tenchi ran over
to her. She was bleeding from a gash on her forehead. Tenchi ripped a
piece of fabric from his shirt and wrapped it around her head as a makeshift
bandage.
More claxons sounded. "Exceeding absorption capacity!" shouted one
officer. "Exceeding torque limits on wing sphere. The whole formation is
about to be torn apart!"
The captain pounded his fist angrily. "DAMN IT! Alright, order the
fleet to reconfigure lighthawk wings for defense."
The sphere faded, to be replaced by the familiar appearance of the
lighthawk wings. The wings deflected the remaining energy around the ships
and into space. Tenchi and Washu watched helplessly as so much of Ryoko
vanished, lost forever.
"Help me get to the cargo bay," Washu said to Tenchi. "That's where
I set up my lab." Tenchi nodded and picked Washu up. Despite everything,
Washu couldn't help blushing.
They reached the large sliding doors that marked the entrance to the
cargo bay, where Washu asked to be set down. "You have to stay out here,
Tenchi."
"But you need my help! Your head--!"
"I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks." Washu's blood had
nearly soaked through the bandage. "The first thing I'll do is heal the
wound, okay? Now get out of here, Tenchi. I know how you feel, but I can't
have any distractions."
Tenchi sighed. "I understand."
Washu hit a switch and the doors slid open.
"Please save her, Washu," said Tenchi.
Washu grinned. "She's in good hands, Tenchi. Now go!"
Washu's grin faded as the doors closed. Despite what she had told
Tenchi, healing herself would have to wait. She couldn't afford the delay.
She ran over to the operation console, connected to the large battery which
was storing Ryoko's energy. According to an indicator, only 72% of Ryoko's
energy had been captured. Washu's heart sank. Her most generous estimate
had implied a bare minimum of 88% capture before there was even a hope of
reconstitution.
"I won't give up yet," Washu said. "Not yet."
She threw a level. Large rods shot beams of energy at a bed. The
beams crossed just above the bed and began to resolve themselves into a
female form.
On his way to rejoin Aeka and the others, Tenchi was stopped by the
ship's captain. "Lord Tenchi. I don't believe we've been introduced. I
am Chatska, captain of this vessel," he said, bowing politely.
"Pleased to meet you," Tenchi replied nervously. "Thank you for
helping to save Ryoko."
"It was my duty," said the captain. He bowed again and began to
walk off.
Tenchi took a step, then turned around. "Mr. Captain, sir!"
"Yes?" said the captain, turning to face him.
"It wasn't your duty to put the fleet in danger by moving them
closer to the energy wave. It's for that that I wish to thank you, but I
don't understand why you did it. I thought that all Juraians hated Ryoko."
"You thought wrong. Not all of us see Ryoko as the devil incarnate,
Your Highness. Many of us know of the story of Kagato, and how you and
Ryoko destroyed him together. And," the captain continued with a smile,
"any woman who is loved by our Crown Prince can't be all bad."
Tenchi blushed. "Thank you."
The captain bowed sharply and walked off.
Tenchi reached the room where the royal family was sequestered. He
was greeted by Sasami, who ran into his arms.
"Tenchi!" said Aeka. "I'm so glad to see you're alright."
"That shockwave," asked Funaho, "was it...?"
"Yes," Tenchi confirmed. "That was Ryoko." He looked around the
room. In evidence of the shockwave's effect was shattered china and a large
tea stain on the wall. "Looks like I missed the party."
"It was good tea, too," sighed Misaki. "Sasami really outdid
herself."
Sasami looked up at Tenchi through tears. "Is Ryoko gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure she'll be okay," Tenchi replied, smiling and stroking
Sasami's hair. "The greatest genius scientist in the universe is taking
care of her."
Washu, the greatest genius scientist in the universe, hung her head
in despair.
She had failed.
All attempts to revive Ryoko had been unsuccessful. Ryoko lay there
on the bed, beautiful, perfect, and motionless. For the first time in so
long she couldn't remember, Washu was out of ideas. There was nothing more
to do. In a matter of minutes, Ryoko's body would dissipate, vanishing into
mist, and that would be the end of it. Her daughter was dead.
<I suppose I should say goodbye,> thought Washu. She pulled up a
chair and sat down.
"Ah, Ryoko? I don't know if you can hear me. According my data,
you're showing no brain activity, so you shouldn't hear anything, but...
Well, if you have a soul, maybe it can hear.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't around when you
were young. I created you, so I should have been there for you, even if it
was Kagato's fault."
She laughed cynically. "You know, I always meant to tell you how I
got captured by Kagato, but I was too embarrassed. I mean, for the entire
two thousand years I was imprisoned I was kicking myself for having been so
stupid. I'm an order of magnitude more intelligent than Kagato. There was
no excuse for falling for that trick.
"You know, I wasn't really gone for those two thousand years. I was
able to watch you when you were in the Souja. Kind of like you watched
Tenchi while you were in the cave."
Washu choked. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Tenchi. Oh my God.
Wh-what am I going to tell Tenchi?! What am I going to tell--" She broke
down and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"NO!" Washu screamed, angrily wiping the tears away. "I *won't*
give up!! I WON'T! I am not going to walk out there and tell Tenchi I
couldn't save her! I'd rather DIE!"
An idea hit her, hard.
Energy was the problem, right? Ryoko needed it, a very special kind
of it. Washu had neither the time nor the resources to make more of it.
However, she now realized, she didn't need to. There was another source,
which, if drained dry, should be just enough to the trick.
Washu opened the "magic pocket" in the air and pulled out a length
a cable. At each end were two sharp prongs. She inserted the prongs on
one end into Ryoko's shoulder.
She stuck the other end into her own arm.
She touched a contact, and Washu's own life-energy began flowing
into Ryoko. Washu checked the indicator. It rose slowly but steadily, from
"72%" to "73%", then "74%".
"Well, Ryoko, I guess this it," said Washu, smiling. "I won't be
there to keep you in line any more, so you'd better be a good girl, you
understand?"
Washu began to get dizzy, and rested her head on Ryoko's stomach.
She knew she would pass out soon, and didn't want to fall off the chair when
it happened, for fear of pulling the cable out of her arm.
Her vision began to get dim, and she felt cold. She laughed.
"Twenty thousand years. Not a bad run. Not bad at all."
<And not a bad way to go out,> was Washu's last thought.
Ryoko opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to clear her vision.
She started to understand her surroundings. She was on her back.
She didn't recognize what she was seeing, but it looked like something Washu
would dream up.
Washu. Washu had done it! She was alive!
Ryoko sat up. She winced as she realized something was stuck in her
shoulder. She pulled it out. She looked down to see Washu asleep, her
head in Ryoko's lap.
"Hey! Hey, Washu! Wake up! You did it!"
Washu didn't respond.
Ryoko shook her gently. "Hey! C'mon, Washu, wake up! I want to
thank you!" Ryoko grabbed Washu's hand. It was ice cold.
"Washu?" Ryoko began to get worried. She rolled Washu over. Her
face was pale. She wasn't breathing. Then Ryoko saw the other end of the
cable in Washu's arm, and realized what had happened. She pulled it out,
knowing it was too late.
"No. You can't die. Not now! I wanted to thank you!" She lifted
Washu's body and held her. "Washu?"
Ryoko began to cry. "M-mom? Mommy? Mommy, don't leave me..."
She screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!"
There was a shattering sound.
From around a corner came three glowing red points of light. It
took a moment for Ryoko to recognize them. They were the gems.
The gems formed a rotating triangle in front of Ryoko, and Washu was
ripped from her grasp, levitating into the air. The gems began to whirl
around her faster and faster. Washu's clothing was shredded and vanished.
As Ryoko watched, the gems spun so fast, they became a red blur.
Washu levitated vertically in the center of this red vortex, her hair blown
skyward. The color began to return to her skin. The laceration on her head
disappeared.
Finally, the vortex began to slow. It let Washu down for a soft
landing, and her clothing reappeared. The gems stopped spinning altogether,
and split up. One embedded itself forcefully into Ryoko's left wrist, while
the other two flew off, burning tiny holes in the wall. <They must be
returning to Tenchi's sword,> Ryoko thought.
The door slid open. The royal family, Tenchi, and three security
officers were outside. "We thought we heard someone call for help," said
one of the officers.
Washu stretched and yawned.
"Washu?" Ryoko asked.
"Hey!" exclaimed Washu. "I'm alive! Well, what do you know? I
must be made of sturdier stuff then I thought!" She got to her feet and
examined Ryoko. "I see you retrieved your gem. You really should have
waited until I said it was safe."
"I, uh..." Ryoko trailed off. <Forget it,> she thought.
"Ryoko!" yelled Sasami as she ran to the bed. "I'm glad you're
okay."
"So am I," said Tenchi.
"Tenchi!" Ryoko began to get out of bed but Washu pushed her back
down.
"No time for romance now," said Washu. "I gotta run some tests."
"Damn you, Washu," Ryoko muttered.
CHAPTER NINE
Three days later, Tenchi and all the girls were back at the Masaki
residence, explaining the details of their adventure to Tenchi's father and
grandfather.
"Queen Misaki and Queen Funaho wanted to come back with us," Tenchi
wrapped up, "but they had to stay and explain everything to the Emperor."
"We were leaving on Mihoshi's ship just as the Imperial flagship
entered orbit," said Ryoko. "That was nerve-wracking."
"Good thing we weren't flying Ryo-oh-ki," said Tenchi, petting the
cabbit, who was munching happily on a carrot.
Mihoshi entered. "Hi, everyone! Isn't it a *wonderful* day?!"
She hummed happily to herself as she sat down in front of the TV and turned
on her favorite show.
"I swear," said Aeka, "won't she *ever* come down?" Mihoshi was on
a high from her first ever completely uneventful landing on Earth. The fact
that she had had help from everyone on board was completely lost on her.
"So how was *your* trip?" Tenchi asked his elders.
"Oh the convention was pretty boring," said Father.
"So we spent a lot of time on the beach," said Grandfather.
"Checking out the girls in bikinis!"
"And getting slapped a lot."
Tenchi sighed. It figured.
Sasami came in, carrying a plate. "I made some cookies!"
Everyone thanked her and happily dug in.
Ryoko got up after eating a cookie and walked over to Aeka. "Hey,
Aeka, I've been meaning to thank you."
"For what?"
"You know, saving my ass from the Juraians. They hate my guts over
there. I'm still banned from their space. I wouldn't have survived without
help from the royals."
"You really should thank my aunt for that. I had little to do with
it."
"Nevertheless, thank you very much." Ryoko bowed politely. Her
head came off and plopped into Aeka's lap.
Aeka screamed at the top of her lungs, pushing the head off her lap
and running out of the room in a panic. Ryoko laughed hysterically, her
face turning red and her body rolling on the floor convulsing.
"Looks like everything is back to normal," said Sasami.
Tenchi sighed and bit into another cookie. Only here would this be
considered "normal".
Washu walked by and went into her lab. Ryoko grabbed her head and
teleported after her.
"So," said Grandfather. "How is Washu holding up?"
"About as well as can be expected," Tenchi replied.
Washu sat at her data console, trying her best to get into her work,
but only partly succeeding. She missed her baby. In her heart, she knew
had made the right decision, but that knowledge didn't make her feel any
better.
Monshu was a new, innocent life. But he had been born from the
genetic material of Lhim-Zen. He shared all of Zen's genetic traits,
including a predisposition toward certain forms of mental and emotional
dysfunction. Left untreated, Monshu would grow up to be the same vicious
sociopath Lhim-Zen had been.
This was not something Washu could fix instantly with her science.
The only known cure for sociopathic traits was a lifetime of treatment, and
the best place in the galaxy to receive that treatment was on Jurai. When
Misaki had offered to make Monshu a ward of the Royal Family, Washu agreed.
Monshu would be raised in what was essentially an orphanage.
Washu repeated to herself that she was not leaving her child, that
she would see him again, that she would be involved in his upbringing.
Nonetheless, the truth was that the time she would spend away from her son
would far outweigh the time she would spend with him. To make matters
worse, the fact that she would never be completely welcome on Jurai would
complicate matters forever. She had taken the liberty of hiding a portal on
Jurai, which she could access through her lab, but it would be years before
she could feel safe using it. Until then, she would simply have to trust
that her baby was in the best hands.
She heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" She turned around to see
who it was. "Oh, Ryoko."
"I've, um, been meaning to give you something," Ryoko said. She
handed Washu a small, crudely-wrapped gift.
"For me? Thanks!" Washu opened it. When she saw what it was, her
eyes began to tear up.
"I, uh, know it's, like, late, y'know. And it's not much. But I
wanted to give you something," said Ryoko, stumbling nervously. "And, like,
I know you like crabs and stuff."
"Thank you. It's beautiful," said Washu, her voice wavering.
"Great! I'm glad you like it! Well, I'll, um, be going. See you
later!" Ryoko left.
Washu turned the gift over in her hands. It was just a pretty
clasp, in the shape of a crab, set with red-tinted glass cut to resemble
gems. Underneath the crab were the three most beautiful Roman letters Washu
had ever seen.
"MOM".
T H E E N D