Disclaimer: Tenchi-Muyo is owned by Pioneer and AIC.
Chapter 5:
Memories of her past with Kagato continued to prey on Ryoko's mind…
The Dream…Ryoko maneuvered Ryo-Oki through space. Her mission was to discover the location of a certain Amulet, which was the missing piece in Kagato's course of action to locate Tsunami. The Amulet and the Talisman, which Ryoko had recovered on her last mission, both fit together turning into a sort of locator-device.
Ryoko had her Targets' information in Ryo-Oki's computer database and decided to take a look as to whom they would be. Ryoko's eyes widened in horror as she looked at the pictures of her next victims.
'Not another family,' thought Ryoko.
Ryoko looked at the pictures she had of the family. There were pictures of the wife and husband together posing for the shots, and others of the two of them embracing. Then there were pictures of the family with their little girl. Pictures of when the little girl was first born, and pictures of when she was about 5 years old. The last of the pictures made Ryoko's blood run cold. The picture was of the little girl wearing the very Amulet that Ryoko needed to get.
'Oh well, it's not like I have much of a choice anyways. Maybe when Kagato sends me to Jurai to find Tsunami someone will finally manage to defeat me and end my misery.' Ryoko thought sadistically.
Ryo-Oki had the Target planet in her sights. The planet was a small bluish one, called Terra Nova. Ryo-Oki began to descend in the planet's atmosphere and was soon hovering over the Target house. Ryoko teleported in front of the door and blasted it down. She didn't bother noticing the scenery of the planet so failed to see how beautiful it's pink and blue sky was.
Her entrance into the house was accompanied by a scream coming from the woman of the family. Ryoko looked at the scene before her. The man of the family stood in front of his wife and daughter protectively while pointing some sort of primitive weapon at Ryoko. It appeared to be some sort of blaster but not a very good one. Ryoko also noticed that their table was set for dinner and in spite of herself Ryoko's stomach grumbled. Kagato had been so upset with her due to her recent insubordination he was coming close to starving her. Ryoko hadn't eaten in days and was eyeing the food for a moment before she realized she had a mission to complete.
"Stay where you are!" cried the man.
"Hand over the Amulet or else!" Ryoko yelled raising a hand towards the family and letting a few sparks go off threateningly.
The man just started using his gun to blast at Ryoko. Ryoko's force field deflected the blasts with ease.
"Bad move." Ryoko said as she teleported in front of him and took his gun away. She then cast the gun aside and began to close in towards the child.
"Don't interfere." Ryoko said coolly glaring at the man.
The man in another desperate attempt to protect his family tried to attack Ryoko using brute force. The man charged at Ryoko and before he knew what had happened he looked down to see that an energy-blade had been stabbed through his chest. The woman screamed as the man clutched at his chest and sunk to his knees.
"Daddy?!" The little girl cried from behind her mother. She then gave Ryoko a hateful look. "You hurt my daddy!"
"Tasha stay back!" Her mother said trying keeping her daughter safely behind her.
"But that woman just hurt daddy!" The girl complained.
Ryoko walked past the woman, who was too scared to move. She reached out and yanked the Amulet off of the girl's neck.
"Ow! That hurt!" The girl said rubbing her neck.
Ryoko couldn't help but smile at the girl's strong personality. Ryoko wondered if that is what she would have been like had she been given the chance to live a normal life. Kagato had made it clear that he was the one that took that chance away from her. Ryoko looked at the woman clutching her daughter in fear. Would Washu have tried to protect her if they had been in the same situation? She had said she loved her….
Ryoko looked at the mother and asked, "Do you love your daughter?"
The woman looked shocked at the question, "Of course, I love my daughter. I love my little girl very much and don't want anything to happen to her. I love my husband dearly too. Please, take what ever it is you want but just leave my family alone!" The woman pleaded while gathering her wounded husband and child into a motherly embrace.
Ryoko thought this over. She had the Amulet; she could just go couldn't she…
Ryoko was about to turn and leave when her stomach grumbled noticeably this time.
In a warm voice the woman spoke to Ryoko, "You must be hungry. Why not help yourself to some of our food. It's not much but it should ease your hunger."
Ryoko was shocked at the kind offer. She turned around and gave the woman a penetrating stare.
"Ok, but no funny business." Ryoko said as she put the Amulet around her neck.
Ryoko sat at the table and began to stuff herself. She was so hungry and the food was so good that she almost felt-happy. Kagato had never given her food like this before. There was Misu soup, Ramen noodles, Sake, Wasabi, Chawan, and Yakitori-things that Ryoko had never even tasted before. Kagato usually just gave the leftovers of his own meal or concocted power drinks for Ryoko, which had everything she needed but tasted awful. A lot of the time Ryoko had a hard time keeping those drinks down and she had often times wished that she couldn't taste anything. Now Ryoko was glad she could taste food because everything she was eating now was so wonderful. Ryoko mentally contacted Ryo-Oki to come and have some food too. Soon the cabbit was eating along side Ryoko.
The family seemed shocked at Ryo-Oki's appearance but Ryoko just said in an off hand voice, "Oh, this is my…pet Ryo-Oki, she's hungry too."
The little girl, who had been successfully restrained by her mother all this time, managed to break away from her mother's embrace and went over to see Ryo-Oki. The woman gasped but found she couldn't move as she looked on worriedly.
"I've never seen a cat that looks like that one before," began the girl. "May I pet her?"
Ryoko who was concentrating on her food just nodded her head. The girl began to scratch Ryo-Oki behind the ears and the cabbit let out a happy "Mia!"
Ryoko figured she had wasted a long enough time here and motioned for Ryo-Oki to get ready outside.
Ryoko was just out the door when on an afterthought she turned around and said a quick, "Thanks."
"Your welcome." The woman said looking pleased with herself. To her Ryoko was just some poor, misguided soul and what did God say about helping a fellow neighbor in need.
Ryoko teleported to Ryo-Oki and was about to go when a communication from Kagato came on the main screen.
"Ryoko, did you manage to get the Amulet?"
"Yes, master." Ryoko said as she guiltily wiped her mouth in case a few crumbs had been left behind.
"Ryoko, don't you know you can't hide anything from me?"
"What do you mean, Master?" Ryoko asked as she was beginning to get worried.
"Was the food to your liking Ryoko? I do hope you enjoyed it because you will never be able to taste food again once I'm through with you! These missions of ours aren't supposed to be joy-rides!"
A pain shot through Ryoko's body and she felt like someone had punched her in the jaw. She fell to the floor clutching her jaw as her tongue stung badly. Then all of a sudden the pain stopped and Ryoko wasn't sure if Kagato had really done anything to her.
Then Kagato began to speak, "Now that that's out of the way. It's time to say goodbye to your little friends!"
"What? No Kagato! Please, we have the Amulet why can't we just leave them alone?!"
"Silence! I told you to get rid of them after you retrieved the Amulet. How dare you go against my orders! I'll show you that my orders are not to be taken lightly, my Ryoko!"
Ryoko felt a pain in her head as her vision became blurry; she knew what was happening to her. He was gaining control of her body; when she was in this state she became an observer of all the horrible things that Kagato made her do. All of a sudden she found herself hovering over the family's house and barely noticed how her hand was raised and pointed at it. Energy began to build up in Ryoko's hand as it formed a huge energy blast; the blast was sent hurtling towards the house, which was destroyed in a matter of seconds. Ryoko could hear Kagato's laughter in her head. Ryoko's face felt wet and she looked up to see the clear blue sky and pink clouds floating above her realizing that it wasn't raining.
'I can cry after all…'thought Ryoko as she slowly returned to normal.
****
When Ryoko had returned to the Souja and was back in her cell, the last thing she expected was to get food that night. Ryoko decided to just curl up on the floor and go to sleep. But just as she was drifting to sleep Kagato entered her cell bringing dinner for her…
"Ryoko, wake up. Wake up Ryoko!" Kagato said as he kicked Ryoko in the side.
Ryoko groggily sat up.
"What is it, Master?"
"I have a little surprise for you." Kagato's voice rang as he handed a plate of food to Ryoko. It smelled wonderful.
"For me?"
"Eat up Ryoko you'll need your strength for tomorrow's mission. Tomorrow we finally go to Jurai!" Kagato said as he left Ryoko's cell. Down the hall Ryoko could of sworn she heard him laughing but she didn't care, she had dinner!
Ryoko took a whiff of the food and picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and put it slowly into her mouth. Ryoko's eyes widened in shock…she couldn't taste the chicken. Ryoko then tried some of the Misu soup, but found that she could not taste that either. She then tried some of the rice and also found that she couldn't taste it. Ryoko threw the tray of food against he wall in frustration. He had done this to her-Kagato. He had taken her sense of taste away to torture her by finally giving her good food and not being able to taste it.
'Damn you Kagato!!!!' Ryoko screamed in her mind.
****
End of Dream….
Ryoko awoke on her rafter. She looked over at the window and noticed that it was still very early, a few more hours before the sun would come up.
Ryoko hopped off her rafter and flew to the floor.
'What a dream…Damn that Kagato!' thought Ryoko. 'There must be something I can taste!'
Ryoko was a past logic this early in morning and the dream was so fresh in her mind. Each memory Ryoko relived seemed to become her only reality until she relived the next. With all the hate and frustration Kagato had given her; she felt she had to prove him wrong at this moment.
"I'll show you Kagato! There has to be something I can taste!"
Ryoko began to pull out all the cook books in the house and pile them on the kitchen table. It wasn't long before Ryoko had six or seven different pots of things cooking at the stove. Ryoko had followed each recipe to the exact specifications. She tasted her first dish…nothing. Then her second…still nothing. After her final dish, Ryoko pounded her fists on the kitchen counter in frustration. She was just about to start adding random spices and things to see if that would do anything, which was what she usually ended up doing, but a noise behind her distracted her.
Ryoko turned around to see Tenchi coming down the stairs.
With a hand behind his head Tenchi spoke, "Hey, sorry Ryoko, I didn't wake you up did I? I have an early practice with grandpa." Then Tenchi noticed all the pots on the stove and the smell coming from them. "Hey, are you cooking something Ryoko? It sure smells good." Tenchi said as he walked over and stood next to Ryoko. Ryoko was giving him an apprehensive look as he eyed the food.
"Have you tried it yet Ryoko?" asked Tenchi. He was desperate to break the ice from yesterday.
"Well, yeah, but I can't tell if it's any good…"trailed off Ryoko.
"Well, here let me see." Tenchi said deciding to be brave. Maybe he could cheer Ryoko up if he gave her a compliment on her cooking. Ah, what one does for love? He grabbed a spoon and decided to try to Misu soup first.
Tenchi brought the soup to his lips, opened his mouth and…
"Wow Ryoko! This is actually really good!"
"Really?" asked Ryoko half-heartedly. "You're not just saying that are you?"
"Well that's what I was planning to do, to tell you the truth. But this soup is actually really good. This might even rival Sasami's Misu soup! Mind if I try one of your other dishes?"
"Go right ahead."
"Wow, you even made Tempura, mmmm, oh and Sukiyaki, oh wow! This is all really good." Tenchi exclaimed but his mood dampened when he saw the expression on Ryoko's face.
"Hey, what's wrong Ryoko?"
"It's nothing Tenchi…"
"Oh, come on. What did I tell you about being able to talk to me about your problems? We are friends aren't we?"
"Of course we are Tenchi. It's just…Kagato…"
"Not him again. If that bastard wasn't dead already I-"
"It's ok Tenchi it's just this one time he…well…he…kindoftookmysenseoftasteaway," Ryoko said really fast.
"He took you sense of taste away?"
Ryoko nodded.
"Oh, that jerk! That makes me so mad!"
"Really Tenchi? Why?"
"Why? Because that was a horrible thing he did to you Ryoko. And because I care about you, you're my friend Ryoko and friends care about each other."
"You care about me?"
"Yes of course I do Ryoko. I had wanted to talk to you about something" Tenchi started but was interrupted by an odd sound coming from the couch. "What was that?"
"I don't know Tenchi. Let's go check it out." Ryoko said picking up a frying pan and walking over to the couch. The couch was facing away from them so they couldn't see what was making the noise. Tenchi and Ryoko cautiously walked towards the couch, Ryoko was still holding her frying pan when suddenly…
BAM"AHHHH! Hey, Ryoko what'd you do that for? Hmmm?" Raiden said sitting up and rubbing his head from where Ryoko had just hit him with the frying pan.
"You? You're still here?" asked Ryoko.
"Hey who said you could stay in my house!" began Tenchi.
Raiden ignored that remark.
"How could I leave, when a fine goddess such as yourself inhabits this place?" began Raiden. "A Rose by any other name would not smell as sweet but Ryoko you would smell as sweet with any name!" Raiden's attempt at being romantic was crashing and burning. Kind of mention it, he had a bad sense of humor too.
"Uh thanks I guess," said Ryoko. This guy was really beginning to get on her nerves. 'I wonder if the chipmunk made a mistake and hired a "lady-killer" instead of an actual killer,' sighed Ryoko.
Raiden's attention however was diverted from the lovely, cayan-haired beauty when he noticed all the pots of food on the stove.
"Hey, you made breakfast! Sweet!" yelled Raiden running to the stove.
Tenchi turned to Ryoko and said in a hushed voice so that Raiden couldn't hear, "Ryoko how about going and seeing Washu? I bet she could help you with your problem."
"I don't know Tenchi," began Ryoko.
"I could go with you…"
"I don't think that would be necessary. Maybe I will go and see Washu. Thanks for the idea Tenchi."
"No problem my…um foot's killing me…hehe" said Tenchi as he began to rub his foot. 'Did I really almost say "My Ryoko". I better be more careful. One slipup like that and Ayeka will have the whole Jurain army after Ryoko. Why do things have to be so difficult?' sighed Tenchi.
Ryoko gave Tenchi a perplexed look. He sure was acting strangely and seemed to be in deep thought. 'I wonder what he's thinking about. He can't be that deep in thought about his foot can he?" Ryoko tried not to smile.
"I could give you a foot message, my Tenchi. How about it?"
Tenchi put a hand behind his head, "Uh I don't know Ryoko…"
"Wow! A foot message? I want one!" said Raiden bounding over.
"Well, I wasn't really planning" began Ryoko. Ryoko then noticed the look on Tenchi's face. Could it be that Tenchi was Jealous?! "On second thought, have a seat on the couch lover boy. If Tenchi doesn't want a foot message I can't let my magic hands go to waste now can I?"
"Wow, you really are the perfect babe! I mean you've got looks and talent!" said Raiden smiling happily as Ryoko began to message his feet.
'At least he's wearing socks' thought Ryoko. 'But the look on Tenchi's face is worth it!'
Tenchi was fuming on the inside. 'That guy has no right to stay in my house and then put he moves on Ryoko. Now he's making her give him a foot message…I should do something…'
"Tenchi didn't you say you needed to get to an early practice with your gramps," began Ryoko.
"Yeah get going, boy. Me and Ryoko want a little privacy if you know what I mean."
Tenchi's fists clenched but there was nothing he could really do without overreacting.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok with this guy, Ryoko?" asked Tenchi with a concerned look on his face.
"I'll be alright. Isn't that right Raiden? When I'm done with you, you can do me next. I scratch your back you scratch mine." Ryoko said in a singsong voice. Ryoko was having way too much fun with this.
"Sure thing, babe. Touching your soft, glowing, radiant, skin would be an honor."
Ryoko couldn't help but smile at this guy's bluntness. 'Yep Ayeka definitely messed up big time when she hired this guy. Unless I die from an overdose of bad humor and romanticizing! Won't she have a big surprise this morning when she sees that I'm still here!' Ryoko chucked to herself.
Tenchi reluctantly left Ryoko alone with Raiden and headed to practice. 'This guy really knows how to get on my bad side,' thought Tenchi.
As Tenchi was walking away he heard Ayeka's scream. 'Yep, this is going to be one of those days.'
****
Back at the Masaki House…
"Wha…What are you doing here?! You're not supposed to be here! You are supposed to be far away with Ryoko!" Ayeka yelled as she saw the scene before her. Raiden had switched off with Ryoko and was now massaging her feet. Ayeka was going to continue yelling until she realized what she had said. No one was supposed to know that she had hired a bounty hunter to go after Ryoko.
"What I mean is…"began Ayeka.
"You know this guy?" Ryoko asked feigning ignorance.
"Uh, well, you see…"
Raiden decided to have fun with the situation and he said, "Yeah, she knows me alright. Me and the Princess here used to be lovers!"
Ryoko decided to play along, "You and him Princess? Really, I thought you had better taste…"
"Hey!" said Raiden.
"What do you mean we were lovers?! The very idea is absurd!" cried Ayeka.
"Then how is it you know him princess? Hmmm?" Ryoko asked while trying to hold back a grin.
"Well…I…oh, damn it!…It's just that I wouldn't have considered our past relationship more than a dating experience, certainly not lovers! Wouldn't you agree, Raiden?" Ayeka asked through clenched teeth.
"Couldn't disagree more, sweetie." Raiden replied smiling at Ayeka.
"Ohh, why I outta!" Ayeka tried to compose herself, "Raiden, dear, if you expect to get rewarded for your presence here isn't there something you should be doing?" hinted Ayeka.
"Huh, oh yeah, I believe there is." Raiden said as he went back to massaging Ryoko's feet.
"Ohhhhh that's not what I meant! You two are just impossible! By the way, you two make a lovely couple." Ayeka said trying to make the best of the situation. When you're dealt lemons make lemonade.
"I thought he was your lover, Princess. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of you rekindling an old flame or anything." Ryoko said as she tried to contain her laughter.
Raiden saw this as an opportunity for more fun.
Five seconds later…
"Ohhh that feels soo goood…."Ayeka mumbled as she was getting her feet messaged by Raiden. But then she realized where she was and what was happening. "What? How did I end up here on the couch and with you?…"trailed off Ayeka. The foot message was very relaxing. "Oh, what the heck." Ayeka said giving in to Raiden's foot message.
"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Princess." Raiden said smiling.
"Yeah, well, don't expect this to get me to pay you after you didn't do your job and everything." Ayeka responded.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Raiden said flashing a sly grin at Ayeka. 'This princess is pretty hot too. Maybe I'll get rewarded some other way.'
Ayeka and Raiden were so into each other that they didn't notice Ryoko slip out the door.
'At least someone's getting some action around here,' thought Ryoko. 'I wonder what Tenchi is up to?' Ryoko thought as she teleported the top of a cherry blossom where she could watch Tenchi train.
'Tenchi suggested I go to Washu about my problem but I just don't know if I can trust her yet. It was sweet of him to care, though. He really can be a sweetie when he wants to be, and he did save my life. I really should thank him for that. It's just that after that nightmare or whatever it was I was so sure Tenchi hated me. But he was so kind, and affectionate afterwards that maybe he doesn't hate me after all. I'm still so confused about Tenchi right now though; I wish I had something to do to get my mind off him.' Ryoko thought as she tried to think of something that would keep her busy.
'I know! I'll go back to the Dojo. I totally forgot about my own training due to everything that's been happening around here lately. I'm sure that will get my mind off things!' Ryoko thought excitedly. It was better to go train than to stick around here stewing in her conflicting emotions all day.
Ryoko pulled out the Dimensional-Travel door she had "borrowed" from Washu and off she went.
Meanwhile…
"Tenchi, you lack focus." Lord Katsuhito said as he hit Tenchi over the head with his wooden sword.
"Sorry Grandpa." Tenchi said as he tried to get on the offensive. 'Damn, if it wasn't for that Raiden guy I could have finished my conversation with Ryoko. I still didn't get to tell her that I still haven't chosen and that she doesn't have to leave. What if I have chosen…What if she just leaves while I'm out here practicing…OW!'
"Tenchi…"scolded Lord Katsuhito.
"Sorry Grandpa, it's just I have a lot on my mind today."
"A warrior must be able to focus on the task at hand, clear his mind of all thoughts in battle if he is to come out victorious."
"I know Grandpa, but what about when there's a mental battle in your head that needs fighting?"
"I see. Well, Tenchi we all have our own inner battles to fight. But that doesn't mean you can slack off in your sword practice."
"Right Grandpa, I'll try harder."
"That's a good boy, Tenchi. You will see that all this training will pay off when the time comes when you must use it. We still need to work on finding a way to get you to summon the Light Hawk Wings on command and not necessity alone."
"I know Grandpa, but do you really think I'll be able to do it."
"Only time will tell." Lord Katsuhito said as he charged at Tenchi with his wooden sword once more.
'Man, I wish I had more time to think. I hope by the time I talk to Ryoko it's not too late to put her fears to rest." Tenchi thought as he meet his grandfather's sword. 'Oh well, there's no use trying to think about it now.' Sighed Tenchi.
At the Martial Arts Dojo…
"Hellloooooo is anyone here? Adrien? Master Terminus? Hello?" Ryoko called into the main entrance hall. 'Hmm maybe they went out?'
"Ryoko?" called a voice.
Ryoko turned around to see Adrien.
'Wow I just got a weird feeling of Deja vu.' But Ryoko quickly ignored the feeling as she greeted Adrien.
"Hey, Adrien. I was about to give up on finding you."
"I didn't expect to see you again…not after the last time…"
"Huh? Oh, sorry about that, but I was right you know. My friend Tenchi was in trouble. Luckily, I was able to get to him just in time."
"Really? What happened? Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, everything is ok now, except…"
"What?"
"Oh, nothing." Ryoko couldn't understand why she felt like pouring her heart out to Adrien right then and there. He just seemed like he was someone she could trust. And she really did need some advice on her problems with Tenchi. But could she really put this burden of hers on someone else. She decided against it, for now. "So are we going to get some training in or what?"
"I'm afraid I have some bad news about that Ryoko. Due to certain circumstances beyond my control the Dojo is shutting down."
"What? Oh, that's too bad. I was really looking forward to our next match." Ryoko said smiling.
"Well, that doesn't mean we can't keep in touch, right?" Adrien asked hoping Ryoko felt the same way he did. Maybe she would want to keep in touch too.
"Of course we can keep in touch. I made you a promise remember?"
"Huh? You don't mean…" Adrien said beginning to smile.
"Yep! And I plan to keep that promise. When would you like to go out on our date? I would really like to get out today, with so many things on my mind, all I want to do is forget."
"Well, I'm free right now…" Adrien began. He wasn't sure this was such a good idea since if anything he was supposed to be "killing" Ryoko not "dating" her. Also Adrien felt guilty that he knew the reason why Ryoko had so many things on her mind that she wanted to "forget".
"Great!" Ryoko said grabbing Adrien's arm. "I know this little Bistro in this place called France on Earth." Before Adrien knew it Ryoko had teleported them both to Paris, France. It was a quaint place with lots of shops and sidewalks. There were plenty of things to look at and the people were interesting too.
"It's over this way." Ryoko said pulling Adrien to a little café named "Café Bistro". The two got a table outside so that they could people watch. Ryoko enjoyed pointing out the ridiculous fashion to Adrien while he laughed along with her.
'I can't believe that I'm here with Ryoko. If Tokimi were to find out…' thought Adrien.
"What are you looking so serious about? Do you not like French food or something?" asked Ryoko.
"Huh, oh, no it's not that…"
"Well, to tell you the truth I can't really taste any of the food anyways." Ryoko said before she realized that she had just revealed something very personal about herself to an almost complete stranger. But for some reason Adrien didn't seem to be such a stranger.
"What do you mean you can't taste the food?" Adrien asked curious as to what Ryoko's answer would be.
"Well, to make a long story short I used to work for this evil guy named Kagato and once as a punishment he took away my sense of taste." Ryoko said hoping he wouldn't ask her to give details.
"Kagato? Oh, you mean the guy that used to control your mind with your gems and made you lead the only successful attack on Jurai?" Adrien responded before he realized he had said too much. It was mostly common knowledge that Ryoko had been under mind control when she had attacked Jurai but no one really knew how he had done it.
"You know about how Kagato controlled me using my gems?" Ryoko asked perplexed, how did Adrien know this?
"Uh yeah, I mean pretty much everybody knows that with the reports that get sent to Jurai from Earth and all" Adrien said hoping this sounded close enough to the truth.
"Oh, you must mean the reports Mihoshi sends to Jurai. Yeah, for a ditz she sure manages to get the facts right even if they come out in 200 words when it could have been said in 10. So does that mean you work for Jurai or do you have contacts there?" asked Ryoko.
"Well, let's just say I get around."
"Oh, ok"
At this point the food had arrived and Adrien and Ryoko began to dig in.
Adrien looked at Ryoko eating and couldn't help but say, "For someone who can't taste the food you sure seem to like it."
Ryoko blushed, she had a habit of eating quickly because with Kagato it was either eat now or starve later.
"Uh, well, I can still tell if I'm hungry or not. And French food has a very interesting texture to it."
"Texture, huh? Do you think that there is a way that maybe you could get your sense of taste back?"
"Actually there is a resident genius living in Tenchi's house right now that may be able to help me."
"Oh, you mean Washu" Adrien said sticking his foot in his mouth yet again.
"Huh, oh you must know about her from Mihoshi's reports as well. Washu's been known to come in handy in a few sticky situations before. But I'm just not sure I could trust her with something this serious."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the only reason Kagato was able to control me was because of my gems, which were directly linked to my entire physiological structure. He would use to gems to hack into my system, and change anything he wanted. He used to have a lot fun with that. Sometimes he'd decide to make me go deaf for a couple of months, or lose my hearing, or even go blind. Usually he eventually reactivated those senses but my sense of taste is something he didn't plan on reactivating or never got a chance to since that was just before my last mission-my attack on Jurai. That's when I was defeated by Yosho and sealed in a cave for 700 years. I'm guessing you've heard all about that too?"
"Yes, but I never realized the extent of how much control Kagato had on you using the gems."
"Yes, and that's why I'm not so sure I want Washu using my gem to hack into my system and reactivate my sense of taste…if something was to go wrong and if she was to deactivate something else by accident I don't know if it would be reversible, at least until I got my other two gems back. It would be hard enough to hack into my system using one gem, with three it wouldn't be so hard."
"So are you saying that Washu would know how to do this?"
"It shouldn't be too hard for her to figure it out since she is my mother…I mean creator and everything." 'Or so she claims'
Adrien decided to let this last comment about Ryoko not considering her own mother to be anything more than her "creator" slide and said, "I think you should go for it Ryoko. I mean if she can actually fix your problem I think it would be worth the risk. How long ago was it since you last tasted food?"
"Well, Kagato never gave me good food to begin with. But the last time I had good food was on my last mission before my attack on Jurai. A family I came in contact with had offered me some food…" Ryoko said as her voice got caught in her throat. That was one of Ryoko's most painful memories. Besides the Shadow Bounty Hunter, the woman on Terra Nova was the only other person to have been nice to her during all those years under Kagato's control-not including Ryo-Oki of course. The little cabbit had always been there for her master. Ryoko was happy to see that she was now Sasami's friend and companion. It made Ryoko feel less guilty for almost killing Sasami during her attack on Jurai by giving her the thing that was most precious to her for over 2000 years.
"Ryoko are you ok?" Adrien asked concern written all over his face as he looked at the tearing-up Ryoko.
Ryoko quickly composed herself.
"Sorry, it's just I got lost down memory lane. Ahem, so maybe I will take your advice and get Washu's help. I mean it's time for me to move on and this problem of mine is a constant reminder of my past."
"I think that is a very wise decision Ryoko."
"Thanks for helping me come to it."
Adrien and Ryoko both raised their glasses of Champagne and drank to the future.
Back at the Masaki house…
Tenchi had just finished sword training with his grandfather and wanted to find Ryoko to continue their conversation from before.
Tenchi walked into the house to find quite a shock…
Ayeka had "rotated" with Raiden and was now massaging his feet!
"Ayeka?"
Ayeka nearly had a heart attack as she spun around seeing Tenchi in the doorway starring at her, "Uh Lord Tenchi?! It's not what you think! This ruffian made me do it!" began Ayeka.
"Hey babe I didn't see you complaining when I massaged your feet," said Raiden.
Ayeka was turning beat red.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I would never…" stuttered Ayeka.
"It's ok Ayeka I know how that guy can get. I just wanted to know if either of you have seen Ryoko." Tenchi asked the unlikely couple.
"What? Ryoko? No, the last time I saw her was breakfast," responded Ayeka.
"But that was hours ago!" cried Tenchi.
"Yeah, well, I'm not her mother. Why don't you go look for her if you have to talk to her so badly, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka suggested.
"Yeah, I think I will go look for her. I'll just leave you two…alone."
"Hurry back Lord Tenchi, Sasami should be starting dinner soon."
"Don't hurry back Tenchi, I'm beginning to enjoy spending some quality time here with the Princess. You know, Princess, I believe you are more beautiful than Ryoko." Raiden said trying to get brownie points from Ayeka.
Ayeka blushed. Even though this guy was the opposite of what her taste normally was, she couldn't help but smile to herself at the compliment.
Tenchi ran out to go and look for Ryoko. He really wanted to talk to her and get a few things off his chest. He didn't know how far he was planning on going in his conversation with her but at least he wanted to make sure Ryoko was straight on a couple issues-like how he hadn't chosen Ayeka.
First Tenchi decided to see if Ryoko was hanging around Ayeka's tree-ship…
Tenchi looked up into the tree branches searching for Ryoko as he thought, 'I hope Ryoko didn't decide to leave. It was so stupid of me not to tell her what I had to say when I had the chance. It's just that I didn't want to bring up the whole nightmare fiasco. I still don't really understand what happened and Ryoko doesn't want to talk about it, but the things she was mumbling gave me some sort of clue. Would a nightmare about me choosing Ayeka really cause her to react that way? She must really love me if my decision would affect her that much. Why does she love me so much, though? I still don't understand that. Did she fall in love with me because I was one of the few people that were ever nice to her? No, that's not it. She seemed like she was already in love with me when she came here. But that would mean she already knew me, but that would be impossible. I'm missing something and I have to figure out what it is. For some reason I feel that it is very important for me to remember this. But what is it exactly that I forgot? What was that that Ryoko had said her reason for attacking me at school had been? Something about me "forgetting" her?'
Tenchi was getting frustrated with himself. He wished he could "remember" Ryoko for her sake if that's what she wanted. Tenchi then decided to look for Ryoko by the Shrine.
'Oh, man, I just wish I could remember, but until I do I have to work with what I know. Ryoko is my friend and as long as she keeps avoiding the things that bother her by running away she is only going to get hurt more in the long run because she will never be able to move on. I have to find her and talk to her about everything that has been happening. But I'm running out of places to look for her and it's getting late. I suppose I could try the roof…'
Tenchi got his ladder out from the shed and climbed up to see if Ryoko was on the roof. He was almost sure she would be there, but to his dismay she wasn't there either.
'Damn she's not here. I was almost sure of it! It's weird but with everything that has been happening lately I feel like I've learned more about Ryoko but at the same time I feel like she's pushing me away! Damn it, and I feel like this is my entire fault. If only I had the guts to be open with my feelings and just express them as they came to me I probably wouldn't be in this mess. There were plenty of times that I wanted to say something more to Ryoko but always held back. I need to start following my heart before I lose her.' Tenchi thought as his mind raced. Tenchi was beginning to get worried too, he had been searching for Ryoko for hours and he still couldn't find her. Where on earth could she be?
'What if she'd not on earth at all? What if she went back to space?' Tenchi sighed he knew he was overreacting but at the moment he didn't care. Where could he look for her though? He had looked everywhere, unless…
Tenchi ran as fast as his legs would carry him, until he ended up at the cave where he had first released Ryoko.
'Why did I come here of all places to look for Ryoko? Sure, I released her here but there would be no reason why she'd ever come back here. But for some reason I feel like her presence should be here. I wonder why?…"
"Tenchi?" A soft feminine voice called.
"Huh?" For a moment Tenchi thought he was dreaming, an eerie voice just coming out of thin air like that, although that didn't seem too far-fetched to Tenchi.
"Tenchiiiiii" Ryoko said as she swooped down and wrapped her arms around Tenchi's neck. "I missed you Tenchi!" said Ryoko.
"Yeah, me too, Ryoko." Tenchi said smiling at her.
"You…you did?" Ryoko asked, a puzzled expression on her face. There was something different about Tenchi but she couldn't quite place it.
Instead of pulling out of Ryoko's embrace Tenchi turned to face her, making Ryoko blush madly.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about something Ryoko."
"Really Tenchi what about?"
"Well, I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm about to say. But I feel I need to tell you this so you don't do something stupid like leave" Tenchi began to say in what he hoped sounded in an off hand voice.
"What is it Tenchi?"
"Well, I somehow got the impression that you think I've chosen Ayeka already when really I haven't made that decision yet."
"Really? You mean you haven't chosen Ayeka over me? I still have a chance?"
"Yeah, you have a chance," said Tenchi. 'A very good one'
"Ohhh Tenchi that makes me so happy! I really thought that you had chosen her and that I was just in the way and everything."
"Where did you get this idea anyways?"
"Well, it kind of came to me in that nightmare I had, but it seemed so real…"
"But it was just a dream, Ryoko"
"Yeah, but there was some truth in it anyways"
"What do you mean?"
Ryoko stayed silent.
"You know you should be able to talk to me about these kind of things. Especially if you say you love me"
"I know Tenchi but forget it, it's not important. Sometimes it's best to let go of the past."
"Is something from your past still bothering you?"
"Well, I've come to a decision about something that may have an impact on whether or not my past continues to prey on my mind, body, and soul like its been doing lately. I've decided to go to Washu and see if she can get give me my sense of taste back. I think that this constant reminder of something that Kagato did to me is one of the things that's stopping me from letting go and moving on."
"I'm glad you've decided to stop running and face your fears, Ryoko. That's the only way they'll be able to be gone for good you know?"
"I really hope so Tenchi. Thanks for your support."
"It's no problem. I only wish I could do more. Ryoko, I want you to know that I'm here for you. I still get the feeling that you're holding back some things from me that maybe you'd like to share?"
"I don't know Tenchi. When I'm ready, I'll tell you about my past. But I just have to know a few things first" said Ryoko. 'I need to know if you love me before I reveal my past to you Tenchi or else I feel I'll surly lose you.'
"Ok, Ryoko, you know I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want to do."
"I know Tenchi and that's why I love you. You have such a king heart."
Ryoko leaned in and tried to kiss Tenchi but he wasn't ready for that yet so pulled away from Ryoko. He could hear Sasami in the background calling for dinner. Tenchi may have kissed Ryoko if it hadn't been for that reminder of what was back at home-the hearts of all the other girls that loved him. He couldn't be so selfish and kiss Ryoko like this before confronting the girl's with a formal decision about whom he loved.
"Uh, Ryoko I'm sorry…"
Ryoko's feelings were hurt when Tenchi pulled away from her. She was so sure he would have let her kiss him at that moment that she just had to try, but she was wrong. Just like how she was wrong about everything else in her life. Ryoko tried not to look too disappointed even though her heart was broken. Tenchi all of a sudden felt very guilty as he stood their looking at Ryoko trying to conceal her feeling. In a moment of inspiration Tenchi decided to comfort Ryoko instead of just leaving things as they were.
"Ryoko I'm sorry for leading you on like that. But I need to be open with you with my feeling before I can know how I feel about you. I didn't mean to hurt you." Tenchi brought Ryoko into an embrace as she put her head on his shoulder. Tenchi also noticed that Ryoko was biting her lip trying to hold back a sob. "You know Ryoko it's not a sin to cry…"
Ryoko had vowed to herself never to cry in front of Tenchi so that he wouldn't see her as weak. She couldn't decide what to do, it seemed she was between and rock and a hard place.
"Tenchi…if I do…you won't think I'm…weak…will you?"
Tenchi pulled Ryoko back to look at her.
"You could never be anything but strong in my eyes Ryoko. No matter what you do."
With that Ryoko clutched Tenchi to her and began to sob into his chest. All those years of Kagato telling her to suppress her emotions or that she had none. Telling her that emotions make you weak. Telling her that emotions can be used against you. It all seemed to be unimportant, right now even though Ryoko was crying she felt the strongest that she ever felt. For the first time she was doing something she truly felt was right. It wasn't wrong to express your emotions to the one you love. It wasn't wrong to love either. To love someone was a wonderful feeling, and even if they responded to that love in friendship alone Ryoko thought that was a start.
Ryoko for the first time since she was freed from the cave felt truly free-she was beginning to understand what having freedom was all about-it wasn't just one big party. Slowly she was understanding that the restrictions she had lived under those 2000 years with Kagato did not have to follow her anymore. She could make her own decisions now; she was now in control of her own life. Ryoko also realized what a big responsibility this was because how do you know where to draw the line about certain things. Ryoko still wasn't sure just how much of her emotions she could get away with showing without seriously damaging her pride. She still had a long way to go…
"Tenchi thanks for comforting me." Ryoko said as she wiped her tears away and stood back from Tenchi.
"Any time my Ryoko" 'I wish I could have held on to her like that, forever'
****
Meanwhile at Tokimi's Lair…
"Well, Z do you have anything you'd like to tell me," asked Tokimi.
"No my Lady, I do not." Z responded kneeling before Tokimi.
"I believe you are lying. Why would you lie to me Z?" Tokimi asked giving Z a penetrating stare.
"I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean, my Lady?" stuttered Z. 'She couldn't know about me and Ryoko going on a date could she?'
"I believe that you have underestimated my power, or rather, the power I have over you. I know all about you're little "date" with Ryoko."
Z stood there too shocked to say anything. What was he going to do now?
"And I want to thank you, Z. You managed to get some very valuable information for me."
"I...I did?"
"Yes, the information you were so skillfully able to retrieve for me will help me in my next plan to get rid of Ryoko."
"I'm…glad to have been of some help, my Lady."
"No you aren't. But that doesn't matter, all that matters is that you did exactly what I expected you to do."
"Do you really hate her so much to kill her? I mean, shouldn't a Goddess such as yourself have the power to just capture Ryoko. I'm sure she isn't as powerful as you are. It would be easy to" started Z.
"Silence! I have already told you that we cannot underestimate her! If you must know I have foreseen my death at her hand!"
"Really? my Lady. But how is that possible?"
"What I foresaw was Ryoko with 10 Light Hawk Wings and I myself can only produce 9! If she manages to form the Light Hawk Wings there will be no defeating her. So now to you understand? You fool! Remind me why I brought you back from the dead anyways?"
"To be your Champion, my Lady"
"Yes," said Tokimi. 'This boy only knows half of the reason why I chose him to be my champion. If all goes well his identity will come in handy when trying to defeat Ryoko.' Tokimi smiled to herself.
"What exactly are you planning for Ryoko next, my lady?" asked Z.
"Well, since it's thanks to you that I came up with this glorious plan I will tell you…." Tokimi said as she began to tell Z her plan. Z listened in horror as he listened to the plan.
'Its seems that this plan is fool proof.' Z thought as he looked down at the floor hanging his head in shame. 'Ryoko, why did you have to trust me? It would have been better if we had not become friends. This is all my fault.'
****
Back at the Masaki house…
Tenchi and Ryoko headed back to the house together.
As they entered they saw that everyone was already having dinner, including Raiden.
"Hey, I hope you guys saved us some." Ryoko pouted.
"Of Course, we saved some food for you and Tenchi, Ryoko." Sasami said smiling and the two of them.
Washu was also seated at the table and so Ryoko spoke to Washu through their mind link, 'Washu, after dinner can I see you in your lab? There is something I want to talk to you about.'
'Sure thing Ryoko, but only if you call me "Mom"!' responded Washu.
Ryoko balled up her fists but decided if she was really going to go through with this she needed Washu to be in a good mood.
'Ok, mom.' Ryoko responded giving in.
Washu smiled back at Ryoko as she huffed and took her place next to Tenchi at the table.
"Man! This is the best food I've ever tasted!" complimented Raiden.
"Thanks, Raiden." Sasami said blushing.
"Hey, I thought you said my food was the best hmmm?" said Ryoko.
"Uh, you both are good cooks, babe." Raiden said winking at Ryoko.
"That demon woman can't cook. What do you mean you tried something she made and liked it?" demanded Ayeka.
"Well, Princess it wasn't Sasami that cooked breakfast this morning, you know."
"Yeah, sis the food was already done by the time I came down this morning. I was wondering who decided to cook breakfast for all of us. It sure was good wasn't it?"
Ayeka starred at Sasami in disbelief. She had eaten something Ryoko cooked and liked it.
'Maybe I should ask the demon-woman for a few pointers. When I become Tenchi's wife I'll need to be able to cook for him.' Ayeka thought as she daydreamed about her life with Tenchi.
"Well, I have to say Ryoko I'm surprised that was your cooking. Maybe you can show me how you made your Sukiyaki (beef Jap. Style) dish. I must say I've never tasted anything like it before." Ayeka said.
"Sure thing, Princess. But I think you have a long way to go before you can cook as good as me," said Ryoko.
A vein started to pop out of Ayeka's forehead.
"What are you saying demon? Are you saying you're a better cook than me?!"
"I think we've already established that one, Princess."
"Ohhhhh I'll show you that I know how to COOK!" Ayeka said as she began to power up her logs.
"Bring it on, Princess. It's been a while since I got to kick your butt!"
"Girls please," began Tenchi.
"Yeah, Girls PLEASEEEEE Hot Chicks fighting turns me on!" cheered Raiden.
Tenchi looked at Raiden shaking his head, 'Isn't there anything else this guy thinks about.'
"I am not a chick!" said Ayeka turning to Raiden.
"Neither am I!" agreed Ryoko also turning to Raiden.
Raiden gulped. "Uhh, Babes? Senoritas? Dolls? Broads?" Suggested Raiden as the girls shook their heads after each word he tried.
"I happen to be a "Lady" for your information," said Ayeka powering up her logs.
"LETS GET HIM!" yelled Ryoko.
Both girls unleashed their attacks at Raiden.
Tenchi couldn't help but smile, 'This guy got what was coming to him.'
A slightly singed and dazed Raiden looked at Ayeka with dreamy eyes, "That's one feisty Lady!"
****
After dinner was finished everyone went to bed, while Ryoko and Washu headed towards the lab. On his way up the stairs Tenchi gave Ryoko a wink as if to say, "Good Luck".
Ryoko returned his wink with a smile.
They entered the lab and Washu motioned for Ryoko to sit on an extra floating chair.
"So what's up?" asked Washu.
"I wanted to ask you for your help," began Ryoko.
"Really? My daughter is finally coming to me for help! Ohh is this about how to get Tenchi because I have a few ideas that might work, like"
Ryoko cut Washu off, "No, Washu, that's not it. You see it has something to do with Kagato."
"Kagato?" Washu said becoming serious.
"When he had control over me he took away my sense of taste. I was wondering if you could figure out how to reactivate it."
"You're asking me if I can give you your sense of taste back? Hahaha! That should be easy for me! I'm a genius. So let see…Kagato used your gems to control you…so all I have to do is access your gem and use it to hack into your system. Once inside I should be able to find the problem and fix it from there!"
"You make it sound so simple."
"Well, it should be! Go and lay down on that table over there and we'll get started." Washu said motioning to a metal table in the center of the lab.
"Ok," responded Ryoko hesitantly. Ryoko hated being in Washu's lab, let alone being on one of her metal tables. "Just don't pull any monkey business ok? I'm trusting you…mom."
Washu looked at Ryoko in shock. She had just used the term "mom" to refer to her of her own free will!
'My Little Ryoko. I'm sorry I haven't been a very good mother. You must think I only see you as an experiment. But my running experiments on you is the only way I get to be close to you. I only wish I could find some way to tell you this." Washu thought looking at Ryoko.
Ryoko lay back on the metal table and restraints automatically appeared.
"Are these really necessary?" Ryoko said referring to the metal-bands that had appeared around her arms and legs.
"I'm afraid so, during such a process as this one I don't really know how your body is going to respond. It's just a precaution though. You're in luck, Ryoko, I actually have in my possession the control-device that Kagato used to hack into your gems and then in turn control you."
"What? How did you get it? I never saw that Kagato had any such device?"
"That's because it was inside him, and when Tenchi destroyed Kagato the control-device was left behind. I just happened to pick it up while everyone was trying to get to Tenchi first and see if he was ok. I didn't figure out what it is until a couple of days ago actually. It's strange it's like the information just came to me."
"Well, that's good but how to you plan to use it. Kagato activated the control-device using him mind I presume."
"I plan to use my computer."
Washu pulled out the control-device and connected it to her computer. According to the data Washu was observing, she could practically do anything to Ryoko she wanted from turning her hair pink to giving her have bunny ears. Washu had to use a lot of self-restraint not to try one of these things out on Ryoko for fun. Finally she found out how to reactivate and deactivate certain senses. She decided to try and restore Ryoko's sense of taste before looking and seeing what other options there were. A light flashed on the computer as Ryoko's gem began to glow. Soon Ryoko felt that same burning sensation on her tongue as she had the last time Kagato had done this to her. Then her gem stopped glowing and the light on the computer screen stopped flashing. Washu had done it.
"Did…did it work?" asked Ryoko.
"Hold on let me just check and see if all your functions are working properly…"Washu trailed off and she continued to browse through Kagato's control device. There were just so many options of crazy things Washu could do to Ryoko; Washu was itching to try at least one of them. Washu thought Ryoko would look so funny with bunny ears.
Suddenly Washu's computer went on the fritz, went off and then came back on again.
"Is something wrong, Washu?" Ryoko asked from the table.
"Hmmm I don't think anything is wrong…what's this…" Washu said as she looked at the data that had been brought up.
'Hmmm it says I can deactivate Ryoko's regenerative capabilities…I wonder what that would do? Would that mean Ryoko would bleed when she was hurt…maybe I could figure out why when she faced those other demons she bled…I'm sure Ryoko wouldn't even miss this power…I mean it's all for the sake of research!" Washu thought to herself as she decided that she would deactivate Ryoko's regenerative capabilities for a while.
Again Ryoko's gem glowed and Ryoko felt a pain shoot through her entire body. She screamed and then suddenly the pain stopped.
"Washu what was that?" demanded Ryoko.
"Uh...nothing. You're done now, you can go." Washu said hastily as she began to feel guilty about what she had just done. But then again, she could always reverse it after she had taken enough data and observations for her research. Washu deactivated the restraints on Ryoko and Ryoko got up from the metal table.
"Well, thanks Washu for helping me out. There's just one more thing." Ryoko said.
"What is it Ryoko?" began Washu.
"This." Ryoko said as she grabbed the control-device away from Washu and crushed it one-handed.
"Ryoko no!" Washu yelled as she realized what Ryoko had just done.
"I had to Washu. This way no one can ever control me again."
'Oh, God what have I done' thought Washu.
****
Ryoko went to bed on her rafter feeling like shit. Her body ached all over and she couldn't understand why.
'It should have only affected my mouth…right? I'll have to wait until tomorrow for my sore mouth to go away before I decide to try some food. I wonder how good Sasami's cooking really is…" Ryoko thought as she drifted to sleep.
****
Meanwhile outside of the Masaki house a mysterious figure was watching Ryoko…
"So the caged bird is free…but not for long…I am coming for you, my Ryoko."
****
End of Chapter 6!
This had more drama than action but my next chapter will be filled with action, adventure and romance! And that's what I love! It's all about the balance.
So what's Washu going to do now that Ryoko destroyed Kagato's control-device?
How will Ryoko get her regenerative capabilities back now?
Does this make Ryoko more vulnerable?
And who's the mysterious figure that was watching Ryoko? Are his intentions good or bad? I guess we'll just have to find out in my next chapter won't we?!
Don't forget to REVIEW!