I don

I don't own Tenchi Muyo.

The Prodigal Son

By The Great El Dober

Chapter Seven

Ryoko's eyes locked onto the incoming blade and flashed with an untamed instinct as a wild impulse jolted her mind and body into action. Her vulnerable hand jerked out the sword's path, her whole arm being lunged into a hasty, wrenched swing.

Her hand was clear but she was not.

As her arm swung around to hide her hand safely behind her back, her waist and body had to swivel around to compensate and maintain balance. The result was disastrous, she hadn't evaded at all, she had merely placed the side of her face in the blade's path instead of her wrist.

The room was filled with a sharp, acute scream as the blistering blade sliced down the side of her face, shredding the skin, scoring the flesh and leaving a bleeding wound right down the length of her slashed ear.

She stumbled back, extinguishing her light sword so she could hold both her hands to her injury. She clenched her eyes closed and grimaced in pain as she healed the painful cut, her bloody hands still cupped around the wound.

But soon it was over, the blood flow stopped, the hands slowly moved away and her eyes reopened to see . . .

. . . her relentless brother in mid-charge.

There was no time left, there would be no miraculous escape this time, with her healing hands completely out of position, her vulnerable body in no kind of stance at all, it seemed hopeless. All she could do was flinch, withdrawing her cringing face and raising her arms to shield herself, exposing the very same hand that she had so costly protected only moments ago.

Then it finally happened.

Hono's blade came slicing across and finally severed Ryoko's wrist, sending a bright red stone flying through the air as it was showered with a spray of blood. It was finally over, all they could do now was to watch Ryoko's drained body slump into an unconscious heap.

She had lost.

Tenchi just froze in a dazed disbelief. She had been defeated, the vibrancy, the spirit, it was gone, gone forever. She would never again wake him up in the morning, or lavish attention on him, or fill his daily life with that extra pinch of spice that only she could provide. All of that, her entire presence had just been torn from the fabric of his life and he left a gaping hole, a distressing feeling that something essential was missing.

It was only now that Tenchi truly appreciated the colourful contribution she had added to his life, he finally realised the enormous value that he placed on her. And he had never even had the chance to say goodbye.

In fact as she lay there unconscious, unable to hear anything, Tenchi found himself with a lot that he wanted to say to her but he knew he would never get the chance to tell her.

Ayeka felt the sorrow too. All of Ryoko's previous faults, crimes and outrages were overlooked, status and upbringing, her very programming was forgotten, all overridden by a mourning sense of lost.

The thought that this would almost certainly guarantee her Tenchi never even entered her mind. All that occupied her thoughts was this stark contrast as her sudden newfound sympathy and appreciation for Ryoko was cast against her previous behaviour towards the space pirate. All the insults, all the fights, all the abuse that had probably bruised Ryoko underneath her tough skin, it was disgraceful.

Her perspective on Ryoko had been completely skewed by her imminent loss and Ayeka found herself having thoughts that she would never have dreamed of not so long ago but her sudden spurt of compassion brought her previous actions into a new, shameful light. She suddenly held this strange notion that she had let Ryoko down, that she should have befriended this poor helpless girl that lay in pain before her.

All she wanted now was a second chance to set those past wrongs right for as she saw her friend slumped on the floor she suddenly found herself craving Ryoko's acceptance and friendship.

But by far the worst affected was Washu. Her soul howled in anguish. The guilt and agony rained down on her, it soaked her mind, drenched her spirits and doused her dwindling hopes.

Her dying heart now felt barren. It had once flourished like fresh, green pastures, it had flourished with blissful pride and unreserved joy at her recovering daughter. Whenever she saw Ryoko she saw a determined young girl who tried with all her heart and soul to fit it and to regain all that she had so tragically lost. It had filled Washu with such complete, wholesome pride to she her daughter achieve and prosper.

But now as she watched her daughter scream and collapse in pain that serene landscape rotted into a barren desert. In her heart there was a drought of joy, all she could taste were the stinging sands of grief as the winds of guilt blew it all into her eyes, delivering the pain to her, causing the grit of grief to scrape it her eyes and bleed tears from them.

She felt nothing for her triumphing son, that last blow had severed much more than Ryoko's hand. She could no longer associate the armed man before her with the child she had once held in her arms. Finally she was able to make her choice but she knew it was too late, it was over.

It was too late to choose, too late to send another gem and to late to apologise or admit and they all felt a deep, shameful remorse for failing Ryoko. You could see it, their grief was engraved on their distressed expressions.

Hono just watched them regretfully. This was causing them a lot of pain, it was a shame, they didn't deserve to be put through it, they were good people, but he just had to keep reminding himself that she was not. It was her fault that they were suffering, not his.

"I'm truly sorry you had to witness that," he apologised as he moved to collect the detached gem, "but it was necessary. I am only delivering justice."

He searched around the ground for the missing jewel and found it lying a few feet away from his sister's fallen form. He slowly reached down to collect it, to grasp victory, to . . .

. . . Wait! Something wasn't right.

His approaching hand stopped in midair and hovered above the 'gem' as he inspected it closer.

The colour, it seemed slightly off, and the size too, he could have sworn that the gems were slightly smaller. Perhaps all of the gems were different. Well he hadn't seen the other gems before so, yes, that must be it.

But wait! What was that protruding from it? A fastening of some sort? Why would . . .

"Argh!" he howled in pain as a radiant orange blade came carving down and severed his outstretched hand, sending his gem skirting out of his grasp. He fell to his knees as his whole body winced in pain. Despite the pain he forced his gaze up to the impossibility he knew was sure to meet him.

There stood Ryoko with her sword in her grasp and a twinkling red jewel on her ear. His eyes widened and his breath gasped as it all started to make shocking sense.

A good swordsman would never drop their sword and leave themselves vulnerable, but she had. Even with the pain it seemed unnecessary and unreasonable to dedicate both hands to her cut ear, she didn't really need two hands to cover the wound . . .

. . . but she would need two hands to perform a switch.

She hadn't been healing the cut with her hands, she had been switching her gem with her red earring, all so she could lower his defences, lure him into a false sense of security and strike when he least expected it.

But that led to an even more frightening possibility. Had she planned it all out? Had she let him cut her on purpose? Was she really that good? As the blood loss began to sap his strength away from him, the valiant knight began to wonder how mighty this unslayable beast truly was.

Although the sense of failure, biting as it was, hurt him there was something that wounded him even more, a feeling that shocked him to the very core, to the very backbone of his being.

Doubt.

As he looked into her eyes he didn't see the victorious smirk of a taunting demon nor did he see the resentful hate of a brutal beast. Instead he saw an upset look of remorse and sorrowful regret and no matter how hard he tried he could not associate this expression of pure compassion with the evil beast that his vengeance called for.

In fact the look on her face, the look of sheer remorse, was strikingly similar to the face of the judge that had sentenced him but as he gazed into her eyes he could not bring himself to utter the same words he had spoke all those years ago. The demons in his mind silenced his tongue.

So he fell silently into unconsciousness, leaving his sister unforgiven and his troubles unresolved. She just watched him with a guilty look of remorse imprinted on her face, she had hurt him, again. She had never meant to do it, she didn't want to hurt him, he didn't deserve to suffer anymore but she had been forced to do it. Why? Why did it always have to end like this? It was so unfair, she just wished that for once it would . .

"Ryoko, snap out of it!" Tenchi shouted as he gave her a light shake.

"Tenchi?" her soft, dazed voice asked as her wandering thoughts finally focused back to the real world. Her eyes darted across to the corridor in confused wonder of how they could have possibly . . . .

"The shield disappeared once he lost consciousness," he explained, "Are you okay?"

"Yes Tenchi," she replied softly, his gentle hands still lingering on her shoulders, "I'm fine."

Finally Tenchi released his mild grip on her and something else seized her attention. There was her mother stooping over her brother's fallen body. She looked sad, in fact she looked very upset. Was she angry? Did she hate Ryoko for hurting Hono? Or could it be something else, something far worse?

"Mom?" she asked in a fearful voice, scared of what her mother might be planning to do. The link told her nothing but you could see it in her eyes, Washu was preparing to do something terrible.

She was preparing to choose.

"You four go back to Ryo-Ohki," Washu ordered in a very solemn, forcibly-detached tone of voice, "I have to stay here a while longer."

"But Mom!" panicked Ryoko, terrified of what might be about to happen. She was afraid that the moment her back was turned her mother would do the unthinkable and run away from her. She didn't believe it would happen but the secrecy fuelled her fears and those fears alarmed her mind and awakened her insecurities.

"I can't just leave him like this," Washu told them sternly, "I have to heal his wound or else he might die of blood loss."

And I want some privacy to say goodbye, Washu explained more tenderly and sorrowfully across the link, I'm not going to see him again for a long time. Please Ryoko, this means a lot to me.

Ryoko nodded understandingly and slowly shuffled out of the room, wordlessly followed by the others. She didn't like the idea but she had to trust her mother, she had to believe in one of the few people who believed in her. She just prayed that they could recover from this and go back to the way things were.

She prayed that they could all be happy once more.

Later That Night

She ran and ran but still they surrounded her, still the voices followed. They were closing in around her now, they were dominating over her, shouting at her, bombarding her with taunts, forcing her to listen . . .

"A replacement, despicable!"

"Why do you cling to your false dreams, you know that it isn't really true."

"That love was intended for someone else, you're just fooling yourself."

"A replacement can never be loved like the original, it will all end in pain!"

"There is no love between you, only lies."

"There is no love between you . ."

"There is no love . ."

"No love . ."

"No!"

She woke in a startled fright as her whole body shot up and sat ramrod straight in her bed. As her breaths became more pacified she slowly began to realise it had been nothing but a nightmare, but a very startling and disturbing nightmare. Perhaps she should . . .

"Are you okay sister?" came a sleepy voice from across the darkened room.

"Yes I'm fine Sasami," Ayeka quickly replied, "It was nothing, nothing at all."

But as she heard her younger sister nestle back into the comforting sheets she knew that in truth it hadn't been nothing, it had been something very troubling. She slowly rested her head back on the soft pillow as her troubled thoughts rested on one person . . .

Tenchi.

Tenchi's room

Tenchi was also kept awake with restless thoughts. He felt very disillusioned all of a sudden, as if he was finally seeing through the biased opinions that he was force feed every day.

"Lord Tenchi would never do such a thing!"

"My Tenchi is too good for the likes of that!"

"Lord Tenchi is honourable and respectable!"

"Tenchi is a kind person."

"Oh, Tenchi your mother in heaven would be so proud!"

But would she?

Tenchi was suffering from a guilty sense of shame. In Ryoko he had one of the most devoted, loyal, protective friends that the earth had ever seen and sure, when there was serious danger Tenchi would be the first to jump to her aid, but was that really enough?

He called Ryoko a friend but when was the last time he had gone anywhere with her? When was the last time he had included her in his free time? When was the last time he had taken interest in any of her interests? When was the last time he had been a friend to her?

Tenchi Masaki, ungrateful, unfair love-miser?

His mother would never have done any of those things, she had always been so kind and just. As Tenchi lay there he wished that his mother in heaven could come down and tell him just what kind of person Tenchi Masaki really was.

And more importantly what kind of person Tenchi Masaki should try to be.

The Cave

She couldn't sleep, her thoughts and emotions were stampeding through her mind, so instead Ryoko made her way towards her cave. Under the cool night's sky she felt that she could find peace and privacy. She was wrong.

"Mom?" she murmured as she saw Washu's silent body sitting upon the cold rocks. Her tearful eyes gazed heavenwards and mournfully searched the endless stars knowing that somewhere in that everlasting sea of space was her cast away son.

"You're all I have left my Little Ryoko," Washu spoke in a soft, sad voice that flowed with an captivating melancholy tone as her longing eyes remained locked on the heavens above, "You're the only thing that really matters to me anymore."

"What about him?" Ryoko asked quietly as her weary feet resounded footsteps throughout the night air as she walked over to take her rightful place by her mother's side.

"He was lost a long time ago and no matter how much I want to I can't bring that child I remember back from the dead," Washu began as she detached her gaze from the sky to focus on her daughter as she placidly sat down by her side, "He was a ghost from my past, everything we had is dead, we're like strangers to each other. That's no way to live, clinging to the echoes of fading memories, chasing the shadows of times gone by. We all deserve better than that."

"But he was still family," Ryoko protested, slightly uneasy at her mother's attitude, "Doesn't that matter?"

"Ryoko, I will tell you something that I never planned on telling you but it will help you understand," Washu told her in a very sombre, serious voice, "The birth certificate I showed you in the lab is a fake."

"Oh," Ryoko replied faintly, her disappointment and dejection almost choking her voice.

"You see while they would recognise you as a being in your own right they wouldn't recognise me as your mother," Washu explained, "I decided that despite what the law thought you deserved a mother, I believed that family isn't about how or to who you were born, it's about the people you grow up with and the people who love you.

I guess I just forgot that for a while.

So you see Ryoko, you may not be my only offspring but you are my only child."

There was a calm silence in reflection of these words. Ryoko's original disappointment was replaced with a fulfilled sense of acceptance and pride. Her life was still far from normal and straightforward but that no longer seemed a problem, if anything it seemed more enchanting and exciting. Her mother had always assured that she was special and now she was finally beginning to understand that specialness for herself.

All of a sudden being one of a kind didn't seem so lonely anymore.

"Mom," Ryoko finally whispered, "Is my room still there?"

"Of course it is," Washu replied with warm invitation.

"Then I want to come home."

Tsunami's invisible lips smiled with a pleased satisfaction, they deserved to share happiness like this. It wasn't perfect but it was right, it was the way it should be. Washu had been right, it was a shame that Hono had to be left behind but it had been necessary, his deluded beliefs had made him destructive to Ryoko and Washu. They had all saw the damage done to Ryoko but his actions had also hurt Washu far deeper than the others realised.

He had bit the hands that once held him,

He had burned the arms that had rocked him to sleep,

He had choked the voice that had sung him soft lullabies,

But most importantly he had hurt the heart that had loved him.

It wasn't Hono's fault, he was a good person but just like his mother he was prone to being fooled and influenced, he was easily misled and after 4000 years of brain washing pain he religiously believed in his own bitter lies. He couldn't rejoin his mother with the way things were, he wasn't ready to accept a 'new' mother and he wasn't ready to accept the truth. Washu knew this and knew that he didn't belong with her, not yet anyway.

Washu had already suffered so much pain in her life. She had nurtured heaven's child only to helplessly watch that beloved child slip through her hands. This cycle between joy and pain swung like a pendulum but like all things related to Washu it could be unbalanced and as long as Washu and Ryoko had each other then it that pendulum would be tilted in their favour.

And although she didn't understand the reasons behind it, Washu realised that.

At one point everything that she loved had been taken from her and her life had been left in ashes but a rose had grew from those ashes, a beautiful, vibrant rose that was named Ryoko. She had been tempted by the lure of her lost past but Washu knew that she couldn't grasp at those burnt ashes, instead she had to nurture that one rose.

It was all she had left.

Ryoko's Bedroom

Washu was filled with an outpour of unrivalled delight and fulfilment as for the first time in countless painful years she was once again tucking her Little Ryoko into bed. Ryoko's glinting eyes pierced through the dim darkness as they stared up at Washu showing the weaker, insecure, more child like side of Ryoko that was only ever revealed to her mother.

Washu paused to savour the moment. Here she was once again, sitting on the edge of Ryoko's bed as her daughter lay snug and safe under the warm covers. She had never dreamed that she and Ryoko would ever get this far after all that had happened, yet here they were. She stared silently and gratefully down at Ryoko, her daughter, finally back where she belonged.

"Mom," Ryoko whispered lightly, "You said that you couldn't bring your past back."

"Mmm-hmm," Washu replied softly.

"But what if you could," Ryoko asked, "What if you could go back and have all of those things you lost. Would you?"

"I already made that decision a long time ago," Washu replied, her memories casting back to the colossal machine that still lay unused in her lab. Ryoko just stared back at her with a bewildered expression, completely mystified by what her mother had just said.

Washu just smiled fondly at her daughter's confusion, there were so many things that she had forgotten, so many things for her still to learn.

"It's okay Ryoko, you don't have to worry about my past," she assured soothingly, "As I said before losing my son and husband left holes in my heart and no matter how hard you tried you could never fill them. The man my son has grown up to be could never fill them either.

You will learn that not all wounds heal with time, all we can do is try to wash over the pain with new joys and happiness."

With those last words Washu leaned over to lightly kiss Ryoko's forehead and whisper goodnight before she made her way to the door. As she walked through the doorway she felt a great sense of accomplishment, she had finally repaired most of the damage caused by Kagato, but there was also an opposing sense of failure.

It's a shame that it ended like this, Washu thought to herself as she made her way down the hall, Ryoko could have really done with a supporting big brother to look up to. It could have been a real stabilising force in her life. It would have been good for Tenchi as well, having a big brother figure in his life would have probably helped him deal with the girls better. It's such a loss.

But at least I know he is alive.

Somewhere.

A Distant Planet - Weeks Later

He followed the rest of the village and charged furiously into the surrounding woodland. They may be primitive, farming tools may be their only weapons but they were going to fight with all they had, they weren't going to stand for it.

Damn space pirates, they were twisted, evil monsters, that's what they were. Coming down to helpless planets and kidnapping innocent, defenceless children to take them away and sell them for . . .No! He just wasn't going to allow it!

He quickened his desperate pace as he ran through the midnight trees, his hoe tottering in his hands. He could see the torches and shadows dotting spaces between the trees, the whole village was out in force. It was only one girl but in such a close community she was like family to them all. No one was prepared to abandon her, no one would let them get away with it, they would . . .

"I've found her!"

Stopping in his tracks he turned and made his way towards the voice that had called out in the nervous night. He found himself approaching a marsh that was lit by the burning torches of the villagers that already surrounded it. They seemed very restrained, as if they were keeping a frightful distance from something. Why? He urgently pushed his way to the front. He was relieved to see her standing in the marsh, shaken but untouched, however he was also amazed for just a few feet in front of her he saw what had kept the others at bay.

There, face down in the mud, lay the body of the pirate, and towering over it stood a man quite unlike anyone he had ever seen before. He held a phantom sword in his grasp and his unruly blond hair fell over his broad shoulders, but what was most intimidating was the look in his eyes for as he stared down at the fallen pirate his eyes burned with the hate of countless taken lives.

"It's okay, darling, it's all going to be okay."

Hono turned to face the girl he had just saved. She stood in her dirtied nightdress, tears flowing from her fearful face as her knelling mother pulled her into a fierce hug. There was also an older boy that crouched down to comfort her, most probably her brother.

Then the young girl turned her glinting eyes towards her saviour and the symbolism of what he saw disturbed him. Her small golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight as they bore right into his soul with a defenceless look of weak innocence.

He had seen that look once before but never had it affected him like this.

This time it provoked frightening new thoughts in his mind. The vulnerable young girl with the golden eyes, the tender, loving mother, the supportive, guiding older brother, the devoted family together supporting each other. It made him think, it made him dream and wonder.

But there was much still to be done before he even considered that.

He silently turned away and slowly made his way into the shadows of the night, continuing his never-ending search for release.

"Wait," a villager called, "You can't go just go, you saved her."

"No," came a reply from the hero's retreating back, "She has helped save me."

His search wasn't over, his vengeful hatred hadn't been quenched yet, but for the first time in 4000 years he felt that he made some ground. Perhaps it was only a step, perhaps he had only crawled an inch of the miles he had lost but it was finally progress. For the first time in eras he had finally accomplished something and it filled him with a wondrous sense of liberation.

The demons still plagued his mind but finally one had been left behind, he had buried it in the mud with that pirate where it would lie in a forgotten silence forevermore. After enduring the torment of his endless anguish he had finally won a battle against them, although the war was far from over.

So he disappeared like a legend into the night as he wandered off in continued search of his demons. Finally he had a new path to travel down, a path that would wind to wherever evil or sin could be found. He vowed to clear that path and leave it pure. He would leave all of that pain behind him and never look back.

And perhaps once this valiant knight had completed his noble quest, once his crusade was over and he had put all of his demons to rest then perhaps he might even return to earth and finally say those three unspoken words.

Perhaps.

Washu's house - Weeks Later

"Hey mom, I'm going out."

"Out?" a surprised Washu asked, trying to remember the last time she had heard Little Ryoko say that.

"Yes, out," Ryoko repeated with a touch of force highlighting her annoyance that it still seemed unusual for her to do usual things, "Tenchi asked if I wanted to go to something called a cinema."

"Really?" Washu teased, drawing out and emphasising the word to make it sound far more suggestive than a question.

"It's not like that," Ryoko insisted, "He asked Ayeka as well."

"Well at least it's a start," Washu replied honestly, "Even if it's not what you hope it's good to see you having friends again. You seem to make more and more progress everyday."

Ryoko blushed slightly at the compliment before continuing down the hall to her room. Tenchi said to wear something casual but of course Ryoko's idea of casual was completely different from his. She was on a mission to find the most provocative, seductive 'casual' clothes she had.

Some things never change.

Finally content with her choice she flung on a jacket and hurried out of the door but before she could race down the hall something caught her eyes and halted her in her tracks. Taking her hand off the handle she peered in the room opposite to her own, the room that had been intended for Hono. It had been eerily silent and abandoned, a haunting reminder of his lost presence and every time she looked it in it provoked guilty thoughts in her mind.

I've won, I have everything I want and no one was hurt so why does my victory still seem tainted? Is it because of you?

Brother or victim? Family or enemy? I don't know how to think of you but the fact is that I do.

My guilt has left me, I know I am forgiven but as I enjoy this rewarding life, as I bask in my personal paradise I still feel remorse. Because I am here . . .

. . . and you are not.

Not all wounds heal with time, all we can do is try to wash over the pain with new joys and happiness, a voice reminded her, And there is a lot of happiness waiting for you just outside.

I know Mom, Ryoko smiled as she continued her sprint out of the house, and I'm going to enjoy every last bit of it.

Outside

"Tenchi can I talk to you," Ayeka pensively asked. Ryoko was running late as usual so now was as good a time as any to finally get this off her chest. It had been tormenting her for weeks now and the time had come to put an end to it.

"Of course," a concerned Tenchi replied, "What is it Ayeka?"

"I fear that I haven't been completely fair with you," Ayeka confessed as she lowered her voice and head in shame, "I came searching for my beloved Yosho and when I discovered he was lost forever I tried to put you in his place, I tried to use you as a replacement. I can't do that, it is unfair to both of us, I realise that now. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"What's to forgive?" Tenchi smiled warmly at her, "I can't expect every girl I meet to love me. It doesn't change anything between us and I hope that you will find happiness with someone."

"Don't worry Tenchi," Ayeka smiled gratefully back, "I have hundreds of years more to worry about that. I will be just . . ."

"Wait for me!"

The couple turned to face this distant voice and were surprised to see a sprinting Ryoko running from the house. Tenchi couldn't help but smile when he saw her.

It was a complete transformation from the sullen pirate who had once floated about lethargically. She now ran with such untamed, carefree joy and passion for life, much like a child revelling in a wondrous new world of discovery. She could have easily phased or flew but instead she chose to run and it suited her, it seemed so natural.

And she seemed to enjoy it too, she seemed to get so much out of life now. There was a new life flowing through her, an unleashed sense of freedom that filled her with a fantastic new vitality. The sparkle in her eyes, the glowing smile on her face, the way the wind blew in her hair, she looked so free and alive.

"You won't tell Ryoko will you," Tenchi whispered while Ryoko was still out of earshot, "I've still not decided. I wouldn't want to get her hopes up for nothing."

"Of course not," Ayeka assured, "I would never put a friend in an awkward situation like that."

"Thank you," Tenchi appreciatively replied.

"You're very welcome," Ayeka replied as she fondly admired the approaching girl, "But I was actually referring to Ryoko."

End of Chapter Seven

End of Story

Note - Finished! Did you like the ending? The last scene was written spontaneously at the last minute but I thought it was a nice way to round things off, besides I decided that Tenchi could take the rejection far better than Ryoko or Ayeka ever could.

Now should I try to continue this set or should I draw the line here? Personally I think that there isn't much more I can do with this continuity but perhaps that's just me being lazy.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and thanks to everyone who reviewed the story and encouraged me to continue with it. It genuinely made it all worthwhile. Thanks.