Manifestations
by Celestialmew
Author's note: No, I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any related products which
are copyright to Pioneer and other companies that hold rights. No money is
generated from this fanfiction, and is purely for entertainment purposes.
This is set after the OAVs, Tenchi Muyo!, and Tenchi in Tokyo. I'm well aware
that there are discontinuities and differences when relating all three, but
I try to keep the main storyline intact. If I make any grevious flaws, please
tell me. I would enjoy any sort of feedback. And, yes, Ryouko really is more
than five thousand years old and not two thousand; she gave Galactic Calendar
years which are 2.5 earth years. While Tenchi Muyo itself is mostly
comedy/romance, I don't have very much humor in here. I prefer to be a bit
more serious. This chapter is somewhat short.
Chapter One: Beauty Before Age
Ryouko yawned, just waking up. She rose off the couch and looked at the wall, but her vision was still blurry for several seconds. That's odd, she thought, I must be really tired.
Ayeka chose that moment to walk into the room, carrying her bowl of rice to the breakfast table in the living room. Her eyes fell upon Ryouko, and she stood still, frozen with horror. Ryouko noticed Ayeka by her vivid purple hair. "What? Cat got your tongue?"
Ryouko knew something was wrong then. Her voice sounded sibilant and gravelly to her own ears. Ayeka dropped her rice bowl, which tumbled through the air. Ryouko watched it, oddly fascinated. End over end, until it broke into a shards on the floor. The other girl screamed piercingly, and ran out of the room.
Ryouko was baffled. She got up, and ran to the bathroom. I don't feel well, why is it so hard to move?...
She saw why.
A harsh, dismayed shriek echoed out of the bathroom. It didn't even sound like her; she didn't recognize herself anymore. She was her natural age of five thousand and forty years. Gaunt skin was stretched over enunciated bones, and her face looked like a grinning skull.
Her fangs were also quite obvious, and her clothes hung limply off her thin, bony form. Her hair had lost its natural luster, and swirled limply around her head. She looked at her wrists in panic. Yes, both her gems were gone, and she was certain that the one on her neck was absent as well.
Ryouko could already hear Tenchi's gasp of shock, Washuu's clucking maternal sound of pity, Ayeka's scream echoing over in her ears, her taunt would be "Now you really are a monster! Tenchi could never love something as hideous as you! You're nothing but a powerless, old hag now ... it matches whats inside!"
Her cruel, mocking laughter as she won Tenchi from the demon.
No!
Ryouko ran from the bathroom. Tears leaked from eyes that were tightly shut as she ran out of the house, the sliding wooden doors clattering behind her. She could see her feet, the tendons standing in sharp relief, but she kept on running and running out to the woods, her disbelief slowly crumbling. Her feet pounded the ground, and she started gasping for breath, unsure of how far she had traveled.
Her thoughts wandered aimlessly. My gems ... someone stole my gems ... Tenchi'll hate me, oh, no, no, no ... I can't do anything anymore! I can't control my age, and eventually ...
Ryouko eventually collapsed onto a rock somewhere, sobbing.
* * *
Tenchi got out of bed tiredly. It was summer break from school, and he was
relieved. Everyone was back at his house, everything was finally back to
their definition of normal. He headed to the kitchen to see what Sasami was
cooking when a terrified Ayeka ran into him, screaming.
He caught her before she fell, holding her up, facing him. "Whoa! What's wrong, Ayeka?"
"I saw ... the most horrible thing ... there's a monster in your house, Tenchi! It was skeletal and blue-haired, but it ran away from here!" Ayeka babbled.
Tenchi sweated. A monster in his house? Blue-haired? He found himself remembering the "demon" of the shrine's cave which was actually Ryouko when he first met her. He paused, thoughtfully.
This was too coincidental. Perhaps Ryouko was just trying to scare Ayeka out of malice. "Was she sleeping on the couch?"
"Well, it had just stood up, maybe from there. She?"
"Yeah, and was she wearing Ryouko's clothes?" he continued, puzzled.
"Yes ... are you telling me that horrid beast was Ryouko!?" Ayeka smiled triumphantly, and chortled. "I knew she really was a demon! Oh ho ho ho ho!"
Tenchi frowned slightly, and let go of Ayeka. She clearly didn't need his support in standing up anymore anyway. He walked into the living room, and started to worry. She was nowhere in sight. After checking the rest of the house, and sending Ayeka to look into the onsen, he verified that she wasn't here.
Sasami watched them searching for something, and finally her curiosity got the better of her. "What are you looking for?"
"Something bad happened to Ryouko, and we've got to find her," Tenchi informed her bluntly.
"Oh no! I'll go tell the others ... " she said, hurrying off into another room, her kimono flapping around her feet as she trotted.
* * *
"Ryouko!" Tenchi cried out, cupping his hands around his mouth, "Ryouko! Please come back so we can help you!"
He frowned when he heard no answer, and continued walking along. Something is so wrong about all this, but I can't place it. Spent cherry blossoms that bloomed in the summer fell all around him. He tilted his head, listening, and heard someone walk up.
"Ryouko?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope. No sign of her yet," Washuu replied. "This is odd. I usually have a feeling of her in the back of my mind, but it's gone now."
Tenchi started to become truly worried. "Is she ... ?"
"We can't eliminate the possibility, but from the descriptions I received, its more likely that she simply lost her powers. We have to locate her soon though. Her body will begin to deteriorate within a week or so. I had modified the Masu to rely on the gem's powers to keep it animate so it would always have a power source. Even I, the greatest scientist in the universe, can overlook minor details. I should have seen the consequences ..." Washuu looked deeply saddened, and much older than her years.
"Don't blame yourself, Washuu-chan. It's not your fault," Tenchi replied helpfully as they walked along.
"You know, I ... remember once that I had another child, a natural one. I lost it too. I'm not going to lose this one," Washuu said with determination. "I'm going to go back to the lab, Tenchi, and see if I can do anything from there."
"Alright, Washuu," he said.
She reached into a pocket in her coat and pulled out a rod, tapping one end. It expanded into a gateway that shimmered. She stepped through it, and it closed behind her. Tenchi was once again alone.
He sighed and continued walking through the lonely mountain path, calling out again. His voice echoed through the forest, but with no reply other than the rustling of tree branches and softly falling petals.
* * *
Ayeka told herself that she couldn't care less if Ryouko was a whithered mummy, and that she had gotten what she deserved for being so ruthless and forward. Pressure from everyone else made her at least put half an effort into finding the despicable demon, though.
There was twinge, but she ignored it. A little voice spoke in the back of her head, what if Ryouko doesn't deserve it? Kagato drove her to destroy things, remember, and you can't help who you fall in love with. You know that.
Ha! she though back, she is a lowly, lazy, presumptuous, selfish beast! She was always after Tenchi, and now when I finally have the chance, I have to search for her! How unfair!
But Ryouko saved you before for Tenchi's sake, and you can't even look for her?
Ayeka paused in her steps. For Tenchi's sake, I will give the effort, but nothing beyond that. And because I made an oath to him.
Her inner monologue gave way to the more natural conscious thoughts, thinking about what she would do if she did find Ryouko, what she would say to Tenchi, what others things she needed to do today ...
Ayeka stopped at the sound of muted weeping. She was tempted to keep on walking, and pretend she hadn't heard it -- but, no, she could at least keep a promise she made to Tenchi, no less! How she struggled with herself few several moments though.
She finally stepped softly through the thick tree cover, looking for its source. She spotted what had to be Ryouko on a rock outcropping, her face buried in her hands, crying. What was visible made her cringe at the sight. Ryouko looked up, her tears shining on her haggard face, her eyes slitted. She leapt up to flee once more.
"Ryouko!" Ayeka yelled, but the space pirate didn't listen. She jumped off the rock, and tore through the forest. The princess huffed, and started running after her. I can't believe I'm doing this ... I should just walk away. This is her problem, and if she doesn't want help ...
Ayeka soon caught up with the blue-haired female, and grabbed her hand, wincing at that much contact.Ryouko's eyes blazed with anger as she tugged weakly against her hold. "Let me go! Leave me alone! Blast you, Ayeka!"
"If you don't want help, fine," she replied coldly, releasing Ryouko, "I shouldn't even be here except I swore Tenchi that I would try. Run away. I really don't care because it's not my responsibility."
Ayeka turned and headed back toward the path she had been on. With some reluctance, a defeated Ryouko followed, seething inwardly. She kept her silence and didn't give a second glance behind her, even though she almost wanted to.
"I guess it was too much to expect kindness to a rival out of you," Ryouko stated roughly, chuckling to herself.
"And may I ask how this is humorous to you?" Ayeka replied, a little irritated.
"Oh, a private joke," Ryouko tried to smirk, but the expression was frightening more than anything. Ayeka shuddered, and continued ignoring her. She wasn't going to give Ryouko the satisfaction of responding to her barbs when she was this weak. She wasn't her equal and thus not worthy of the attention anymore.
Ryouko feel back into a more pensive silence. It was no fun needling Ayeka when she didn't react. And Ryouko had many problems that troubled her now, as much as she would love to forget them. How can I live like this? What future do I have? Tenchi will surely take her even in all her coldness. I don't stand a chance.
I should just give up before I'm rejected. It will hurt a lot less, she noted to herself, but she still had some shred of dignity. It wasn't in her to simply capitulate without waiting the battle out.
They kept on walking, the leaves tumbling past them, carried by the wind. Quite quickly, the shrine came into view out of the surrounding forest and mountainside. Ryouko sat at the bottom of the stairs, putting her chin on her upturned palm. Ayeka studiously went inside the house. She didn't care what happened, she told herself.
I can't feel Ryo-Ohki anymore, Ryouko thought sadly. She didn't understand why that deeply bothered her in the face of everything hurled at her. It didn't make any sense at all; it was just another difficulty or problem.
Ryouko exhaled heavily, and waited for everyone to arrive back. For the front
time in her life, she was afraid of confrontation. Especially with Tenchi.