No Need For Startica
No Need For Startica
Disclaimer:
I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any related characters. However, the plot line to
this story is MINE! Please don't take it. And the Zero Virus was my idea to, I
don't mind if you use it, but please ask first. Thank you!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
No Need For Startica
Part II~Ryoko's Lament
Thursday, two days after the end of chapter one…
Tenchi was getting ready for his morning chores when the
distraught Washu came into the living room.
"Tenchi, Ryoko would like to see you, if it's okay
with you." The small genius said. Tenchi nodded. The pink-haired genius
motioned for Tenchi to follow her.
Tenchi could see that this virus was wearing on Washu as
well as Ryoko. The greatest scientific genius in the universe had already lost a
child once, and he was sure that it was enough to almost send her off the edge.
If that almost did, this would certainly do the trick.
Washu led Tenchi into the room where he had brought the
ailing space pirate two nights before. Ryoko lay on a medical bed, looking worse
than she had the day before. The silver haired space pirate smiled at her mother
and Tenchi. Ryoko was attached to various medical devices, many which Tenchi
couldn't name. The sight almost brought tears to his eyes, as if he was had just
realized how serious the situation was.
"I'll leave you two alone." Washu said,
shutting the door. Tenchi smiled at Washu and then turned to Ryoko.
Meanwhile, back up in the living room…
By this time, Ayeka and Sasami had risen from their beds
and come downstairs. Ryo-Ohki happily sat on Sasami's head as they walked into
the living room.
Washu was sitting at the table while she waited for
Tenchi to come back up. She would have normally worked on something in her
laboratory, but today she was too stressed to do anything of the sort.
"Good morning, Miss Washu." Ayeka said
cheerily. Washu chuckled.
"It is a good morning, isn't it." Washu
smirked sarcastically as she twiddled her thumbs on the table.
"Miss Washu, what's wrong with Ryoko? Tenchi
brought her downstairs in a hurry last night, is she going to be okay?"
Sasami inquired. Washu's expression turned from a smile to a sad, forlorn face.
The great genius sighed before she began to explain.
"Ryoko has a fatal virus that she contracted after
merging with Zero. It's eating away at her body cells slowly and causing her to
lose energy. The virus will continue to eat her up until she dies." Washu
explained.
"What?" Ayeka yelped, clearly out of surprise.
"Oh no! Poor Ryoko! Isn't there something you can
do?" Sasami asked. Ryo-Ohki added a meow as if to ask the same question as
her green-haired friend.
"I'm running some tests down in the lab right now,
but at the moment, I don't really know if I can save her." Washu explained.
"Oh dear," Ayeka gasped, still a little
shocked. It wouldn't be the same without Ryoko around, although I despise
her manners and almost everything about her, I can't imagine life without her.
The purple-haired princess of Jurai thought.
"Oh no! Miss Washu, you have to find a way!"
Sasami cried, almost in tears.
"There's nothing I can do until the test results
come back." Washu said solemnly. As if on cue, a beeping sound went off.
Washu pulled her sleeve back to reveal a small watch-like device.
"Well, I have to go check on the tests. They're
done. I'll report back at breakfast." Washu said, getting up from the
table.
Washu's infirmary…
Tenchi and Ryoko had several conversations, each avoided
the subject of the virus and death. After a while, and uneasy silence settled in
and the two comrades found themselves at a loss of words. It was Ryoko who
finally spoke up.
"Tenchi, I'm scared." The space pirate said in
a soft, child-like voice. Tenchi flinched. Ryoko had used that phrase many times
in the past in order to get her arms around his body, but this time, the words
were filled with emotion and meaningfulness. The young brown eyed man looked at
Ryoko, his eyes filled with sadness.
"I don't know if it will hurt or if I'll wake up in
darkness, like that cave. I don't want to go back into that. It was dark, and
cold, and lonely." Ryoko said, on the verge of tears.
Tenchi's throat became constricted. He had never seen
Ryoko like this, she was always so brave and carefree. The dark haired young man
leaned over and gave Ryoko a hug. "I'll stay by your side, I promise."
Was all he could manage. Tears silently fell down the two comrade's faces as
they embraced.
At that moment, Washu entered the room. "Tenchi,
breakfast is ready." The small genius informed quietly. Tenchi broke the
hug and looked at Ryoko.
"I'll come back, don't worry." Tenchi said
soothingly. Ryoko smiled warmly at the love of her life.
"I love you." Tenchi whispered. The silver
haired space woman looked shocked, happy and ready to bounce off the wall.
"I love you too, Tenchi." Ryoko whispered
back.
Washu stood in the doorway and heard every word that
Tenchi and Ryoko had uttered. The small genius smiled. Congrats, Little
Ryoko. Washu thought.
The dinner table...
The table was uneasily quiet as the rest of the Masaki
family waited for Washu and Tenchi to arrive. Sasami was hoping that Ryoko would
be joining them too. Ryo-Ohki sat perched atop Sasami's head and meowed
anxiously. At that moment, Washu and Tenchi walked through the laboratory door.
The two sat in silence, and the rest of the girls and Noboyuki stared at them
nervously.
"Well Washu, is Ryoko going to be alright?"
Kiyone was the first to speak.
"Yeah, you said your lab tests would come back and
you'd announce them at breakfast!" Sasami chimed anxiously.
"After studying the test results, I think that I
may have a cure. I am uncertain that it will work though. Even if it does, it
will take a while for Ryoko to recuperate from the massive loss of cells."
The pink-haired genius explained. Sasami sighed a great sigh of relief.
"I bet Ryoko will be up in no time flying around
here as usual." The green-haired princess smiled as she took a bite of her
food. Washu sat and smiled, knowing better than to douse the family's good mood.
I wish I could be so optimistic, Sasami. The tiny scientist thought.
The idea of Ryoko's well-being seemed to put the
family's minds to rest and they began eating their breakfast and striking up
casual conversations as usual. They even laughed about things they had done in
the past few days, placing the thought of Ryoko in the back of their heads.
Tenchi even joined in.
"I can't wait for Startica! We'd better get all of
the decorations up soon, the festival is in only one day!" Sasami said
excitedly.
"Yes, Sasami, do you know the legend of Startica?"
Ayeka said, giggling a tad.
"Legend? Oh that's right! I remember!" Sasami
giggled also.
"What legend?" Mihoshi asked, for once, asking an
intelligent question.
"There's a legend that says if a girl spends the
festival of Startica with a special boy those two are destined to be together
for all eternity." Sasami said in a dreamy tone.
"Wow! Is that really true?" Mihoshi asked excitedly.
"Well, I don't really know for sure, but my Mom said
that she and my dad spent Startica together, and look where they are now!"
"Whoa! Being with a special guy on Startica can make
you an Empress of Jurai?" Mihoshi asked, completely missing the point [sweatdrops].
"No, stupid! Married! Empress Misaki and Emperor Asuza
are MARRIED!" Kiyone growled at her partner [Mihoshi gets sweatdrop]. Mihoshi
giggled in an embarrassed manner as she put her hand behind her head.
Tenchi thought about the last conversation for a moment.
"…if a girl spends the festival of Startica with a special boy those two
are destined to be together for all eternity." Sasami's words rang in
his head.
30 minutes later, Washu's lab...
Washu, after checking some various devices, headed to
check on her daughter. As if out of nowhere, she suddenly felt an ominous sense
of foreboding. The pink-haired scientist felt that someone was in pain nearby,
and she had a good idea as to whom it was.
The small scientist picked up her pace to a jog, and
then a run. Ryoko! Ryoko can you answer me?" Washu thought as loudly as
she could, hoping to get at least a moan or a groan for an answer. There was
none. Washu reached the door to her daughter's room and threw it open to
reveal her Little Ryoko tossing and turning, moaning in pain.
Same time, in the kitchen…
Sasami was happily washing the dishes with Ryo-Ohki, who
had transformed into her humanoid form in order to help, when the little
princess suddenly felt as if someone was in trouble. She lost her thoughts and
became completely oblivious to the world.
Crash!
Ryo-Ohki could only stand there, meow, and wonder why
her friend had dropped the plate she had been washing.
Back in Washu's Lab, infirmary…
Washu tried everything to make the attack stop. "Ryoko,
please hang on!" The tiny scientist frantically searched her pockets for what
she had intended on giving her daughter in the first place.
"Ah hah!" Washu exclaimed, pulling out a syringe
filled with a blue fluid. The small genius lifted up Ryoko's arm and searched
for a vein in which to insert the needle. Once she found one, she hastily
injected the thrashing space demon with the fluid. About two minutes after the
injection, Ryoko settled down into a restful sleep. Washu, knowing that she
probably shouldn't wake Ryoko, began to shake her daughter, noticing something
wrong. It was something that she couldn't place her finger on, a sort of
maternal instinct.
"Ryoko, wake up, Ryoko." Washu spoke softly. She
began to shake Ryoko's shoulders harder.
"Wakey, Wakey, eggs and bakey!" Washu said, a little
louder.
"RYOKO! WAKE UP!" Washu screamed, now knowing that
something was wrong.
A little while later, Masaki living room…
Tenchi was walking by the door to Washu's lab to take
Ryo-Ohki some extra carrots that he had pulled out of the ground when the lab
door burst open and a small hand grabbed him and pulled him inside the lab.
"Hey! What's the…" Tenchi began. Washu shushed
him.
"Tenchi, Ryoko has gone into a coma, I can't get her
to wake up or anything. I gave her the antidote, which should start working
soon, but I don't know if this virus has done too much damage to be fixed."
Washu spat out the words all in one breath. The dark haired young man stood
there for a few seconds, taking in all that Washu had explained to him.
"Washu, I…" Tenchi started to say something, but
was interrupted.
"I don't want the others to know about this."
Washu interjected.
"Washu, that's nonsense! They should know about
this!" Tenchi said, a little frustrated and confused.
"They're all so happy for Startica and everything, I
don't want to bring anyone down, and if worse comes to worse, I'll explain
this to everybody when that happens." Washu explained.
Tenchi didn't like the idea, but he saw the hurt in
Washu's eyes. She was obviously not sitting well with Ryoko's
unconsciousness. "Alright, Washu, I won't say anything to the others."
Tenchi sighed. Washu looked up at Tenchi and smiled with tearful eyes.
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi." Washu said in an
emotionally strained voice. Tenchi smiled back at Washu as he left.
A few hours later…
Tenchi, Sasami, Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Ayeka busied
themselves around the house with setting up decorations.
Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Ayeka worked inside placing
streamers and such along the hallway railing that overlooked the living room.
Ayeka hung the streamers while Mihoshi handed the multicolored strips of paper
to her, and Kiyone surveyed the job to make sure everything looked alright.
"A little more slack, now a little to the left…"
Kiyone instructed. Ayeka bent over the railing on her tip-toes to hang the
streamer.
"Mihoshi, get on the other end and help her pull."
Kiyone suggested. Mihoshi dropped the box of streamers and ran past Ayeka,
bumping into the princess's behind, sending her over the railing and to the
floor. The purple-haired princess let out a yelp of surprise as she fell towards
the ground.
CRASH!
Ayeka landed right on the table.
Outside…
Tenchi and Sasami walked along the lake, putting paper
lanterns on the trees they came up to. Ryo-Ohki (humanoid form) tagged along,
handing each friend a lantern when either needed it.
"Tenchi, what do you think?" Sasami asked, pointing
to the lanterns she had hung.
"They're great, Sasami!" Tenchi smiled at his
little aunt and gave her a thumb's up. Sasami smiled and blushed.
"What do you say we go put some of these on the house?"
Tenchi suggested. Sasami nodded.
"Okay! Good idea!" Sasami exclaimed, putting one
last lantern on the tree she was standing in front of.
"Mya Mya!" Ryo-Ohki happily skipped back to the
house.
"Tenchi, do you think Ryoko will be okay? I don't
want her to miss Startica, it would be a lot of fun with her around." Sasami
said, looking up at Tenchi. The young Juraian man gulped, not knowing what to
tell the little green-haired princess.
"I hope she will Sasami." Was all he could think of.
9:00 P.M.-Washu's Lab…
Tenchi walked into Washu's lab after a full day of
Startica preparations. He found himself so full of comments and a need to tell
somebody his thoughts on the day that he thought he'd check on Ryoko, and even
if she wasn't awake, he would talk to himself.
"Who's there?" A voice called. Tenchi looked
around to see Washu, the small pink-haired genius sitting at a computer.
"It's just me, I came to check on Ryoko." Tenchi
said. Washu nodded, as far as Tenchi could tell by looking at the back of her
head, and he walked to the door to Washu's little infirmary.
Ryoko still appeared to be in a coma. Whether she was or
not, Tenchi didn't know, but if Washu hadn't said anything about it, he
figured that Ryoko still was. The black-haired young man sat down in the chair
next to the bed.
"Well, Ryoko, today was quite a day." Tenchi sighed.
Suddenly, the young man felt an urge to pour out his feelings and thoughts about
the day, so he did. He told the sleeping Ryoko about everything, from the legend
of Startica to Ayeka's falling on the table.
Little did Tenchi know, that Washu stood behind the door
with it cracked open, listening. As Tenchi explained his story of the day, Washu
smiled, hoping that his words would reach her sleeping daughter somewhere in the
far reaches of her mind.
Ryoko, you focus on getting better, but for now, sleep.
Sleep, Little Ryoko.
Next Time: Startica has
arrived! Will Ryoko awaken, or will she miss Startica? More importatly, will she
survive? All questions answered in Chapter Three: The
Joy That Follows
