No Need for a Change



For a while, everyone was a little uneasy. Washu came out of Ryoko's room in a dire, but excited mood. She sat down at the table and began to eat mechanically, an expression of sullen thoughtfulness waring with one of excitement. She didn't say anything.
"Well?" Tenchi asked tentatively.
"Well nothing" she said flatly. "Ryoko has asked me to do something very impotrant, something that would change her life forever. And I am seriously contemplating doing it.
"Oh"
Ayeka started to ask, "What-"
"No! I can't tell you, I swore to her that I wouldn't."
Ayeka merely nodded. Dinner went by with a subdued undertone to it. After, Kiyone and Mihoshi got a summons from GP headquarters. They had to leave tomorrow morning.
Soon everyone was turning into bed. Washu went to her lab, and the sounds of her tinkering around lulled everyone into sleep. Tenchi slumbered deeply, but fitfully.
******

Ryoko woke with a shriek to find herself covered in sweat, and her mind twisting in a jumbled mess from the nightmare. She couldn't take this anymore. THe nightmares haunted her so. If she had had any misgivings about asking her mother to do this procedure, they disappeared. Ryoko pulled her knees to her chest in a fetal position and tried to quell the hysteria.
When she thought she had herself under control, she teleported herself to Washu's lab. "Washu, Washu I need you. You have to do this for me, please!"
The tiny pink haired scientist appeared and said gently. "Only if you call me mom."
The bravely held back tears burst forth in relief. "Yes Mom. Mommy, Please.
"Come on over here, and undress, then get into that tank. I'll do everything else. Just relax sweety" Washu had fallen back on her own crooning way of comforting. It still worked. She had decided to do this even before Ryoko had had the nightmare. Her reason was simple and oh so selfish-she wanted her little girl back. Desperately.
The large contraption looked a lot like a regeneration tank. Washu placed a face mask on Ryoko and told her to relax. The clear cover slid into place and the tank filled with a transparent pink liquid. Now all that Washu could do was set the timer, and begin the tedious task of sorting through her daughters memories.
**********

The next morning, no one was surprised to find that Washu wasn't at the breakfast table. However they were surprised to find that Ryoko would not be joining them, as there was no trace of her anywhere around the house. She hadn't missed a breakfast since she'd been there. It was rather disconcerting to the other residents. Apparently they reckoned that everything would proceed as normal, last night's... incident forgotten.
They were VERY wrong. Nothing would be the same ever again.
Sometime around tea, Washu appeared and nervously cleared her throat. Tenchi and Ayeka were in the living room, and, of course, Kiyone and Mihoshi were away. Sasami was in the kitchen, but she rushed in quickly. Everyone gaped. Mostly because Washu was no longer a child, but looked to be in her mid thirties.
But they were also gaping at the miniature Ryoko at her side. The girl was approximately fifteen, the same age as Sasami now looked, and nearly a dead ringer for the former space pirate. There were differences however. This girl was not as tall, nor as developed. Her hair was also perfectly straight, and up in a ponytail. And she had on GLASSES.
She tugged at Washu's arm. "Is that Sasami?" she asked in a loud whisper. A faint nod. "Okay"
Ayeka, stiffening with surprise, asked in an indignant voice, "Miss Washu, I demand to know whom this degenerate is!" 'Mini Ryoko's' bold and assuming nature had already gotten on Ayeka's bad side. The girl looked positively affronted by her words and tone, and could only glare.
"YOU must be Ayeka" Washu stifled a chuckle.
"This 'degenerate' is my daughter" she said laughingly. For further affect, she added, "Ryoko"
Ayeka was speechless, Tenchi was bug eyed, and Sasami gasped in delight. "FI-nally, someone my age to be my friend." Ryoko was dragged into the kitchen, leaving Washu to explain to the other two. The couple of girls quickly became friends, and the sounds of giggles could be heard through the doorway.
"Now, listen here Washu, I will not have my sister becoming so involved with that demon. I simply will not-"
"-Allow it, I know" Washu plopped onto the couch, nad pinched the bridge of her nose. "But see, Princess Ayeka, that is not the same Ryoko, or rather it is the same Ryoko, only how she used to be. Before Kagato store her frome me," she explained to their decidedly confused expressions.
"Okay it's like this. She has been having nightmares about Kagato for some time. Graphic nightmares. She was barely handling it, but her control broke after last night's...episode. She knew that I either could take her back to the way she used to be, or invent something that could. Luckily, when she had the last nightmare last night, I was ready. So I put her into the Rewind Tank, and rewound her body to the exact age, to the minute, when I lost contact with her."
Washu paused for breath. "However, that procedure would have been useless by itself because her memories would still be intact as they were. So I had to sift through and clear away most of them until I found her core where all her forgotten memories were stored. The memories Kagato locked up. I released them into the cleared space, and here we are. My daughter, Ryoko, is fifteen, body, mind, and soul."
Wasdhu leaned back with satisfied relief. "She's a varitable genius, y'know. The second greatest-" yawn "-scientific genius-" sigh "-in the-" she trailed of into sleep, "-universe." Within seconds she was snoring softly, and Tenchi covered her up. He promised himself that he would have a long talk with her later.
They ate, and Sasami and Ryoko talked animatedly the whole afternoon. Sasami told her about the houshold and everyone in it. Ryoko told Sasami about her life thusfar. Tenchi listened quietly, then went to the shrine. His grand father took it all in stride, and made some cryptic remarks as usual.
Then he intercepted his father to explain. Nobuyuki was a little confused but coped well. He said he was going on an extended business trip the next day and would be gone for a month.
When they got inside, it was nearly bedtime, and Ayeka had grown tired of the girls' endless chatter and retired already. As for the teenagers, they were in pajama's and showed no signs of tiring. So Tenchi shrugged and went up to bed. His nice eventful life totally changed.
Ryo-ohki, who had mysteriously dissapeared this morning, returned at midnight to find a great big blast from the past. Ryoko had attached her old room, which Washu had saved for her, to her resident room via subspace. Ryo-ohki walked in, as was her custom of checking on her mistress, and almost thought she was dreaming. It was just like it had been before. Her little pet bed securely by Ryoko's. She miyad happily and jumped in it to snuggle up. She sighed to sleep happily.
Sasami was waiting for Ryo-ohki, but surmised what had happened when she didn't show. Yes, she was sad about not having the cabbit for company at night anymore, but she was happy too. This was as it should be.

Sorry about the wait, but I have been oh so busy. TY for being patient.