Written By: Gary Kendzerski
AKA: Simfreak
Simfreak@mindspring.com
Episode 6
Advent of Ryoko
"Ryoko? Wha, What's happened to you?" Tenchi takes a few steps towards her, but she remained stationary. "Ryoko?"
"Tenchi stay back! You might get hurt." Screamed Ayeka.
Tenchi takes a quick back look at Ayeka before continuing forward.
"Ryoko?" He asks again.
Ryoko turns towards Tenchi, her eyes seemed to pierce his sole but in spite of all this he continued drawing closer.
"My ascension has been completed, I am now a goddess."
"A goddess! Like Tokime?!"
"Yes"
With Ryoko's back turned to Aeris she gets up and manages to form an energy sword with what little energy she had left. Moving stealthy she sneaks up behind Ryoko and thrusts the sword in to her back. But nothing happened, the energy simply reflected off of her. Ryoko in turn with out moving a finger sent out what seemed to be a minor energy force to her, knocking Aeris back to the ground unconscious and seriously injured.
"RYOKO!" Tenchi yelled again.
"I am no longer Ryoko, she is but a small insignificant part of me."
"What, I don't understand"
"How could your underdeveloped mind even comprehend what I am? But at the risk of further annoyance I will explain. We are the Choushin, and in so are the most powerful beings in the dynoverse."
"Dynoverse?"
"Pathetic" She says with a grin. "I will explain. Within this existence we all make choices, zillions of beings make zillions of choices and within each one of those single acts a dimension is born, inside each dimension is an entire copy of the universe and a copy of our own self is placed into such place, except for the Choushin. For trillions of years Washu, Tsunami and Tokime existed in the original dimension, looking out onto the others as their children. In these dimensions the beings were unorganized, one not more powerful then the other, no dominate force ruled any dimension until Washu and Tsunami surrendered their power and entered into this dimension. From that act Tsunami created and cultivated the Jurai into a force that could easily dominate the universe, but Washu unintentional influenced the Seniwa from her work at the Academy and they grew to be as powerful as the Jurai, being their equal. War broke between the nations and eventually they turn against Washu, taking her child and her husband away from her. From that pain, I was concived, a replacement for the pain that was caused to her.
"No, it wasn't like that!" Cried Washu.
"Silence! There is no point in lying, I know all".
"How?!"
"The Choushin are single beings, every copy of Ryoko that was created in the Dynoverse converged into one, me.
So in you are millions of those other Ryoko's?
Yes, and all the knowledge they contain. This single convergence unlocks the will of each universe to us, which means I have the knowledge of every being on every planet in the entire dynoverse.
I don't believe it!
"Perhaps a demonstration of my power is in order."
Ryoko raises her hand and the scenery around all the girls' changes into a translucent form.
"This dimension for instance" she lowers her hand and the girls and Ryoko change translucent like ghosts, and the scenery goes back to normal. From down the pass to figures appear walking towards them, as they come closer they realize that it is Tenchi and Ayeka, soon they are close enough to touch and Ayeka gasps.
"My finger! I have a ring on my finger! and so does Tenchi! Were married!"
Ryoko looks at Tenchi as he too realizes that in this dimension that he was married to Ayeka.
"Or how about this one?" Ryoko asks.
The surroundings around them change to a desert; no life could be found anywhere. But to the right of Tenchi a stone appears with the name Yosho carved into it.
"In this one, I beat Yosho on earth that day and took it for my own. Here I became a god to the naive people and ruled them until now, my ascension."
"Stop this!" Tench screams.
Ryoko raises her hand again and the scenery seemed to change back to normal but the rock was replaced with a grave and Ayeka was crying over it, dressed in black. Tenchi walks towards the grave and is horrified to read his name on it. The epitaph read "Here we morn the loss of our son Tenchi Masaki, killed in effort to defeat the criminal Kagato"
"What's the meaning of this?" he says in fear.
"You never created the Light Hawk wings. After Kagato captured tsunami he disposed of you and exiled Ayeka to earth."
"I can't take anymore! Please stop!" Tenchi cries in pain.
"You now recognize my power."
"Yes, just bring us home!"
"Very well". She raises her hand and the group is returned back to their original locations. But when they all returned Ryoko was gone. There was no sign of her, she had left.
"Where did she go?!"
"Who cares, she was nothing but trouble anyways!"
"Ayeka!"
"I'm sorry Tenchi".
"We have to get her back; we have to find a way to get her to come home".
"That might not be as easy as you think Tenchi" Washu states "She has ascended into a form that we can't even comprehend. The power, the knowledge it's all very tempting and I don't think that she would be so willing to give it up."
"We have to try Washu; We just have too!"
Washu is right Tenchi, she has changed and there is a good chance she is gone forever. There is no reason to take unessisary risks."
"Ayeka, I don't expect you to understand, but I have to do this."
Ayeka gets a sadden look on her face as she says, "I understand, I understand all too well."
Tenchi looks back at her with a worried look on his face. "Then you know?"
"I've had some suspicion for some time, but could not bear to realize it."
"I never intended for you or anyone to get hurt. That is why I never said anything."
Ayeka looks up at him, eyes watering "I, I, cant" she turns around and starts running away, crying. Sympathetic to her feeling both Mihoshi and Sasami take off after her.
Tenchi sighs and turns around realizing what he has said. He looks down and sees Aeris lying on the ground bleeding from a wound. In sock he completely forgets about what happened and he runs over and places his hand over the wound trying to stop the bleeding
"Washu!" Washu walks over and sees the injury,
"Don't worry Tenchi, its not that bad". Washu bends down and uses her power to heal the wound causing Aeris to slowly regain consciousness. She was still weak and tired; her eyes only opened half way and managed to speak.
"Tenchi"
"Don't talk; it will only make it get worse."
"Go after her, she is in there, I could feel her."
"She's right Tenchi; the longer you wait the more likely she is to be lost forever." Said Washu.
Tenchi looks at Washu with concern "I don't even know where she is."
"She is in the original dimension, where all the goddesses are."
"How? How am I supposed to get there?
Beside Tenchi an image of tsunami appears.
"Tsunami!"
"I can transport you there if you want."
Washu looks at tsunami and telepathically asks, "Are you going to tell him?"
Tsunami looks at Tenchi sympathetically.
"Tenchi, I can get you there, but it will be up to Ryoko to get you back, do you understand?"
Tenchi nods his head "I understand."
"Then come with me."
"Take care, Tenchi" Washu says.
"Thank you Washu, and you take care of Aeris." He pauses and looks at tsunami. "I'm ready."
Tenchi's body dematerializes and appears on the bridge of Tsunami unit, with the image of Tsunami standing next to him.
"So what do we do now? Do we fly there?"
Tsunami giggles. "No, repeat after me. "Heaven to ocean, ocean to earth, earth back to heaven, display the light of my true name and our ancestors the space trees open the path displayed by the light."
"Heaven to ocean, ocean to earth, earth back to heaven, display the light of my true name… um what was the rest of it? He asks embarrisedly.
Tsunami gets a puzzled look on her face "and our ancestors."
"Oh right; and our ancestors the space trees, open the path displayed by the light."
The tsunami tree in front of Tenchi begins to glow opening a door.
"Once you walk through, know that dimension is different then your own. Try not to make sense of any thing you see and just keep walking with your goal in mind."
"Right". Tenchi walks forward into the light and disappears.
"Ayeka, please stop!"
Ayeka falls to her knees crying as Sasami runs up to her.
"Ayeka, please, why are you crying?
Ayeka still keeps crying hysterically as Mihoshi finally catches up out of breath and stands behind Ayeka.
"Ayeka are you all right?" Asked Mihoshi.
"She keeps crying and wont stop."
"Hmm, maybe she hurt; I have some medison that will make it go away." With out Ayeka looking Mihoshi pulls out a needle and sticks Ayeka with it.
"Ouch!" She stands up furiously mad looking the shocked Mihoshi in the eyes. She was about to start yelling when the medicine kicks in, causing Ayeka to relax and smile.
"What did you do to her Mihoshi?" asked Sasami.
"I saw her fall and I thought she was hurt so I gave her some pain medicine."
"She didn't hurt her self."
"No?"
"No"
"Then why was she crying?"
"Tenchi told her that he loved Ryoko."
"He did?"
"Yes".
"Oh how nice for Ryoko, I mean its not every day you find a guy like Tenchi. But then why was Ayeka crying?"
"Because she loved Tenchi too!"
"Ohhhhhh, how awful. Poor Ayeka."
Ayeka stays on the ground to upset to get up and too relaxed to cry as Sasami hugs her trying to comfort her.
"He's gone. I've lost him." Cries Ayeka.
"He's not gone" replies Sasami.
"But he loves, that, that, woman!" She says with a disgusted look on her face.
"That shouldn't madder; just because you can't be together doesn't mean that you still cant be friends."
"It's not the same."
"Oh, what have you two done differently then just be friends since you have come to know him?"
"Well, nothing, yet."
"Then you don't like it here."
"Its ok"
"Then what's the problem? Tenchi isn't going to change the way he treats us because he said he likes Ryoko."
"No, I guess not. But I don't think I can stand to be around when he is with her."
"Who dose it madder who he is with as long as he is here with us. Besides if you really love Tenchi then you will want him to be happy, right?"
"That's so beautiful! Mihoshi says as she starts crying.
Ayeka looks up, "When did you become so grown up Sasami?"
Sasami giggles. "I think it is from all those girl comics that Nobuyuki has in the library".
Ayeka stands up and dusts her self off. "Common lets go home."
Sasami looks at her in surprise "To Jurai?"
"No silly, home."
"Sasami smiles as they walk back to the house."
"Wait! Wait for me!" And Mihoshi runs after them trying to catch up.
Tenchi emerges from the passage into the original dimension. It was dark and empty full of fog that seemed to go on forever in every direction. Behind him the door closes leaving him alone in the vast emptiness.
"What is this?" He looks in every direction, nothing. "What's going on?" His voice echoes through space. "Tsunami said not to think about it, there has to be something here."
He starts walking straight and keeps walking for what seems to him to be hours. He stops and looks around again, he couldn't even tell if he had actually moved at all. "Relax Tenchi, it will be ok. Just do as Tsunami says and keep walking".
He walks for hours and hours, tired his mind begins to clear and as it does the fog begins to lift and something comes into view. A light, quickly Tenchi runs to the light and stops. It was a cliff between the darkness and the light. Tenchi looked down off the edge and saw it.
"That's it! That's got to be it!"
Then he realizes the distance down. "How the hell am I going to get down there!"
In the distance he saw a giant Jurai tree and a beautiful valley covered in the greenest grass, waterfalls poured from the moutons that surround the tree converging into one giant lake that shimmered from the four suns that blazed above.
"I guess, I should just jump". He looks down again; it had to be at least 10 miles straight down to the waters edge.
"It sure is a long way. But tsunami said this dimension was different". Tenchi takes a deep breath and dives off the edge. He starts plummeting to the water, 8mi and accelerating.
:What's going on? 5mi I'm not slowing down!"
2mi "I knew this was a mistake!" he sceams as he starts to panic. 1000 ft.
"I hope this doesn't hurt!" SPLASH!!!!! Tenchi plunges into the water unaware that he had instinctively activated the Light Hawk wings. He looks at himself to make sure he was all in one piece and safely swam back to the surface.
"Phew, that was a close one." Tenchi looks up out of the water at the tree.
"It seems a lot farther now that I'm down here." He was right the tree its self was far in the distance.
"I wonder, what if this dimension works on thought, and not physical effort. Yeaaa, how else did I get here, id still be walking in that fog had I not cleared my head."
Tenchi closes his eyes and think of the day when Ryoko woke up and met him on the path. The warm feeling of her close to him, the excitement he felt as she drew near and the love they felt for each other.
When Tenchi opened his eyes he was astonished to see that he was no longer in the water but instead in a forum. Gods and goddess surrounded him talking in a language that could not understand. They didn't even seem to notice his existence; weather they didn't see him or lack of interest he was not sure. When he looked down he noticed a red carpet leading to a pair of doors in the distance. Tenchi walked to the door only to be stopped by one of the gods standing near it. He looked young and healthy, strong and yet kind. His hair streaked to the ground in white spikes. His face was round and firm, yet somehow gentle.
"You don't want to go in their young one."
Tenchi was surprised and turn towards the god, eyes wide open "Why not?"
"That is the Coushin's domain; only those invited are allowed to enter".
"I'm here to see Ryoko."
"Unless she gives you permission to enter, I would not risk my existence".
Tenchi became nervous and looked around at his surroundings. "Tell me what is this place?"
"You are new here aren't you?"
"You could say that."
The good looked at him carefully. "Just discovered your power, all you young ones are a like."
"What do you mean?"
This place exists out side the realm of normal existence, without the blood of the divine, you could not exist in this place." Tenchi looks down at the wings he had created. "The wings of the light hawk are the signatures of the divine. Tell me, when did you first discover that you could create them?"
"In a battle with a man named Kagato."
"Kagato?" he says puzzled "Oh, that fellow that imprisoned our dear empress Washu, that would make you Tenchi."
Tenchi nods and asks. "Empress Washu?" he says with a puzzled look on his face.
"Washu was one of the Choushin. Because of inhumane treatment of the mortal's her powers where stripped and placed into the gems. She was then reborn into a dimension that she would be unable cause any trouble in. Tsunami later followed her into that dimension as a guardian. But when she did descend, we discovered that the tree's of Jurai were compatible with our own life source and saved our race."
"Saved your race?"
"Yes, our dimension is only as big as this palace; beyond the valley is a vast sea of emptiness. Our life force can only exist within these boundaries, but when Tsunami descended we could then leave this place and take on the form of a Jurai tree and in so experience what you mortals experience."
I don't understand
Although each of use contains the knowledge of a dimension, we do not have the ability to feel emotions on our own. But when sharing the space of mortals, we can feel what they feel, it's a very power feeling, these emotions."
'Amazing, I had no idea."
"There is much you don't know Tenchi. Did you even question why Tsunami let you come here?"
"To rescue Ryoko, right?"
He laughs, "Not quite my boy. You are the first of our kind to be born in the form of a mortal."
"What are you saying?"
"Your mother was one of us; and although we mourned her death, you were born. You too have the blood of the divine and are also part human, and so it was decided that your name be Tenchi, Heaven and Earth."
"Blood of the divine? Well, I know that it couldn't be my dad, then, then it was my mother, my mother was a goddess?"
"Yes"
"But how?"
"It took generations of breeding in the Jurai race before your mother could be born. And what looked like a failed tree bonding ceremony in reality was an assimilation between that tree and your mother, making her in part a goddess. But the power was too much for her to bear and eventually caused her death."
"But as a goddess couldn't she had been revived? Like Tsunami saved me in the explosion?"
"Yes, but you can only be revived from the blood line of the Choushin that you are related. Your mothers blood line traced back to Tokime and it was her decision not to allow her to continue her life, she had fulfilled her purpose."
"Tokime? Purpose! What about me! I could have used her in my life!"
"There is nothing that can be done, the decision was made".
Tenchi falls to his knees in pain, now knowing this information
"Its all right Tenchi, she is with you, always. She was so proud of you, Because of the joy that we felt from her caring for you, many of us descend and bond with the mortals that created Jurai".
Tenchi looks up at him "But how can anyone be so cold as to take a child from its mother at such a young age".
"The Choushin have no such concept of emotion, they do not feel as we do. Tokime her self made the quote "compared to the infinite will of the universe, human emotions amount to little more then dust." That is how she could make such a decision".
Tenchi stands up. "I see. Now Ryoko is the same as Tokime?"
"Yes, she has assimilated the gems and in so inherited Washu's power. You are still young Tenchi, an infant when compared to the gods, I my self am over 100,000 years old. But if you go into that room, your life will end".
"But I have to; I have to find the Ryoko I know".
"This sensation I'm feeling from you, what is it, its so powerful".
"Its called love."
"Love?"
"It is the most powerful emotion there is".
"It is and interesting sensation. Worthy of life its self, thank you for sharing it with me".
Tenchi looks at him puzzled not knowing that all gods are connected telepathically and can sense all thoughts and emotions. "I must continue".
"It is your choice, just be careful, although the Ryoko you know is in there, so are billions of others that might feel a bit differently about you".
"I understand" Tenchi says as he opens the door and walks in.
"Well done Tsunami, the child that those two will produce will be the end of the Choushin rein on our lives. I can see it so clearly now".
Tenchi's eyes adjust to the bright light in the room and sees another door at the end of the hall. He looks down and sees a thin layer of fog around his feet, which was still standing on the red carpet. A breeze comes up and blows on Tenchi's legs
"A breeze?"
He bends down and looks over the edge of the carpet. To his surprise the fog was not fog at all, but clouds. Below the carpet hundreds of miles below lay a planet that the tree seemed to be rooted around. Scared at the height Tenchi stands In the middle of the carpet and slowly walks to the end of the hall and quickly enters the next door. Inside seemed to be a regular room with three chairs, two were empty and the third sat Ryoko. Tenchi walked forward closer to Ryoko and stopped a few feet from her. Ryoko looks up at him. Her eyes where cold, the life that once occupied them was gone, killed by the power the gems contained.
"Ryoko?"
"What are you doing here you were not asked to be in my presence". Ryoko lifts her finger and Tenchi flies back several feet making a hard landing.
"Why did you do that!"
"Leave before I have you killed."
"You wont kill me".
"No?" With little to no effort Ryoko generates a ball of energy in her hand and throws it at Tenchi
The wings absorb the strong blast. "I know Ryoko is in there, let her go!"
"I cant do that, if she goes, we all go, and I would cease to exist".
"Fight her Ryoko, fight her!"
Again Ryoko generates a powerful ball of energy, more powerful then the last, in her hands and hurls it at Tenchi. He knew that the wings would not protect him from this blast and he dives out of the way as the ball flies past him and into the wall of the room, being absorbed by the wall.
"I knew you wouldn't do it, you knew that I would be able to dodge that energy blast in time. If you really wanted me dead, you would have done it already."
"SILANCE! Your insolent tone will not hold here boy." He eyes filled with furry.
"Emotion" Tenchi says to himself, she is in there. "Keep fighting her Ryoko!"
"The Ryoko you know is dead!" She stands up clutching her fists.
"I know she's not, I can feel her inside you struggling!"
"Tenchi! Help" a small voice calls from within.
"See I knew it! Ryoko! Fight her!"
Ryoko grabs her head in pain as a battle inside her takes place. On one side there are all the Ryoko's that care for Tenchi, on the other all that hate him. They begin to attack each other in the infinite space of the mind causing instability in Ryoko; the dominant force inside her begins to break down allowing other versions of her take control.
Tenchi walks towards her as she begins to scream. "Fight Ryoko, fight!"
"WHY SHOULD I FIGHT? YOU LEFT ME!" One of the voices says
"Tenchi I love you so much," says another.
The battle inside her continues.
"YOU LEFT ME THERE TO DIE TENCHI!"
"YOU CHOSE AYEKA OVER ME, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"Every time I see you, my heart pounds".
Finally one of the voices manages to take temporally dominance
"YOU LEFT ME, YOU ABANDON ME!"
"What are you talking about!"
"You let Kagato take me prisoner, I became his slave again, why didn't you come for me?!"
"But I did" Tenchi then realizes what is happening; the Ryoko's from all the other dimensions were fighting inside over one body.
"Liar!" She again shoots an energy blast but it is misaimed as another voice takes over
"Tenchi, we are going to be so happy together".
Ryoko continues to fight with her self being destroyed from the inside as the good and the bad kill each other off. When Tenchi has a flash back of when him and Tsunami were talking.
"Are you going to tell him?"
"She is not the same Ryoko as you remember; it will be hard to convince her to give up so much power."
"Some how, I will manage".
"You are going to have to make a decision when you meet her, and she is very powerful Tenchi be careful".
The flashback ends and Tenchi finds himself looking down into his hands where he had created the light hawk sword.
"A decision" he said to himself, "I understand, Ryoko!"
The many voices inside her pause to listen to what he has to say.
Tenchi takes the sword firm in his hand and thrusts it through his own stomach causing him to fall to the ground in dire pain.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" All the voices say in unison. All the Ryoko's were shocked by his actions forcing the one body and the many minds to rush to his aid. "Tenchi, Tenchi! Why would you do such a stupid thing!"
"Be cau se, I lo ve y ou". He manages to say before coughing up blood. The pain that Tenchi felt slowly began to go numb and his eyes begin to close. Ryoko looks at him, and tears develop in her eyes.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! You can't die, I wont let you!" She screams in pain.
Immediately Ryoko uses her power and transports them back to earth in the living room where all the girls have gathered awaiting some word.
"Tenchi! Ayeka yells, what has happened to you?" Immediately she looks up at Ryoko. "You, you did this you him, I was right to call you a monster all those times. Only a monster would harm the people they love"
"But, I" she tries to say before being interrupted.
"But nothing! Because of you Tenchi will die unless we do something".
Washu stands up and walks over to Tenchi inspecting his wound. "Hmmm, this is very serious in deed. What do you think sister?" Every one looks at Washu like she is crazy. But their looks are replaced with surprised when the image of Tsunami appears.
"I'm afraid it is too late, the life force in Tenchi has bled out". Ryoko lies him down on the couch as he bleeds profusely from the wound in his gut and falls to her knees next to him crying hysterically. Tsunami walks up and puts her hand on Ryoko's shoulders before the body of Tenchi disappears with the image of tsunami. Tenchi finds himself once again encased in a blue light.
"Tsunami? But, I was dead"
"Don't worry Tenchi, you are safe now."
"I don't understand. Where is Ryoko, what happened?"
"You did die, but like your mother to Tokime, I am too you".
"How is this?"
"There are two blood lines in you Tenchi. One direct, one indirect. Your mother was related to Tokime though her bonding, and you are related to me by your birth. You see, your mother was descended from both me and Tokime".
"Then why didn't you save my mother?! Why didn't you resurrect her!"
"I wish I could Tenchi, but at the time Tokime was too powerful and it was her will to leave her as she was. I am sorry Tenchi, I am truly sorry, but you cannot change the past."
Tenchi looks down at the ground and sighs, "I know, I guess I am just overwhelm all that has happened in the last few days.
"I understand, but right now you have some one waiting for you back home".
"You mean Ryoko? She OK?!"
"Yes, your actions today opened her eyes through all the confusion and lead her into the light". With those words a white light flashed from Tsunami. When Tenchi opened his eyes, he found himself back in the living room with the girls.
"TENCHI!" Ryoko screams as she jumps at him and wraps her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.
"Not so tight" he wheezes out.
"I can't help it she begins to say as she starts to cry; I thought I lost you forever."
Tenchi looks down on her and smiles "No, I will be all right. And he then lifts his arms and wraps them around Ryoko's waist returning her affection.
"That is just so beautiful!" Mihoshi yells as she too begins to cry.
At first Ayeka looked at them disgusted, not sure that she could deal with such a painful emotion. Her eyes begin to water knowing now that Tenchi had made his decision. But before she could lose the first tear, a hand appears on her shoulder. She looks behind her and sees her brother looking down on her smiling. The pain seemed to melt away as she places her hand on his and looks back at Tenchi and Ryoko. Sasami looks up at Ayeka and sees a smile develop across her face and she too began to smile.
Washu looks on from the back of the room filled with joy that her daughter is all right and that the two of them finally expressed they're feeling for each other. The image of Tsunami stands next to her. Telepathically Tsunami says to Washu "do you think that we should have told them that the two of them were designed to be together over 20000 years ago?"
"Naw, what's the fun in that, this was much better" replies Washu.
"What are we going to do about Aeris?"
"Aeris?" She looks over to see Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki together on the floor. "I have a feeling that she wont be going anywhere for a while"
"So Ryoko", Tenchi says as he lets go of her and looks her in the eyes, "are you back to normal?"
"Well, almost." Ryoko says.
Tenchi looks puzzled.
Ryoko holds out her hand and opens it. Inside laid the 3 gems. "Hey Washu, catch" Ryoko throws the gems and Washu catches them in one hand. "I think those belong to you"
"But that's your energy source Ryoko." Tenchi says.
"So, I don't need them any more."
Washu looks at Ryoko and smiles "Thanks."
"So Tenchi, does this mean I get to move in with you?"
"How about we start with a real date first?"
"It's a deal," She says as she starts to hug him again.
The End.
Simfreak Chapter One