Sasami ran into the living room, looking for Ryoko and finding her on the rafters, staring off into space.
"Ryoko, please understand that this isn't an act," Sasami said with her head lowered.
"And how would you know? She told you?" Ryoko snapped, her ugly mood radiating like a glowing ember. She masked her guilt with anger, feeling confused about the situation. She had never really cared about Washu, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for how she'd been acting.
"Ryoko, she can't heal herself," Sasami said, raising her head. Ryoko looked down at her with a frown.
"And she told you that too?" Ryoko asked in a bitter voice. She snorted and shook her head, returning to her comfy position. Sasami looked up at Ryoko with a scowl and walked into the kitchen. It was no use trying to reach Ryoko right now.
***
Tenchi walked into the kitchen and saw Sasami with her head down, crying.
"Sasami, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Ryoko won't listen," Sasami said. She lifted her head and looked at Tenchi who was looking at her with a small smile.
"Tenchi, why is Ryoko ignoring Washu?" she asked, not understanding how she could be so mean.
"Well, I think of it like this. Ryoko went to go talk to Washu, knowing that she wanted Ryoko to talk to her about her problems, and Washu pretty much ignored Ryoko. She was too into her experiments, so Ryoko's just returning the favor," Tenchi said. Sasami thought about this and it did make sense. She still didn't like it, though.
"But she tried to apologize," Sasami said, looking at her arms that were wet with tears. Tenchi hugged her and let out a long sigh.
"Well, Sasami. Saying you're sorry won't always mend the emotional wounds. Sometimes they need more than that," he said before walking out of the kitchen.
***
Why doesn't she listen? Ryoko thought as she remembered Sasami getting upset with her again in the lab a little while ago. What had happened to their friendship? They didn't seem as close because of Washu. She didn't believe that Washu couldn't heal herself. She can change from adult to child, she's over 20,000 years old, and she's the smartest scientist in the universe, so she says. Why wouldn't she be able to heal herself? Ryoko felt guilty for yelling at Sasami and decided to go see her.
***
Sasami had started making herself a snack when Ryoko appeared behind her. Sasami jumped as she noticed Ryoko behind her.
"Hey, Sasami. I'm bored. Let's say we try that game of chess again," Ryoko said with a smile, even though it was really late. Sasami really didn't want to be with Ryoko right now and wanted to go see Washu. Try to cheer her up again, seeing she needed it more than Ryoko did.
"I don't know. Maybe tomorrow," the little girl said as she continued making a snack. Ryoko frowned and cocked her head.
"Sasmai, I want to talk to you," she said as she sat at the table. Sasami sighed and walked over, taking a seat next to Ryoko.
"Sasami, I want to say I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It was wrong of me. I was mad at Washu but you were the one that got the tail end of that anger. I know you're worried about Washu, but she's a big girl. She can take care of herself," Ryoko said in a gentle voice. Sasami looked at her with big, sad eyes that broke Ryoko's heart.
"But Ryoko, this isn't an act she's pulling. I can't just let her hurt herself! She's my friend!" Sasami cried as tears formed in her eyes. Ryoko hugged her and cooed softly to her.
"Okay, Sasami, okay. But please realize that she ignored my plea for help, so now I'm ignoring hers," Ryoko said, trying to comfort the crying child.
"But-"
"No but's. If she wants to be a mother, then she has to act like one. True, she stopped the teasing and experiments on me, but she ignored me. If I really were her daughter, she wouldn't have done that. How about this," Ryoko said as she held the little girl by the shoulders, looking into her teary eyes.
"Care for her and try to cheer her up all you want, and if she drops this ac...sorry. If she realizes her mistake and tries to confront me about it, I'll listen...maybe," Ryoko said. She did want to talk to Washu but it had hurt her into changing her mind when she heard Washu say that her experiment needed her more than Ryoko.
"She did try to apologize, though," Sasami said, looking at Ryoko's face. True, she did right after it happened, but Ryoko was still too angry to listen.
"Well…if she tried again, maybe I'll listen," Ryoko covered. Sasami had tried to pin her before and had failed, but she did a damn good job this time.
...I really need to get this done... Washu voice echoed through Ryoko's head as the memory returned. Sasami wiped away her tears and nodded. This was better than nothing, she guessed.
"Now, how about that game of chess you owe me?" Ryoko asked with a playful smile. Sasami cracked and giggled, nodding her head.
"Ryoko?" she asked as they walked into the living room.
"Yes?"
"Can I be the black pieces?" Sasami asked, changing the mood. Ryoko chuckled and nodded her head.
***
Washu sat in her chair, thinking about what Ryoko said before she disappeared.
...When was the last time she listened to me?... came the words she had spoken. Washu sighed and hung her head. She was right. She had left her daughter alone, but maybe she took that a little too far. She had pretty much ignored Ryoko that day.
"Sister," she heard a voice behind her. Washu lifted her head slowly, not recognizing the voice. She turned but saw no one there. She had expected to see Tsunami, but that was a false alarm. Besides, it wasn't Tsunami's voice. It was one that seemed to hold a much darker hint to it.
"Who is it?" Washu called, curious as to who it was and her eyes widened as she was hit with the truth. Tokimi. Just as the name ran through her head, her older sister appeared as a hologram before her.
"Poor, poor Washu," she said with a smile. Washu's face turned bitter as she rose to her feet.
"How did you get in here? What do you want?" Washu asked, fury present in her eyes. However, she failed to let the fear that she felt show.
"That doesn't matter. I can see that you're having some trouble with your daughter," Tokimi said, looking at her nails with a smile. Washu growled at her and stared at her sister with pure hate.
"What do you care?" she snapped. Tokimi made a gesture of being hurt but then started to laugh.
"I can't help it. She hates you and that crushes you. It's all a matter of hate and resentment. I'm drawn to it like sharks are drawn to blood," Tokimi said with a wicked smile. Washu was now shaking but not from her anger, but her fear. What did her sister want?
"Can it, Tokimi. Leave or I'll make you leave," Washu snapped, trying to hide her fear of her sister. Tokimi laughed again and threw her head back.
"And how do you plan to do that? You're a cripple," she laughed. Washu moved her eyes down to look at her hands and hid them behind her back. This made Tokimi burst out in laughter again.
"I just stopped by to tell you that I plan on taking Ryoko. Doctor clay proves to be a bumbling idiot with his sights set small. Ryoko's a lot like you in many ways. She's smarter than she lets on, she has the physical strength to perform many tasks, and she does set her sights higher than Clay does. Not to mention her mind is easily controlled," Tokimi said, admiring her nails again with the same 'got ya' smile on her face. Washu's jaw dropped and she jumped up, clenching her hands into fists, wincing at the pain.
"No, you won't!" she screamed and Tokimi only smiled at her.
"And what will you do to stop me, sister?" she said before letting out a bored sigh.
"Anything I can," Washu hissed, ignoring the now throbbing pain in her knuckles.
"How about I make a deal with you," Tokimi said, looking at Washu with her normal 'I hate everything and everyone' look on her face.
"I want nothing to do with you, Tokimi," Washu sneered as she turned her back to her.
"You convince Ryoko that you really do...care...for her," Tokimi said, obviously having a great deal of trouble in saying the word care. "And I'll leave you and your daughter alone," she finished. Washu turned and looked at her with anger on her face. She couldn't believe that Tokimi was making a deal out of Washu's love for her daughter.
"I'll give you four days. If you fail, I take her," Tokimi said before disappearing. Washu let out a whimper of defeat as her sister left. How was she going to do that if Ryoko wouldn't even talk to her?
***
"Checkmate!" Sasami cheered as she placed her last piece. Ryoko sighed and shook her head.
"That's twice in a row," she said in a defeated voice. She smiled at Sasami, glad that they were friends again. Sasami got up, bringing the plates they had their snacks on to the kitchen. Ryoko stood up and stretched, yawning loudly.
"Bedtime," she said as she waved at Sasami, leaving the room to go who-knows-where while Sasami went to the bathroom and grabbed the med kit before heading to Washu's lab.
***
Sasami scowled as she heard the faint sound of Washu typing at her computer.
"Washu! You shouldn't be doing that! You're making it worse!" Sasami scolded as she walked over to Washu. Washu had a wrinkle in her face as she ignored Sasami and continued working, trying to ignore the pain that was coursing through her hands. The bandages were torn and fresh blood was seeping from the sores, soaking the bandages.
"Washu, stop!" Sasami shouted, seeing a few drops of blood fall to the floor, not hitting the computer panel. Washu still didn't say anything and continued working.
"Washu, are you listening to me?" Sasami asked, angered at Washu's failure to notice her. Washu whimpered as she typed faster, trying to locate her sister and stop this before she lost her daughter for good.
"Washu!" Sasami screamed. Washu looked at her with anger in her eyes but that anger wasn't at Sasami, it was at Tokimi.
"I'm busy, Sasami! I need to get this done or I will loose Ryoko forever!" Washu yelled, tears streaming down her face. Sasami put her hands on her hips, frowning at Washu.
"Ryoko is thinking about giving you a chance, Washu. She doesn't believe that you can't heal yourself and she still thinks you're acting, but you need to try and tell her!" Sasami scolded. Washu looked at her with a look of hope in her green eyes. Ryoko was going to give her a chance? Maybe she wouldn't loose her after all. Washu hung her head and let out a labored sigh. Her lip quivered as she tried to hold back the tears. Sasami sat in front of her and looked at her hands. The bandages had been torn between the fingers and blood was soaked into almost every inch of the cloth around the sores on Washu's knuckles. Sasami sighed and opened the med kit, preparing to change them. She looked up and saw Washu clamping her eyes shut and all the pain and hurt she felt had twisted her mouth into a frown that struck Sasami right through the heart. Sasami stood up and put her arms around Washu's small shoulders and hugged her close, trying to calm her down. Washu hugged Sasami tight and sobbed into her shoulder. Her whole body shook as she coughed out the tears and her hands stained the back of Sasami's kimono.
"I'm sorry," Washu said after her sobs died into whimpers and tears. Sasami pulled back and smiled at Washu.
"Don't be sorry, Washu. I understand that you're upset," she said as she slowly unwrapped the bloody bandages. Washu cringed as Sasami revealed her hands. She had typed to harshly and she had ripped the bandages so savagely that the sores had reopened once more. She just couldn't get away from these things. Tears of pain fell from her eyes as her throbbing hands burned with pain. Sasami sighed and shook her head.
"I told you, Washu," she said as she proceeded to clean the blood away. The blood was flowing a little too fast for Sasami to keep them clean long enough to apply the ointment so she stood up, leaving them be.
"You really did it this time, Washu," she said as she looked up at the crying scientist. She had been so cheery the other day and this change in mood had surprised Sasami. Sasami wrapped the towel gently around Washu's hands and held them up.
"Hold them up here," Sasami said as Washu took over, leaning against the chair. Washu fidgeted in her seat as the pain and burning continued.
"Why, Washu? Why didn't you listen to me?" Sasami asked. If Washu didn't know any better, she would have thought Sasami sounded like a mother. Washu sniffled and stared at Sasami.
"Because..." she said, not telling Sasami about Tokimi. Sasami waited but sighed and shook her head when nothing else came from Washu's lips except whimpers of pain.
"Washu, I hate it when you do things like this," Sasami said. Washu let out a pale chuckle and looked at Sasami.
"Won't Ryoko lecture you for being here?" she said sourly, changing the subject. Sasami smiled at her and shook her head.
"She gave me permission to help you," Sasami said. Washu winced slightly as she thought of it as Ryoko being her prison guard. Washu stared up at her hands as Tokimi's words flowed through her mind.
...Like sharks are drawn to blood... Washu cringed and that same pained look washed over her face.
"What is it, Washu?" Sasami asked.
"...Like sharks are drawn to blood..." she whispered. Sasami cocked her head in confusion, unable to let it go this time.
"Washu, you're not alone. I'm here for you. You know you can trust me," Sasami said. Washu looked at her with new tears falling.
"...Tokimi came to me a little while ago. She said that if Ryoko doesn't see that I love her and that she is my daughter, she's going to take her..." Washu said, the same twist of pain appearing on her lips. Sasami put a hand on Washu's knees and leaned towards her face.
"What? Tokimi? But...how?" she asked. It wasn't her speaking. It was Tsunami. Washu closed her eyes tightly and held her breath, holding back the sobs.
"I don't know," she said, the sobs coming back in full force. Sasami looked away and thought about this. That's why Washu was typing at the computer. She was trying to find a way out of this.
"There's only one thing you can do, Washu," Sasami said. Washu took a few deep breaths and looked at the little girl.
"Talk to Ryoko," she said with a smile. Washu hung her head again and thought of how hard that was going to be.
***
Ryoko sat on the rafter, thinking about the deal she made with Sasami. She wanted to talk to Washu because she now felt like dirt for what she had done. Maybe she wasn't acting. Maybe she really was hurt and suffering in her lab with no one to help her. Washu wasn't stupid and wouldn't suffer like this for as long as she has if she could help it. She had turned the others on Washu too, which didn't make her feel any better. She also remembered the scene in the lab. She had been keeping an eye on Washu from the start. She covered her tracks by using Sasami's help as an excuse to see Washu, but she didn't do anything other than ignore her. Worth it? I think not.
She was ignoring you, though Ryoko thought, having a conversation with herself.
Yet she hurt herself, thinking it would help my pain
But it's all an act and a pretty stupid one at that
How can it be an act, though? Why would she suffer through that? Is she that starving for attention?
With Washu, you never know
But she would've seen it wasn't working and dropped it a while ago
Washu doesn't think like you or the others do. Ryoko sighed and closed her eyes, letting the thoughts play through her mind. She figured she would listen to Washu if she came to confront her. It was the only way to put her mind at ease.
***
Washu walked out of the lab and into the living room to find Ryoko snoozing on the rafters. It had taken Sasami the rest of the night to bandage and clean Washu's hands, which were in pretty rough shape. They still burned and throbbed from what she put them through and Sasami had to open doors for her and all that good stuff, seeing Washu was now even less capable to do so. She had gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast before anyone woke up, despite how tired she was. Washu looked up at Ryoko and sighed before attempting to engage in conversation.
"Ryoko?" she called up to her. Ryoko snapped her eyes open and let them focus before looking down at Washu. She threw her feet over the edge of the beam and looked at Washu with a blank look. Washu lowered her head and looked at the couch, asking Ryoko with her eyes to sit down. Ryoko sighed and appeared on the couch as Washu walked over and sat next to her.
"Ryoko, can I speak without being interrupted?" she asked. Ryoko nodded her head and rested her head on her hand.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for ignoring you in the lab that day. It was wrong of me, but this isn't an act," Washu said, pausing to hear Ryoko's response to that. She only continued to stare at Washu, waiting for her to continue. She hadn't heard what she wanted and she would wait until she did.
"If this was an act, I would have quit it already. I wouldn't have let Sasami go through the chore of changing bandages if I could heal myself, Ryoko. Nor would I force myself to endure the pain if I didn't have to. You may think me to be a heartless scientist, but I'm not. I was hurt when you ignored me and I then knew how you felt. I had realized that I had pushed away the one thing I hold dearest to me," she said with her head hung. Ryoko still glared at her, waiting to hear her say that she was going to listen. That's all she wanted.
"I want to be your mother. If you give me a chance, I promise that I'll listen to anything you have to say. I just hate this feeling of guilt," Washu said as she looked up at Ryoko. She was shocked to see one lone tear run down her daughter's face. Ryoko looked down at the floor and let out a sigh. There was still something she as confused about.
"I only have one question, Washu," she said. Washu waited and looked at Ryoko with pleading eyes, waiting for her to say something.
"I now realize that this wasn't an act, but one thing confuses me about this. You said you couldn't heal yourself. Why not?" she asked, looking back at Washu. Washu lowered her head and thought of how to say this before looking back at her daughter's questioning gaze.
"Because I put all my powers into those gems, including my healing powers. You have those gems, Ryoko," she said. Ryoko's face went white as she heard that Washu had given up that ability for her.
"You...you sacrificed that power...for me?" she asked, unable to comprehend this. Washu nodded and looked at her bandaged hands, tears running down her face. Not only because Ryoko understood, but because the new ointment Sasami had used stung like a bastard.
"Washu..." Ryoko said, drawing Washu's gaze. Ryoko went to say something but nothing came to mind. Tenchi then came down the stairs and stopped as he saw the two on the couch. Ryoko looked over at him as Washu wrinkled her nose in discomfort at her hands.
"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He went to the kitchen but before Ryoko could even turn her head back to Washu, Ayeka came down the stairs, glaring at the small scientist.
"Miss Washu. Don't you think that Ryoko's had enough of your excuses?" she snapped before walking into the kitchen after Tenchi. Ryoko looked at Washu and saw her jaw clenched in anger and her eyes watering up with new tears. Ryoko looked at the floor and thought of how Washu must feel. Everyone had ignored her, thinking that she could heal herself and this was all an act for attention. It was because of Ryoko that they thought that. She could see it in Washu's eyes that she wasn't bluffing. That hurt Ryoko right down to the depths of her heart. She had hurt Washu because of jumping to conclusions, but that's what she had done in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Washu. It's just that I was upset. I just wanted someone to talk to and you turned me away," she whispered. She was unable to speak any louder.
"No, Ryoko. I never should have ignored you like that. I had been pushing you to talk to me and when you finally come, wanting me to listen, I blew it because I thought you were looking for a way to get Tenchi," Washu said.
"Breakfast," Sasami yawned as she entered the living room.
"Great. I'm starving," Ryoko said as she stood up. Washu shook her head and followed her daughter's movement and headed to the table. Ryoko looked down at her and saw the wrinkle still in her face and tilted her head.
"Still upset?" she asked.
"A little," Washu said as she pursed her lips at the bandages.
"Than why such a deep wrinkle in your puny face?" Ryoko asked as she gently nudged Washu, trying to lift her spirits and change the mood.
"Because these sores sting like hell. They hurt," Washu whined as she looked up at Ryoko before taking their seats at the table.
***
Everyone filled their plates with the simple breakfast that Sasami had made and enjoyed the fact that it was even there, guessing from the fatigue-ridden little girl. Washu watched the others and looked at Ryoko who was looking into her plate with a look of deep thought on her face. She then looked over at Sasami who was watching Washu with sad eyes. Sasami then smiled and got up, drawing her sister's attention.
"What do you want on your plate, Washu?" she asked, reaching for the nearest dish. Ayeka looked at Sasmai with a harsh glare and stuck her nose in the air.
"Sasami, I believe that if miss Washu would like something to eat, she'd heal herself and get it without any help," Ayeka said in a snooty voice. Ryoko scowled at Ayeka but didn't say anything.
"But she can't heal herself, Ayeka," Sasami said as she put some food on Washu's plate who was staring at her bandaged hands. She hated it when people talked about her right in front of her as though she wasn't there. Ayeka looked at Sasami with her head tilted to the side.
"And you know this because she told you?" Ayeka asked, turning her head away, snorting at the two at the end of the table. Ryoko then slammed her fists down on the table and stood up, glaring at Ayeka.
"She CAN'T heal herself because she sacrificed that power for me, as well as a very large majority of her other powers!" Ryoko yelled, scaring the shit out of the princess. This was more than their playful anger over Tenchi.
"What do you mean, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. Ryoko sat back down and sighed heavily.
"She put all of her goddess powers into those gems and gave the gems to me," she said in a fragile voice that was full of guilt. Tenchi looked at Washu who was staring at her plate. The whole talking about her in front of her thing was bugging the crap out of her.
"Washu?" he asked, wanting to hear it from someone else. Washu looked at him and nodded her head.
"So...this wasn't an act?" Ayeka asked in a small voice. Washu and Ryoko both nodded their heads.
"Miss Washu. I'm sorry about how I've been acting lately. I just thought it was rude to ignore a plea for help, seeing Ryoko needs it very much" Ayeka said, throwing in a remark to get a spark from the pirate. Ryoko narrowed her eyes at the princess but lowered her head when she saw the spiteful smile on Ayeka's face.
"Washu, can you forgive us?" Tenchi asked, picking up off of Ayeka's apology.
"Only if Ryoko can forgive me," she said softly. She looked up to see Sasami smiling at her with a bit of food for her and took swiftly. She felt ridiculous, being hand fed and all that, but there was nothing else she could do. Ryoko stared at Washu for a long time before getting up and walking over to her. She motioned for Sasami to get up so that she could sit down and Sasami smiled at Ryoko before returning to her sister's side. Washu watched as Ryoko sat down next to her, picking up Washu's chopsticks. She held up a bit for Washu to take but Washu only stared at her, not understanding what she was doing.
"This is my job. It's my job to take care of my mother, not Sasami's," Ryoko whispered, staring into Washu's eyes. Washu was at a loss for words. She just stared at Ryoko with wide eyes as she admitted to being her daughter.
"Come on. My arms going to get tired," Ryoko said with a smile, holding the food to Washu who ate it, watching as Ryoko picked up another bit for her.
***
Ryoko went with Washu back to the lab, opening doors and helping her with the little things. She felt guilty about turning the others on her over something that wasn't true. Washu called for two cushions and sat down across from her daughter.
"Now, tell me what it is that you wanted to talk about and I promise, I'll listen," Washu said. Ryoko smiled at her and thought of everything she had wanted to say. She started to tell her about not being able to venture into her memories for fear of Kagato as Washu listened intently.
***
Washu sighed as Ryoko finished, head hung low and feeling two inches tall after remembering everything Kagato made her do. Washu moved closer, lifting Ryoko's head. She placed her forehead on Ryoko's and one by one, let the memories of Ryoko's childhood play through her mind.
***************
"Mommy, what are these?" a very young Ryoko asked. Washu smiled at her as she saw what Ryoko was asking about.
"They're something that are very important to mommy," Washu said softly. The three small red gems twinkled as they were held in suspended time. The glass around them glowed with a red light that reflected off Ryoko's face.
"How important?" she asked innocently.
"Very. Mommy would give her life to protect those. And you know what?" Washu said as she leaned close to Ryoko's ear.
"They're going to be yours someday," she whispered. Ryoko smiled at looked at her mother.
"You would trust me with those? What if I loose them?" Ryoko asked in a worried tone of voice. Washu chuckled and smiled at her daughter's innocents.
"I trust you. You are my daughter after all, and I know you won't loose them. They are as important to me as you are," she said in a gentle, motherly voice.
"You mean you would die for me?" Ryoko asked with genuine confusion. Washu hugged her and let out a sigh.
"Of course I would, little Ryoko. I wouldn't bat an eyelash to protect you with my life," she said with all the love in the world.
***
Washu walked into Ryoko's bedroom to find her drawing a picture with Ryo-Ohki. Washu stopped in the doorway and watched with a smile. Ryo-Ohki looked at her but Washu raised a finger to her lips, telling the cabbit to keep her mouth shut about her presence. The little cabbit went back to watching Ryoko draw her picture before yawning as she chose a red crayon. Washu watched as she finished her picture, stretching her back and arms. She got up and put the crayons away, still not seeing her mother.
Ryoko Washu said through the link. The little girl stopped and turned around and smiled widely at her mother. She ran over to her with the picture hidden behind her back and leaned against Washu's waist, wanting to be hugged. Washu chuckled and lowered herself to Ryoko's height, hugging her tightly as the little girl snuggled her face into her neck, seeing her arms were busy holding the picture out of sight.
"What do you have behind your back, Ryoko?" she asked, playing stupid. Ryoko giggled and admired her work before turning the picture so Washu could see it. It was a picture of Ryoko, Washu, and Ryo-Ohki in the park. Washu was holding Ryoko's hand and the cabbit was jumping in the air happily.
"Wow! You're a real artist, Ryoko!" Washu praised, causing the little girl to blush and giggle at her mother's compliment. She hugged Washu around the neck and held her tight.
"I made it for you," she said as she pulled away with a slight look of sadness on her face.
"I didn't have any money to get you a birthday present so I drew a picture of all of us so you won't ever forget," Ryoko said as she looked at her feet. Washu smiled and looked at Ryoko with a raised eyebrow.
"And what makes you think that I would forget you?" Washu asked. Ryoko thought for a moment and shrugged her shoulders with a smile.
"I don't know," she said as she folded her hands behind her back.
"This is the perfect present, Ryoko. I couldn't ask for anything more," Washu said with a smile as she stared into Ryoko's big golden eyes.
"Does that mean I don't have to give you anything for your birthdays?" she asked with a smile. Washu rolled her eyes and smirked at her daughter.
"Let's not go THAT far," Washu teased as she tickled Ryoko's sides, causing the little girl to shout with laughter.
**************************
After the last of the many memories was relayed to Ryoko, she stared at Washu. The one that stuck out the most was the stitches one, where she had split her head open. She had seen the good, the bad, and the grim and now understood that Washu really did love her and that she did have a childhood before Kagato. It may have been short, but it was still there. Washu looked at her with a pained smiled, hoping that it would convince Ryoko that she truly did care about her. Tears ran down Ryoko's face as she let the memories run through her head. She wanted to talk more about the subject but Sasami had called for lunch. Washu looked at the clock and shook her head in surprise.
"Whoa! It's lunchtime already! Four hours you talked," Washu said with a smile. Ryoko looked at her and returned her smile.
"No, Washu. One hour that you listened, three hours that you helped," Ryoko said, tapping her head and on that last note, the two walked to the table together.
***
Everyone smiled as the two entered the room, receiving smiles from the others.
"So are you two all buddy buddy now?" Tenchi asked as Ryoko sat next to Washu again, intending on helping her eat lunch. Washu still felt awkward in getting help with eating her meals, but didn't argue.
"You could say that, I guess," Ryoko said as she made her and Washu's plates.
"I guess so," Washu said with a sarcastic tone in her voice, feeling more like her old self. Everyone piled their plates with food, like usual, and Ryoko helped Washu by asking her what she wanted. Washu told her and Ryoko helped her eat, just like Sasami had done. Washu had felt embarrassed but realized that no one cared. They held their usual conversations, not leaving Washu out this time and when Ryoko wasn't feeding Washu, she was inhaling her own food. Everything was pretty much back to normal.
***
Tokimi watched as Ryoko and Washu healed their relationship and let out a sigh. She scowled as she felt Tsunami nudge her with a grin.
"Come on, Tokimi. Admit it. You care for her as much as I do," Tsunami pried as she continued to grin at her sulking sister.
"No, it's just that I would've had a more reliable assistant if I had won that bet," Tokimi grumbled.
"Right," Tsunami mused as she watched her middle sister being fed.
"It' s kind of cute," she said as she tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Whatever," Tokimi muttered as she continued to sulk. She watched Tsunami disappear out of the corner of her eye and let out a sigh before a smile slowly worked its way to her lips.
"So Tsunami convinced me to help out. Big deal. I could've gotten a lot from that bet, but I'll let it slid. Besides, this just makes it that much easier to get you next time, sister," Tokimi said before the scene faded from sight.
***
After lunch, Ryoko went with Washu to the lab, once more helping with doors and such.
"Thank you, Ryoko," Washu said.
"No problem, mom," Ryoko said with a smile. She walked over to Washu and knelt down to her height, hugging her close.
"I should thank you," Ryoko said into her mother's shoulder.
"For what?" Washu asked.
"...For loving me," Ryoko whispered. Washu closed her eyes and felt the tears squeeze through her shut eyelids as the memory flashed in her head. She had waited so long to have her daughter back and now all those years of waiting and all the pain she endured had paid off.
"You don't have to thank me," Washu whispered once the tears slowed.
"You are my daughter and I will love you whether you want me to or not."