DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I have no claim to them

RSA Ryoko

A/N This begins about 1 ½ years after the events of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Oki OVA 20

Chapter three: Dr Clay returns

Dr Clay grimaced as he travelled through the vast expanse of space. It had been no problem to escape from galaxy police clutches. But in his incarceration his reputation had suffered.

And then there were those gaps he knew there was something, something important that was missing from his mind and he blamed Washu for that. He would get his revenge on his infuriating rival, which was why he was heading to earth to get revenge his thoughts were on one thing. He wanted to hurt Washu. And he knew exactly where it would hurt the most… her daughter…

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Ryoko awoke with a yawn and stretched what a night she had been dreaming one of her few good dreams she was with Tenchi at the beach, she made her way down to the kitchen where Sasami was preparing breakfast "hiya squirt!" she said with a grin

"Hi Ryoko!" she grinned, "Can you go get Mihoshi?"

"What? Again! I… don't you dare Sasami!" Said Ryoko.

"Please!" Said Sasami with a cute pleading expression.

"Ahhh crap! You did it again! Fine, I'll go get the ditz." Ryoko floated up the stairs "every time!" she muttered, "she does this every time… why can't she get ayeka to do this?"

She phased through Mihoshi's door to see Mihoshi sprawled out on her bed. "Hey Mihoshi!" She said softly.

Mihoshi didn't hear her and just rolled over in bed.

"Mihoshi!"

"Oh Tenchi…" sighed Mihoshi.

"What, what, what!" Shrieked Ryoko. "Oi!" She grabbed Mihoshi. "No dreaming about my Tenchi!"

"R-Ryoko?" Said Mihoshi her eyes snapping open confusion on her face "oh hi Ryoko what's wrong?"

Ryoko was about to chew Mihoshi out when she decided it wasn't worth her time "Sasami has prepared breakfast," she said softly

"Really? Okay!" Said Mihoshi taking off she rushed down the stairs to the table

Soon everybody was gathered round the table eating "where's Washu?" asked Sasami noticing she was the only one absent

"She went back to---Mihoshi! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU ONE FOR EVERYONE!" Snapped Noike

"I'm sorry Noike!" cried Mihoshi.

"You better be missy! Sasami and I got up real early to make this so everybody could enjoy it…"

"Its strange how Mihoshi is the only one to bring out Noike's bad side," muttered Ayeka

"You telling me!" muttered Ryoko. "They'll be at this all morning. Does anyone else know where Washu is?" She added as she finished her breakfast

"She's off on some private business on kytora," said Tenchi.

"Really? I'm glad she's getting out more it just means she has less time to bother me!" Ryoko slid up to Tenchi leaning against him seductively and batting her eyelids. "Tenchi you never finished telling me how was your visit to see your gr-I mean Airi and the others?"

"RYOKO! YOU LEAVE LORD TENCHI ALONE YOU HUSSY!" Yelled Ayeka

"Hey princess no need to shout all I was doing was asking Tenchi about his trip a couple days back there's no harm in me asking is there Tenchi?"

"Well no Ryoko, I'll be happy to tell you about my trip he!" said blushing slightly

"See!" Smirked Ryoko.

"Just you wait demon!" snapped Ayeka looking away

Ryoko poked her tongue out at Ayeka "go on Tenchi," she said

Tenchi started to explain visiting Lady Airi's house and how Lady Airi was thinking of spending more time on earth now her marriage to Yosho was in the open "It was---" said Tenchi but he stopped mid sentence and looked at Ryoko when he realised she wasn't paying attention he was about to get put out when he realised her expression meant something was up her eyes suddenly widened as if she was staring right through him suddenly she ignited her beam sword

"R-Ryoko?" said Tenchi

"We've got company!" she yelled taking off phasing through Tenchi and through the wall

The other rushed out to see Ryoko in her battle suit looking up at a large space ship with a familiar stamp on it.

"Clay…" said Noike with a hint of anger in her voice.

Tenchi ignited the master key while Mihoshi pulled out a gun, as did Noike

"Lord Katsuhito, keep Sasami safe!"

Katsuhito nodded the affirmative

Dr Clay descended to the ground followed by five large mechs "attack!" He roared the mech's raced forward opening fire on the group

Ryoko shot forward with a broad swing slicing the first approaching mech in half

Dr Clay snarled and touched the band on his wrist and larger robots materialised

"You think those can stop me?" snarled Ryoko as she took to the air and unleashed a wave of rapid fire

Noike and Mihoshi were covering each other as they fired on the advancing mechs Noike noticed Ryoko up above. "You know I've seen her fight ayeka, I've seen the recordings of her in action 700 years ago and I've got to admit even at diminished power Ryoko's a truly frightening sight to beholds in battle!"

"You haven't seen her get truly angry yet," said Mihoshi as she shot off a mech's arm

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Dr Clay watched the quintet fight his mechs he had been sure that his mechs would be up to the task but things had changed since he had last confronted Washu and her friends there was a new girl who was working with Mihoshi Kuramitsu, her gun style meshing well with Mihoshi's, to the right was princess ayeka of Jurai and the boy. There was something about him; something hazy as if part of his memory was gone he decided he would get his answers about the boy from the boy's dead carcass.

It was then that he focused on Ryoko and something stopped him cold.

As he watched her destroy his mechs it was as if the image of his failed experiment zero had been superimposed over her.

Could it be? He wondered as he watched Ryoko. As he watched his wonder turned to fury "how dare she!" he hissed, "how dare she pervert my glorious work!" he roared.

Ryoko turned and looked at Dr Clay "what the hell are you on about octopus head?"

"How dare she steal what's mine! Zero was mine you hear me! Mine! How dare she fuse my work with her barbaric pet!" roared Dr clay thrown a huge chunk of his mechs at Ryoko.

"Hey!" Snapped Ryoko as she tore through the incoming onslaught, "you want to repeat that to my face?"

Dr Clay touched his wrist bracelet and suddenly Ryoko's body was wracked with pain it surged through her body with such force she went rigid and fell out of the sky like a rock the impact of her hitting the ground causing dust to rise up everywhere

"Ryoko!" Screamed the others in horror.

Ryoko stood up shakily then collapsed to one knee. "Damn! What did he do to me she stammered."

"I've started a cascade!" cackled Dr Clay "if Washu hadn't been so eager to steal what's mine by having you assimilate zero this wouldn't be happening to you! You see I designed zero's cells so when a specific sub ether signal is transmitted they collapse! As they're now part of your body they are collapsing and taking you with them!"

"You sick creep!" screamed Mihoshi suddenly her voice hard she fired off a shot, which struck Clay in the shoulder

He screamed out and took to the air you'll pay for that later! For now I'll satisfy my need for revenge by having Washu's most valued creation die at my hands!"

Ryoko struggled to fight what was happening to her body but it was to no avail she couldn't heal the damage. She needed to find a way to stop this she couldn't give up

I can stop this. Came a voice in Ryoko's mind it was tiny more like a wisp but Ryoko recognised it. Zero? Ryoko asked herself.

Dr Clay watched Ryoko writhe in pain. "Yesss… yess!" Suddenly Ryoko began to glow "wha?" He said in surprise the light grew brighter then faded to reveal two Ryoko's one was in shock the other looked very sick. "WHAT!" He gasped and then the realisation hit him "zero…" he hissed

One Ryoko, the one that looked sickly turned and looked at Dr Clay. "Call me neo zero. I couldn't let you do it master," she said softly "so I removed all my cells from her body via fission."

"You would betray me again?" roared Dr Clay.

"Yes!" said neo zero

"Then die traitor! Suffer the fate that I planned for Ryoko!" Snapped Clay he touched his bracelet again and neo zero screamed out and collapsed to the ground

Ryoko screamed in horror as she saw neo zero collapse. Zero had sacrificed herself by fissioning from Ryoko taking the collapsing cells with her

"Hahahahahaha I've sped up the cascade! And an increase in the speed of cellular collapse means an equivalent increase in pain! That's what you get for betraying me zero you will die in agony!" laughed Clay

Ryoko ran over to neo zero and grabbed her she looked at Dr Clay in a rage.

"You bstard." she said coldly.

Dr Clay looked at Ryoko and did a double take in those golden eyes he saw pure hate he pushed it aside and laughed, "what are you going to do? You cant save her! She's dead!"

"What am I going to do?" said Ryoko standing up. She looked at Dr Clay.

Dr clay looked at Ryoko.

"This." Said Ryoko and then with one hand blew both Dr Clays legs off

"Holy Tsunami!" gasped Noike in shock at such a violent act

Dr Clay screamed and fell to the ground the bloody stumps that were his legs cauterised by the heat from Ryoko's blast. Ryoko then pointed at Dr Clays arm and blasted the lower arm disintegrating it and the control bracelet for the mechs "you…you… you" gasped Dr Clay in shock and pain. he looked into Ryoko's eyes and so no sign of mercy he promptly relieved his bladder due to a combination of pain and absolute terror

"That's what I'm going to do." said Ryoko she then turned and flew over to zero.

To be continued