"Stop, stop," Ryoko said as she held up her hands.
"What is it?" Washu asked as she paused in mid-story.
"Can we take a break? Pick up tomorrow or something?" Ryoko asked as she wrinkled her face slightly.
"Too much at once, huh?" Washu asked with a small smile.
"Way too much at once," Ryoko said as she looked at her hands that were folded in her lap.
"If that's what you want," Washu said.
"Just one thing first. You said I was loved and I'm sorry I had acted the way I did before, but it's kind of a hard concept for me to accept. Were you really as loving as you make it sound?" Ryoko asked in a skeptical tone. Washu smiled slightly, hiding the hurt she felt from that statement before nodded her head.
"I was. Many believed that I was over protective of you, and I believe I was at times, but that's because I worried about you. Ryoko, you have not the slightest idea of how guilty I felt for what I had done, and protecting you was the only way I could make up for it," Washu said.
"Than how did Kagato get hold of me if you were so protective?" Ryoko asked. Washu stared at her for a moment before smiling slightly and chuckling to herself.
"You said you wanted to take a break and I have to agree with you, Ryoko. We can discuss this tomorrow, okay?" Washu said as she gave Ryoko a tired look. Ryoko let out a sigh and nodded her head reluctantly, seeing she had changed her mind. This was a lot to take in at once, but she was so curious. This, at least, gave her time to think about what's been told to her.
***
Ayeka sat in the living room with Sasami and let out a sigh as Sasami refused to look up at her. No one had showed for dinner and they had dined alone, much to the little girl's dismay.
"Sasami, I'm sure they have good reason," Ayeka said, trying to cheer her sister up in some way. Sasami shrugged her shoulders and remained silent. Ayeka was about to further back the others up but stopped when Tenchi entered the room with Ryoko and Washu in tow.
"Is dinner ready?" he asked.
"It was ready over two hours ago," Ayeka said in a distasteful voice.
"But the leftovers are in the fridge," Sasami said, finally saying something after an evening of depressed silence.
"Thanks, Sasami. Sorry we didn't show up sooner. There were a few things we had to help Washu with and they couldn't wait. We're really sorry," Tenchi said as he scratched the back of his head with a nod of agreement from the two women behind him. Sasami let out a sigh and smiled before jumping up and running into the kitchen to prepare the leftovers.
"Ryoko, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ayeka said before the pirate entered the kitchen. She looked over at Ayeka and raised an eyebrow at her and smirked sarcastically.
"The princess wants to talk? That's a first," she chortled. Ayeka ignored the comment and noticed Washu glaring at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned away and headed out the front door, hoping Ryoko would have the decency to follow. They sat on the front porch and remained silent for a long time, neither one knowing what to say.
"You wanted to talk, so talk," Ryoko said after a while, growing bored with just sitting there.
"I just want to apologize," Ayeka said slowly.
"Apologize?" Ryoko asked critically.
"Please, Ryoko. I won't lie to you and tell you that I wish we were friends, because I know we're not and most likely won't be. This is hard for me to say, but I want to apologize for everything I've said to you," Ayeka said, making it a point to avoid eye contact. She had no choice, however, seeing Ryoko remained silent and when she looked over at her, she saw a blank look on Ryoko's face while her golden eyes were directed on things other than the princess.
"You don't need to apologize, Ayeka," she said in a soft voice.
"Why? Would you like me to call you a demon and a monster woman?" Ayeka asked in a slightly sarcastic voice. It wasn't a rude, biting tone, but a truly curious one.
"We can't avoid the truth, Ayeka. I am what I am, and your names are closer to the truth than anything," Ryoko said before disappearing from sight. Ayeka wrinkled her brow and slowly rose to her feet, wondering what she had meant by that. She hadn't expected anything that serious from Ryoko.
"It's best not to ask questions, princess. I suggest you stay clear of Ryoko for a while," Washu said from the doorway. Ayeka turned to see the small woman leaning against the frame with her arms crossed and a flat expression on her face.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"You heard very well what I said. I know you meant well and I thank you for that, but it's best to just leave her alone," Washu snapped. Ayeka wrinkled her brow at Washu and let out a sigh before walking over to her. She would've gone into the house, but Washu was reluctant to move from the doorway and seemed to make it a point of not letting Ayeka pass. Ayeka knew there was more to this and just had to say the right things in order to get her to move.
"Okay, let me think about this. Ryoko's upset about something, and I'm guessing it's something you told her about her past, but I dare not ask about it because I know you won't answer me and I'll most likely be digging my hole deeper by persisting the matter," Ayeka said before looking over at Washu who was grinning at her.
"Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought you were," Washu said before turning and going into the kitchen for a late supper.
***
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Washu had eaten their late supper and were content with just watching TV with Ayeka and Sasami once they finished. Ryoko, however, had great difficulty in paying attention to the present show. Her thoughts were still on that story and with a low, unheard sigh, she stood up and excused herself before disappearing from sight. She found herself on the roof of the house and knew that if anyone wanted to find her, it wouldn't be as hard as they would think. That's what she thought she wanted, though. She wanted Tenchi or Washu to come out and talk to her. She wanted someone to ask her what was wrong. She wanted a shoulder to cry on.
***
Washu had watched Ryoko leave the room with a curious demeanor but had let it go, seeing she most likely wanted time to think about what had been told to her. She knew that all her hardships to gain her daughter's trust after being freed were now meaningless. She would have to start all over again and she knew it. She then stood up and stretched her arms widely with a yawn to top it off and smiled tiredly at the others before her face worked it's way into a scowl at the thought of starting over.
"Well, I'm hitting the hay," she mumbled as she left the room. She walked into the lab and stood there for a moment before giving in and opening a portal that lead to the roof. She stepped through after changing herself to 'adult mode' and saw Ryoko staring up at the sky, like usual. Without a word, she sat next to the pirate and leaned back on her arms while staring at the sick sliver of moon that was peeking out over the lake. Washu then looked over at her sullen daughter and smirked before reaching into her subspace pocket and pulling out some Saki. Not a lot, but enough to spark conversation. She handed Ryoko a small saucer and smiled as she took it from her without hesitation.
"I still don't understand why it happened. How I came about, that is," Ryoko said as she sipped her saki. She usually downed it, but this wasn't a time to get drunk. Just buzzed.
"Honestly Ryoko, neither did I, at the time. I have to say I hate Kagato more than you do for what he had done, in a way."
"You would have to finish your story in order for me to understand what you're talking about, I guess," Ryoko mumbled dryly as she continued to lightly sip the saki in her hand.
"I thought you wanted to take a break?" Washu said with a slight chuckle to her voice as she glanced over at Ryoko.
"I do, so let's change the subject," Ryoko suggested as she handed her empty saucer over to the redhead to be filled again. She then wrinkled her brow as she saw Washu not as a child, but an adult.
"Surprised?" Washu asked with a smile as she poured Ryoko another drink.
"Kind of," Ryoko said after a short pause as she stared at the stars.
"Well, I figured you'd be more open with an adult than a child," Washu said.
"Don't be so sure," Ryoko said flatly.
"It was just an assumption, Ryoko," Washu said defensively. They sat in silence for a long time before Ryoko let out a sigh and leaned back to mimic Washu's position.
"What do you think will happen?" she asked.
"What?" Washu asked as she wrinkled her face in confusion. Ryoko looked over at her and stared her in the eye with such a calm look that Washu felt her skin pucker with goose bumps and felt the skin on her cheeks crawling.
"What do you think will happen to our relationship? Do you seriously think things are going to be the way they were before?" Ryoko asked in a voice that complimented her look.
"No, I don't. I think that everything I've done to build this relationship is forgotten. I believe that I'll have to start all over again. Back at the beginning," Washu said as she sipped her saki. There was no point in lying anymore. At this point, Washu felt as though they were just two people sitting on the roof of a house. Not mother and daughter, but acquaintances.
"And the beginning is a very good place to start. Thanks for telling the truth," Ryoko said in a less caring voice than Washu would've liked. Washu slightly wrinkled her brow as Ryoko agreed with her. Back at the beginning.
"Why lie? Look at what it's cost me," Washu said.
"Cost you…" Ryoko echoed. "You make it sound as if you paid a high price in telling me."
"I did. I paid the price of loosing a daughter so that she would know the truth," Washu said. Ryoko snorted at her and turned her head away with a smirk on her face.
"I see what you're doing, Washu. I'm not going to give in to your guilt-trip," Ryoko said as she looked up at the stars again. She had forgotten about her saki and was now content with just sitting on the roof with the scientist. She had hoped that either her or Tenchi would come out and talk to her, but now that one of them was here, she changed her mind. Actually, if it had been Tenchi, she would have no problem, but not this woman. She didn't hate her, but she was upset that everything she'd been told was a lie. Washu had lied to her, straight-faced and had let her live that lie, causing her pain that wasn't necessary.
"I don't blame you for being upset, Ryoko, but…can you blame me for being upset as well? It's not like my life was any easier than yours," Washu said. Ryoko looked over at her and saw that she wasn't looking at her as she spoke, but twirling a strand of her hair as she tilted her head back casually. Ryoko took in her appearance and tilted her head as she mentally made comparisons between her and this woman. They looked a lot alike, and Ryoko couldn't deny the fact that she was her mother because any sane person could see the resemblance.
Looks don't mean anything. Just because we look alike doesn't mean I'm going to love her like a mother Ryoko thought to herself after making sure her end of the link was securely closed. She watched as Washu continued to avoid eye contact and gently chewed the inside of her lip as the redhead still played with her hair. Her eyes darted across the sky, looking at the stars and Ryoko knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying not to cry. She then felt obligated to change the mood, seeing she had brought on the subject that had caused this reaction.
"Any saki left?" Ryoko asked as she pointed over at the bottle resting near Washu's free hand. Without looking at Ryoko or even lowering her head, she handed it to Ryoko and made it clear she had to pour her own. Ryoko didn't exactly expect a reaction like that, but took the bottle, even though she didn't really want any.
"I can't believe it," Washu said softly as she gazed at the stars above.
"What is it?" Ryoko asked, glad that the scientist was doing the chore of hopefully changing the topic. Washu pointed a long, slender finger at a group of stars and smiled to herself.
"See that cluster of stars right there?" she asked. Ryoko glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk.
"There's a lot of stars up there, Washu. I'm not a mind reader, you know" she said sarcastically. Washu shot her a hard look before turning her eyes back to the sky.
"You know where I'm pointing, Ryoko," she said impatiently.
"I know, I know. I see it. What does it make?" Ryoko asked, looking back at the stars and dropping the attempts to cheer Washu up. She had hit quite a soft spot this time and Ryoko knew it.
"Well, if you look hard enough you can see that the eight large stars form what appears to be a human and those five smaller stars to the left form a Clav pup in his arms," Washu said as she placing her head on her hands while crossing her feet. Ryoko squinted her eyes and let her imagination take over and smiled as she saw the picture Washu described before following her lead and lying back.
"Let me guess. Seeing you're a goddess and you have the power to control time and space, you took it upon yourself to put them there, right?" Ryoko asked, trying one last time to get a smile and rid herself of this guilt that was growing in the pit of her stomach.
"Don't mock me, Ryoko," Washu snapped as she wrinkled her brow over her still wandering eyes. Ryoko let out a sigh and sat up before turning and looking down at Washu with a straight face.
"Well excuse me for being upset that you lied to me about my past, leading me to believe that I was a lab creation before telling me that I really am the demon everyone refers to me as," Ryoko said in a nasty voice. Washu just remained silent and continued her attempts to hold back tears. Ryoko then slammed her fist down on the roof and looked away with a growl as Washu refused to give in.
"Washu, I don't hate you. Honestly, I never did. It's just that this is too much for me to take in and still be able to think of you in the same light," Ryoko said after a long pause. She rested her head on her arms as she drew her knees up and let out a sigh before closing her eyes.
"Do you want to hear the story?" Washu asked after clearing her throat. Ryoko let out a snort and shook her head at this woman's ability to completely ignore what Ryoko was feeling.
"Sure, why not," she said unenthusiastically.
"A sorcerer was traveling to the magic city of Grỳtel and for some reason had gotten lost, despite how many times he'd traveled that specific road. He came across a cave and decided to set up camp in the mouth of a nearby cave, seeing it was ground dark and the wind had picked up. During the night, a strange cry, coming from the depths of the cavern, had awakened him. He grabbed his lantern as well as his dagger, just in case, and ventured in to find the source of the noise while reciting some of his protection spells. He dropped everything in his hands and his chants stopped when he came to a cavern where a large white beast with black tiger stripes and black hair looked at him from her sitting position against the far wall. Her gaze wasn't one of anger or hate, however, but one of worry and fear that came across all too clearly on her human features.
"'Who…what are you?' he asked. The beast remained silent but he could see her face streaked with tears and could hear the quiver as she breathed. He thought about this situation and figured that it was best to help, but changed his mind when she growled low in her throat. His fear of being killed over powered his curiosity at this point, and drew his dagger as he backed away but stopped when she gave him a pleading look. He pondered this for a moment and realized he could work a way around this and find the source of her distress. How, you ask? Easy. He was a sorcerer. Well, he tired everything he knew and congratulated himself as her growls started to form rough words in his ears.
"'My child is lost and I can't find him' she whined, the tears falling from her eyes once again. The sorcerer was fascinated by the creature and rubbed his stubble-covered chin and tilted his head in thought, wondering what spell he could use to find this pup and bring it back to it's mother. This task was a little too large for him to handle without his book of spells and told the beast to wait for him here while he went to fetch it. Upon his return, he found the beast gone.
"'Where did she go?' he asked himself. He then heard a wail from further down the corridor and rushed to see what had happened. He returned to find another beast, similar to the female, viciously attacking her. His dark fur made it hard to see him, but his stark white hair gave him away in the deeper shadows. The sorcerer opened his book and frantically searched for something that would aid the female and finally found what he was looking for. He raised his hand and recited the words, causing the cavern to fill with a bright white light, blinding the attacking beast. When the light faded, the attacker was gone and the female was lying on the floor, injured and dying. He ran to her and tried what he could, but it was no use.
"'Thank you, but it's too late for me. My son is further in the cave. His father had taken him and hid him here. Please find him,' she said, and with that, she was gone. The sorcerer, thinking that a hot bath in the springs and a nap was sounding terribly good right now, trudged down through the cave before coming to a room that held nothing.
"'Little one, your mother has asked me to fetch you in her absence,' he called into the darkness. He then saw what appeared to be a black pup with white stripes, like his father, emerging from a small cubbyhole in the far wall.
"'My mommy? Where is she?' he asked in small squeaks.
"'I'm sorry, little one, but she's past, along with your father,' the sorcerer said. He could see the pain on the pup's human face and felt his heart break for its loss. When morning came, the sorcerer gathered his things and departed the cave, expecting the pup to go his own way, but things didn't happen that way. The pup had followed him.
"'Do you not have a place to go, little one?' the sorcerer asked.
"'I do, but I'm too scared to go alone,' the pup replied. The sorcerer thought of leaving him anyway with thoughts that this was starting to grow into a responsibility he hadn't asked for, but soon realized how scared and alone he must feel. He just lost his mother. He soon gave in and let the pup travel with him and found him to be quite nice company. The beast-pup told him stories of his people and town, all the while leaping up at butterflies and bugs that had scattered at his passing. The sorcerer eventually grew attached to the little pup and found that things weren't as bad as he had perceived.
"'This is where we go our separate ways, little one,' he said as the path split in two.
"'Please come with me. Just until we reach my town,' the pup pleaded. The sorcerer turned away, but something inside him wouldn't let him walk away. He turned around and gave in, following the pup down the opposite path the sorcerer needed to take. He accompanied the pup back to his town and stared in awe at the series of caves that lined the cliff they had come to. He let out a shriek of pain as he was attacked from the back and let out a shout of anger as he rose to his feet again.
"'Don't hurt him! He saved my life,' the pup squealed as he stood next to the cursing sorcerer. He stood up and started in fear at the ring of large beasts that surrounded him.
"'He has saved our God,' they growled in unison, bowing down to him. The sorcerer, confused to the point of shock, looked at the pup and almost fell over as it faded away to reappear as a massive beast with long, flowing, white fur and a long mane of blue hair.
"'You have proved yourself worthy of this race's service, sorcerer. Head my words. Travel to the far edges of this region and I'll reward you with a kingdom grander than any you've ever seen before. Take this and let The Clav serve you well,' the god said before disappearing. The sorcerer picked up a medallion imbedded in a ring f silver and gold on a long chain. He looked around and watched in awe as all the Clav in the town waited for him to speak. He looked back at the jewel and smiled as he saw what had been bestowed upon him and looked back at this race that was his to control.
"Wow," was all Ryoko could seem to say. She was speechless. Washu's voice had been so calm and gentle throughout the whole thing that it seemed to lure her in and it made her anger vanish.
"You use to love that story as a child," Washu said with a wrinkle in her forehead and a pained look on her face. She had always felt love and cherishment towards Ryoko, but since this morning, she's felt nothing but anger. Sure, she had lied and she hated herself for it, but Ryoko wasn't thinking. If she thinks she's upset now, after hearing and believing that everything Kagato had ever told her was true, than telling her this story when they first met would've upset her to the point where she most likely would've drawn her sword on Washu in a more violent manner than she had upon their first meeting. She has learned to control her emotions since then, so Washu had told her the truth, and what does she do? Drops all the love that she believed Ryoko held for her in the blink of an eye. How could Ryoko not see how hard Washu tried to convince her that she was sorry? It wasn't fair. What had she done wrong? What had she done wrong her whole life to deserve everything that's happened to her? She looses her daughter, her son, even her home. She wasn't denying that she's done some stupid things in her life that most likely gave an opening for this hurt, but no ones perfect. She then let out a sigh as she brought her thoughts to a close. Everything she's ever grown close to was always lost in the most painful way the gods could think of.
"Please don't be mad at me. I'm just confused, that's all. You asked for time and I gave it to you, so now I ask you to give me time," Ryoko said. Washu blinked up at the stars with the wrinkle still in her brow, but scowled as she realized she had let the link slip. Ryoko knew what she was feeling and it pissed Washu off to see how careless she really was with this 'link' sometimes. She had used it to aggravate Ryoko, which she felt guilty about, and she could never sit and think without accidentally letting something through.
"If you say so," Washu said impassively, as if she didn't care. Ryoko then let out a short shout of aggravation between clenched teeth and stood to tower over Washu.
"What's wrong with you?! You've never acted like this around me before!" she shouted.
"Well excuse me, Ryoko, but I didn't know there was a specific way I had to act around you," Washu said while raising her voice and standing up to be on the same level as Ryoko.
"What happened to the eagerness to be my mother?" Ryoko shouted, but her shouts had died into a whimper by the end of her sentence.
"Well maybe I've changed my mind about it! Maybe I'm tired of trying to convince you of a love that you always seem to take with a grain of salt!" Washu screamed. Normally, Ryoko would be shocked by Washu's attitude, but not now. She didn't like it and because of everything that's been told, she felt that getting into a verbal fight seemed like a good idea at this point.
"Why are you so mad at me?! Why can't you just act like you always do?!" Ryoko shouted. By now, the others had heard the shouts and were now gathered on the porch, wondering what was going on. Tenchi looked over at Ayeka who raised a finger to her lips, telling him to remain silent and let them deal with it themselves. Thoughts of that small, cramped box entered her mind and she really didn't want to put up with that again.
"And how would that be? How should I act around you, 'daughter'?" Washu spat bitterly as she crossed her arms over her chest in aggravation.
"I don't know! Compassionate, understanding, motherly, pick one!" Ryoko shouted as she threw her hands in the air.
"I've tried, Ryoko! I've tried all those and none of them helped! I spent all my life worrying about you while you were with Kagato and I tried to be compassionate towards your feelings about it! I understood what you went through and was always willing to listen to you, and I've tried my hardest to be the best mother I could without pissing you off so bad that you would draw your sword to my throat!! Look at where it's gotten me, Ryoko! Nowhere! I'm right back where I started!" Washu screamed, causing everyone to cringe at the venom in her voice.
"If you tried so hard, than why did you ignore me as an infant? Why did you let Kagato take me? If you tried so hard, 'mother', than why are we fighting like this?" Ryoko shouted, unable to lower her voice. Her body shook with the anger that flowed through her and her face was wrinkled in a twist of fury, but she couldn't ignore the feelings of hurt at how her mother was speaking to her. Washu let out a sigh as she tilted her head and stared hard at Ryoko for a long time before shaking her head in angered disappointment.
"I'm giving up, Ryoko. I'm through with trying to be the mother I was forced into being," Washu said before turning her back to Ryoko as a portal popped up.
"So you're just going to walk away?" Ryoko whispered. Realization had finally hit her and it hit her so hard she could barely speak. All her life, she had thought she was a creation and a demon that was meant for nothing but destruction at the hand of Kagato. She had always longed for someone to love her and treat her as though none of that mattered to them. She was too stubborn with her own memories and thoughts to see that they were right there in front of her and she only treated them with misdirected anger and hate.
"What else can I do, Ryoko? A person can only loose so many times before they grow tired of it. I'm tired of loosing, Ryoko, so I figure quite while I'm ahead," Washu said before disappearing from sight. Ryoko stared at where the portal was, even after it disappeared. She couldn't move. This had never happened before and Ryoko never even thought for a second that it would. It would always be Ryoko who was the one pushing Washu away, but now the tables were turned. That fight had cost her the love she had wanted all her life and it had only lasted a few measly minutes. So much for a good idea.
***
Tenchi was speechless, as well as the others. They had just watched Washu shun Ryoko. Tenchi then blinked a few times as he cleared his throat and looked over to see Ayeka with her eye on the ground in front of her.
"What just happened?" Sasami asked, still confused as to why that happened.
"I don't know, Sasami. It's best to stay out of it, though," Ayeka said as she headed back into the house. Tenchi then wrinkled his brow and started after her.
"Ayeka, how can you say that?" he asked as he stopped her before she headed up the stairs.
"Because it's not our battle, Tenchi," Ayeka said as she turned to look at him.
"They're still our friends, Ayeka," Tenchi snapped.
"You're friends, Tenchi. Ryoko and I have never gotten along and Washu has made it very clear to me that she's not happy with me," Ayeka said as she pulled away from him and headed into her room without another word.
Sorry if Washu getting mad at Ryoko upsets you, but I never see anyone write about it. It's always Ryoko who gets mad at Washu, so I thought I would turn the tables this time. The next chapter might not be out for a while because I'm stumped. I have no clue as to how I'm going to have Kagato take Ryoko, but I'm working on it. If you have any ideas, feel free to share. R&R