Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 4
By: Ryoko-chan
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.
~ Chapter 4 ~
One by one Tenchi, Washu, and the others left their prison with the help of Ryo-Ohki.
"There's nothing out here guarding us." Washu said, somewhat surprised.
"I guess he thought we wouldn't be able to get through that barrier." Aeka said.
"Most likely, but I find it difficult to believe that Jiro knows so much about Ryoko's capability, but not Ryo-Ohki, when they are so similar."
"Well, whether he knows about Ryo-Ohki or not, we're out of that box now. Can you tell where Ryoko is, Washu?" Tenchi asked.
Washu was silent for a minute.
"Can you, Washu?" Tenchi urged, getting impatient.
"Yes, barely."
"What do you mean 'barely?' Is she all right?"
"Let's go everyone." Washu said, ignoring Tenchi's question and leading them to Jiro's laboratory.
*****
"Your friends are on their way here. I really didn't want them to see your death, Ryoko. I wanted to spare them that much."
Ryoko scoffed.
"I'm surprised you care, you bastard." She said, still struggling against the restraints that held her tightly to the table.
"You misjudge me, Ryoko. I would never take a human life. What I am doing now it strictly science. Call it an experimental dissection."
"On a human, you idiot!"
"No, Ryoko. You're not human." Jiro said matter of factly. "You are a creation. The joining of biomaterials. You came out of a lab."
"I am a human being, no matter where I come from."
Jiro only shook his head.
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Now, how to do this without releasing your restraints..." He said, thinking aloud to himself.
Washu, can you here me? Ryoko tried to contact Washu. Jiro said that they were out of that barrier now...
Ryoko, it's good to hear from you. Do you know where you are? Washu asked.
In some lab. You know what he's going to do to me?
Yes, I do. I'm bringing Aeka and Tenchi with me. We can get you out of there.
NO! Don't bring Tenchi as long as he has the Master Key. Then Jiro will have all of my gems.
Don't worry about it, Ryoko.
Don't worry about it...yeah, right.
"Your telepathy works all right now?" Jiro asked, looking up from his computer screen.
Ryoko only glared at him.
Jiro sighed loudly.
"Are you ready to tell me where your other gems are yet? I already have a pretty good idea, but I'm just waiting to find out if I'm correct."
"I'm not telling you anything."
*****
"How much further Washu? Can you tell?" Tenchi asked, finding himself eager to be sure that Ryoko was safe. Its odd that he didn't feel like this when he and Ryoko had entered subspace looking for everyone else.
"Its not far at all, little boy." A deep voice said to them.
"Jiro..." Washu said aloud.
The large man stepped out of the shadows in front of them and looked at the Master Key intently, immediately finding what he had been looking for.
"You have her gems. Did you think you could keep them from me?" He said, tightening his hand into a fist.
Suddenly Tenchi dropped the Master Key.
"Tenchi, what are you doing?" Washu asked him, moving toward the sword but suddenly finding herself unable to move.
"Follow me." Jiro said, picking up the Master Key.
Tenchi, Washu, Aeka, and the others were pulled along behind Jiro, unable to move enough to accomplish anything toward gaining their freedom.
Finally they were brought into a large white room and placed inside another barrier similar to the first.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi said, noticing her at the opposite end of the room.
"Tenchi! You shouldn't be here! Where's the Master Key?" She asked, noticing it in Jiro's hand.
"I'm sorry, Ryoko." Tenchi said.
"Ryoko, can't you get through the restraints?" Aeka asked.
"Of course she can't, stupid princess." Jiro said.
A computer beeped suddenly as an alarm went off behind Ryoko.
"What is that?" Ryoko asked, pulling against the restraints.
"Well, well. There's more gems in here, Washu." He said, looking at the small scientist.
"Washu, you didn't..." Ryoko said, knowing that things were looking worse as the seconds progressed.
Suddenly Jiro was holding the other six gems as well as the Master Key.
"Only two gems to go, Ryoko." Jiro said, glancing toward her.
"Leave her alone!" Tenchi yelled, slamming his fist against the barrier.
"Now, now, prince. Don't hurt yourself." Jiro said, moving toward Ryoko.
Suddenly his hand was enveloped in a bright light and Ryoko screamed in pain.
"Ryoko, no!" Sasami screamed.
"Sasami..." Aeka said, turning the young girl away and looking away herself.
Ryoko's gem on her wrist disappeared quickly and the final gem, the one that kept her life force was pulled from her chest as she screamed in pain.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "Help her, Washu!" He said, looking over at her.
"There's nothing I can do, Tenchi!" She said, not looking him in the eye.
"Finally!" Jiro said, holding the 10 gems in his hands. "Finally..."
"Ten..chi..." Ryoko said faintly.
"You're still alive?" Jiro said, disgusted. "Well, not for long. I'll leave you like that. Just so you can see the others die."
"Don't!" Ryoko said, summoning her voice to try to stop him.
"What are you going to do, Ryoko? You'll be dead within five minutes."
"Leave her alone! Don't kill her!" Sasami said, crying.
Jiro ignored her.
All of the sudden the ten gems began to glow.
"What's going on?" Jiro asked himself aloud.
"The gems...they're fusing together." Washu said.
"What does that mean, Washu?" Tenchi asked.
"SHUT UP!" Jiro said, sending three large energy blasts toward them.
The group was scattered throughout the white room.
"Aeka, Sasami...are you all right?"
"We're fine Tenchi. All of us. You just get the Master Key back." Washu said, mentally willing the young man to get to his feet. "There's still a chance to save her."
Jiro, now holding the fused form of the ten gems laughed as Tenchi charged toward him and was suddenly thrown back against one of the walls.
"Tenchi!" Ryoko said, her voice failing as she felt all of her energy drain from her body.
"Now, now Ryoko. Why are you still alive?" Jiro said.
"Leave her alone, you bastard! You've done enough." Tenchi said, charging at him once more.
Jiro laughed to himself as he pushed Tenchi away once more.
"Foolish boy."
This time Tenchi laid against the wall, not moving.
"Tenchi!" Aeka screamed, running over to his side.
Ryoko saw this, her vision blurring until everything was a grey shapeless thing with an occasional hint of color. She could no longer hold up her head and she could feel her heartbeat weaken.
She never thought her life would end like this. Not here in a cold laboratory with the love of her life lying unconscious at the other end of the room. The people she cared about most suffering yet again because of her. There was nothing she could do. Only slide further into the darkness.
Her vision was gone now, she could no longer hear Aeka and Washu trying desperately to get Tenchi to wake up. She couldn't hear Sasami's cries. She couldn't feel anything. Her senses were completely gone and finally her heart stopped.
=============
~End Chapter 4~
By: Ryoko-chan
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.
~ Chapter 4 ~
One by one Tenchi, Washu, and the others left their prison with the help of Ryo-Ohki.
"There's nothing out here guarding us." Washu said, somewhat surprised.
"I guess he thought we wouldn't be able to get through that barrier." Aeka said.
"Most likely, but I find it difficult to believe that Jiro knows so much about Ryoko's capability, but not Ryo-Ohki, when they are so similar."
"Well, whether he knows about Ryo-Ohki or not, we're out of that box now. Can you tell where Ryoko is, Washu?" Tenchi asked.
Washu was silent for a minute.
"Can you, Washu?" Tenchi urged, getting impatient.
"Yes, barely."
"What do you mean 'barely?' Is she all right?"
"Let's go everyone." Washu said, ignoring Tenchi's question and leading them to Jiro's laboratory.
*****
"Your friends are on their way here. I really didn't want them to see your death, Ryoko. I wanted to spare them that much."
Ryoko scoffed.
"I'm surprised you care, you bastard." She said, still struggling against the restraints that held her tightly to the table.
"You misjudge me, Ryoko. I would never take a human life. What I am doing now it strictly science. Call it an experimental dissection."
"On a human, you idiot!"
"No, Ryoko. You're not human." Jiro said matter of factly. "You are a creation. The joining of biomaterials. You came out of a lab."
"I am a human being, no matter where I come from."
Jiro only shook his head.
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Now, how to do this without releasing your restraints..." He said, thinking aloud to himself.
Washu, can you here me? Ryoko tried to contact Washu. Jiro said that they were out of that barrier now...
Ryoko, it's good to hear from you. Do you know where you are? Washu asked.
In some lab. You know what he's going to do to me?
Yes, I do. I'm bringing Aeka and Tenchi with me. We can get you out of there.
NO! Don't bring Tenchi as long as he has the Master Key. Then Jiro will have all of my gems.
Don't worry about it, Ryoko.
Don't worry about it...yeah, right.
"Your telepathy works all right now?" Jiro asked, looking up from his computer screen.
Ryoko only glared at him.
Jiro sighed loudly.
"Are you ready to tell me where your other gems are yet? I already have a pretty good idea, but I'm just waiting to find out if I'm correct."
"I'm not telling you anything."
*****
"How much further Washu? Can you tell?" Tenchi asked, finding himself eager to be sure that Ryoko was safe. Its odd that he didn't feel like this when he and Ryoko had entered subspace looking for everyone else.
"Its not far at all, little boy." A deep voice said to them.
"Jiro..." Washu said aloud.
The large man stepped out of the shadows in front of them and looked at the Master Key intently, immediately finding what he had been looking for.
"You have her gems. Did you think you could keep them from me?" He said, tightening his hand into a fist.
Suddenly Tenchi dropped the Master Key.
"Tenchi, what are you doing?" Washu asked him, moving toward the sword but suddenly finding herself unable to move.
"Follow me." Jiro said, picking up the Master Key.
Tenchi, Washu, Aeka, and the others were pulled along behind Jiro, unable to move enough to accomplish anything toward gaining their freedom.
Finally they were brought into a large white room and placed inside another barrier similar to the first.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi said, noticing her at the opposite end of the room.
"Tenchi! You shouldn't be here! Where's the Master Key?" She asked, noticing it in Jiro's hand.
"I'm sorry, Ryoko." Tenchi said.
"Ryoko, can't you get through the restraints?" Aeka asked.
"Of course she can't, stupid princess." Jiro said.
A computer beeped suddenly as an alarm went off behind Ryoko.
"What is that?" Ryoko asked, pulling against the restraints.
"Well, well. There's more gems in here, Washu." He said, looking at the small scientist.
"Washu, you didn't..." Ryoko said, knowing that things were looking worse as the seconds progressed.
Suddenly Jiro was holding the other six gems as well as the Master Key.
"Only two gems to go, Ryoko." Jiro said, glancing toward her.
"Leave her alone!" Tenchi yelled, slamming his fist against the barrier.
"Now, now, prince. Don't hurt yourself." Jiro said, moving toward Ryoko.
Suddenly his hand was enveloped in a bright light and Ryoko screamed in pain.
"Ryoko, no!" Sasami screamed.
"Sasami..." Aeka said, turning the young girl away and looking away herself.
Ryoko's gem on her wrist disappeared quickly and the final gem, the one that kept her life force was pulled from her chest as she screamed in pain.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "Help her, Washu!" He said, looking over at her.
"There's nothing I can do, Tenchi!" She said, not looking him in the eye.
"Finally!" Jiro said, holding the 10 gems in his hands. "Finally..."
"Ten..chi..." Ryoko said faintly.
"You're still alive?" Jiro said, disgusted. "Well, not for long. I'll leave you like that. Just so you can see the others die."
"Don't!" Ryoko said, summoning her voice to try to stop him.
"What are you going to do, Ryoko? You'll be dead within five minutes."
"Leave her alone! Don't kill her!" Sasami said, crying.
Jiro ignored her.
All of the sudden the ten gems began to glow.
"What's going on?" Jiro asked himself aloud.
"The gems...they're fusing together." Washu said.
"What does that mean, Washu?" Tenchi asked.
"SHUT UP!" Jiro said, sending three large energy blasts toward them.
The group was scattered throughout the white room.
"Aeka, Sasami...are you all right?"
"We're fine Tenchi. All of us. You just get the Master Key back." Washu said, mentally willing the young man to get to his feet. "There's still a chance to save her."
Jiro, now holding the fused form of the ten gems laughed as Tenchi charged toward him and was suddenly thrown back against one of the walls.
"Tenchi!" Ryoko said, her voice failing as she felt all of her energy drain from her body.
"Now, now Ryoko. Why are you still alive?" Jiro said.
"Leave her alone, you bastard! You've done enough." Tenchi said, charging at him once more.
Jiro laughed to himself as he pushed Tenchi away once more.
"Foolish boy."
This time Tenchi laid against the wall, not moving.
"Tenchi!" Aeka screamed, running over to his side.
Ryoko saw this, her vision blurring until everything was a grey shapeless thing with an occasional hint of color. She could no longer hold up her head and she could feel her heartbeat weaken.
She never thought her life would end like this. Not here in a cold laboratory with the love of her life lying unconscious at the other end of the room. The people she cared about most suffering yet again because of her. There was nothing she could do. Only slide further into the darkness.
Her vision was gone now, she could no longer hear Aeka and Washu trying desperately to get Tenchi to wake up. She couldn't hear Sasami's cries. She couldn't feel anything. Her senses were completely gone and finally her heart stopped.
=============
~End Chapter 4~