Tenchi let out a small huff as he rubbed his brow. He had been trying for the past two hours to find a way to help this situation with Ryoko and Washu, but came up with nothing. It really wasn't any of his business, but he couldn't just ignore the fact that Washu seems to have lost all interest in being Ryoko's mother, which is a shock to everyone. Even Ayeka was disturbed by it.
"Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka said as she slowly opened his door a crack to poke her head in.
Speak of the devil Tenchi thought to himself as he turned to face her with a small, tired smile.
"What is it, Ayeka?" he asked with a small yawn.
"Lord Tenchi, it's getting late. You should go to bed," she said as she entered the room before making her way over to his side.
"I know. But I can't stop thinking of why Washu's acting like this," Tenchi said with a small wrinkle in his brow. Ayeka remained silent for a moment, contemplating a good response, before looking back at Tenchi with a curious look.
"Lord Tenchi, may I ask you something?" she asked.
"Sure."
"What is this 'story' she's been telling you about?" she asked curiously. Tenchi blinked at her for a moment before licking his lips while swallowing hard, not sure if he should say anything. Washu hadn't come out and told him not to tell, but it didn't seem like it was his place to intrude.
"Ayeka, I think you should ask Washu. Not me," he pleaded with a slow shake of his head, finally deciding on an answer.
"I would, but I think she's in no mood to speak about it," Ayeka said with a pale chuckle, remembering what had happened after dinner and what the small genius had told her.
"Most likely not," Tenchi agreed.
"She had told me to stay out of it, but I found that her ways of telling me were less than pleasant," Ayeka said as she remembered that box.
"What did she do to you in the lab?" he asked after a moment.
"Why? Were you worried?" she asked with a small smile growing on her lips.
"I was, yes, but I also realize that Washu wouldn't do something stupid and jeopardize her chance to be with Ryoko," Tenchi said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Not like she cares anymore," Ayeka said dryly. Tenchi realized his words and smiled slightly in agreement, but his smile faded as he thought of the fight on the roof. There had been a lot of words spoke between the two; actually it was more like shouted; but there was one phrase Washu had said that stuck out in his mind ever since.
…A person can only loose so many times before they grow tired of it. I'm tired of loosing, Ryoko, so I figure I'd quit while I'm ahead…
"Ayeka, can I ask you something?" he asked, never bringing his gaze to meet hers.
"What is it?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.
"How do you really think Washu feels about Ryoko?" he asked as he finally looked over at her.
"I feel she doesn't hate Ryoko at all. I think she's just mad because Ryoko never really treated her like a mother after how hard she seemed to have tried. I could always see it when she offered Ryoko her help, but the demon would never grant her the pleasure of being a mother," Ayeka said as her words turned into a sneer. She had never even really thought about how she felt as far as her relationship with Washu, but after that 'box' incident, she found that Washu was really protective of her daughter. The reasons she put Ayeka in that box in the first place was enough to prove that.
"That's what I was thinking. She really has lost a lot in her life when you think about it. Ryoko acting like this isn't helping, either," Tenchi said, thinking Washu's last statement at that fight seemed to make perfect sense. Ayeke nodded slowly before smiling down at Tenchi with a yawn.
"Go to bed, Tenchi," she said as she left the room, thinking about what they had just spoken about.
***
Washu had stopped her storytelling and had left the lab to get a glass of water, seeing all she had been doing today is talking. She had found herself irritated with the fact that Ryoko had followed her and found herself being a lot less stealthy than she had planned on being.
"Are you going to finish?" Ryoko asked as she leaned against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest. Washu slowly looked over at her with a straight face and stared at her with flat eyes, causing Ryoko's skin to crawl. She knew she wasn't mad at Ryoko, but she always provided the perfect situations to vent and it always made her sound like she didn't care anymore. That wasn't true, seeing she cared deeply for Ryoko, but Ryoko had finally reached the end of Washu's patience and she found herself extremely irritated with the ex-pirate. That bothered her, and in turn, it made her mad to the point where she would tell her exactly what was on her mind, good or bad.
"Ryoko, go to bed," she said in a flat tone as she took another sip of water, trying to divert her thoughts to happier things, so as not to explode again but failed. She was tired, cranky, and has had a bad day, so she just wanted Ryoko to leave her alone so she could get some sleep.
"Mom, just tell me. You owe me that much," Ryoko said in a slightly harsher voice than she had meant to use. Washu looked over at her again with the same straight look, causing Ryoko to rub her arms to rid herself of the goose-flesh that had found it's way to her skin once again.
"Don't call me that," Washu said in a soft, flat voice. Ryoko looked at her and wrinkled her brow as she gapped at the redhead who's look was unwavering.
"What?" she asked in disbelief. Washu had never…never… asked her not to call her mom. It was always the other way around, and this effected Ryoko more than either of them thought it would.
"I thought that would make you happy, Ryoko," Washu said, mocking a cheery tone as she tilted her head before dropping her glass in the sink and walking out of the kitchen.
"I don't understand why you're so mad at me," Ryoko said as she followed her mother before grabbing her arm to stop her.
"Are you mad about it, or upset about it?" Washu asked. Ryoko stared at her, not knowing what to say to that one. Was she upset about it, or was it just her anger was getting the best of her?
"That's what I thought," Washu snapped as she ripped her arm away before turning for the lab once again. She hadn't even taken a step before Ryoko appeared in front of her with a deep wrinkle in her brow.
"Get out of my way, Ryoko," Washu said in a soft, yet extremely impatient voice.
"Not until you tell me what I did to make you feel this way," Ryoko said sternly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She then let out a shout as Washu swiftly grabbed her by the collar of her dress while baring her teeth at her with a furious look on her face that was now only inches away.
"Because I'm tired of playing games, Ryoko! You call me mom, but I know you don't truly mean it," she hissed in a nasty voice between clenched teeth. Ryoko just stared at her with wide eyes and a slightly gapping mouth, still unable to comprehend why her mother was so furious with her. Her look then changed to mirror Washu's and she almost didn't feel herself push the redhead off her, causing her to nearly fall backwards over the couch. Both women had failed to notice Tenchi making his way down the stairs with a curious wrinkle in his brow with Ayeka and Sasami in tow. They had been drawn from the shouting and were irritated by it, seeing it was only four in the morning.
"I tried just as hard as you did, so don't give me that shit! How was I suppose to accept you when I don't even remember you?! And what's worse was when you were asked about my past and how I was created, you lied!!!"
"That's because you weren't as strong as you once were, Ryoko! You wouldn't have been able to handle the truth and it's obvious you still can't!" Washu screamed back, falling into another screaming fight with her daughter, knowing it wasn't going to escalate any more than that.
"Guys, please. It's fo-"
"Why are you being so ignorant of the fact that this is just as hard for me as it is for you?!" Ryoko shrieked, unable to control her feelings and letting out a few cries while cutting Tenchi off. She wasn't sure if they were from anger or hurt anymore. Her mixed emotions had blinded her.
"I'm ignorant? I'm ignorant, even after trying to the point where I couldn't even look at you without remembering how Kagato had taken you right out from under me? I'm ignorant even though I tried to make it as easy as I could for you so that you wouldn't have a mental breakdown?"
"Well you did a piss-poor job of it!"
"Why thank you, Ryoko. You know what? I'm glad things happened this way. Actually, I'm tickled pink to hear that I wasted half my life in trying to find you so that I could regain the love you once had for me. I'm glad that things went the way they always do in my life," Washu said in an almost hysterical voice that was heavy with sarcasm.
"You're so full of yourself! My life was a living hell because of Kagato, and here you are, trying to tell me that you're life wasn't any better? Bullshit!" Ryoko shouted as she regarded her mother as though she was about to attack a sworn enemy.
"Well, to me, my life wasn't any better than your own, Ryoko! Having a child and practically worshipping the ground they walked on just to have them taken right out from under you by someone like Kagato before having another child and having them taken from you as well isn't my idea of a happy life!" Washu shouted back. Tenchi let out a groan and hung his head, thinking tomorrow was going to be a sleep-day, seeing he wasn't getting any tonight. These two seemed like they were far from finished.
"Tenchi, do something!" Sasami whispered urgently as she tugged on his sleeve.
"I can't," Tenchi said as he watched the two women continue their fighting.
"That's no excuse to lie about it!" Ryoko shouted.
"I had to lie to keep you from gong on a rampage and hurting yourself, Ryoko!" Washu screamed as she leaned forward to emphasize her point.
"Why do you have such little faith in me?! Why do you always think I don't care?!" Ryoko shouted as she mirrored her mother's motion.
"You don't care, Ryoko. You were trained not to care and this shows that! You were trained to believe that you were a demon that was useful for nothing other than being Kagato's slave!" Washu shouted as she waved her arm, indicating their fighting. Ryoko clamped her eyes shut and growled low in her throat as she heard what her mother was saying and feeling like she was being abandoned. She did care, but Washu didn't see that.
…You're nothing but a demon who was unwanted…
Ryoko let out another growl as Kagato's words filtered into her mind and bringing out the hate and resentment she felt for him and failed to hear anything her mother was currently saying to her.
…You let my daughter go, demon…!
Ryoko twitched as she heard the voice of some man trying to be brave during her attack on Juria and swallowed hard as her breathing picked up. She still failed to hear any words spoken to her.
…No one could possibly love a demon like you, let alone Tenchi…!
The sound of Ayeka's voice rang through her head, causing her to grit her teeth and ball her fists in rage.
…You're nothing but a demon who was unwanted…
That phrase ran through Ryoko's head like a freight train, causing her fury to build to the breaking point before letting a low rumble build in her throat that eventually became an all out menacing growl. She felt sick to her stomach and her skin was crawling from head to toe as she shook where she stood. Her mind was screaming at her, trying to convince herself of two different things. She was human. No, she was a demon. She didn't know what she was anymore and she could feel a burning pain in the pit of her stomach, but swallowed it down. Her skin started to itch and her legs hurt to the point where she could barely stand up on her own anymore. She had been slightly aware that Washu was talking to her, but the tone of her voice as well as the content of her words failed to register in Ryoko's mind.
"…Unwanted…" was the last thing she heard escape Washu's lips before swiftly snapping her eyes open.
"Shut up!" she screamed as she lunged herself at the redhead with such force that she was lifted off her feet and over the couch, landing hard on her back and breaking the coffee table in two. Ryoko knew she was strong, but didn't know where the strength to break the table had come from. Washu let out a grunt of pain and opened her currently closed eyes to see a memory-blinded Ryoko snarling at her with her energy sword drawn so close to her neck that she could feel the heat and hear the crackling of energy.
"Ryoko, stop!" Tenchi shouted as he ran around the couch to see exactly what was happening before stopping at the sight before him. Washu was lying on her back in the rubble of the broken table with her hands held out at her sides as if she were halfheartedly surrendering and Ryoko on top of her, straining to keep herself from lowering her sword any more than it already was.
"Ryoko, think about what you're doing," Tenchi stressed as he watched the pirate shake with memories of her life with Kagato, still in a blind rage. Ryoko clamped her eyes shut and tried to rid herself of the memories as her body throbbed and her skin itched. Tenchi heard Washu let out a whimper and saw her frantically trying to shift herself out from under her daughter as Ryoko brought the sword closer, still thinking about how much she would've loved to do this to the man who had ruined her life and receive the same reaction. Ryoko narrowed her eyes and let out a hiss before stopping and blinked at her hands with a slightly confused look. Her skin was dark and she could see little clumps of…fur?
What is this? she thought, not caring if Washu heard or not. Her face then slowly started to smooth out before swiftly falling to the floor as her senses returned to her, letting fear take over as she noticed her mother under her with a harsh, yet terrified look. The clumps then turned into patches as she slowly crawled off her mother, still confused as to what exactly was happening. She stared at her hands and as her anger faded, so did the fur on her hands. She then wrinkled her brow and thought this to be almost frightening. She lowered her head and stared at the floor with a distant look on her face and in her eyes, thinking of what had caused all of this in the first place. Tenchi let out a huff of relief as he ran to Washu's side as she slowly sat up while staring at Ryoko with a straight face. He took her arm and helped her to her feet before using his body to hold her up, seeing her legs weren't cooperating with her at the moment.
"Are you okay?" he asked. He could feel her body trembling and saw the blank look on her face as she stared at her daughter before he wrapped her arm around his neck to help her get to the lab.
***
"What did she say?" Ryoko asked after sitting on the couch in silence. Dawn had come and Tenchi had stayed with her after making Washu was settled in the lab. He could tell just by the distant look on Ryoko's face that this upset her a lot.
"She had stopped fighting, if that's what you're asking," he said.
"But what did she say, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked as her voice cracked, threatening to show him just how much this hurt her. She had come so close to killing the redhead, thinking it was Kagato and being fueled by her memories, but also because of something else. She wasn't sure what it was, but her rage had been an inferno inside her and it was still there, even after she had forgotten the memories and she still felt sick to her stomach.
"Nothing that would've provoked you," Tenchi said. Ryoko let out a pale chuckled and rested her chin on her arms as she found that he wasn't going to tell her.
"You're going to tell me to go ask her myself, aren't you?" Ryoko asked dryly.
"Ryoko, you scared all of us. We really thought you were going to follow through with it," Tenchi said as he chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Ryoko let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, thinking of how to stop this fighting and return things to normal. She wanted so bad to have Washu return to her 'I want to be your mother' ways, but after this, that may not happen. Ryoko had gone too far this time, even if she was in a blind rage. She then stood up and walked out the front door without a word as to where she was going or when she'd be back and Tenchi…just let her go.
***
Washu stared at her ceiling, feeling her body throb from being used as a tool to break the coffee table and forced herself to swallow, even though she had been trying not to. Ryoko's sword had come so close to her skin that it had left a nasty burn that was already causing her neck to stiffen and turn a deep red. She really thought her daughter was going to kill her and it had scared the shit out of her. She was still shaking and she couldn't think of anything she had said after Ryoko had fallen silent that would've caused her to do that. She then closed her eyes and let out a jittery sigh as she remembered seeing the confused look on Ryoko's face as she saw her hands. Fur. Deep purple fur had started forming on the backs of her hands and Washu knew all to well what had happened. She had heard her daughter ask herself what that was, but was too wrapped up in her struggling to answer. Her block was crumbling.
What am I thinking? Washu asked herself after a moment as she slowly covered her eyes with her arm. How could she have let herself fight with Ryoko like that? She then felt guilty for ever provoking her into the fights and felt that what she had done was childish, seeing she knew Ryoko was touchy and could easily get mad if tipped too far. Washu had known this, but she still fought with her to the point where Ryoko felt the need to draw her sword on her. Yet, Washu had a feeling that wasn't entirely because of her emotions. Her block was crumbling. The transformation of a Clav for the first time, whether they be born human or Clav, was always hard, so her transformation would drive her into a frenzy. Clavs were, in fact, demons, so Kagato and Ayeka and everyone calling her a demon wasn't going to make this a fun ride, and now Washu had gone and pissed her off even more. Yet…she couldn't help it. Ryoko was too stubborn to give in and let go of her pride and that pissed Washu off. Washu found it best to just back off for a bit and let Ryoko's emotions stabilize, as well as her own, before attempting to help Ryoko with this other part of her self that she has yet to experience.
***
Ryoko stared down at the pool of water surrounding the base of the Jurian tree and blinked a few times before looking out over the land. She then raised her hands and examined them, seeing nothing but smooth milky flesh that was considered normal. The fur was gone as well as the sick feeling and itching, but her mind was still fresh with the memories of what had happened only a few hours ago.
"Tsunami…" she whispered, unable to speak any louder, still staring at her hands. she then closed her eyes and let out a trembling sigh as she buried her head in her arms as they rested on her knees.
"Don't fear what you are, Ryoko," she heard Tsunami say.
"Why did I do that?" Ryoko asked, never lifting her head and ignoring Tsunami's words of advise.
"Don't ask me, Ryoko. I'm not the one who can answer that," Tsunami said as she hovered over the lake. Ryoko lifted her head to show fresh, twinkling tears running down her skin and Tsunami gave her an understanding look, knowing how confused she was. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as Tsunami had hoped. She had planned it so that Ryoko would hear that Washu didn't hate her and she had hoped Washu would've seen how hurt Ryoko really was, but something wasn't clicking in her mind. Tsunami had always been able to see Washu's memories as well as her thoughts, but she found nothing that would cause all this anger she felt. Looks like she would have to do some research.
"I can't answer that question, either, so don't feel bad," Ryoko said.
"Don't try to push it, Ryoko. Just let it come to you," Tsunami said. Ryoko snorted and hid her face behind her arms again while thinking of everything that has happened. One day, Washu was all about gaining her daughter's love but the next, she can't stay in the same room with her for more than five minutes.
"Why doesn't she want to be my mother anymore, Tsunami?" she asked after a moment.
"It's not that she doesn't want to be your mother, Ryoko. It's just that there's a lot she needs to sort out before trying again," Tsunami explained.
"Like what?" Ryoko asked.
"Like her past," Tsunami said.
"Looks like we both need help with that one," Ryoko said with a pale chuckle.
"And that's why I must suggest the possibility of you avoiding her," Tsunami said. Ryoko slowly lifted her head and stared at Tsunami with little to no amusement at the suggestion. She was getting an idea in her head as to why Washu was acting like this and knew that Ryoko being around wasn't going to help. They were on the same boat.
"And how is that going to help? I can't ask Tenchi about my past," Ryoko spat sarcastically.
"She didn't finish telling you, did she?" Tsunami asked.
"No, she didn't. She started fighting with me before we got that far," Ryoko said.
"So you're saying it's her fault they start?" Tsunami asked.
"Now that I think about it, yeah, I am admitting to that. Every fight we've been in starts with her getting mad because I want to know about my past," Ryoko said, mocking a cheery tone.
"Why don't we go find out," Tsunami said.
"No, I think I'll wait," Ryoko said.
"She's asleep, Ryoko. She won't even know you're there," Tsunami said before disappearing from sight. Ryoko let out a huff and followed the goddess, appearing only moments after she did.
"Now what?" she asked. Tsunami smiled and brought a hand to hover over Washu's face while putting the other in front of Ryoko's before closing her eyes and seeing the rest of Ryoko's past for herself.
The throne room feel silent as this silver-haired man waited for the redheaded scientist to do something and make the first move.
"Mommy, don't let him take me!" Ryoko cried into her shoulder as the redhead rose to her feet with the little girl in her arms. Washu stared at this man with hate and confusion as he took a few steps in their direction.
"Why are you after my daughter?" Washu asked after finding her voice while clutching on to Ryoko with fear that she might disappear, which was a very likely possibility. The man chuckled at her and tilted his head, mocking curiosity.
"Because she belongs to me. Why else?," he asked.
"She's not someone's property! She's my daughter and I'm not going to let you take her," Washu said in a confident voice.
"I believe you may find it harder to keep her than you think," he said as he rubbed his chin.
"Mommy, what's going on?" Ryoko asked, drawing Washu's attention. She looked down to see Ryoko looking at the gems on her hands as they started to glow, causing the genius to wrinkle her brow before looking back at the stranger.
Go to Putiko, okay? Washu asked, using this newly discovered link she had with her daughter.
No! I don't want you to be here by yourself with him! Ryoko said as she gave the man before them a fearful look.
Please, honey, just ask the gems to take you to Putiko. I'll be fine Washu reassured before putting the little girl on the floor. The man smiled broadly, but it swiftly faded as the little girl disappeared, leaving only him and Washu in the empty throne room.
"Clever," he mused as his smile slowly returned.
"Who are you?" she asked confidently.
"You don't recognize me?" he asked, mocking a hurt tone.
"Don't play games with me! Tell me who you are and why you're after my daughter!" Washu shouted.
"My name is Kagato, and I want your daughter because her creation is my doing," he bellowed, the second her words had left her lips, causing her to wrinkle her brow at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid, my dear scientist. The link had been damaged, as you very well know, and I am the one who damaged it," Kagato said swiftly.
"Why?"
"So that I could have full control over Kotuku's mind to get what I wanted without anyone snooping. You see, your mind is too strong for me to control, but Ryoko's, on the other hand, is still young and very easily mislead. She is exactly what I had wanted. A scapegoat that could handle the gems power as well as harbor the ability's of a Clav, so that is why I arranged her creation" Kagato said with a chuckle. Washu felt her heart race and her mouth went dry as the thoughts entered her mind.
"It's because of you, isn't it?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Pardon?" he asked sarcastically as he cupped his ear.
"You're the reason why I've been having these odd feelings the past few weeks," she said, more so to herself than Kagato.
"Well done, Washu. I was attempting to try my luck in controlling your mind for a second time, but alas, it's too strong and too independent for me to tamper with," he said as he slowly clapped his hands to congratulate her for figuring it out before reaching into his cloak to pull out what appeared to be Mikollious' pendant. Washu's face fell and she could feel her body shaking from anger as she spotted the missing article that's been the focus of Mikollious' attention for the past few weeks.
"How did you get that?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"Your King has too kind of a heart. He practically handed it right over to me," Kagato chuckled as he remembered how he had tricked the King. Washu took a sharp breath and chewed the inside of her lip, thinking of how to win this one.
***
You know what Washu's going to say Tashacca said as she slowly walked towards the throne room with Putiko hanging his head the whole way so far.
I know. What else can we do? We've searched everywhere for her Putiko whined before feeling something drop onto his back. He spun his head up and saw Ryoko smiling down at him from her high perch on his back.
"Hi Putiko!" she cheered with a giggled.
Ryoko! Where did you come from? he asked as she jumped off his back.
"Mommy told me to ask my gems to take me to you," she said as she held her wrists out so the Clavs could see the red orbs embedded in her skin.
Washu gave these to you? he asked, clearly baffled by this, seeing she barely spoke of them to anyone let alone give them to someone.
"No. The man Pat was talking about gave them to me," Ryoko said in a small voice as she remembered the man she had spent the majority of the day with.
Where is your mother now? he asked urgently as he took Ryoko's shoulders in his massive paws.
"She's in the throne room with him," Ryoko said in a fearful voice, worrying what was going to happen to her mother if they didn't do something to help. Her face then went blank and her eyes filled with a pale green light that caused both Tashacca and Putiko to take a step back in confusion.
Ryoko? he asked as he shook her shoulder before his own face fell to the floor in a blank stare. He knew what was happening and he was conscious of him, Ryoko, and Tashacca heading for the throne room, but he had absolutely no control over what he did or where he was going.
***
Washu watched with narrowed eyes as the pendant's glow started to die down, leaving the jewel to twinkle at her as if mocking her attempt to win this battle.
"We have company on the way," he said slowly before disappearing from sight. Washu took a sharp breath and straightened her posture as she let her eyes roam around her.
"And I believe it is someone you would like to see," Kagato chuckled from behind her. Washu spun to see him sitting on Mikollious' throne with his head in his hand while tapping his fingers lightly on the arm.
"What did you do?" she asked cautiously. He went to answer, but stopped as Putiko, Tashacca, and Ryoko came walking into the throne room. Washu's breath caught in her throat and her mouth went dry again as she saw the empty, green-glaze glow of her daughter's eyes, as well as the two Clavs that had walked in with her.
"Ah, how nice of you to join us," Kagato laughed as he clapped his hands together in a spiteful way as he rose to his feet.
Ryoko? Washu asked as she wrinkled her brow. Kagato frowned at her and clicked his tongue as he shook his head.
"I must apologize for blocking that ability. After all, I know how hard you worked on gaining it," Kagato said as he grinned over at her triumphantly. Washu wrinkled her brow as she heard him admit to being able to hear them speak. He knew she had sent her to Putiko, so he was only playing with her and giving her a false sense of hope.
"What did you do to her?!" Washu shouted while giving him a look of death.
"I told you what I have done. Come, Ryoko," he said in a harsh tone before watching the little girl make her way over to him. Washu's face fell and her mind screamed at her to grab her daughter and get the hell out of there. Then again, her common sense told her that was impossible no matter what she tried. He had her daughter under his control and she had all the gems to aid her. Even at the age of four, the power easily made up for what she lacked in strength and abilities.
"You see, my dear scientist, you forget so easily that she is partially Clav. This pendant, which you should know more about than I, has the ability to control any Clav in any form," he said as the little girl stared into space.
"Bastard…" she muttered under her breath. Washu could feel her body shaking with rage as she stared at her daughter, not knowing what to do.
"Ryoko, go get Ryoko-Ohki. I suppose I can grant you that one pleasure," Kagato said before grinning as the little girl disappeared to do what she had been asked.
"Let her go. She's only a little girl, Kagato. What use could she possibly be to you?" Washu asked in a soft, slow voice.
"Oh but she has so much training yet to come. Training that only I can give her, seeing her purpose for being created was to be a slave for me," Kagato said.
"Bullshit! Give her back!" Washu screamed, spraying droplets of spittle from her lips. Kagato let out a sigh and shook his head before letting out a chuckle before looking down to see Ryoko appear with a small clump of brown fur curled up in her arms.
"Well, seeing I have full control of this situation, I guess I could at least let you say good-bye," he said as the glow in Ryoko's eyes faded. She blinked a few times before shaking her head and clearing her thoughts. She then looked up at Kagato for only a second before letting out a shout as she ran to her mother. Washu picked up off the floor and kept a hard stare on Kagato while stroking her daughter's hair.
"I'm scared, mommy. Don't let him do that again," Ryoko whimpered as she hugged her mother with tears in her eyes while the other held Ryo-Ohki.
"We have a lot of work to do. Come, Ryoko," Kagato said as he materialized behind Washu before she even had a chance to speak to Ryoko. She spun around before realizing how her daughter was struggling in her arms to get away from her and desperately tried to hold onto her but Ryoko was greatly overpowering her. The little girl jumped from her mother's arms and made her way over to Kagato, causing Washu to let out a scream of fury as she saw her inability to do anything. He still had control over the two Clavs behind her as well as her daughter, so there was little she could do but she'll be damned if she doesn't try.
"Let her go!" she screamed between clenched teeth as she started for the two. She reached out to grab her daughter, but let the tears run down her face upon hearing Kagato laughing at her while fazing out of sight and out of the throne room. Washu could hear Putiko and Tashacca growling after awakening from their trance and knew they were approaching her, guessing from the soft 'clicks' of Putiko's claws getting slightly louder. Yet…she couldn't seem to take her eyes off the spot where her daughter had been standing moments ago, only inches from her fingertips, and sobbed into the air before dropping to her knees hopelessly with no idea how to get her back.
**************************************************************************************
Tsunami lowered her hands and patiently waited as Ryoko blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes and returning her mind on where she was. She had seen it as if…as if it were a memory.
"I had no idea you could do that," Ryoko said as she rubbed her head with a wrinkle in her brow. She…she remembered that. Ryoko looked up and saw a wrinkle on Washu's face and could see tears dancing slightly on her eyelashes, yet she remained asleep.
"Is she dreaming this?" Ryoko asked after a moment.
"Yes, she is," Tsunami said, seeing Washu was, indeed, dreaming and she knew that for a fact. Goddesses couldn't transfer memories from person to person, but with dreams, they can do anything.
"Does she dream this often?"
"Every night," Tsunami said, remembering how often she would watch her sister's dreams about how Ryoko had been captured. She would eventually find her dreaming a happy dream that would only cause her to reflect on how Ryoko treated her now and would always upset her, so she lost either way.
"At least she doesn't have to live with my dreams. That would really give her something to cry over," Ryoko said in a dry voice.
"She has, Ryoko. She dreams of your capture, as well as your life, seeing she's always been there to watch you. She knows exactly what you had gone through," Tsunami said. Ryoko stared at the goddess for a moment before turning back to the slumbering redhead with a heavy sigh.
"Don't I feel like shit now," Ryoko mumbled under her breath.
"We should let her sleep," Tsunami said.
"But how did she get to the academy?" Ryoko asked.
"She had traced you via the gems and had crashed on Juria," Tsunami said.
"How did Kagato capture her, then? Why did he capture her?"
"He had captured her because he could see the threat she was now posing and saw that she had honed her intelligence to it's peek and it exceeded his own. As for how he captured her…dumb luck. The classic 'sneak up on them when they're sleeping' method," Tsunami said with a small shrug of her shoulders before disappearing from sight.
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All I can say is that this is turning into a very…very odd story. I also have a feeling that a lot of you might even change your opinion of it, seeing as it's taking on a Sci-Fi/fantasy idea. If you're confused about anything that should've been explained already, let me know. I changed the plot a lot after posting chap. 10 and I don't know if it's making any sense. Well, if you still like it, let me know and I'll continue with it. You know what that means. R&R