Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! And all its' characters belong to Pioneer.
If-If he stood! Enough of ifs!
He knew a path that wanted walking;
He knew a spring that wanted drinking;
A thought that wanted further thinking;
A love that wanted re-renewing.
Nor was this just a way of talking.
To save him the expense of doing.
With him bodded action, deed.
(part six of, 'A Lone Striker' by Robert Frost)
Author's Notes: PLEASE READ!!! Anyways, wondering why I'm sooo nice to Mihoshi? Here's why...
Favorite Characters Top ten
1. Washuu Hakubi
2. Ryouko Hakubi
3. Minagi Hakubi
4. Ryo-ohki Hakubi
5. Mihoshi Kuramitsu (SEEE!!! Mihoshi's no. 5! Don't ask why, I just do)
6. Zero (in Ryouko's form)
7. Sasami Jurai
8. Kiyone Makabi
9. Tenchi Masaki
10. Achika Masaki
(notice all the Hakubi's? Up there on the top?)
As you notice, Ayeka is not in there. Know why? BECAUSE SHE'S A SPOILED BRAT PRINCESS, THAT'S WHY!!! Don't get me wrong, I don't HATE her prepetually, it's just I really-really don't like her because she acts like she can do whatever she wants and gets away with it! At least I'm not bashing her! And, you have to take into consideration that Ayeka is a princess. She's used to ordering servants (dare I say slaves) around to get her laundry, cook her food, help her change her clothes, the likes! Anyways, she just needed to get used to the planet Earth, so now she does chores and the sort she wouldn't do as a princess because she'd probably break a nail.
All Alone (part six)
Ryoko stood alone in the darkness, watching her past for the third time that day. But this time, this time, it was ten times worse. The screams were sharper than before, the blood flashed in front of her eyes like she was in a pure bloodbath of god knows what in it. She felt a soreness on her cheek, her other cheek was drenched, she felt someone holding her, but she couldn't say who.
Cold...
It's really cold.
The summoner shivered, feeling another wet liquid fall onto her shoulder. She could not move, her throat would not scream, her eyes were taped open, and her top was off. She remembered this, not as clear as the rest, though. Kagato had beaten her practically to death, muted her voice box, and paralyzed her body. Ryoko knew what would happen next, and she screamed mentally as Kagato appeared out of the shadows.
No....
Not him..
I'm so cold...
Cold......
Someone...
She heard a voice calling out to her, though she could not identify it. The voice called out to her fiercely, and she felt another slap of pain on her cheek. She felt her whole body drenched in a matter of seconds, and another invisible person holding her.
I can't remember..
No..
I'm Ryoko..
And I'm cold..
Her teeth chattered again, and the silouhette of the figure became clearer. Ryoko wanted to scream, and found again that she couldn't.
Another slap...
Another drenching..
I'm a defective demon.
No...
I AM Ryoko..
I am cold...
Someone help me..
Kagato was five feet from her now, and she tried to shove him out of her mind. He neared her, and then...
She screamed.
Ryoko shot up in the couch, nearly smacking Washu and Tenchi's heads from the abrupt movement. It took her a second to notice she was still screaming, and clamped her mouth shut, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to break out. It was still dark out, and the moonlight still managed to sting her eyes when they smacked them. Everyone was in the room, minus Nobuyuki and Katsuhito. She found herself drenched, and Kiyone holding another water bucket, Mihoshi having a damp cloth. Her cheek felt sore, and she fingered it tenderly.
The people in the room stared at her, she wasn't making a sound. Ayeka watched from over the couch as the pirate layed her hand back down, satisfied that nothing had scratched her. Everyone was quiet, not daring to break the silence that bound them. And then, after a few moments, a voice cracked it, "I-I need to be alone," Ryoko's voice croaked as if she hadn't used it for years. They all watched as she phased from existence, a faint sob echoing before she disappeared.
The half breed reached out but was stopped by Washu, "Washu? What happened? Why is she so upset?" her watchful emerald eyes layed themselves on him, causing the boy to shudder, "Don't ask. She'll tell you when she's ready. I won't go after her unless she calls it. I can't invade her privacy 24/7 you know. Let her think this out on her own," "But what happened? I swear I won't tell her!" her hand met skin with raw force, "Don't ask me. I said she'll tell you when she's ready! It's not my right to tell you! If you're so curious, go ask her!!!" the scientist bellowed, turning around and picking up the soaking towel from the floor, and walking away before anything could stop her.
Kiyone walked back outside and dumped the bucket, surprised herself that Ryoko: The Space Pirate could ever be that soft. She even felt guilt for her, sorry that she ever had that horrific past, and has to be haunted by it every night of her life. "There's no peace for her soul..." she mumbled, unconciously walking up the steps and into her room, shutting the door quietly. She plopped down onto her futon, sitting Indian Style while her thumbs fingernail made it's way to her teeth. The officer stared at the wall, and jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock at the door, "Kiyone? You awake?" Mihoshi's voice entered quietly. Kiyone glared at the door, "...No," the door slid open anyway and she saw Mihoshi looking downcast.
"What's up?" she asked, trying to hide the guilt in her voice. "Can I sleep in here tonight? I need to talk to you about stuff," "Yeah sure, as long as you don't crap in the bed." "That's cruel. I'm not a baby," Kiyone huffed roughly and stared back at the ground while her partner just threw down the blankets sloppily and sat down on them. "So? What do you need to talk about?" the blond officer sat cross-legged and stared into her blue eyes, "...It's about Ryoko."
"Oh."
"She's not a bad person!"
"I know."
"She was innocent. Then that Kagato guy came and took her away from her childhood, or should we say teenagerhood,"
"Are we just reviewing her life?"
"No. I just want to say that she's always been like this."
"What? Soft?"
"No. The nightmares. They attack her mind every single night. But she usually doesn't scream."
"I feel sorry for her."
"Don't. She hates getting pity,"
"All right. I won't pity her, but I still do anyways."
"Keep it to yourself then,"
"Fine. I'm going to bed, I need to think this through,"
"Okay, night Kiyone."
And the two partners fell asleep under the same roof.
Ryoko was sitting on her bed, in the tree house, letting the water trail down her body slowly, not really caring about being wet. She stared at the gem on her wrist as if in a trance, wondering why she still wore it. Her mind was quickly distracted when her door slid open. "Can I come in?" Washu asked, rubbing some dust off her red vest. "Yeah, whatever," her amber eyes trailed back to the ground as her shoulders slumped lazily.
The scientist seated herself on the floor, her adultish body making it look silly in that position. "So... Have you cried yet?" she asked, leaning onto one of her hands as her side leaned onto her knee. "No, I'm trying not to." "You should let it out, it'll only get worse if you hold it in, you know?" Ryoko stayed silent. "Listen to me. I know that your dreams have been haunting you. But try and go on in life! Try to let go like you do around Sasami! And I haven't seen you talk to Tenchi in weeks!" No responce. "Ryoko..." Washu leaned more into her hand.
"What?" the scientist jumped when she heard her voice, and had to put a little joke in, "I told you puberty sucks," "I'm not in puberty!" "Whatever..." the silence went on for about another twenty minutes. A little sob broke into the air as the scientist looked up and saw Ryoko fighting to keep the tears down. "Ryoko... Just let it out, you'll feel better," two lone tears fell from each eye, the pirate catching them before they fell to the ground. "Hah! I just remembered. Before he did "that", you were talking to me. I just remembered." Washu smiled, "Well, your memory's quite good if you can remember that. Do you know what I said?" Ryoko nodded tiredly, "Yes.. You said you'd always be there. You even started talking about what we used to do. I couldn't feel half the shit he did to me because of you," she broke down crying.
"And I wasn't. I broke a promise. I could talk to you, and shut your nerves down for a little while. But I wasn't able to be a person you could cry onto. That bit me in the ass for 5000 years," Ryoko kept her head hung down, letting a few sobs escape her breath. Washu got up and sat next to her, her thumb going up her spine again as the pirate leaned onto her mother again, muttering a few words before the silence came over again, "Thanks Mom,"
Tenchi banged his head onto the wall, almost unable to keep his scream a hiss. "Goddammit. How can I just sit here when she's being tortured like that?! God..." he buried his head into his pillow and sighed. "Geez... I can't believe I'm worrying about her like this. I mean, I like her a lot. And she's always had those dreams... But tonight had to be different, she never screamed like that, not even when I was about to die! Man... It's something to do with Kagato. I need a paper," he hopped out of bed and rumaged through his drawers, pulling out a blank lined piece of paper and a number 2. pencil.
"Okay, what's the number one thing that could freak a girl like her out that way? Well, rape is one... Being raped and having someone raped and killed in front of you... Jesus! Get away from that! I'm getting nowhere... I'm making Kagato sound like a person who treated girls like sex toys. Who knows? Maybe he did." the half breed groaned loudly and let his forehead smack the desk, his pencil lead breaking in the process. He let the things go and clutched his head, messing up his spikey hair even more.
Ayeka tried to get to sleep, and found that she couldn't. Her mind would simply not cooperate with her that night. The princess lay in the bed and stared at the cieling, her headdress' beads falling back, tapping her ears slightly. "Why can't I get my mind off her?" she muttered, rubbing her forehead with dainty fingers. Ryoko's sleeping face had been contorted with fear and sorrow, and when she wouldn't wake up, Washu had slapped her.
She knew it wasn't out of anger though.
Sasami had once told her about a mental connection they all shared, the Hakubi family. At first she though it a lie thought up by the demon, but then she corrected herself when she saw the way Washu's face was full of concern when the nightmare had started. The pirate had been mumbling, something about being cold. Wanting help, and not wanting him to be there. Ayeka presumed this to be Kagato. And she felt guilt, guilt when the summoner had her arms cross over her chest, her breaths become raggady. The princess didn't know why, but she felt that Kagato had raped her.
"If that's the case..." Ayeka buried her head into her pillow and let sleep overtake her fully.
Sasami shot up from the table, her elbem glowing frantically. Her pink eyes full of fear, and the Tsunami half of her talking quietly. Sasami. Do not worry, Ryoko is safe. She's safe because of her mother. The little girl rubbed her eyes tiredly, then jumped when she saw nothing but darkness in every direction. "Tsunami...?" she asked, curling up tightly into a ball. What is it?
"How do I get out of here?"
Just go straight. Washu put a portal for you in case you woke up.
"Okay. Thank you."
You're welcome.
Sasami jumped out of the tables bed-like feature, and ran forward, nearly tripping over the couch when she appeared out in the living room. Her blue hair stuck underneath her as she stumbled to the ground, the lab door closing itself. The Jurian princess sat up, turned around, and plopped on her bottom, leaning on the back of the couch. A soft meow interupted her silence. Sasami turned her head and faced Ryo-ohki, who was kneeling beside her friend, a loose t-shirt and some pants on.
She smiled, "Hi Ryo-ohki. Nice night, huh?" she meowed back. "Yeah, I know. I know. Ryoko had that dream where she... Um, nevermind. You already know, right?" Ryo nodded, then pulled her up and led her to the couch. The humanoid sat down and patted the seat next to her, signalling for her to sit next to her. Sasami sat down and leaned into her, not for any reason. The cabbit, to say none the less, was startled.
"What? I'm just tired. I had a humongous talk with my heart. And I want to talk to Ryoko when she comes back," (Note: Ryo-ohki and Sasami are strictly PLAYMATES. They are not gay in any way. AT ALL) her mouth stretched into a yawn, and she pulled back from the humanoid, who was still startled by her actions. Sasami stretched her arms, then rubbed some drool threatening to fall out of the side of her cheek. "You know what? I'm hungry, and I'm really thirsty too," Ryo fell over.
The princess stumbled into the kitchen, her pink eyes half closed, and opened the fridge slowly, blinking blindly as the light attacked her eyes. She rubbed them hard, then snatched a bagel and some cookies for a snack. Sasami closed the fridge, sighing in relief that the light was gone. She tossed Ryo-ohki the cookies, not really in the mood to eat sweets. They settled down outside the front door, gazing at the stars as the clouds and the silhouette of the ship went by.
Ryoko and Washu walked back to the house, not saying a word to each other becuase they were tired. A half an hour went by and the summoner spotted the two people leaning up against the house, asleep. "Look! Sasami's up!" the pirate dragged her mother tiredly, and stopped in front of the two. Washu slumped, her shoulders sagging, "Yeah, okay... Let's get them inside before they catch a c-c-cold..." she yawned on the last word.
"All right. You take Ryo, I'll take Sasami," Ryoko knelt over and picked the princess up, cradling her gently. The scientist did the same to Ryo-ohki, though almost falling over with the doubled weight on her legs, "Good god, she has to cut off on those snacks, she's getting heavy," Washu walked with her daughter into the living room and set them down, pulling a blanket over the two of them before sitting down themselves.
Ryoko blushed.
"What? What're you blushing for, huh?" the redhead asked, putting her arms behind her head and glancing at her through the corners of her eyes. "Um, there seems to be only enough room for the one of us," Washu shrugged, "We'll share then. Or is that too embarassing?"
"I'll just curl into a ball thank you very much," Ryoko stated as-matter-of-factly, scooting to the corner of the couch and curling up into a ball, and shutting her eyes. Washu sighed, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like a few hours. 'Mitis... He seemed so familiar. He looked a lot like Kagato-wha?!' the scientist glanced down from the ceiling, her neck cracking when she felt something touch her. The shock erased from her eyes when she saw that Ryoko had managed to sleep crawl over and cuddle. 'She's probably cold... Oh well, if she screams in the morning I'll say I didn't do nothing. Have a good sleep, Little Ryoko,' the scientist rested her hand on the pirate's back and fell asleep.
Ayeka's eyes opened with a start, the usual banging on her door gone, and she turned to look at the vacant bed next to hers. 'Sasami... I wonder if she's awake yet.' she highly doubted it, but got dressed anyway and went downstairs for a surprise. Her red eyes looked around the quiet room, spotting red and cyan spikes jutting out in different directions on the couch, and some brown and white hair on the other. The princess walked over to the couch and hunched over it, smiling when she saw Ryoko clutching her mother. She turned her gaze, and nearly fell onto the couch.
Sasami!
Ayeka rushed over to her little sister and clutched her sleeping body hard, smiling when Ryo watched them half-asleep. She let go of Sasami and found her grinning goofy like, "Gee Ayeka, I didn't know you cared so much. Gosh," Ayeka blushed, and pushed herself off the couch, her eyes staring at the two Hakubi's once more. "You know? They look really peaceful right now. They've been that way for almost an hour since I woke up." Sasami stated, stretching her tired arms into the air, then scratching her back, "I already ate. But I didn't have enough stuff to make everyone something. So you'll have to settle with snadwiches," the two sisters walked out of the room, helping themselves to some snacks.
Ryo stared at her sister and mother, not daring to go over there and breaking the bond that had been restored, though she readied her ears if Ryoko were to scream. The humanoid got up and folded the blanket slowly, stuffing it back into the crowded closet and sitting back onto the couch, flipping on the tv. She heard some steps on the stars and turned around to face Tenchi, Mihoshi, and Kiyone. She put a finger to her lips, and motioned to the two on the other couch. They all nodded and sat on the same couch she occupied, glancing over to them every once and a while.
Sasami came back into the room and nearly drew a scream from everybody. "What? I woke up last night when you were all sleeping. Here," the princess tossed some sandwiches to all of them, then dragged Ayeka in to sit with the rest of them. They watched the news, a few Comedy Planet shows, and a movie. Ryoko's eyes opened half way, then squinted again and turning her head into something... soft? She glanced up and saw Washu sleeping soundly. 'Eek. I sleep crawled!' the pirate took her mothers hand off her back and found it to be asleep, since it dangled in the air stupidly. Tenchi looked at her quickly before turning to watch the screen again.
Ryoko set her hand back on Washu's lap, then scooted away, trying her best not to wake her up. The pirate sat for the next hour, until she found the redhead had fell over and was now leaning onto her shoulder.
She slumped.
'Oh man. Now how do I get her offa me this time?' Ryoko stared at the tv, trying to shove the thought that her mother was leaning on her. HER! Sasami looked over and smiled at them, winking at Ryoko as the summoner blushed.
The show went on.
Hours went by.
Washu's eyes flickered open, feeling an amazing uncomfortablness in her position. She found she was leaning onto something. A cyan lock of hair was by her face.
She understood.
The scientist shoved herself up into a sitting position painfully, her back cracking loudly. Ryoko reached up and rubbed her shoulder, "Jesus, you'd think you'd wake up sooner. But nooo, you have to wait until everyone but Mihoshi and Kiyone are gone and while I bet butt cramps," Washu snickered at her daughters statement.
The blond haired officer was introducing Kiyone to shoujo ai comic books. The teel haired woman didn't seem to be too interested, but kept attention to keep her partner happy.
Ryoko stood up and stretched, her clothes changing from a striped slip-on dress, to the green and pink clothing on top of it (like in the OAV Ep: 4. Mihoshi Falls to the Land of Stars) the pirate drowsily went to the kitchen and made herself a quick sandwhich.
The redhead walked back to her lab, stopped, and turned back around. 'I'm not gonna hide like that anymore. I'll go in there for when I'm bored.' She stopped again, and shivered. "You cold, Little Washu?" Mihoshi asked, looking up from her comic. Washu shook her head, rubbing up and down her arms, "Ummm, no. I just need to think, I'll be outside if you need me," with that said and done, she walked out front.
At the same tree she sat at weeks before, the scientist stared into the water, unable to get the shivers away. "Why am I feeling like this? It's not cold. I'm not afraid of anythi-" she caught herself in midsentence.
Washu glanced down at the ground, ashamed of herself.
"No. I can't believe I'm feeling this now. Not just when she admitted it and accepted me! Not now!" she clutched at her head, trying to keep herself from crying. "I can't believe it. Even after that incident with Taro I'm still afraid to love, and I'm still afraid to recieve it. Oh, damn it all," the scientist sat cross legged on the ground, trying to regain her breath with steady long ones. Her red hair danced, the breeze cooling off her tired and beaten body a little. A sharp pain in her abdomen reminded her. "Dang. I forgot to change the bandage... Ugh... Pain," her hand made its' way to the gash, feeling around the tender, scabbing, skin, she looked for the sore spot.
Her eyes clamped shut when an undesirable pain shot through her body. She muffled a scream, and looked at her hand.
"Oh shit."
It was covered in blood.
Lots of it.
She was so busy in pain that she didn't hear someone walk up behind her. "What're you 'Oh shit' ing for, huh? Mom, are you all right?" Ryoko looked over her mother's shoulder, and saw the blood. "Ew, you need to clean that. I'll go get some new bandages and some clean water, be right back!" the pirate phased away without a second's thought. Washu mentally thanked her daughter, since she couldn't move proporly without feeling like a firework had just blown up inside of her.
The familiar sound of phasing played next to her ear, and the summoner bent down over her mother. "Um... I'm not really good at this, but could you sit by that tree? I need to get your shirt and vest washed, might as well do it now before that blood stains." she placed the large roll of wrapping cloth nearby and faced her, "Okay, now I know this is gonna hurt like all of hell. Please put your arms up," the scientist was reluctant to move a square inch.
She twitched her arm.
Muffled another scream.
"Oh fine. If it hurts that much, I'll phase it off of you. Now do you want to do this in your lab, or do you not care if you're naked?" Washu managed a smile. Heh, heh, lab please. The cyan haired woman shrugged, "Okay, get on my back," the scientist grumbled, knowing she would have to move no matter what. Moving slowly, the redhead shifted her position a zillion times so she made onto her back, squeaking a scream when the fabric pressed against her skin. Ryoko moved fast, phasing away from the puddle that had now formed onto the ground.
They both teleported to the front of the closet door, recieving glances from Kiyone. The officer hopped up from her seat when she saw blood trailing down inside of Ryoko's leg. "Ryoko! Get changed! You started you period!!!" the pirate almost collapsed in laughter, but reminded herself that Washu was on her back. The scientist even made a small huff of laughter, managing a wide grin.
Ryoko opened the door, walked in, and was followed by Kiyone-on request of course. As soon as they were in, the pirate directed her around, "Press kani number two please," the teel headed officer walked over to the nearby crab buttons, pushing number two. They were immediatly transported to a new, grassy looking area, a small pond in the middle. "D-Did you push the right one? I don't think this is the healing center," Kiyone nodded, "Yeah, I pushed the right button. Ask Washu,"
Walking over to the lake, she set her mother down tentatively onto a tree, setting her down gently. They both stifled a gasp when they saw the gash had unscabbed and was bleeding profusely. "God DAMMIT!!! Kiyone, get a bucket of water!!" Ryoko cried out, throwing the dazed officer a bucket she pulled out of no where, though having no idea how she got it. The officer ran to the lake, guessing it had to pure, and scooped up as much as she could carry.
The scientist was unconcious from lack of blood, and was unaware that they had taken her to her 'thinking' place. Ryoko cradled her mother's head, and concentrated, phasing the bloody clothes off of her, then set her up, so she could take the bandages off. First she took the one around her forehead off, since it wasn't soaked in blood and just needed changing. After that, she tugged her near the lake and washed her off with the bucket of water, wiping away the bleeding gash.
The skin seemed to be peeling itself away, and caused Ryoko to stare at it curiously. The skin fell into a bloody mess on the grass, staining the once nicely mowed area. "Somethings eating her... Her skin shouldn't peel away like that..." Ryoko muttered, watching another flake fall to the ground. An idea popped in her head.
Masu.....
My invention that made Ryo-ohki.
That's it!!
The pirate shot her amber eyes up to meet Kiyone's cerulean blue ones, "Kiyone, watch her for a sec. I'll be right back, if she wakes up, don't let her move, got it?" the officer nodded, trembling a little. Ryoko gently moved her mother's head to rest upon Kiyone's. The summoner got up quickly, ignoring the crusted blood glued onto her clothes, and ran toward her quaters.
"Warning: Warning: You have not entered the password. Warning: Warning:" a computer like voice rang out as Ryoko raced to her old room. "Oh... Shut the hell up!" a little metal ball teleported in front of her. "Enter password. No password. No access." the pirate glared at the machine, and threw the first thing that came to her mind out her mouth, "Little Ryoko!!!"
"Access granted. Thank you for your cooperation."
Ryoko couldn't believe her dumb luck, and watched stupidly as the machine buzzed off, vanishing as quick as it had appeared. Shrugging it off, she threw the door to her room off its' hinges, the wooden piece of handy work falling twenty feet from her.
What she saw.
She wouldn't believe.
"You! What the hell are you doing HERE?!" the pirate shouted, gaping at the figure now standing in the middle of her room.
His face turned to face her own.
He smiled wickedly.
"I must thank you, Ryoko! Without you, I would not have been able to access! Oh and, by the way, I cannot permit you to heal your mother," Mitis said, waving her own invention around. A little thing snapped in her mind.
The computer hadn't been talking about her.
"Why?! WHY?! What have we done to you?!" she cried out, glaring icicles through him.
He merely smiled.
"Of course! You should know, being my royal partner those years ago!"
Ryoko's eyes widened.
"I see, so it is a shock? It must be, since you forgot about me until now. But, my dear sweet demon, I must take your mother back."
"But why?! We've done nothing-nothing-to you!"
He faced her fully, his smile turning into a twist of anger, "You must know full well. Don't ask questions you know the answers to, it makes you stupid." she clenched her fists. "Am I making you angry? Good! Let anger consume you until you are nothing else but dust. You see, I understand human emotions. So much unlike my father did. I must make haste, and if you wish to save your mother, you know where to find me." with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.
Ryoko stood there, her feet rooted to the spot. 'No... It can't be him. Why would he come back now?! He had his chance all those months ago when we killed Kagato! Can't believe a sick bastard like himself managed to take my genes and make his own son. He stole Washu-Mom's idea into making a baby like myself. So that means... Oh my god....' her thoughts trailed off, and she rushed back to the so-called 'healing center,'
The pirate reached it in a matter of seconds, and saw in her horror as she saw Kiyone on the ground, covered in blood.
Washu was nowhere to be found.
Ryoko ran for the fallen officer, cradling her head like she'd done her mothers, "Kiyone! Kiyone! Wake-up! What happened?!" the teel haired woman opened her heavy eyelids a little, gazing painfully back into Ryoko's amber ones, "Sorry... I-I tried to protect h-h-he-er, he was just too strong.. I'm sorry, R-Ryoko," a trail of fresh blood made its' way out of the corner of her mouth, dropping onto the already stained grass with a splash.
The summoner stared pitifully at her for a moment, then picked her up, the gash on the officer's side seeping more blood. She carried her like a baby, and ran back to the elevator, pushing the "real" kani number two. Ryoko rushed forward and set her onto a strap on table, then ran for the computer, punching in a few random keys.
"Identification, please." a computer voice erupted. Ryoko wanted to punch the stupid machine, "Ryoko Hakubi: demon summoner,"
There was silence.
A new, more childlike voice boomed out, "Welcome back, Ryoko," the pirate stared at it strangely, as new icons of drawn pics of Washu, Ryo-ohki, herself, and a younger looking Kagato. She was about ready to blast anything that reminded her of her slave driver. "All right. Gimme some machine to fix Kiyone up!"
"Identify the injured person, and status,"
"Kiyone Makabi, detective first class officer, assigned to the abandoned system, keeping patrol of the planet: 5410, also known as Earth," she stated, trying to suppress her rising frustration.
First Washu now this.
"Thank you. Now state the damage and what caused it, if that is currently unknown, I shall figure it out,"
"She's gotta large gash across her chest, probably caused by a solidified pure energy Jurian sword. A scratch on her cheek and a twisted arm," Ryoko was trembling by now.
A few mechanical arms reached out from god knows where and started working on the officer's mangled body, fixing up the damaged skin and bones.
Five minutes went by and Kiyone was as good as new. "Hey! You all right, Kiyone?" Ryoko called out, rushing to her side. The officer sat up, wincing a little when a dulled pain shot up, she rubbed her temple, "Uh... Yeah, I think. Where are we?" she looked around, staring at the dried blood on Ryoko, "Oh my god! Ryoko, look at yourself!"
The pirate looked down and blushed, seeing that from her chest down, was died in blood, crusted blood. "See! I told you that you started your period!"
Ryoko fell over.
***
Washu scrunched her eyes, seemingly unable to open them she was in so much pain. The place she was in had to be different, the comforting warmth in her lab was gone, replaced by a cold, unwelcoming feeling that might make one shiver if close to.
She could tell by her insticts that she had something on, but the world around her seemed to be in the air.
Wait a second...
In the air?
She opened her eyes, immediatly regretting it, though. Pain just went through her like a bomb if she even attempted to move a square inch. She was right though.
The scientist was floating...sorta.
She was strapped to the wall, strings wrapping around her arms and legs so tightly she thought they would pop off. She felt weak. Incredibly weak.
The redhead wouldn't attempt to close her eyes now, so she let her eyes dart around the room, noticing her gash seemed to be peeling away at itself. "I see... You are very observant, Washu," a sinister voice rang out a little, causing her half closed eyes to glare themselves at Mitis, who was standing on the ground, twenty feet away from her.
He was waving something in the air, but she couldn't focus enough before she slipped back into unconciousness.
***
Ryoko and Kiyone walked out of the lab, the pirate almost screaming at Ryo-ohki to let her in starship form. Tenchi grasped the summoner's shoulders before she could blow something up, "Ryoko, whats-" his mouth fell open when he saw how much dry blood was stuck onto her clothes, "Ryoko! Are you bleeding?! Or is that someone else's?!" the summoner glared at him, "Tenchi! MitiscameandgotWashuandIgottagogetherbecauseherskinwaspeelingawayandshemightdie!!!" Ryoko cried out, clenching her fists and pounding the wall. "Wha-? What did you say?" Tenchi asked, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder.
"I said... MITIS CAME AND MOM AND I GOTTA GET HER BECAUSE SHE'S BLEEDING AND HER SKIN WAS PEELING AND THAT'S NOT GOOD!!!" everyone in the room had to cver their ears from the pirate's sudden outburst, even Ayeka came out of the room, fainting when she saw the blood on Ryoko's clothes.
Sasami watched her almost-like sister try to cope with the pain of getting her mother stolen away again, then watched as the once blood-crusted clothes, morphed to a cerulean blue, vest like feature on top, a blood red shirt underneath, her belly showing, and a dress that went into two flaps at the bottom, colored blue to match the lightest blue she had ever seen. "Wow Ryoko, where'd you get that wardrobe? It matches your hair," the young princess mumbled, motioning her fingers towards the pirate's clothing.
The summoner looked down, and was shocked, "Where'd I get this?!" Tenchi watched her, confused, "But Ryoko, you just changed into it. You don't have any recall for phasing into it?" her amber eyes stared into his own, "Nuh uh, I was just standing there," the pirate shrugged, then turned her attention back to the situation, "Well, when are we going to go? Mom needs our help! She's feeling pain, I can feel it, right up here," she conked her head. "What do you mean? You're not telepathic,"
"Oh, that's where you're so wrong, Tenchi. Like me and Ryo-ohki, I have a connection with Mom, so she can hear my thoughts and watch through my eyes if she wants, and I can see her memories if I'm not too careful, but she's good at hiding what she wants hidden." he stared at her, throughly confused, "Why didn't you tell us? That might explain why you always had a strange face on at dinner, or why you've been so quiet these days,"
Ryoko stayed silent.
Ryo-ohki watched her sister quietly, seeing the summoner had turned away, the bangs of her cyan hair making a dark shadow come over her eyes. The half breed watched her curiously, then remembered what he had done, "...I'm sorry, Ryoko. You have a right to keep some things to yourself, I'm sorry," her head twitched.
"Ryoko?"
"...Someone slapped her."
"Who? Who slapped who?"
"SOMEONE SLAPPED MOM!!! I CAN FEEL HER CHEEK BURNING!!!"
Tenchi had to turn away as the summoner had a gust whirling about her, she gritted her teeth, and disappeared. Ryo bounded toward Sasami, and grabbed her hand, pulling her outside. Tenchi and the others watched as the two ran off, the darkness engulfing them.
The humanoid pulled Sasami through twists and turns, running as fast as she could into area's she'd never been to herself. They ran into a big clearing, where they saw Ryoko standing next to a small pond, her clothing kept flickering between her battle clothes and the blue ones she'd wore a few seconds ago.
The young Jurian princess neared her, but was stopped by Ryo's outstretched arm. Her pink eyes turned their gaze to the humanoid's gold ones, "But why can't I go near her?" she whispered, backing up a bit. "Mya." the tanned humanoid picked up a semi-large rock and flung it at Ryoko.
The rock shattered to abblivion when it reached withing a three feet radius of the pirate.
"Mya, meow, myamyaaa!" Ryo shrieked pointing at the dust that was once the big rock. "Oh.. So she's so mad and tied into her emotions that she's letting her rage and the gems surround her?" the cabbit nodded. "That's horrible! Shouldn't we help? I mean. I'd want to rescue my mom right now if I was in her spot!"
"Mya, meow miyameow mya ay, (that's impossible, if she gets into the inside of me, I'll be turned inside out by the sudden power change,)" the princess pouted, and leaned into a nearby tree, letting the pirate sort out her emotions for the time being.
Ryoko stared at the water, a scornful look on her face, 'I can't believe I can't go right now! I want to go! Mom's in trouble, and if I don't get there fast! She'll... I think she'll bleed to death... Wait a second! If I get into an 800 meter axis from her, I should be able to transfer my gem with hers! Damn! Why'd she give me the healing gem? She could have kept it for herself and wouldn't have to give a crap whether she scratched herself, or gashed herself, she could easily heal them. Instead, she just kept a real gem and didn't give a second thought about it. Ugh! Why is life so damn unfair?!'
The summoner's hands clenched, and the area around her feet collapsed by the sudden rush of energy, allowing them to sink into the crumbling dirt. Her amber eyes stared unemotionless at the water, a ripple of water appearing when the ground crumbled. Her whole world seemed to go black, adn the last thing she remembered, was two forms rushing to her, catching her body before it touched the ground.
***
Washu recovered from the blow to her cheek quickly, but couldn't describe the pain when he punched her gash.
Blood spurted from her mouth.
She felt pain.
A ton of it.
Her eyes were barely able to keep themselves open, let alone look at the ground to see Mitis grinning.
Then it hit her.
His face.
"y-you... what are you doing here...?"
His face twisted into a smile, "So you remember! It took you two long enough,"
It was clear now.
She knew who he was.
***
Ryo-ohki caught the fainted form of Ryoko before she hit the crumbling ground, wincing when her sister's skin singed her fingers with the power still radiating through her. She motioned for Sasami not to touch her, showing the girl her burnt fingers. Ryo carefully hoisted her onto her shoulder, feeling something drip down her back. She set the pirate down, and noticed that the gem was bleeding again, hiding it before Sasami could set her eyes onto it.
Hoisting the light summoner back onto her shoulder, she carried her home.
As soon as the two bodies were close to the Masaki residence, Tenchi came running out, asking what was the matter. "MYA!!! (Will you shut-up?!)" the humanoid ran into the house before he could stop her. Ayeka was up and stared the the two people scamper into the house, setting the form of Ryoko onto the couch. The princess let her red eyes shoot from one spot to the next, still dazed from fainting at the sight of that much blood.
Sasami rushed back into the quieted room and put a rag on the pirate's head, carefully avoiding touching the summoner's burning skin. Ryo ignored the fact that her hands were feeling like jelly, wrapping a bandage around the her wrist, trying to keep the flowing blood from bleeding to more amounts. Kiyone had backed Mihoshi out of the room, knowing full well that the blond officer got sick at the sight of blood. Ryoko's form was silent, her face's feature's etching from pain, to sorrow, then back to pain again as her body jerked under the firm grasp of her sister.
The pirate was feeling.
Feeling what her mother was feeling.
Pain.
Ryo-ohki doubled her efforts into trying to block their link, not wanting to feel the pain flowing through the summoner and maybe into her. The humanoid got the wet towel off her forehead, knowing that it would burst into flames if not sooner. She noticed the couch was singing black and cursed to herself, knowing she'd forgotten that the pirate's energy burst would burn the couch as well.
Grumbling quietly, she hoisted the unconious form back onto her shoulder, running on light feet back to the lake, passing a dazed Tenchi on the way out. Sasami followed her playmate obediently out into the open. Ryo phased the clothing off the both of them, hopping into the shockingly cold water.
She shivered.
The humanoid felt Ryoko lurch forward in pain when the water hit them, the flowing liquid passing on top of their naked forms. Ryo took the pirate and cradled her, floating in the cold water as the others watched them, not daring to swim out into the freezing waters. She floated deftly out there, in the middle of the lake, the bottom of her hair soaking by the minute, weighing her light body down even more. The summoner's acid like skin cooled to the magical touch of the water, the humanoid's skin becoming sore from the recent burns.
It was night out, so even if Nobuyuki decided to have a peek at the girls, he would not see them no matter how hard he tried. Ryo closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to understand why Ryoko was feeling this way. Images flowed into her head as she watched Washu get beaten practically to death at the hands of Mitis. She herself began to have aching cramps in her stomach when her mother got thwacked in the stomach again, seeing blood spurt out of her mouth, staining her already stained clothing.
The scientist was crying.
The summoner was crying.
Ryo didn't have a word to do about it.
Sasami leaned onto Ayeka's warm stomach, hearing her older sister's insides churning against her ear. Her blue hair wavered, dancing in the light breeze that'd now begun. The elder princess had her hand on the young girls shoulder, giving her a reassurring smile that everything would be okay.
Sasami knew better.
"What's gonna happen to Ryoko, sis?" she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as a chilled breeze now swung about them. She felt her sister's body tense up at the question, hardening becuase she was nervous. "I don't know, Sasami... I don't know..." Sasami heard Ayeka choke up at the end, no matter how hard the older woman seemed to think she'd hidden it. Her pink eyes watched the two forms in the water.
'I hope they'll be all right...' she tried to reassure herself that things would be fine, but the youngster found herself seeing things she didn't want to see.
Washu was in the air.
Someone was beating her senseless.
Sasami wept.
Tenchi heard sobs behind her, and saw Ayeka trying to comfort her little sister, wrapping her arms around the shivering girl, patting her back. The half-breed turned his eyeshot back to the two floating in the middle of the lake, seeing a soft, orange aura surrounding the two, most likely caused by Ryo-ohki. His worry turned to anger toward Mitis, 'Damn that man. Why does everything seem to happen to the Hakubi lifeline? First Kagato steals everything from them, now Mitis snapping the bonds that had been set. Jesus christ, what is with people? It's like there's a family line out there in the universe that only resolves in destroying family bonds.. But why? How can they be that damn heartless?!'
He fell to his knees.
***
Washu hung in the air, not even being able to describe what she was feeling.
First of all, pain, but nothing could explain how much.
And second, pity.
Why?
Becuase she knew that she was transmitting the pain into her daughter.
Mitis had left, seemingly bored with toying with his "pet."
Her eyes dangled closed, not daring to move an inch. The gash on her stomach had not grew, the skin had stopped flaking, but the blood pouring out of it was enough to fill a truck below her. Needless to say, she was angry. No, more than angry. Beyond comprehension angry. The ropes holding her to the wall had caused several purple marks to appear on her wrists and ankles. Blood trickled down the front of her face as the smaller gash on her forehead continued to bleed through the bandage. Her lips crusted with dried blood, more coming out.
Wierd thing was, she was still concious.
She knew she had to be, becuase the smell of blood unmistakingly wafted into her nostrils, making her vomit blood and some food. The taste foul on her mouth made her want to barf some more, but her stomach muscles ached, having been torn then used to shove the acid out of her system. Washu was exausted, yet she found the strength to stay alive.
Barely.
***
The orange aura surrounding Ryo-ohki and her sister was a healing energy pocket, created by yours truly. The humanoid had formed it around themselves, hoping the energy would find its' way to Washu over the link, noticing that her mother was still concious. The coldness of the water was finally getting to Ryo, making her almost collapse from the temperature change. Yet she had to stay up, she had to help Ryoko.
Concentrating harder, the orange energy warmed up their naked bodies a little. The summoner's skin had been turning purple from the temperature change, and the cabbit had held her closer, hoping to share body heat to say in the least. The other's had watched intently as the orange aura had increased in solidified form, making their bodies more difficult to spot. The humanoid's concentration grew clouded, as the pirate's body had begun to twitch again, making the cold water shift around her some more.
She held on tighter, feeling Ryoko start to slip. The bandage on her wrist now drenched with a mixture of blood and water. Ryo stumbled a little, her feet slipping on the smooth surface of the bottom of the aura, keeping them afloat. Her amber eyes watched intently onto her sisters' clamped ones, noticing she was struggling to wake up. The humanoid made no move to help her wake up.
The summoner's body became more slippery, as the water made its' way under Ryo's fingers and making the held skin wet. Ryoko started shivering, and the humanoid held her closer, running her hand up and down her arms, knowing if she got out of the lake, the sudden rise in the temerature would send the pirate into a state of shock if she wasn't prepared for it. So the object was to wait until Ryoko woke up.
The body in her arms twitching lessened, and one of the pirate's arms had snaked its' way around her arm, clutching it into a death grip. Ryo winced a little as her clutching soon sent her arm to sleep, causing her floating postion to feel off balanced.
Ryoko's eyes opened.
The humanoid watched the pirate look surprised, her face then contorted and turned sideways, wretching into the lake. Ryo-ohki helped her sister become aware of her surroundings, steadying the summoner's feet so she didn't collapse when she vomited. Her deathgrip on the cabbit's arm had not vanished. The orange aura around them had disappeared, and the two splashed into the freezing waters.
It was then that Tenchi ran into the lake.
Yup, the dark-haired man ran straight into the waters once her heard Ryoko throwing up into the water. He ran, half sinking into the sticky mud. Despite Ayeka's protest to come back, he ran to them, helping Ryo hold Ryoko's weight, ignoring the fact that she was naked. The humanoid silently thanked him, knowing she could not hold their weight much longer if the summoner kept pulling down when she vomited. He carried them both back, wanting to get out of the water before he caught hypothermia. To Ryo, it was natural to walk around naked, so she didn't mind at all when he carried her, but Ryoko was a different story...
Yeah, she didn't mind 'showing off' herself, but when it came to someone else touching her when it wasn't she who was holding someone else? She was scared. The pirate was trying to get out of his grasp the whole way onto the grass, where she wretched once again onto the green lawn. Ayeka ran into the house and got a blanket, seeing the unnatural purple shade on Ryoko's skin. Sasami ran over to her friend, trying to get the feeling back into the humanoids left arm.
Ryoko curled up into a tight ball and shivered, inching away when Tenchi tried to come close. The elder princess came back out of the house, holding a blanket and an outfit she'd snatched out of her wardrobe, seeing that Ryoko kept her clothes in subspace. She gave Sasami one to give to Ryo, who noticied for the first time how cold she was. Kiyone helped with Ryoko, and Mihoshi walked over to Ryo-ohki, both officers trying to warm the two Hakubi's up.
Ayeka only went back to the house to get another bandage for Ryoko's wrist.
The summoner's eyes were staring cold at the ground, not trying to help in holding the towel onto her shoulders. Kiyone was working hard, rubbing up and down her arms and her back, the temperature in her body rising once again. She could tell the officer was nervous, very much so. Ryoko couldn't forget that Kiyone was an officer and she was-used to be a wanted criminal. But the statue of limitations was long past, but people would still hate her and fear the mention of her name around several different galaxies, especially the Jurian quadrant, though they hid it well. She shrank away when Tenchi put a hand on her shoulder, a shiver of warmth running up her spine when she felt it.
Hunching over, the pirate threw up again, shivering once more. Her eyes were drained, there was no more strength to cry. The only thing she did against her boy's will was lean onto the boy, no sob or choke emitting. Ayeka came back out of the house and scurried over to the two, holding out a length of bandage. "...Ryoko, let me see your wrist," Tenchi's soft, warm voice invaded the silence, and she obediently held up her hand without a seconds thought.
The cloth wrapped around her arm was now smeared in blood, the mixture of water making it a brownish red. He tentatively unwrapped the dirty cloth, casting aside, and began wrapping the clean one onto the naked woman's wrist. A soft, drizzle of rain had now began to drop from the heaven's, pelting the people outside. The half breed helped her up, but stopped when she let out a yelp of pain and collapsed back to the ground, grabbing at her stomach.
The boy knelt back down and asked what was wrong, though he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer. The summoner didn't answer, but vomited again, using her other hand to balance herself when her insides were strained. Sasami and Ryo leaned onto each other, balancing the other as the humanoid had her arm draped on the young girls back, since she was too exausted to move anything much. They both watched helplessly as the pirate continued to vomit on the ground, painful yelps escaping her mouth.
The half breed wouldn't give up, he put an arm around her shoulder and another behind her knee caps, cradling her. Not a single tint of red appeared on the successor's face when some parts of the towel failed to cover up parts of Ryoko's skin. He rushed back to the house, feeling her temperature drop against the heat of his skin. Kiyone picked up the clothing they had left on the ground and ran off with them, Mihoshi following close behind.
Tenchi ran into the house and set the sick woman on the couch where she had singed it before. Getting another blanket, he wrapped it around her shivering form, hoping to warm her up some. The summoner's feature's looked dazed, and by the pale look on her face, she still felt sick to her stomach. The room was silent, no one dared to break it either unless provoked. The teel headed officer set the piece of clothing on the cofee table next to her, then backed away.
Ayeka had Ryo-ohki and Sasami leaning onto her, so the elder princess had her hands full trying to balance herself. Strangely enough, she didn't feel jealous of Tenchi's affection being directed towards Ryoko.
The boy kept his hand around the pirate's shoulders, trying to keep her balanced along with keeping her warm. Yes, she smelled like barf, but that didn't matter to him right now. Her pale face scared him, it was like she was the living dead.
***
Washu managed to open her eyes with the newfound energy Ryo-ohki had transmitted to her. And for the first time, noticed that she was in a chapel, much like the Soja's. The pain was still there, but much of it had subsided. Hours, days might have passed since she last felt concious enough to see anything. Mitis had steered clear from here, her guess was that he wanted to have some fun before he killed her.
She didn't fear the killing part; not at all.
It was Ryoko she was worried about.
Her daughter had seen all the things he had done to her, slap her, punch her, even gash her wound even more. But it seemed he wasn't interested in the idea of ravaging her body...yet. She thanked the high heavens he hadn't done that while her link with the pirate was still very much alive.
Washu had shut it off, not wanting her to see anything more or experience the pain that was rightfully hers. But she knew the block would not last under this condition. If he continued to beat her the way he did today, the block would shatter, and all her memories would fly like a broken dam into Ryoko's mind. If there was one flaw in the mental connection it was that one.
So she would be patient, waiting until her saviors came to rescue her.
***
The summoner was quiet, obviously trying to shove the thought of vomiting out of her weakened mind. She was unaware of her surroundings, only concentrating on the fact of what Mitis did to her mother. Aches and cramps had been and gone right through the pirate, leaving her shocked as before. Ryoko had collapsed by the pond because she felt Mitis punching Washu's gut, mixed with the rage she felt, the results were not pretty.
She was aware of the fact that Washu had completely blocked the link, the scientist had obviously not wanted her to see anymore of her torture.
The cyan haired pirate felt a reassuring shake on her shoulder, and her amber eyes turned to face Tenchi's confident brown. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Ryoko," he muttered quietly, fighting down a shudder when her cold eyes laid themselves on his. It was the pirate who shuddered, "...No they won't, Tenchi. I've seen what he's done to her." her shaky voice croaked out, surprising them all. The prince slumped, his eyebrows arching into a twisted look of pity, "I'm sorry... Why don't we get you dressed and have a good sleep? It'll make you feel better, and then we can go get Washu tomorrow. Does that sound okay?" he doubted his own words.
Ryoko nodded, fighting down another urge to throw up. "...All right. Lemme get dressed...... Oh.. Damn." Tenchi stared at her, "What?"
"My power's drained. I can't phase this second."
Ayeka's voice popped up, "I've lent you some clothes, Ryoko. They're on the table," the princess muttered, motioning toward the table, keeping Sasami and Ryo-ohki balanced at the same time. Needless to say, she was expecting a harsh comment.
"Oh... Okay, thanks Ayeka."
The elder princess looked shocked.
The pirate forced herself up, almost hunching over and barfing again. "Hey now... Are you perverts or are you gonna let me change?" Tenchi immediatly blushed, and rushed out of the room before he got a nosebleed. Kiyone and Mihoshi walked to their rooms, leaving a bucket in case Ryoko had to vomit again. Ayeka led Sasami out, leaving Ryo to help with the pale summoner.
The cyan haired woman let the blankets fall, shivering once more when the air hit her. The humanoid helped Ryoko slip on the "un-pink" kimono, thanking god that it wasn't that certain color, or the pirate would have freaked. It turned out to ba a kind of play clothing, the sort that Ayeka would never wear. They both wondered where she got it, but shrugged it off. Ryoko stumbled over to the bucket, hunching over and throwing up again, trying to get it all out instead of in periods.
Her sister helped her balance herself, heeping the two locks of hair out of the summoner's face as she wretched. Tenchi skidded back into the room, holding what looked like a pill. The half breed walked over to her, kneeling onto his knees and waiting until she had a chance to look at him. Five minutes passed and then she stopped, leaning back and collapsing onto her buckled knees in exaustion. "...Here, take this. Washu made it, she gave it to me when I was sick," he handed her the pill and a bottle of water, "She said it'll rest your insides." the pirate popped it in her mouth and gulped it down with a wiff of water, she thanked him quietly and thought of a place to sleep, since she couldn't very well phase to the rafters or the roof.
"So... Where do I sleep, Tenchi?" she asked quietly, rubbing up and down her cold arms. He blushed again, noticing he had never actually given her a room, "Well...I...uh... What about the couch?" she shook her head, "Nuh uh, too noisy. But, beggars can't be choosers." she grabbed a blanket and headed toward the couch.
Tenchi kept his head hung low in defeat, he sure as hell didn't want her in his room, Ayeka would throw a fit for a month through. "Sorry Ryoko... Ayeka'd throw a fit if I let you-"
"Sleep in your room? I know. It's fine right here, not like I'm not used to sleeping like this." the summoner curled up into a ball on the couch and pretended to go asleep. Ryo walked over and slept on the other couch, also pretending.
"...All right. Night Ryoko, see you in the morning," the half breed walked up the stairs.
The pirate waited until she heard the click of his door to fling off the blankets. C'mon, Ryo. We're gonna get mom. the humanoid opened her golden eyes and stared in shock at Ryoko, Are you INSANE?! You're sick, Ryoko! You need to wait! Ryoko glowered at Ryo-ohki, We're going. This isn't their fight. Yes, I feel sick, but the medicine should kick in, let's go! Or do I have to drag you? I ain't gonna control you. the humanoid sighed, knowing she couldn't change the stubborn woman's mind, Just one thing, Ryoko. Write a note, they're gonna be worried sick about you.
"Got it covered." she whispered, holding up a note with Japanese handwriting on it. The pirate set it on the table and walked outside, closely followed by Ryo.
They walked back to the pond, way out of earshot of the people to hear the cabbit's meowing. Ryo-ohki beamed her mistress up, the breeze around her cooling the hard surface that was called the outer body. Using half her energy, she rejuvinated Ryoko so that the pirate could use her powers. The summoner noticed this, and thanked the cabbit before they sped off into space, leaving the blue planet behind.
"All right, Ryo-ohki. Cover yourself in Masu cells, we don't want to be caught just yet, all right?" a meow was her only responce, and then she saw a pale yellow overlap her cencors. Ryoko phased the clothing Ayeka had given her, the clothes making their way back to the planet Earth, and the red and black battle clothes appeared around her, a black tatoo marking the left side of her face. The bandage was now wrapped underneath her battle armor, but the blood was making a faint mark where the gem was supposed to be.
"Ryo, lower the power of your gems. I'll do it too," the summoner concentrated, trying desperatly to shove the power of the fake gem down, it was the only way Mitis could detect them now.
***
Washu felt a presence, a presence she knew all too well.
'No! Stay BACK Ryoko! Stay away! STAY AWAY!!!'
Yet the scientist would not open the link again, also knowing that she'd make the pirate collapse in pain again. The redhead silently cursed herself as she began to vomit in disgust again, her stomach muscles aching even more. Blood sputtered out of her mouth as she continued to wretch, not even wanting to look at the mess she'd made on the floor. In her being concious, she'd also realised she was in a big glass oval, her being encased like an animal inside. Her guess was as good as the next to know how much she had filled on the ground.
She stayed silent, not wanting another beating from "him."
It was pathetic really.
Her gem powers would not work here.
But that was inpossible to do.
Unless...
***
The crystal-like spaceship neared the humongous one, the one closely resembling the Soja had made no mive to suggest that they knew they were even there. Ryo-ohki worked silently, keeping around two-thousand meters away on the command of the weakened Ryoko. Their power had completely decreased, making it almost impossible for the two to even know they were with each other.
Ryoko was tense inside the ship, sitting quietly in the cushioned pilot's seat, hoping the medicine would work its' magic soon. The summoner still would very much like to barf by the movement of the ship, but forced it down. "Just keep this distance and keep putting masu cells over you until I can get over this, the medicine shouldn't take much longer." Was all she said over the course of a few hours. The sun was behind them, and by looking at the Earth she could tell it was about midnight in Okayama, nearing one a.m.
The pirate kept to her seat, apt on rescueing her mother. The only question was how.
Sasami woke up from another dream, out of practice shoving a scream down her throat. Tsunami had told her that Ryoko had gone into space, but the girl was infuriated by the summoner's stupidity. 'How could she?! She's sick! That baka...' the princess knew she wasn't going to get any sleep, so she forced herself to her feet and walked downstairs, planning on making a few sandwhiches to catch up on her missed dinner.
In the kitchen, she noticed a note stuck on the fridge, and Sasami tore it down, reading it.
Sorry for leaving you guys. I couldn't leave mom like that. If you want to catch up, use Kiyone's spaceship, I got it out of subspace for ya. Sasami, if you're reading this, sorry for being stupid. Blame it on my damned concious, guilt, ya know? Anyways, real sorry. I'll be seeing ya.
Ryouko Hakubi
P.S: Ayeka's clothes are on the couch.
Sasami slammed it back on the fridge, almost consumed by rage. Tears welled up in her eyes as she plopped into a chair, hunching over and burying herself in her arms, trying to hide from the truth.
Ryoko slept in the chair, exaustion from being sick of rage and pain now getting to her. The spaceship called Ryo-ohki had rested itself on the moon's surface, rejuvinating its' lost energy for the time being. So far, they had successfully kept themselves hidden, keeping their energy low and the masu cells planting themselve over the top layer of Ryo.
The sun now telling the both of them it was almost dawn on the blue planet, Ryoko forced herself to stay awake, her sick spell now gone because of the medicine.
The crystalized space-ship put another thin layer of masu cells over the top of them, and heaved itself off the hunk of rock.
"Okay, Ryo, let's go get mom. You ready?"
"Myaaaa!!!"
They sped off.
***
The scientist was crying, keeping the sobs choked up.
'Ryoko... You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Please go. Don't come for me, forget about me. Go save yourself, just don't throw your life away. Don't. You're Ryoko the space pirate! Why would you care about saving me?! Why are you coming to get me?! You're throwing away you're life! Don't come! Don't! Please don't! You never cared before, so why now?! Why the sudden change?! You're Ryoko Hakubi! You have to stay alive and marry Tenchi! I know he picked you! I know it! Don't throw you're life away, Ryoko! You have a full 15,000 years to go! You have to live as old as me! Devil Caller! Go back to the Earth! You are Ryoko! The space pirate! The devil caller!
My daughter...'
Washu stared down at the ground, and cried.
***
Ryoko held the worn out cabbit in her arms as she walked through the hallways, knowing which ways to go because it looked like the ship mimicked the Soja's. Ryo-ohki had passed out when she beamed them both onto the ship, most likely caused by giving the summoner a jump start in energy, cloaking themselves in masu cells before they touched the ship, flying the distance there, and also keeping her energy down. Ryoko had to say, that had to be tiring.
She walked down the hallways silently, glad that the haunting organ wasn't playing, or she would have lost a nerve. Instead she heard very faint sobs, and quickened her pace in the direction she heard them from. She fought the urge down to go to the control room and beat the living shit out of Mitis, or so he calls himself. The sobbing grew, but only a little.
She continued forth, almost blasting a wall or two to get to her if she had not reminded herself that it would appear on the censors. The sobbing suddenly stopped as Ryoko appeared in a large room. The pirate looked around herself, notifying that the place held a very much likeness for the Soja.
She heard a choke.
The summoner looked up, then gaped at what was hanging. She forced down another urge to scream at the sight of her mother. Washu had purple marks all over her legs and skin, the gash on her stomach had widened maybe an inch or two, the scientist had a purple mark stamped on her left cheek, where a small inprint of a ring had made itself there. The gash on the redheads forehead had stopped bleeding, but the trails of crusted blood were enough to tell the woman that she'd lost a ton of blood and food, judging by the color of the liquid that would be about knee-high if she stood in it in the glass case.
Her amber eyes looked in fear that the ropes binding her mother had maybe shocked her as well, judging by the electro boxes sealing onto the roof, high above any normal persons eyeshot. The pirate rushed to the case, and nearly fell dead when a voice reverberated throughout the room, "Ah, ah, ah! I will not permit you to touch Washu." Ryoko turned around and saw Mitis grinning wickedly at her, waving her invention around playfully, "Oh? Did I touch a soft spot? I'm so sorry. But... If you truly want to help your mother, then grant me the honor of fighting the woman my father kept hostile for 5,000 years."
"You're just as bad as your father, bastard," the summoner mumbled, "You're nothing more than a shadow."
"Very good, Ryoko! I see he beat some sense into that thick skull of yours after all!" he cried out, flinging the invention into subspace as the his true self appeared, his voice much deeper like it had been three weeks ago, "Well then? Do I have the honor?"
"Bastard," she repeated stubbornly, making sure that Ryo had been flung out of sight before clenching her fists in anger.
"You should watch that tongue of yours, it could get you hurt someday!" Mitis called, disappearing and reappearing in front of Ryoko, his green sword burning the tip of her chin, "I'll ask you one more tim. Do I have the honor?"
"There's no honor in fighting a person like myself."
"Wrong." he slapped her with his gloved hand, sending her spit to the floor as she remained calm, though her insides were having histerics.
'What do I do? What do I do? I'm an idiot, I should have brought Tenchi. No, this isn't his fight, that slap didn't even hurt. He's holding back.'
"Now answer me correctly," he hissed, pointing the edge of his sword back to her chin.
"Yes, you may have the honor. OF EATING THIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" Ryoko cried out, blasting his stomach until it went through, blood spurting from the energy as it collided with the wall. She blasted until she could no longer feel her hands.
The orange energy lingered in the room, the smell of burnt cement filling the area. Mitis stood there, his sword still drawn
He applauded.
"Nice one. I din't think you'd pull that one on me, since I remind you so much of Kagato,"
She glared, knowing she'd been a fool to think that'd done him in.
"Are you ready for a real fight?"
Before she could answer, the pirate had brought up her energy sword and blocked the blow he delivered as he sailed through the air and put all his weight into it. The hole in his stomach had vanished.
The summoner made sure Ryo was till out of there before using her other hand to blast him off, sending him flying through the air like a birdie.
Phasing away before his sword was thrown at her, the putrid green sword embedded itself onto the glass case, making a deep hole in it. "Clever," Mitis mumbled, pulling his sword out as the fluids of blood and such filtered out onto the floor. To her surprise, he cleaved the case in half, the shards falling to the ground in a heap. Ryoko hopped out of the way as Mitis blasted her again, making a searing hole in the ground.
The two warriors stood ten feet from each other, both glaring daggers at each other.
Ryoko kept her sword up, though she was having trouble keeping her legs straight after being sick like that. The summoner floated, before her knees buckled beneath her. Her thoughts were distracted.
Big mistake.
Mitis had teleported behind her and now held the sword to her neck bone, the skin blistering around it as it neared. "Don't move or I'll shove it through your neck, go it?" he hissed quietly, only audible to Ryoko's ears.
He felt someone kick his head, sending him twenty feet away from her.
Ryoko turned around and saw Ryo, half exhausted yet still ready to fight. "Thanks, I needed that," the pirate mumbled to her sister, getting ready to face another attack.
They heard a loud shriek behind them.
Ryoko and Ryo-ohki turned and saw to their horror that Mitis was gripping Washu's head, his energy sword near her neck. "You move and I'll kill her," he said, in a very serious tone.
"Let go of your weapons," he commanded, motioning towards Ryoko's sword.
The sword stayed in place.
"Do you favor your mother's life?"
Ryoko was staring in shock.
"Do it now!"
The pirate clenched the sword harder.
"Now!!!" Mitis cried, slapping the scientist.
"DON'T HURT HER!!!" Ryoko cried out, blinking back the tears.
"Let go of your sword then!"
He slapped Washu again.
"STOP IT!!! YOU WON'T HARM HER MITISSSS!!!!!!!!!"
Three green marks appeared on her forehead.
Author's Notes: Yay! You hate cliffhangers? I do too. But... Too bad! HAHAHAHAA!!!!! The three green marks are referring to the goddess looking picture of Ryoko, is you haven't seen it. Go look for it. Sorry if it was a little fast.