Down by the Lake

Drawn by the sounds of mirth and laughter Tenchi emerged from the tree line to see Sasami leaving Washu's side and turning to run to the water.

"Hello Tenchi, I was wondering how long it would take for you to get down here." Washu spoke trying to distract Tenchi as she watched Sasami preparing to disrobe.

Tenchi turned to Washu just as Sasami began to disrobe. Washu released as sigh of relief.

"Hello little Washu, the house seemed so empty that my father and I decided to go for a walk."

"Nobiyuki is HERE?!?" Washu questioned.

"Well, yeah he was walking next to me a minute ago. I lost track of him the second we heard everyone's laughter."

"Uhm Tenchi, would you mind helping me look for you father?"

"No, not at all little Washu."

"Thanks!" with a start Washu began ambitiously searching for Nobiyuki.

Down by the lake laughter, taunts and splashing continued unabated.

"I am the Water Queen!" Ryoko said as she hovered over the water.

"Well, Water Queen, meet your Empress!" Ayeka said as she gathered her power and generated a monster wave.

"Oh yeah, like that little wave is gonna scare me princess."

"No that one won't, but the one behind it will!" Ayeka laughed at the stunned face of Ryoko as she was blasted by first one wave and then the next.

"Ayeka that was mean!" Sasami said as she recovered from laughing at Ryoko's expression.

"Yes, but funnier than hell!" Ayeka continued to cackle.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT YOU PURPLE HAIRED CHIPMUNK!!!" screamed a sopping wet Ryoko emerging from the water like phoenix from the ashes. Rising high into the sky with the full moon's pale beauty silhouetting her form, Ryoko's gem glowing bright as faint transparent wings shaped at her throat. Ryoko brought her hands together before her, and slowly formed a ball of energy between them as she began to power up.

From his position at the bank of the lake Tenchi's head swung around to see the source of the angered voice. Seeing the naked, winged, wet image of Ryoko, Tenchi could only stare at the seemingly ethereal image above him. "She looks like an angel…"

"Ryoko, she was just kidding around." A slightly scared Sasami tried to cajole the irate space pirate.

"It's too late now Sasami, she way too pissed off. I suggest we all run for our lives!" Kiyone suggested as she bolted from the water as fast as she could swim.

As the ball of energy began to grow in luminosity a channel of water shot up from directly below her into the energy ball. Soon a mammoth orb of water and energy had gathered in front of Ryoko and with a terrifying battle cry she thrust the ball with all her force at the helpless princess.

"Ryoko, NO!" demanded a motherly Washu. At the sound of the words the hurtling ball stopped mere inches from Ayeka's face.

"But Mom she deserves it." A petulant Ryoko whined to her mother, as the ball hovered and quivered with a liquid urgency a petrified princess starrd at it.

"Ryoko I said no! Besides the longer your out of the water the longer Nobiyuki can stare at you!" Washu began to laugh as a shocked Ryoko and energy ball dove for cover under the water's surface.

A shaken but extremely thankful Ayeka emerged from the water into the waiting towel a robed Sasami offered her.

"Thank you, Little Washu."

"Please Ayeka call me Washu, I think it's a little silly for you to call me "Little Washu" when I'm in this form." Washu commented to Ayeka as she watched Ryoko convince Sasami to continue playing.

"As you like." Both watched as Ryoko and Sasami fazed out of sight and then returned.

"Washu?" Ayeka questioned as she watched a now bathing suit clad Sasami and Ryoko return to the water.

"Yes, Ayeka?"

"I thought Ryoko couldn't summon her powers, is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is just fine, my little Ryoko is back, better than ever."

"Washu?"

"Yes?"

"I thought Ryoko needed all of her gems to form her wings and yet just before you stopped her I could have sworn I saw them."

"You did see them, and yes Ryoko does need all three gems for the full power of her wings, but I'm still not sure how she was able to do that exactly but my guess is…in cases of a perceived need either emotional or physical she can for short times absorb energy from the living objects around her to simulate an alternate power source. Thusly creating the faint wings you saw."

"Oh. But then why hasn't she done that before?"

"My little Ryoko has done a lot of maturing in the past few weeks and with the self-discovery came a better understanding and manipulation of her powers."

Ayeka turned her head to stare at the now innocently playful former pirate. Watching Sasami, Ryoko, Ryo-ohki and Mihoshi splashing around in the water made her mourn her own loss of innocence. In a way Ayeka envied Ryoko to have found a way to regain the innocence of childhood. With an adult's perspective Ayeka looked fondly upon her friends and family as they played with an abandon that only the safe, secure and innocent are capable of.

"Lady Ayeka, why do you look so mournful?" Washu gently questioned.

"I sometimes miss being able to play the way they do. The freedom of feeling and expressing everything you feel the way they do. I promised myself long ago that I would never allow the requirements of courtly life to take away Sasami's beautiful personality and replace it with the stiff, reserve required of a courtier. I just wish I could enjoy that same freedom along with her." Ayeka sighed wistfully.

"Ayeka when you were in the water playing with Ryoko how did you feel?"

"I felt…I felt happy…" Ayeka's voice drifted off.

"Did you feel safe, well up until Ryoko was about to decimate you?" Washu questioned with a chuckle.

"Yes, even when I was face with the threat of the blast, I didn't really fear for my safety. In the past maybe, but this new Ryoko is my friend and I'm confident no matter how angry she gets she'd never intentionally hurt me."

"Maybe, just maybe Ayeka despite all your training, primping, and tutoring you've retained some of the little girl deep down inside. When you're around Ryoko you seem to forget all the boundaries and restrictions on your emotions. In a way I think you were meant to be friends. She allows you the freedom of expression that you deny yourself. And you offer her the control over her emotions she needs to become more human."

"Do you think the merged Ryoko is going to be okay?"

Looking at her daughter splash around in the water with Sasami trying to convince Mihoshi back in, Washu gently smiled. "Yes I do. Look at her; right now with Sasami and Ryo-ohki she is the child that Kagato stole from me. It will take her awhile because even now Ryoko is still learning what it means to be human, despite all her experiences in so many ways she is as innocent as Sasami and as fragile as crystal. Ryoko still has to learn the rules and nuances of human interaction, but soon before our very eyes the person that seems so much like a child now will become the adult she was meant to be. And then Ayeka you will see how truly great a genius and mother I really am."

"You really do love her don't you?" Ayeka questioned with a surprised awe in her voice.

"Duh, what else did you expect? Well, enough of this kind of talk we need to round up the kids and put them to bed don't you think?" Washu said as she began to rise to her feet.

"Yes, they are all children in a way aren't they?" Ayeka said as she accepted Washu's outstretched hand and rose herself.

"Hey you're not THAT much older than Sasami and you're younger than Ryoko so quit sounding so old already." Washu said as she began collecting the various items that had been strewn about the grass.

"I know Washu, but sometimes I feel it."

"Well then what I suggest you do is go down there, go play with your friends and be the young lady you are and forget trying to be the eldest. Let Yosho and I do that okay?" Washu said as she looked down at Ayeka with a motherly smile.

Looking up at the adult Washu, Ayeka smiled and then in a complete departure from her usually reserved self wrapped her arms around the older woman and said, "Thank you, I will."

"Hey, Princess that's my mom, you've got one of your own, leave mine alone." Ryoko yelled from her spot in the lake.

Turning to her friend Ayeka replied, "Yeah, well you'd better treat her right or I'll take her away!"

Appearing next to Ayeka in an instant Ryoko looked at Washu then Ayeka and with a slight quiver in her voice questioned, "You wouldn't take her away from me, not really? Mom, you still love me right?" The quavering insecurity in Ryoko's voice and the shining unshed tears in her eyes brought out the protective nature in both Ayeka and Washu.

At the same time both stepped forward to comfort the worried Ryoko.

"Ayeka was just joking Ryoko, right Ayeka?" The princess vigorously nodded her head in reply. "There's no need to worry, and now that I've finally got my little Ryoko back do you think I would do anything to lose you?"

Shaking her head no Ryoko still looked on the verge of tears. The time spent with her emotions tightly in check was now over and the floodgates of insecurities and fears crashed open. While merging with Zero had released Ryoko's deeper hidden emotions toward Tenchi, this latest merging had released Ryoko's deeper emotions for the rest of the family. Breaking down into tears Ryoko grabbed Washu and cried her fears and desires into her mother's shoulder.

"Washu?" Ayeka quietly whispered.

"Shh, she'll be okay. She's just needs to deal with some things right now, go ahead and take everyone home we'll be there shortly." Ayeka gave Washu an uncertain look. "Trust me this is some thing I knew was coming, I just didn't think it was coming this soon. Go. We'll be fine I promise."

Accepting Washu's promise Ayeka turned and gathered the now sleepy Sasami and with Kiyone's and Mihoshi's help gathered everything and returned home.

After watching everyone disappear towards the house Washu began to comfort her seemingly inconsolable daughter. "Shh, Ryoko it's alright I'm not going anywhere and I'm not leaving you."

"Mommy?" Ryoko questioned through her tears.

"Yes?"

"Do you like me?"

"Of course I do, what kind of question is that?"

"No, I mean do you like the person I've become? After all the things I've done and I've seen, is it possible for you to like the person I am now?"

"Ryoko I've loved you since before you were created and I have never stopped since that time. I am proud to call you my daughter, only someone as strong and as brave as you could have survived all that you have and still come back with a smile and hope for the future. I'll be the first to admit things between us haven't been as good as they should have been. I will never forgive that bastard Kagato for taking you away from me. You deserved a childhood, you were created to be more so much more than you can ever imagine. You were created to be the answer to the eternal question. You were created by and for love. Now know that love is what made you do you honestly think I would not like anything made from my own love?"

Sniffling Ryoko raises her head from Washu's shoulder and looks Washu in the eyes. "Would you like me better if I was more like Ayeka?"

"Of course not. You are who you are, and I love the person you are, always have and I always will. Now what makes you think I would want you to be someone you're not?"

"Nothing…Mom thanks for everything." Ryoko pulled away from Washu drying the tears that had streaked her face.

"No big deal. Well, lets get heading home before they wonder what I did to you. Okay?"

In silent approval Ryoko nodded to Washu.