Washu's Pain

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A/N: I do not own any of the characters unless otherwise noted (I wish I did though). In addition to being in this sorry state of affairs I am forced to author this fan fic. on a 2215 series iPAQ Pocket PC using Pocket Word (all copyrights of their respective owners) (yes I have a keyboard for it why else do you think I am attempting to write this on it.;) ). Moving on.......

This is a Tenchi Muyo story involving Tenchi and Washu :).

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Approx. 9:30 pm

Washu-- lab, over some huge gray pit full of machines that fade into darkness I feel so lonely, why did it have to happen, what went wrong...it was so long ago... 20,000 years ago to this very day...lets out a sad laugh filled with the pain of loss...the pain still feels so fresh even to this day. He was my baby, MINE!!! screams with anger...my little beautiful baby boy...sobs...why...w-why.....

Tenchi-- sitting in room I wonder why I can't sleep. I guess that I must of drank too much tea at dinner. I haven't seen Washu lately. Though that's not all that strange, she has been oddly quiet at all of today's meals. She is usually up now, I think I'll go see how she's doing.

Washu's lab

"Washu?" asked Tenchi as he opened the door to Washu's subspace lab. Seeing no one he ventured deeper into her lab. Hearing sobs of pain, Tenchi searches for the source of the cries. He stumbles onto Washu lying in a heap on the floor by a huge pit, sobbing. "I guess I should try and help her." he thinks. Tenchi walks up to Washu and kneels down beside her and starts to gently rub her back. "What's wrong Miss Washu?" Tenchi asked

with a note of innocence and worry that doesn't go unnoticed by her. "Oh, Tenchi, I didn't hear you come in." she said ,wiping away tears obviously trying to cover up the pain that had been racking her body only moments earlier. "Please tell me what's wrong." he asked. Her efforts at trying to conceal her pain were washed away by his question and she leapt into his arms sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. Tenchi stiffened up out of instinct (A/N:Get your mind out of the gutter!) but then relaxes and folds his arms around her rubbing her back in an effort to comfort her.

Later on still in the lab

Washu and Tenchi are sitting on a brightly lit grassy hill in another section of the lab. His hand is around her back, her head is resting on his shoulder. A gentle breeze blows, ruffling Washu's hair a little. "Thank you Tenchi, I don't know what I would of done if you hadn't of come along...I can't trust my self anymore... the lingering pain of the past 20,000 years. It been so long since someone like you has been around me." she gently spoke. His arm drops away from her back as he looks over and considers what she just said. "What can I do...she was hurt so badly ..." he thought. While he was thinking she seemed to be staring off into the distance but was really falling asleep on his shoulder. "Tenchi..", she mumbled, "would you take me to my bed?" Tenchi gave her an odd look for a moment, taken aback for a second by such a simple request, he realized in a panic he didn't know where her room was. "I take it you don't know where my bed is. Come with me." she dreamily stated after watching his reaction. She stood carefully and began to walk towards a door on the other side of the grassy area. "Umm...Miss Washu?" "Just call me Washu, Tenchi."

A short while later

We see Tenchi sitting in a very simple room in contrast to the complexity of the rest of the lab. It is furnished by a large bed with very soft looking pillows, a small night stand above which a small hovering orb emitted a soft yellow light that lit the entire room so that every thing seem to take on an almost surreally soft quality. Tenchi sat cross-legged on a big floating pillow like the ones Washu sat on when she was working at her computer. He would of missed it had he not of noticed the shadow it cast over one of Washu's pillows. It was a small picture of a man, a woman and a baby boy held in his mothers arms. "I had hoped you would notice that picture." Washu said with an expression that was almost regretful. "I didn't notice you come in from your shower." Tenchi said a little embarrassed he had been caught. "Its alright Tenchi there no need to be ashamed because you were a little curious." she paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you remember me telling you that I once had a child and a husband that got torn away from me?" "Yes." Tenchi replied cautiously. "When I saw him walking away with my baby, my baby Tenchi..., I stopped living right then. We were separated because his parents didn't like that their son had married a lower class, me someone whom the only thing they cared about was my social status, not the me that had given birth to their sons son. The memory of that day tears at my soul every waking moment, it keeps me from being whole, from being able to confront life as an adult...which is why, as I told you before I choose to live as a child." as she pauses to breathe, Tenchi sees tears start to form in her big green eyes. She continues on even though the tears are starting to flow down her face more and more. "I am tired of living this half life that I can't really say that I am living. The only reason that you see all that you see here is just to pass the time until...until......I don't know anymore, I don't have the answer, I just don't know." now weeping freely Washu collapses onto her bed. As Tenchi tentatively rises from the pillow Washu throws herself at him for the second time that night. This time Tenchi does not hesitate, he captures her in his arms and makes a half step back to her bed where he sits the both of them down. "Washu, I..." he sits speechless as she looks up at him with all the pain, and loneliness that can be conveyed by one so hurt by people, memories and time, regretting all the moves made in the past. "I....." he begins again, but cuts himself short as Washu begins to speak again. "Do you know why I created Ryoko and Ryo-Oki?" she spoke in a voice that was almost imperceptible. The words could hardly be heard but the message she conveyed could not have been more clear to each other. "After I lost them...I did what I could...but as time went by......I am a woman Tenchi, and I do have needs, I wanted a child so badly, but mine had been taken away from me... so I created Ryoko but she is different, I made it so that even if we are apart we would never be truly apart from each other." "Washu, I don't know what to say." he cast his eyes downward trying to sort out his feelings, coming up with nothing he said "I wish I could help..." They both sat their for minutes in silence before Washu began to softly hum to herself. The lights began to dim in their eyes as they both fought sleep, but were fighting a battle that was already lost. Now completely asleep their bodies took over and instinctively found each others for warmth.

that morning

As Tenchi lay their waking up he felt something very warm and soft conformed to his chest. At first he thought it was his pillow but as opened his eyes he found himself looking into the apparently sleeping face of Washu. When he started to panic Washu said "Calm down Tenchi nothing went on between us, and I have made sure that the others will stay sound asleep for a lot longer." As she had spoke Tenchi sat up, and she had opened her eyes. He saw she was wearing the same dark green silk robe she had come in wearing after her shower. "Wow, she really looks different, Washu is very pretty in that robe." he caught himself thinking. "What is it Tenchi?" Washu asked. "Oh nothing, I was just thinking about what you said last night." he said as a cover.

"Why is he so shy? We both know I caught him staring at me. What's the point of him lying to me. I want him and I have tried to express that to him, but he keeps on avoiding and resisting me." Washu thought to her self as she got up to go take a shower. "Your welcome to stay in here if you like or you can go and sit outside in the lab." Washu said as she got up and was walking to the shower, "But please don't leave, I would like to speak to you about what was going on last night." "Okay, Washu I will be waiting outside." he said as he walked outside.

later in the grassy area

Washu came out of her room and sat down next to Tenchi. "Thank you Tenchi, I felt so empty. I honestly don't know what I would of done had you not of come along." said Washu. "If there is any thing I can do for you please tell me." Tenchi gently spoke. "You have done more than anyone else has before. I finally feel as though I can move on somewhat." Washu said with a smile on her face. "It may of seemed like nothing to you but the simple gesture of caring about me has helped more than you can ever know." as Washu said this she grew older becoming about eighteen years old. "So does this mean that you won't look like a kid?" Tenchi asked as he watched her grow older "Wow, she is so beautiful as an adult." Tenchi thought to himself in wonder. Washu looked over just in time to catch Tenchi with a very mortified look on his face. She hid a small smile. "Well I should go to my room just so the other girls won't get suspicious." Tenchi declared, to cover his embarrassment. "Well, okay Tenchi that sounds like a good idea,..." Washu paused for a moment before going on "and thanks again for comforting me." "Sure Washu, any time you need a someone to talk to, you can come and talk to me." Tenchi said as he walked out of Washu's lab.

No one was any the wiser that Tenchi had spent the night with Washu, and life seemed to return to normal (or as normal? as it got around the Masaki household). Nobody noticed Tenchi and Washu had grown closer, because they knew that if either Aeika or Ryoko found out their would be hell to pay from the both of them, so they kept it quiet. The only thing that anyone else noticed was that Washu appeared as an adult, to the surprise of everyone.