Disclaimer- Tenchi, Ryoko, Washu and all other related characters or things to "Tenchi Muyo" are not owned by me. Neither do I claim to own them. However, additional characters not assoc. with the series are of my own creation. ^-^ Thanx!!
Chapter 1: The Big Surprise!
By: Spectre
It had been almost a month now since Washu collapsed, all had returned to normal, even Ryoko. Although the bond between her and Washu had now strengthened, however, being the woman she is, she tried not to show it. She and Washu had their own little ways of showing their bond to each other, the mind link between them allowed their thoughts to pass unheard to each other. As for Washu herself, the experience had somehow changed her, for the past month she seemed...different, detached from the rest of the world. No one quite knew what it was, they always assumed it was Ryoko's affection that had changed her, but in all truth, it was something even the small genius couldn't explain. Trying to keep the peace, Tenchi made Ayeka share her stereo with Ryoko, of course this wasn't exactly easy to get it back from her, Ayeka was glad to do so. Sometime that day Washu fell something in Ayeka changed. Her respect for Ryoko was slightly elevated, Emphasis on SLIGHTLY, Because Ryoko still found ways to get under her skin ^-^ the emotion she displayed during that trying time could not have come from the demon she thought she was.
The day was another cool day as summer drifted away as fall took its place; the leaves were starting to turn as the bark of the trees became cold and brittle. As Sasami stepped outside with a light jacket thrown over her shoulders, she gazed in wonder at all the beautiful colors of the leaves. Hues of red, green, yellow, orange and purple blurred all around her as she walked up the path to the onsen. Carrying a small bucket, a change of clothes, and a towel with her, she shivered as the cold breeze blew threw the air. Sasami clenched the jacket tightly around her as the breeze blew softly and silently through the trees only leaving the sound of rustling leaves. She pulled away strands of her long blue hair from her face, blown by the breeze. As she got closer to the onsen entrance, Sasami noticed the sun weave behind some clouds and cast a large shadow around the entire region. As she looked up she thought to herself, 'How menacing those clouds look, better make this quick!' Sasami now quickened her pace to the sliding doors and hoped that the storm would hold off until she got out.
Sasami slid the changing room door behind her and let her shimmering hair down, "Great, no one here." Sasami slowly slid herself into the water and leaned back to enjoy the relaxing warmth of the baths. She breathed in deeply letting the moist air enter her lungs; it soothed her like nothing else. The onsen waters caressed her skin, making every inch of her body tingle. She let out a long sigh as she slid down further in the water, submerging her body up to her shoulders. She then let her head lean back to soak the length of her hair, the water seemed to rush up it as it soaked it, and nothing else felt better to her. The warm caress of her soaked hair now touched the back of her neck and head, warming it, comforting her more than she thought humanly possible. She sat there for a while, thinking of nothing but the waters caressing her body and soaked in her surroundings. She closed her eyes and set her head on the edge of the deck; she listened to the soft sounds of the waterfalls in the distance and the water lapping against her body. She may seem like a child but she was more mature than she led on to be, when she went off to "play" she had really gone to a secluded area on the top of a hill to take in the surrounding sights and sounds of the day. She would sometimes even sit and draw the landscapes around her.
(CRASH...BOOOM!(
The loud crashing of thunder outside shook the onsen and rippled the water surrounding the girl. Sasami's eyes shot open and looked outside, the sky had now turned jet black and patter of rain hit against the glass dome covering the baths echoed through the cavernous springs.
"OH NO!!" Sasami jumped out of the baths, threw on a towel put her face against the glass for a better look, to see if someone was coming to get her. Along the path the trees were swaying in the wind now thundering across the plains. The whole area was dark and blackened by the clouds hanging above the land; one would need a flashlight to see!
"Pretty bad storm huh?" A voice sounded behind her without warning, Sasami screamed as she clenched the towel around her naked body and wheeled around.
"Washu?! What are you doing here?" Sasami, sighed in relief, she didn't mind Washu there, but if Tenchi had seen her, or even...Sasami quickly shook that thought out of her mind, 'Tenchi would never do that!' Washu broke into her thoughts.
"What do you think I am doing? I knew there was a storm coming, but I didn't know it was gonna be this soon!" Sasami relaxed a bit, she knew she'd be safe with Washu here with her. Then she noticed with a towel also wrapped around her, a small bulge around Washu's abdomen. Sasami was puzzled, she never thought Washu would ever let herself gain weight, if anything, she thought Washu would end up as thin as a toothpick due to her eating habits. Washu looked down at her, seeing the girl's puzzled look.
"So, you noticed it too eh?" Sasami blushed and turned away in shame.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Aw don't worry about it, I'm surprised it took someone this long to notice!"
"Did you gain weight?"
"A little I guess but I haven't changed my eating habits a bit! Maybe it's your delicious cooking fattening me up." Washu smiled and rubbed the girl's head. Sasami giggled and turned back to the glass.
"How long do you think it's going to last Washu?" Washu stepped up to the glass and looked out.
"I don't know it shouldn't be long though. We have time to finish up before the others worry and come out." Washu quickly turned away, removed her towel and returned to her area of the baths. As she sat in the water she examined her stomach, it seemed so strange to her. She usually was very good with her weight, but she hadn't even eaten more than she usually did. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself. It was there that she decided to ask Sasami to try not and tell anyone. Although a universal genius, Washu was not without her human modesty.
Yagame was orbiting Jupiter that morning, carrying the two young GPO's with it. They were on their break and decided to relax and let the orbital pull to guide them. Kiyone fell into the soft, leather control seat and snapped open a can of soda. It had been a rough day, after chasing a couple of suspected "runners" GPD code for smugglers Yagame's central guidance was damaged by small meteorite fragments. That was only half of what happened that day!
"Oh man, when is this day going to end?" Mihoshi sat down in the chair next to her and let her feet up.
"I know how you feel. I got to get up early tomorrow, the chief wants me to run a diagnostic scan on 'Serra.'"
"'Serrra,' you mean the new pulsar weapon being issued to all GPD patrol ships?"
"Yeah, I need to be there by 4:30 tomorrow morning." Mihoshi leaned back and closed her eyes trying to get some rest before their shift continued. Kiyone lowered the can from her lip and stared at her partner.
"You're telling me that they're trusting one of the most expensive GPD projects in your hands?!"
"It's just a diagnostic scan! Oh, and he says after that I get the first part of my morning shift off to rest after." Kiyone sipped her drink and scowled at herself. 'I never received an offer to scan 'Serra!'' she thought. Just then Yagame's computer database became active, radar and transmission screens popped up all over the control panel.
"What the...?" Kiyone threw her drink down and tapped at the controls. Several screens popped up in front of her displaying pictures of space before them and energy readings. "Mihoshi, get on the horn with headquarters, tell them we're tracking an unknown mass of energy heading at coordinates 250.356.829 in the east quadrant." Kiyone looked at the coordinates again, sweat pouring from her brow, 'Wait a minute. That means its heading right for...' Mihoshi broke into her thoughts.
"I can't contact headquarters, something's interfering with the communications link-up! Hailing frequencies, emergency channels, everything's blocked out." Kiyone looked up from the control panel and out the viewing window into vast space in front of them. Then everything shorted out and Yagame went silent, the lights flickered and died, stunned, Kiyone desperately tried to bring the system back online. As she glanced up at the window she noticed a bright ball of light floating just in front of the ship.
"M-Mihoshi?!" Mihoshi, who had stumbled over a rather large piece of equipment looked over and saw the light as well. The light spent many minutes just floating there, captivating the GPO's.
"What is it Kiyone?"
"I don't know. Do you think...the unknown energy source we detected??" Without any sign of warning, the ball of light flashed and streaked past the ship at an amazing amount of speed. The force given by the speed in which the ball was moving sent the "dead" ship tumbling and spinning in its orbit. Kiyone and Mihoshi were sent flying and tumbling inside the ship crashing into the walls and control panel. At one point the ship had seemed to be released from orbit and then re-entered in a matter of seconds, jumbling and churning it's passengers inside. Finally the ship settled upright, but inertia kept it moving in orbit. Kiyone looked up from under her blonde partners hair just in time to see the power return. She and Mihoshi had been tossed all the way to the back of the ship, landing Mihoshi on top, unconscious from a strong blow to the head when she hit the control console. Kiyone, dazed, let her head drop to the floor and sighed. Her whole body ached, and her partner wasn't exactly the lightest person in the galaxy. Then she noticed the navigation screen presented on the now working console. The tracking system had been initiated and was now predicting the energy's destination. Kiyone watched anxiously as the computer calculated the most accurate estimate based on direction and speed, DESTINATION......E A R T H.
Kiyone shot up in her bed, sweat pouring from her forehead, the sheets wadded around her. Kiyone sucked in air and quickly pushed it out again, trying to catch her breath. She put her hand on her bare chest as she breathed, her hand already sweaty and hot at the touch. It had been a month ago, but it still unnerved her, the day right before Washu was stricken down, the words on the screen played over and over again in her mind, torturing her, not allowing her or her partner to rest. She looked over next to her, for once, Mihoshi was fast asleep, drool flowing from the corner of her mouth as she snored. This was the first time since the incident Mihoshi got any sleep, Kiyone smiled and pushed her waded, sweaty hair out of her eyes and got up to get a drink. As she pulled on a buttoned T-shirt she heard the house clock ring the hour, three a.m., this thing was going to kill her before she gets a chance to figure out what it was.
She sat down at the kitchen table with her glass of imported red wine, usually she just had tea or water, but this ordeal was shattering her nerves. She sipped it quietly and tried to piece things together. The sour drink tingled her lips and tongue as she swished it in her mouth. She then let it trickle down her throat slowly and smoothly. In the next room she could hear Mihoshi moaning in her sleep, the covers rustled as she tossed and turned. 'Another nightmare, poor thing, she finally gets a full night's sleep and she has to be torn by nightmares,' Kiyone thought to herself, taking another sip of her wine. She set the glass down on the table and folded her hands in front of her, 'How could such a small ball of energy be so powerful?' 'Even Yagame's internal energy system had shut down, only a massive amount of electrical energy is capable of such an act. That thing wasn't even as big as a baseball!' Her thoughts were then shattered by a scream that chilled the spine and made the blood boil, Mihoshi screamed wildly, kicking and punching air around her on her futon. Kiyone jumped from the table, knocking it just enough to push the glass over onto the floor and shatter. She raced into the bedroom and shook Mihoshi.
"Mihoshi! Mihoshi wake up, it's just a dream!!" But the dream would not release her, the woman's screams and flailing continued. "Mihoshi!" Kiyone shook harder until the dream released its powerful grip on her and Mihoshi woke up. "Mihoshi, it's ok, it was just a dream!" Mihoshi burst into tears, trembling all over, still shaken by the images in her dream.
"KIYONE!! *sob* It was terrible!!" Kiyone held her close as Mihoshi sobbed on her shoulder very shaken and more afraid than Kiyone had ever seen her. "I-I saw a demon, a monster. It...I-it was horrible..." Kiyone rocked her and tried to soothe her.
"It's ok Mihoshi, what happened, what did it do?" Mihoshi's sobs stopped abruptly and she looked straight in her partner's eyes. Her eyes were cold and frightened, this made Kiyone very nervous, in all her days working with Mihoshi she never saw her shaken up like this. "It's ok, tell me what happened."
"It killed us...It killed us all!"
Down in her sub-space laboratory, Washu tapped on the computer console in front of her. Colored lights flashed as screens pooped up all around her, displaying energy readings and scans covering every inch of the surrounding galaxies. A time bar rose in front of her, counting down to the results of the scans. Kiyone and Mihoshi stood behind her in their nightclothes watching, anxious to find something that would put their mind at ease.
"Sorry again to call so late Washu-san." Kiyone clenched the robe tightly to her body, chilled by the cold of the cavernous room.
"No problem, Kiyone, but PLEASE, no san, just Washu." Kiyone rolled her eyes; she was not in the mood for this nonsense. "I was up doing so research anyway." Kiyone looked at her watch on the inside of her wrist.
'4:35 a.m. and she was still up working?? No wonder she sleeps in so late! ^-^S' Kiyone thought to herself as she sighed heavily. She looked over at Mihoshi, the young woman was still pretty shaken by the dream and was shivering from the cold. Kiyone took off her robe and put it around her partner.
"You ok?" Mihoshi held the cotton robe tightly to herself and nodded, returning her attention to the screens on the console. Mihoshi spotted a small bottle of pills next to some tea, resting on a levitated table next to Washu's chair and picked it up.
"Diet pills?" Washu's head shot around and she grabbed the pills, stuffing them in her pocket.
"Uh...those are just something for my research, yeah. Ha ha ha... Nothing special." Washu quickly changed the subject, to clear their mind off the matter, the less who knew about it the better. "So Mihoshi, when you tried to call headquarters you got only static?"
"What? Oh! No, there wasn't anything at all, no transfer tone, no password request, nothing!" Washu scratched her head as she thought, waiting for the scan results to complete.
"Hmmm. If this thing was only rerouting the energy from Yagame the communicator would still have gotten static, in the best case scenario a very weak signal."
"What?" Kiyone looked at the screen in front of her displaying data for the Yagame energy system.
"You see, the communicators fixed on the GPD ships are part of a single network run by lasers. Not only do these lasers connect the communication, but it also shares the energy in all ships to power a communicator from any ship incases of a blackout or power failure. In this case, the power was not rerouted, but it was instead overpowered by that ball you encountered, and absorbed into it. This not only took the power from your ship, but also took the power given to you by the sharing ships, therefore disabling the communication systems! Am I good or what?! ^-^" Kiyone stood there dazed, still trying to get in all the information in. All this buzzed in her mind, it took her a while to get the gist of it before Washu simplified it for her. "In other words, it's an energy vacuum. It simply sucked up your power."
"Then why did our power return after it left?"
"The vacuum only took the power you were generating at the time, once it left, the power was sent back through the ship. You see, the power generator was running the whole time, it was just getting absorbed by the vacuum. When the vacuum left, the power was no longer getting absorbed so it returned to flow through Yagame's circuitry." Then a sharp bleep sounded as the time bar on the console disappeared and was replaced by the scan results. "No to see where the little ankle biter is now." As Washu scrolled through the results she frowned in disgust and disappointment.
"Nothing?!"
"Nope sorry. I scanned every galaxy from here to Rhenar, but it seems it's disappeared."
"Damn." Kiyone slammed her fist on the side table. "That doesn't exactly put our minds to rest." Washu scowled at her.
"Well what do you expect?! You saw that thing over a month ago! If you came to me the same day maybe we could've found something!!" Kiyone was stunned, she never saw Washu snap at someone like that. Washu sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sorry Kiyone, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I haven't been myself lately. I guess I need to stop working so late."
"It's ok Washu, I guess we all need a little sleep." Washu snapped her fingers sharply. Something had just pooped into her mind.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Washu got up out of her chair and walked up to one of her medicine racks. She pulled out two bottles of small blue pills and looked at the labels. She then walked over and handed them to Kiyone. "Here, take these."
"What are they?"
"They're a special sleeping pill. Gives you a soothing and dreamless sleep, so no more nightmares!" Kiyone smiled and looked at the two labels. "Take two with water right before you go to bed, they're fast acting so be sure to take them after your under the covers." Washu put the rack in a cupboard and closed the doors shut. "Be sure to call me in the morning and let me know how they work." Kiyone smiled again and quickly pocketed them.
"Thanks 'Doctor'!" Washu smiled and walked them to the door.
"Don't worry about that energy vacuum, I'll keep searching, and if it comes anywhere near this solar system again, I'll let you know." Washu gave them wink as she waved them good-bye.
"Ok, thanks again Washu." As soon as Kiyone and Mihoshi were out the door, Washu leaned against it, gave out a long sigh, and pulled out the pills in her pocket. 'Man!...that was close!'
"Come on Washu, this'll be easy!" Sasami urged her to come in the den for some aerobics.
"No! I'm not coming out like this!" Washu's voice sounded from behind the bathroom door. She had just changed into an exercise outfit when she looked in the mirror. Not only did she look ridiculous in sweats and spandex, but also the bulge over her stomach was clear for anyone to see. "I'm not coming out! What if someone sees me like this?!" Sasami placed the CD in her sister's stereo and set it on the floor. Also in an exercise outfit Sasmai went over to the bathroom door to coax her out.
"I told you already! Sis and Ryoko are out shopping, Grandpa, Noboyuki, and Tenchi are out training, and Kiyone and Mihoshi are on their morning shift! No one will see you!" Washu looked at her watch, none of them were due back for hours now. But how could she let herself go like this? The bulge was now getting bigger by the day, ever so slightly. She gave out a frustrated sigh and stepped out of the bathroom.
"You promise me they're not due back until dinner right?"
"Yes, I told you already! Although Ryoko and Ayeka might be back before then, I promise you we'll be done by then!" Washu took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Ok. But if anyone sees me, I'll..."
"No one will see you. Now lets get started." Sasami bent down and switched on the CD player. "We'll start with the easy stuff." Energetic and bouncy music began to sound from the stereo, Washu felt ridiculous, it sounded like sped-up elevator music! "First some mild stretches." Sasami spread her legs shoulder width apart, leaned over, bending at the waist, as far as she could. Looking very awkward and sluggish Washu tried to follow but almost toppled over. Even when she got her balance up, she didn't get as far as Sasami, but, Sasami was much smaller and younger than she was. "Good. Let's try it again." Once again, the two women bent at the waist and leaned over to the side. On her way up, Washu displayed a disgusted face.
"I don't even know why I'm doing this I haven't..." Sasami didn't let her finish her complaints.
"Ok, now we need to sit down for this one." Washu, grunted and sat down on the floor with her legs sticking forward as directed. "Now lean forward and touch your toes." Washu scowled.
"This is supposed to be aerobics?" Sasami, turned to her with a very annoyed look on her face.
"We need to stretch first, so we don't hurt ourselves." Washu let her head drop and muttered under her breathe.
"All the stretches in the world won't help for what I'm going to do to you kid!" Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the two continued their exercises with jumping jacks, some step aerobics, mild judo moves and ended with a job around the paths. By the end of the day Washu's outfit was soaked in sweat, and she sat in the chair struggling to catch her breath. "How can you have so much energy in that small body of yours?!" Sasami smiled and handed her a cold bottle of water.
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to need it. Because we're going to do this three times a week, four if we can." Washu nearly fell out of her chair, spilling the water on the floor.
"ARE YOU INSANE GIRL??!!" Washu got up and nearly screamed in Sasami's face.
"You want to loose that weight don't you?"
"Of course I do, but there are other ways!" Sasami grew and evil smile on her lips and poked Washu's chest with her finger.
"But those other ways won't keep your secret. If you decide to try them, I'm not sure I would either." Washu's eyes grew large and sweat rolled down her head.
"Th-That's blackmail!!!!" Sasami crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.
"No, that's a promise!" Washu hung her head low, she knew when she was beaten. Sometimes even her modesty got in the way of her reasoning.
"Fine. Thrice a week." Washu walked up to the girl and grabbed her by the scruff of her sweatshirt. "But I WON'T forget this Sasami!!" Washu let her go and stormed of to the onsen to bathe the sweat off her skin. As she left Sasami collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
"Three time's a WEEK?? What the hell was I thinking???!!!!"
"YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNN!!!" Washu sat up on her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her soft silk sheets strone all over the bed, the covers lay cluttered at the bottom of the bed. Sweat soaked the sheets around her and the fan next to her bed was working on its highest setting. In the middle of the night Washu had woken, her skin burning, her brow wet with sweat. It was the middle of fall but the heat in her room was unbearable. But was it really her room temperature? She had gotten up to check the thermostat/thermometer, both read comfortable temperatures. In fact, the readings were so low, she should have been cold, if anything! Washu quickly tore off her nightclothes, leaving her in her "bare essentials." As she hopped back under the covers, she found the shedding of her clothes hadn't driven off the heat. So, off came the covers, and went the fan, blasting in her face. 'This is unbearable', she thought laying there, baking in her own body heat. However, the night had past, and she eventually fell asleep. Washu threw the sheets aside and pulled on her clothes she had shed during the night and shut off the fan. She looked at the clock and shuddered, an hour left before her aerobics with Sasami. Little did she know that in her own room, Sasami was dreading the very same moment.
Washu stood up and headed for the dresser when a strong discomfort in her stomach forced her to bend over and grab her sides. Her legs became weak, her throat had a strange feel to it, being a genius, Washu knew what was coming. She rose off her knees and ran for the bathroom as fast as she could, holding her hand against her mouth. The nausea overcame her, she could feel it coming, just as she had slid the door shut the contents of her stomach emptied, escaping through her mouth. As the gastric fluid past her lips she gave a horrible wrenching sound, alarming Sasami who was in the next room changing. The wave seemed to continue forever, an everlasting flow of sickness pouring from her mouth. Sasami pulled on her bathrobe and headed for the door, wondering what poor soul had to endure this.
"Hello? Are you okay in there? Sis, is that you?" Washu couldn't answer, as soon as she stopped the wave began again, now pouring only bile into the bowl of the toilet. The pain was almost too much to bear as the acid burned her throat and mouth. Her body thrusted forward with each heave, sending more acid and bile spewing from her lips.
"Are you okay in there? Do you need any medicine? I think Washu has some." Sasami was getting worried, just the sound it made her sick. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the wave stopped, and Washu fell back and leaned against the wall, tears gushing from her eyes. The whole thing was starting to terrify her, she had never felt so bad in her life, but she wouldn't let it take control of her feelings. Washu dried her tears, stood up and flushed the toilet. Taking a paper towel in the closet she wiped the edge pf her mouth and the vomit that had escaped the bowl and splattered on the floor. Sasami slowly slid the door open hoping to help whoever was sick.
"Washu?!" Washu looked over to the door from the mirror, brushing her teeth. She had to get that awful taste out of her mouth.
"Don't worry Sasami, I just had an upset stomach, that's all." Not entirely true, but not exactly a lie either.
"Are you sure, do you want some tea?" Washu smiled and rubbed the girl's head with her free hand.
"Your sweet, but that's ok I'll be fine." Little did Washu know that this would continue for the next few weeks. Through the exercises and searching for the energy vacuum, Washu continually had hot and cold flashes, a shocking change in character and countless mornings in the bathroom, wrenching her guts out. Even more puzzling was the fact that she had not lost and once of weight, even through the exercise and vomiting, nothing! This drove her almost insane, she couldn't figure out what was going on! Finally, one day, all her questions were answered.
Everyone was relaxing downstairs gathered around the card table for their weekly game when Washu came downstairs. Ryoko was killing everyone and had won most of Ayeka's money as she floated just next to the table, legs folded. She looked up just in time to see Washu descending the stairs with a puzzled and confused look on her face holding a small stick in her hands.
"Hey Washu, come on down and play with us. I'll be glad to take any money you have off your hands." Washu didn't respond, she kept staring, puzzled at the small stick in her grip. Ryoko sent her a telepathic message, 'Mom, what's wrong?' Washu glanced up blankly and looked at them, her voice trembling as she spoke, holding the small object in her hands.
"I-I'm pregnant!"
WOW! Bet you didn't see that one coming huh? I know it's terrible to leave you in suspense of how or why she got pregnant, but I love to leave my readers hanging. See ya next time! ^-^A Spectre[PC1]
[PC1]
Chapter 1: The Big Surprise!
By: Spectre
It had been almost a month now since Washu collapsed, all had returned to normal, even Ryoko. Although the bond between her and Washu had now strengthened, however, being the woman she is, she tried not to show it. She and Washu had their own little ways of showing their bond to each other, the mind link between them allowed their thoughts to pass unheard to each other. As for Washu herself, the experience had somehow changed her, for the past month she seemed...different, detached from the rest of the world. No one quite knew what it was, they always assumed it was Ryoko's affection that had changed her, but in all truth, it was something even the small genius couldn't explain. Trying to keep the peace, Tenchi made Ayeka share her stereo with Ryoko, of course this wasn't exactly easy to get it back from her, Ayeka was glad to do so. Sometime that day Washu fell something in Ayeka changed. Her respect for Ryoko was slightly elevated, Emphasis on SLIGHTLY, Because Ryoko still found ways to get under her skin ^-^ the emotion she displayed during that trying time could not have come from the demon she thought she was.
The day was another cool day as summer drifted away as fall took its place; the leaves were starting to turn as the bark of the trees became cold and brittle. As Sasami stepped outside with a light jacket thrown over her shoulders, she gazed in wonder at all the beautiful colors of the leaves. Hues of red, green, yellow, orange and purple blurred all around her as she walked up the path to the onsen. Carrying a small bucket, a change of clothes, and a towel with her, she shivered as the cold breeze blew threw the air. Sasami clenched the jacket tightly around her as the breeze blew softly and silently through the trees only leaving the sound of rustling leaves. She pulled away strands of her long blue hair from her face, blown by the breeze. As she got closer to the onsen entrance, Sasami noticed the sun weave behind some clouds and cast a large shadow around the entire region. As she looked up she thought to herself, 'How menacing those clouds look, better make this quick!' Sasami now quickened her pace to the sliding doors and hoped that the storm would hold off until she got out.
Sasami slid the changing room door behind her and let her shimmering hair down, "Great, no one here." Sasami slowly slid herself into the water and leaned back to enjoy the relaxing warmth of the baths. She breathed in deeply letting the moist air enter her lungs; it soothed her like nothing else. The onsen waters caressed her skin, making every inch of her body tingle. She let out a long sigh as she slid down further in the water, submerging her body up to her shoulders. She then let her head lean back to soak the length of her hair, the water seemed to rush up it as it soaked it, and nothing else felt better to her. The warm caress of her soaked hair now touched the back of her neck and head, warming it, comforting her more than she thought humanly possible. She sat there for a while, thinking of nothing but the waters caressing her body and soaked in her surroundings. She closed her eyes and set her head on the edge of the deck; she listened to the soft sounds of the waterfalls in the distance and the water lapping against her body. She may seem like a child but she was more mature than she led on to be, when she went off to "play" she had really gone to a secluded area on the top of a hill to take in the surrounding sights and sounds of the day. She would sometimes even sit and draw the landscapes around her.
(CRASH...BOOOM!(
The loud crashing of thunder outside shook the onsen and rippled the water surrounding the girl. Sasami's eyes shot open and looked outside, the sky had now turned jet black and patter of rain hit against the glass dome covering the baths echoed through the cavernous springs.
"OH NO!!" Sasami jumped out of the baths, threw on a towel put her face against the glass for a better look, to see if someone was coming to get her. Along the path the trees were swaying in the wind now thundering across the plains. The whole area was dark and blackened by the clouds hanging above the land; one would need a flashlight to see!
"Pretty bad storm huh?" A voice sounded behind her without warning, Sasami screamed as she clenched the towel around her naked body and wheeled around.
"Washu?! What are you doing here?" Sasami, sighed in relief, she didn't mind Washu there, but if Tenchi had seen her, or even...Sasami quickly shook that thought out of her mind, 'Tenchi would never do that!' Washu broke into her thoughts.
"What do you think I am doing? I knew there was a storm coming, but I didn't know it was gonna be this soon!" Sasami relaxed a bit, she knew she'd be safe with Washu here with her. Then she noticed with a towel also wrapped around her, a small bulge around Washu's abdomen. Sasami was puzzled, she never thought Washu would ever let herself gain weight, if anything, she thought Washu would end up as thin as a toothpick due to her eating habits. Washu looked down at her, seeing the girl's puzzled look.
"So, you noticed it too eh?" Sasami blushed and turned away in shame.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Aw don't worry about it, I'm surprised it took someone this long to notice!"
"Did you gain weight?"
"A little I guess but I haven't changed my eating habits a bit! Maybe it's your delicious cooking fattening me up." Washu smiled and rubbed the girl's head. Sasami giggled and turned back to the glass.
"How long do you think it's going to last Washu?" Washu stepped up to the glass and looked out.
"I don't know it shouldn't be long though. We have time to finish up before the others worry and come out." Washu quickly turned away, removed her towel and returned to her area of the baths. As she sat in the water she examined her stomach, it seemed so strange to her. She usually was very good with her weight, but she hadn't even eaten more than she usually did. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself. It was there that she decided to ask Sasami to try not and tell anyone. Although a universal genius, Washu was not without her human modesty.
Yagame was orbiting Jupiter that morning, carrying the two young GPO's with it. They were on their break and decided to relax and let the orbital pull to guide them. Kiyone fell into the soft, leather control seat and snapped open a can of soda. It had been a rough day, after chasing a couple of suspected "runners" GPD code for smugglers Yagame's central guidance was damaged by small meteorite fragments. That was only half of what happened that day!
"Oh man, when is this day going to end?" Mihoshi sat down in the chair next to her and let her feet up.
"I know how you feel. I got to get up early tomorrow, the chief wants me to run a diagnostic scan on 'Serra.'"
"'Serrra,' you mean the new pulsar weapon being issued to all GPD patrol ships?"
"Yeah, I need to be there by 4:30 tomorrow morning." Mihoshi leaned back and closed her eyes trying to get some rest before their shift continued. Kiyone lowered the can from her lip and stared at her partner.
"You're telling me that they're trusting one of the most expensive GPD projects in your hands?!"
"It's just a diagnostic scan! Oh, and he says after that I get the first part of my morning shift off to rest after." Kiyone sipped her drink and scowled at herself. 'I never received an offer to scan 'Serra!'' she thought. Just then Yagame's computer database became active, radar and transmission screens popped up all over the control panel.
"What the...?" Kiyone threw her drink down and tapped at the controls. Several screens popped up in front of her displaying pictures of space before them and energy readings. "Mihoshi, get on the horn with headquarters, tell them we're tracking an unknown mass of energy heading at coordinates 250.356.829 in the east quadrant." Kiyone looked at the coordinates again, sweat pouring from her brow, 'Wait a minute. That means its heading right for...' Mihoshi broke into her thoughts.
"I can't contact headquarters, something's interfering with the communications link-up! Hailing frequencies, emergency channels, everything's blocked out." Kiyone looked up from the control panel and out the viewing window into vast space in front of them. Then everything shorted out and Yagame went silent, the lights flickered and died, stunned, Kiyone desperately tried to bring the system back online. As she glanced up at the window she noticed a bright ball of light floating just in front of the ship.
"M-Mihoshi?!" Mihoshi, who had stumbled over a rather large piece of equipment looked over and saw the light as well. The light spent many minutes just floating there, captivating the GPO's.
"What is it Kiyone?"
"I don't know. Do you think...the unknown energy source we detected??" Without any sign of warning, the ball of light flashed and streaked past the ship at an amazing amount of speed. The force given by the speed in which the ball was moving sent the "dead" ship tumbling and spinning in its orbit. Kiyone and Mihoshi were sent flying and tumbling inside the ship crashing into the walls and control panel. At one point the ship had seemed to be released from orbit and then re-entered in a matter of seconds, jumbling and churning it's passengers inside. Finally the ship settled upright, but inertia kept it moving in orbit. Kiyone looked up from under her blonde partners hair just in time to see the power return. She and Mihoshi had been tossed all the way to the back of the ship, landing Mihoshi on top, unconscious from a strong blow to the head when she hit the control console. Kiyone, dazed, let her head drop to the floor and sighed. Her whole body ached, and her partner wasn't exactly the lightest person in the galaxy. Then she noticed the navigation screen presented on the now working console. The tracking system had been initiated and was now predicting the energy's destination. Kiyone watched anxiously as the computer calculated the most accurate estimate based on direction and speed, DESTINATION......E A R T H.
Kiyone shot up in her bed, sweat pouring from her forehead, the sheets wadded around her. Kiyone sucked in air and quickly pushed it out again, trying to catch her breath. She put her hand on her bare chest as she breathed, her hand already sweaty and hot at the touch. It had been a month ago, but it still unnerved her, the day right before Washu was stricken down, the words on the screen played over and over again in her mind, torturing her, not allowing her or her partner to rest. She looked over next to her, for once, Mihoshi was fast asleep, drool flowing from the corner of her mouth as she snored. This was the first time since the incident Mihoshi got any sleep, Kiyone smiled and pushed her waded, sweaty hair out of her eyes and got up to get a drink. As she pulled on a buttoned T-shirt she heard the house clock ring the hour, three a.m., this thing was going to kill her before she gets a chance to figure out what it was.
She sat down at the kitchen table with her glass of imported red wine, usually she just had tea or water, but this ordeal was shattering her nerves. She sipped it quietly and tried to piece things together. The sour drink tingled her lips and tongue as she swished it in her mouth. She then let it trickle down her throat slowly and smoothly. In the next room she could hear Mihoshi moaning in her sleep, the covers rustled as she tossed and turned. 'Another nightmare, poor thing, she finally gets a full night's sleep and she has to be torn by nightmares,' Kiyone thought to herself, taking another sip of her wine. She set the glass down on the table and folded her hands in front of her, 'How could such a small ball of energy be so powerful?' 'Even Yagame's internal energy system had shut down, only a massive amount of electrical energy is capable of such an act. That thing wasn't even as big as a baseball!' Her thoughts were then shattered by a scream that chilled the spine and made the blood boil, Mihoshi screamed wildly, kicking and punching air around her on her futon. Kiyone jumped from the table, knocking it just enough to push the glass over onto the floor and shatter. She raced into the bedroom and shook Mihoshi.
"Mihoshi! Mihoshi wake up, it's just a dream!!" But the dream would not release her, the woman's screams and flailing continued. "Mihoshi!" Kiyone shook harder until the dream released its powerful grip on her and Mihoshi woke up. "Mihoshi, it's ok, it was just a dream!" Mihoshi burst into tears, trembling all over, still shaken by the images in her dream.
"KIYONE!! *sob* It was terrible!!" Kiyone held her close as Mihoshi sobbed on her shoulder very shaken and more afraid than Kiyone had ever seen her. "I-I saw a demon, a monster. It...I-it was horrible..." Kiyone rocked her and tried to soothe her.
"It's ok Mihoshi, what happened, what did it do?" Mihoshi's sobs stopped abruptly and she looked straight in her partner's eyes. Her eyes were cold and frightened, this made Kiyone very nervous, in all her days working with Mihoshi she never saw her shaken up like this. "It's ok, tell me what happened."
"It killed us...It killed us all!"
Down in her sub-space laboratory, Washu tapped on the computer console in front of her. Colored lights flashed as screens pooped up all around her, displaying energy readings and scans covering every inch of the surrounding galaxies. A time bar rose in front of her, counting down to the results of the scans. Kiyone and Mihoshi stood behind her in their nightclothes watching, anxious to find something that would put their mind at ease.
"Sorry again to call so late Washu-san." Kiyone clenched the robe tightly to her body, chilled by the cold of the cavernous room.
"No problem, Kiyone, but PLEASE, no san, just Washu." Kiyone rolled her eyes; she was not in the mood for this nonsense. "I was up doing so research anyway." Kiyone looked at her watch on the inside of her wrist.
'4:35 a.m. and she was still up working?? No wonder she sleeps in so late! ^-^S' Kiyone thought to herself as she sighed heavily. She looked over at Mihoshi, the young woman was still pretty shaken by the dream and was shivering from the cold. Kiyone took off her robe and put it around her partner.
"You ok?" Mihoshi held the cotton robe tightly to herself and nodded, returning her attention to the screens on the console. Mihoshi spotted a small bottle of pills next to some tea, resting on a levitated table next to Washu's chair and picked it up.
"Diet pills?" Washu's head shot around and she grabbed the pills, stuffing them in her pocket.
"Uh...those are just something for my research, yeah. Ha ha ha... Nothing special." Washu quickly changed the subject, to clear their mind off the matter, the less who knew about it the better. "So Mihoshi, when you tried to call headquarters you got only static?"
"What? Oh! No, there wasn't anything at all, no transfer tone, no password request, nothing!" Washu scratched her head as she thought, waiting for the scan results to complete.
"Hmmm. If this thing was only rerouting the energy from Yagame the communicator would still have gotten static, in the best case scenario a very weak signal."
"What?" Kiyone looked at the screen in front of her displaying data for the Yagame energy system.
"You see, the communicators fixed on the GPD ships are part of a single network run by lasers. Not only do these lasers connect the communication, but it also shares the energy in all ships to power a communicator from any ship incases of a blackout or power failure. In this case, the power was not rerouted, but it was instead overpowered by that ball you encountered, and absorbed into it. This not only took the power from your ship, but also took the power given to you by the sharing ships, therefore disabling the communication systems! Am I good or what?! ^-^" Kiyone stood there dazed, still trying to get in all the information in. All this buzzed in her mind, it took her a while to get the gist of it before Washu simplified it for her. "In other words, it's an energy vacuum. It simply sucked up your power."
"Then why did our power return after it left?"
"The vacuum only took the power you were generating at the time, once it left, the power was sent back through the ship. You see, the power generator was running the whole time, it was just getting absorbed by the vacuum. When the vacuum left, the power was no longer getting absorbed so it returned to flow through Yagame's circuitry." Then a sharp bleep sounded as the time bar on the console disappeared and was replaced by the scan results. "No to see where the little ankle biter is now." As Washu scrolled through the results she frowned in disgust and disappointment.
"Nothing?!"
"Nope sorry. I scanned every galaxy from here to Rhenar, but it seems it's disappeared."
"Damn." Kiyone slammed her fist on the side table. "That doesn't exactly put our minds to rest." Washu scowled at her.
"Well what do you expect?! You saw that thing over a month ago! If you came to me the same day maybe we could've found something!!" Kiyone was stunned, she never saw Washu snap at someone like that. Washu sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sorry Kiyone, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I haven't been myself lately. I guess I need to stop working so late."
"It's ok Washu, I guess we all need a little sleep." Washu snapped her fingers sharply. Something had just pooped into her mind.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Washu got up out of her chair and walked up to one of her medicine racks. She pulled out two bottles of small blue pills and looked at the labels. She then walked over and handed them to Kiyone. "Here, take these."
"What are they?"
"They're a special sleeping pill. Gives you a soothing and dreamless sleep, so no more nightmares!" Kiyone smiled and looked at the two labels. "Take two with water right before you go to bed, they're fast acting so be sure to take them after your under the covers." Washu put the rack in a cupboard and closed the doors shut. "Be sure to call me in the morning and let me know how they work." Kiyone smiled again and quickly pocketed them.
"Thanks 'Doctor'!" Washu smiled and walked them to the door.
"Don't worry about that energy vacuum, I'll keep searching, and if it comes anywhere near this solar system again, I'll let you know." Washu gave them wink as she waved them good-bye.
"Ok, thanks again Washu." As soon as Kiyone and Mihoshi were out the door, Washu leaned against it, gave out a long sigh, and pulled out the pills in her pocket. 'Man!...that was close!'
"Come on Washu, this'll be easy!" Sasami urged her to come in the den for some aerobics.
"No! I'm not coming out like this!" Washu's voice sounded from behind the bathroom door. She had just changed into an exercise outfit when she looked in the mirror. Not only did she look ridiculous in sweats and spandex, but also the bulge over her stomach was clear for anyone to see. "I'm not coming out! What if someone sees me like this?!" Sasami placed the CD in her sister's stereo and set it on the floor. Also in an exercise outfit Sasmai went over to the bathroom door to coax her out.
"I told you already! Sis and Ryoko are out shopping, Grandpa, Noboyuki, and Tenchi are out training, and Kiyone and Mihoshi are on their morning shift! No one will see you!" Washu looked at her watch, none of them were due back for hours now. But how could she let herself go like this? The bulge was now getting bigger by the day, ever so slightly. She gave out a frustrated sigh and stepped out of the bathroom.
"You promise me they're not due back until dinner right?"
"Yes, I told you already! Although Ryoko and Ayeka might be back before then, I promise you we'll be done by then!" Washu took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Ok. But if anyone sees me, I'll..."
"No one will see you. Now lets get started." Sasami bent down and switched on the CD player. "We'll start with the easy stuff." Energetic and bouncy music began to sound from the stereo, Washu felt ridiculous, it sounded like sped-up elevator music! "First some mild stretches." Sasami spread her legs shoulder width apart, leaned over, bending at the waist, as far as she could. Looking very awkward and sluggish Washu tried to follow but almost toppled over. Even when she got her balance up, she didn't get as far as Sasami, but, Sasami was much smaller and younger than she was. "Good. Let's try it again." Once again, the two women bent at the waist and leaned over to the side. On her way up, Washu displayed a disgusted face.
"I don't even know why I'm doing this I haven't..." Sasami didn't let her finish her complaints.
"Ok, now we need to sit down for this one." Washu, grunted and sat down on the floor with her legs sticking forward as directed. "Now lean forward and touch your toes." Washu scowled.
"This is supposed to be aerobics?" Sasami, turned to her with a very annoyed look on her face.
"We need to stretch first, so we don't hurt ourselves." Washu let her head drop and muttered under her breathe.
"All the stretches in the world won't help for what I'm going to do to you kid!" Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the two continued their exercises with jumping jacks, some step aerobics, mild judo moves and ended with a job around the paths. By the end of the day Washu's outfit was soaked in sweat, and she sat in the chair struggling to catch her breath. "How can you have so much energy in that small body of yours?!" Sasami smiled and handed her a cold bottle of water.
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to need it. Because we're going to do this three times a week, four if we can." Washu nearly fell out of her chair, spilling the water on the floor.
"ARE YOU INSANE GIRL??!!" Washu got up and nearly screamed in Sasami's face.
"You want to loose that weight don't you?"
"Of course I do, but there are other ways!" Sasami grew and evil smile on her lips and poked Washu's chest with her finger.
"But those other ways won't keep your secret. If you decide to try them, I'm not sure I would either." Washu's eyes grew large and sweat rolled down her head.
"Th-That's blackmail!!!!" Sasami crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.
"No, that's a promise!" Washu hung her head low, she knew when she was beaten. Sometimes even her modesty got in the way of her reasoning.
"Fine. Thrice a week." Washu walked up to the girl and grabbed her by the scruff of her sweatshirt. "But I WON'T forget this Sasami!!" Washu let her go and stormed of to the onsen to bathe the sweat off her skin. As she left Sasami collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
"Three time's a WEEK?? What the hell was I thinking???!!!!"
"YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNN!!!" Washu sat up on her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her soft silk sheets strone all over the bed, the covers lay cluttered at the bottom of the bed. Sweat soaked the sheets around her and the fan next to her bed was working on its highest setting. In the middle of the night Washu had woken, her skin burning, her brow wet with sweat. It was the middle of fall but the heat in her room was unbearable. But was it really her room temperature? She had gotten up to check the thermostat/thermometer, both read comfortable temperatures. In fact, the readings were so low, she should have been cold, if anything! Washu quickly tore off her nightclothes, leaving her in her "bare essentials." As she hopped back under the covers, she found the shedding of her clothes hadn't driven off the heat. So, off came the covers, and went the fan, blasting in her face. 'This is unbearable', she thought laying there, baking in her own body heat. However, the night had past, and she eventually fell asleep. Washu threw the sheets aside and pulled on her clothes she had shed during the night and shut off the fan. She looked at the clock and shuddered, an hour left before her aerobics with Sasami. Little did she know that in her own room, Sasami was dreading the very same moment.
Washu stood up and headed for the dresser when a strong discomfort in her stomach forced her to bend over and grab her sides. Her legs became weak, her throat had a strange feel to it, being a genius, Washu knew what was coming. She rose off her knees and ran for the bathroom as fast as she could, holding her hand against her mouth. The nausea overcame her, she could feel it coming, just as she had slid the door shut the contents of her stomach emptied, escaping through her mouth. As the gastric fluid past her lips she gave a horrible wrenching sound, alarming Sasami who was in the next room changing. The wave seemed to continue forever, an everlasting flow of sickness pouring from her mouth. Sasami pulled on her bathrobe and headed for the door, wondering what poor soul had to endure this.
"Hello? Are you okay in there? Sis, is that you?" Washu couldn't answer, as soon as she stopped the wave began again, now pouring only bile into the bowl of the toilet. The pain was almost too much to bear as the acid burned her throat and mouth. Her body thrusted forward with each heave, sending more acid and bile spewing from her lips.
"Are you okay in there? Do you need any medicine? I think Washu has some." Sasami was getting worried, just the sound it made her sick. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the wave stopped, and Washu fell back and leaned against the wall, tears gushing from her eyes. The whole thing was starting to terrify her, she had never felt so bad in her life, but she wouldn't let it take control of her feelings. Washu dried her tears, stood up and flushed the toilet. Taking a paper towel in the closet she wiped the edge pf her mouth and the vomit that had escaped the bowl and splattered on the floor. Sasami slowly slid the door open hoping to help whoever was sick.
"Washu?!" Washu looked over to the door from the mirror, brushing her teeth. She had to get that awful taste out of her mouth.
"Don't worry Sasami, I just had an upset stomach, that's all." Not entirely true, but not exactly a lie either.
"Are you sure, do you want some tea?" Washu smiled and rubbed the girl's head with her free hand.
"Your sweet, but that's ok I'll be fine." Little did Washu know that this would continue for the next few weeks. Through the exercises and searching for the energy vacuum, Washu continually had hot and cold flashes, a shocking change in character and countless mornings in the bathroom, wrenching her guts out. Even more puzzling was the fact that she had not lost and once of weight, even through the exercise and vomiting, nothing! This drove her almost insane, she couldn't figure out what was going on! Finally, one day, all her questions were answered.
Everyone was relaxing downstairs gathered around the card table for their weekly game when Washu came downstairs. Ryoko was killing everyone and had won most of Ayeka's money as she floated just next to the table, legs folded. She looked up just in time to see Washu descending the stairs with a puzzled and confused look on her face holding a small stick in her hands.
"Hey Washu, come on down and play with us. I'll be glad to take any money you have off your hands." Washu didn't respond, she kept staring, puzzled at the small stick in her grip. Ryoko sent her a telepathic message, 'Mom, what's wrong?' Washu glanced up blankly and looked at them, her voice trembling as she spoke, holding the small object in her hands.
"I-I'm pregnant!"
WOW! Bet you didn't see that one coming huh? I know it's terrible to leave you in suspense of how or why she got pregnant, but I love to leave my readers hanging. See ya next time! ^-^A Spectre[PC1]
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