Season 2: Home Life and Shadow Plays
Episode 8: No Need for Apologies
Washu�s Lab
"Well," Ayeka asked impatiently. "Do you have any
results?" If she was going to suffer the indignity of
these tests, the least Washu could do was answer some
questions.
"Quite a few actually," Washu said cheerfully.
Ayeka blinked.
"Well don�t just stand there," Ayeka demanded.
"Tell me about them."
"I�ve been able to isolate at least fifteen
separate factors in the Jurai energy field that I had
not noticed before," Washu started, Ayeka blinked
again. "The structure of the field is exceptionally
interesting. Considering the differences between
your�"
"Washu-chan�" Ayeka started politely.
"�field now, and your field before. I might be able
to refine my Jurai energy generators with this
information."
"�Washu?"
"I don�t think I�ll ever be able to duplicate the
same level of complexity that a living being�"
"�Washu�." Ayeka said a little testily.
"�can create in the field. There is a level of
evolution and change even in your weakened�."
"�WASHU!!!!!!!" Ayeka shouted.
"Ayeka, you should be avoiding stress as much as
possible," the scientist condoned her. "Try to calm
down."
"Do you have any information that can help me?"
Ayeka asked.
"Not as yet." Ayeka restrained herself from
attacking the pink-haired scientist. "Have you
actually tried channeling power since then?"
"No, why do you ask?" Washu looked grim. "Is that
bad."
"It could be," Washu noted. "After an injury it
always helps the healing to work on the injured part.
Hmm, let�s hook you back up to the sensors and try a
few more tests."
"If you insist, Washu-chan," Ayeka said wearily.
The New Miho-Kiyo place
"But do you have to go and leave me here all
alone?" Mihoshi whined.
"Rakkan and Karya are here," she fixed the pair
with a glare, they had been difficult to convince of
that. Both wanted to accompany Kiyone and Rikyu on the
trip. "It�s a week there, drop off the prisoner,
paperwork, report and then a week back, I won�t be
gone long. And I�m not going for another few days, so
you can stop acting like I�m going vanish every time I
leave your sight."
"But I can�t last that long without you!" Mihoshi
wailed.
"You were here for more than a month before I
arrived!" Kiyone countered.
"Oh yeah," Mihoshi said cheerfully. "I guess I�ll
be find."
"Aaghh!!" Kiyone took a moment after voicing her
frustration to calm down. "Good, I guess that�s
settled then."
"By why do you want to go off with Rikyu anyway?"
Kiyone turned a faint shade of red and laughed
nervously.
"Well, all he�s seen so far is the frontiers,"
Kiyone explained weakly. "So I�m going to give him a
chance to see some of the centers of the galactic
civilization."
"It�s not because you want some time alone with
him?" Kiyone�s blush deepened.
"How did you figure that out?" Karya asked.
"Isn�t it obvious?" Mihoshi asked curiously.
"To normal people perhaps," Rakkan commented
quietly.
"Well, whatever," Kiyone said. "You�re fine staying
here, so as soon as Tenchi and Ryoko get here, I can
deal with this other situation and then I�m gone."
"Where are Lord Tenchi and Lady Shiroi?"
"Yosho apparently has them sparring."
Yosho�s training ground
Ryoko and Tenchi glared at each other across the
sparring ground. They�d vocally clashed once or twice
since they�d left the Yagami. Nothing quite so
volatile as that first outburst, but still somewhat
vicious.
"This should be good practice for you Ryoko," Yosho
said from off to the side. "Tenchi has been practicing
the Jurai fighting arts all his life."
"There�s no way that he�s going to beat me," Ryoko
insisted. She took her stance rigidly.
"Let�s just see about that," Tenchi said.
"Remember, this is just a spar," Yosho said
harshly. "And a test of your fighting skills, not your
powers."
"I don�t need my powers," Ryoko insisted. Tenchi
narrowed his eyes.
"In that case, begin!"
Ryoko attacked first, as Tenchi expected. He fell
back slowly, concentrating on his defense for the time
being. Ryoko�s execution was near perfect, but he�d
learned the same routine nearly eight years ago. Ryoko
stabbed forward with an enraged shout. Tenchi coolly
sidestepped, letting Ryoko pass along side and past
him. He lay the edge of his bokken against the back of
her head lightly.
"Damn it," Ryoko snarled as she felt the slight
brush of wood against her skull.
"The first round goes to Tenchi," Yosho declared.
"You need to calm down Ryoko, that was a somewhat
predictable exchange."
"Don�t worry about me," Ryoko grunted as she faced
off against Tenchi before. The second pass turned out
much like the first. A lot like the first.
"Ryoko�s better than this, much better" Tenchi
thought to himself. "What�s she doing?" Looking to his
Grandfather he saw that Yosho was also confused. Ryoko
generally depended on her powers in battle, but she
had to have some experience in melee over the last
couple thousand years.
"Shall we try again Ryoko?" Yosho asked. Ryoko
grumbled wordlessly and prepared for a third round.
Tenchi watched her with some concern this time, and
the third pass began.
Ryoko came in hard again, almost flawlessly, but
still following one of the practice routines stroke
for stroke. She had to know that the counter would be
obvious. He dodged to the side and out of her reach.
Then he stood and watched her.
"What�s the matter Tenchi, pressing a little to
hard?" Ryoko asked.
"Are you okay, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.
"What are you talking about Tenchi, now are we
going to fight here?"
"Good question," Yosho interrupted. "Considering
you�ve thrown every round."
"Yeah, I�d almost say you want to lose," Tenchi was
confused. He had thought Ryoko was angry with him, but
wouldn�t that make her eager to win rather than lose.
"Oh forget it, this was stupid anyway," Ryoko
snapped and teleported away.
"Ryoko wait!" Tenchi shouted. "Damn it, what�s the
matter with her?"
"You haven�t been paying much attention, have you
Tenchi?" Yosho asked.
"What do you mean?"
"She hasn�t been around as much recently, has she?"
Now that Tenchi thought about, the only times Ryoko
showed up at the house was for the soap operas and
meals. And she�d been drunk more often as well. He�d
been too busy worrying about himself to notice
anything wrong with her.
"I�m going to go talk to her." Yosho nodded, and
smiled as his grandson walked away. He felt a little
silly, meddling in their lives, but it needed to be
done.
Washu�s Cave
Ryoko snatched one of the remaining bottles that
actually contained sake, she was almost through her
stock, again. She had almost used up her small savings
from the maid job, perhaps it was time to collect some
more money. Perhaps time to go back to what she was
best at. After all, Ayeka had said it several times
herself, she wasn�t good for anything but blowing
stuff up.
"Yeah, just one more drink and I�ll collect
Ryo-Ohki and be gone," Ryoko said.
"Why couldn�t you stay?" She whirled and glared at
Tenchi.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, before
taking a swig from her bottle.
"I came to talk," he told her. "To apologize."
"Apologize for what," Ryoko asked, then taking
another drink. "That accusation of yours out there?"
"Ignoring you?"
"Well, I don�t need your apology," Ryoko snapped
the last and teleported away. She sat down, leaning
against a tree and took another drink from her bottle
of sake.
"Well, that was odd," she looked towards the voice
and saw Tenchi standing there looking a little
confused.
"How did you get there?"
"I�m not sure," Tenchi started, then Ryoko vanished
again. In a split second so did Tenchi, leaving behind
a shower of blue-white sparkles that faded out as they
drifted down.
This time Ryoko saw him arrive and realized that
she wasn�t going to be able to avoid him by
teleporting. They were deeper in the woods now, but
she could see the shrine a little ways down the
mountain.
"Stay away from me Tenchi," Ryoko warned holding
her hand out, threatening to launch an attack. Tenchi
smiled walked forward.
"You tried that once before," he said confidently.
"You didn�t follow through then, either."
"You don�t want to be around me," Ryoko said
weakly. "You should be with Ayeka, you�re made for
each other."
"You were there when we decided otherwise," Tenchi
noted. "But you�re avoiding the subject. Something is
wrong with you, you�re not acting normal. What�s
wrong?"
"What�s wrong with me?!" Ryoko yelled. "What�s
wrong? Can�t you see? I�m poison! Al I�m good for is
destruction, the universe would have been better off
if I never survived."
"In what way is that true?"
"The akuneko wouldn�t have invaded if I hadn�t been
here."
"And the first time they were here?"
"You and Yosho would never have had to worry about
Kagato."
"I think he would have found us eventually." Ryoko
growled. "And we�d have all died several times over if
you hadn�t been there."
"I abandoned my own son."
"I can�t say much about that, but he doesn�t seem
very angry with you."
"Ayeka�s dying!" Ryoko shouted, then she continued
quietly, sitting on the ground. "She�s always been
there, Tenchi."
"But that�s not your fault either." He countered
joining Ryoko on the ground.
"Would she have gone along if I hadn�t been there?
Would she?"
"You�re acting like she�s already dead."
"Any time," Ryoko said softly. "I can feel it. Any
time." She turned away from him and sat staring at a
spot on the ground.
"Washu hasn�t found anything wrong with her."
"I felt Yosho fall," Ryoko said. "I felt when Caine
attacked you, and I felt when Ayeka started burning
out"
"You know when we�re in danger?" Tenchi asked,
surprised.
"Yeah," Ryoko said, sounding quietly amused. "Never
had much use for it before. I wish I couldn�t." She
stopped and Tenchi could see tears welling in her
eyes.
"What do you mean by that? Is Ayeka in trouble
again?"
"Tenchi, I�" Ryoko�s voice cracked. "�.I never
stopped feeling it." She seemed about to go on when
her eyes widened and she teleported again.
Washu�s Lab
"Are you certain about this, Washu-s�chan?" Ayeka
asked, eyeing the various cables and electrodes
attached to various points on her body.
"I�m surprised that I didn�t think of it before,"
Washu answered simply. "Okay, try something simple
first." Washu watched the graphic representation of
Ayeka�s energy field closely. There were gaps and
holes in the field, the entire structure seemed
unstable.
"Okay," she closed her eyes and concentrated
forming a small globe of blue light. As she drew the
power she felt a tightness, it was difficult, and
painful. It wasn�t that burning sensation from before,
it was different. A stretching sensation, like she was
reaching for something at the extreme of her grasp.
"Ayeka, Stop it!" That sounded like Ryoko, but why
would she be here.
Finally, she grabbed the Jurai power that
surrounded her and formed it into a small globe. Then
she let go and the globe faded away. Ayeka slumped in
exhaustion, all that effort for a tiny, short-lived
light. This possibility was partially why she had
avoided using the Jurai power all this time, not that
she used it much anyway.
"Are you crazy Washu?" Ryoko was shouting at the
unresponsive scientist who was looking over the
readouts with a zeal of discovery. Ayeka felt someone
lightly slapping her face. "Ayeka, are you okay, wake
up."
"Ryoko what are you doing," Ayeka demanded. She
opened her eyes and saw Ryoko release a held breath. A
shower of blue-white sparks appeared and coalesced
into Tenchi.
"Washu, what are you doing?" Tenchi demanded.
"Hmm, you�ve learned to teleport," Washu noted as
she looked up from her computers. "That is
interesting, I wonder if it bears in relation to
Ryoko�s method of teleporting."
"Washu�"
"Calm down Tenchi, Ayeka�s fine," Washu said.
"She is not fine," Ryoko shouted, helping Ayeka,
despite protests that she could take care of herself,
down from Washu�s sensors. "Do you even no what you�re
doing?"
"Actually," Washu said smiling. "I think this last
test has isolated the problem." Ayeka lifted her head
up suddenly and fixed Washu with a glare.
"What do you mean by that?" she demanded.
"Well, I have good news and bad news," Washu said.
"The good news, I think the damage is reparable, the
bad news is that there is no telling how long we
have."
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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