I'm back and I'm trying to finish this story up. I'm rewriting The Keys at the same time, but I know where this is going. Hope you haven't lost interest due to the long break I took in writing it.
A Shoulder to Cry OnWashu opened her eyes and let out a sigh as the dream she just had raced through her mind. Whatever happened to knowing about a dream you had, but not being able to fully remember it?
"Good afternoon. Or should I say good evening?" Tsunami said, causing Washu to jump upon realizing her presence.
"Tsunami, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Just watching your dream," she said casually.
"Than tell me what does it means because I sure as hell can't figure it out," Washu sneered dryly.
"What do you think it's about?" Tsunami asked.
"I told you I don't know. You're the goddess," Washu said, hearing the irritation growing in her voice.
"That makes two of us," Tsunami said with a small tilt of her head. Washu snorted at her and let out a pale chuckle.
"Right. Whatever you say, Tsunami," Washu chortled.
"So…you had a dream and saw Putiko as a pup…" Tsunami said, dropping the present topic.
"Yeah, yeah, I know what happened. I want to know what it means," Washu said.
"It has an effect on your attitude now, but why do you think that is?" Tsunami asked.
"Why do I bother with you?" Washu sneered as she crawled off the bed. She wasn't in the mood for her questions to be answered with questions.
"You're dream was right, Washu. You need to remember and I can't do it for you," Tsunami said before disappearing from the room. Washu stared at where she once was and wrinkled her brow as she saw no point in asking her sister anymore. She didn't seem to help the first time, so why would she be any more helpful now?
"Worthless..." Washu mumbled under her breath before leaving her room.
***
"Sasami, have you seen Ryoko?" Tenchi asked as he walked into the kitchen before dinner.
"No. Why?" the girl asked.
"I haven't seen her since breakfast," Tenchi said while rubbing his chin in thought before shrugging it off upon hearing Sasami's silence. He sat at the table and watched patiently as Ayeka and Washu finally entered the room, right on time. Ayeka sat across from him with a sweet smile on her face while Washu took the end with a deep look of thought. Ayeka finished making a plate of food before holding the bowl of rice over to Washu, who didn't even know she was passing it.
"Washu," Ayeka said sternly, grabbing the redhead's attention. Washu looked up at her and stared at the bowl for a moment before blinking at it as if she were wondering what she was suppose to do with it.
"Do you want any rice?" Ayeka asked after a moment. The redhead snapped her head back and blinked her eyes a couple of times before taking the bowl from the now curious princess.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she filled her plate.
"Washu, is something on your mind?" Tenchi asked.
"No. Just thinking," she said as she smiled up at him.
"So, has anyone seen Ryoko?" Sasami piped in, saving the scientist from the questions rising on Tenchi and Ayeka's lips.
"No, I haven't. Why?" Ayeka asked.
"She's been gone almost all day," the little girl said.
"You know Ryoko. Always off daydreaming about one thing or another," Ayeka said.
"I know, but still…" Sasami said before shooting Washu a quick glance.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Sasami. I'm sure she'll be back tomorrow," Tenchi said, yet… as he spoke the words he started to change his mind. Everything that has been going on lately has been confusing him. He found himself looking for Ryoko more often than not, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. What bothered him was everything else. Ayeka and Washu seemed to be getting along like best friends and that was surprising, considering how mad they had been at each other. That then brings him to Washu and Ryoko. They fought like cats and dogs now and Tenchi didn't see why they couldn't just listen to what the other is trying to say. It's been affecting their attitude in the worst ways, too. Well, what he saw of it. He hardly ever saw either of them. Then there's just Ayeka. She had changed almost completely as far as her views on the people in the house. She would randomly go looking for Ryoko, just to chat, while also spending time in the lab with Washu. Tenchi almost felt out of place. He felt as though there was something going on and he wasn't invited to help. And then there was Sasami. Good old Sasami. Hasn't changed a bit.
That's not true, actually Tenchi thought to himself. She seemed to linger in the shadows, as if she didn't want to get involved in any way. That made him feel even more in the dark. He then thought back to when all of this started and the stories she had told him really started coming back. It had all started with her telling him that story. She had seemed so scared to tell Ryoko and Tenchi guessed that once she actually started telling Ryoko about it, she changed her mind about her.
"Washu, why are you so mad at her? What did she do?" Tenchi asked suddenly with these thoughts running through his head.
"I don't know," Washu said after a moment of silence.
"That's a pretty lame excuse, Washu," Tenchi snapped.
"You don't know how I feel or how Ryoko feels."
"I may not know exactly how you feel, Washu, but I know Ryoko's upset about this," Tenchi said. He may not have seen much of her lately, but that right there tells him that something's wrong.
"Good. Now she knows how I felt when she ignored me and when she yelled and me," Washu hissed.
"Still. Ryoko has been through a lot in her life. She doesn't need this crap," he said in a bitter voice before snapping his head up in Washu's direction as she let out a scream through clenched teeth.
"'Ryoko this, Ryoko that'. I know her life was hard but guess what? So was mine!" Washu shouted as she rose to her feet.
"Washu, calm down," Ayeka said.
"All I've been hearing lately is how you all feel so bad about Ryoko's experiences with Kagato and how she didn't remember her past, but now that she knows, you seem to pity her even more! You think it was fun for me to watch Kagato take her? You think it was fun for me to watch her live her life under his control? Well, it wasn't, but you people can't seem to realize that! I feel as though I'm being ganged up on!" Washu screamed.
"Is that it? Are you jealous because we show concern for her?" Tenchi asked, infuriated at the idea that Washu could be so selfish.
"Can't you just listen?! I'm not jealous, and I could care less if I have your pity or not. I'm just tired of everyone blaming all of this on me as if I had wanted it to happen!!" Washu said as she glared over at Tenchi, who was slightly caught off guard, seeing he expected her to storm off to her lab. Instead, she sat right back down in her seat and leaned on her arm in his direction.
"I've had a long day, and I'm hungry, so if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my dinner," she said, mocking a cheery tone before doing just that, and leaving everyone to enjoy the silence.
***
Ryoko let out a grunt as she slapped at the flies buzzing around her head and looked down to see the pup playfully trying to attack the tail she was currently using to keep the bugs off her legs.
"I'm glad you're having fun," Ryoko said dryly as she stopped to take a break. She had been walking for what seemed like hours and her legs were itchy from the bug bites so she leaned against a tree while watching the pup jump at the butterflies as they danced around her head. It stopped and looked over at her with a growl and a few whimpers, causing Ryoko to shake her head slowly.
"Sorry. Can't understand a word you're sayin," she said flatly before smiling slightly as the pup continued with it's play. It had been annoying as all hell in the beginning, but Ryoko was finding she had more of a soft spot for the pup as they went along. It answered her yes or no questions, making Ryoko feel as if she were trying to communicate with a two year old. The pup slowed it's jumps to mere hops with an almost lost look as the butterflies fluttered away before walking over to Ryoko and sitting on her haunches in front of her.
"What is it?" Ryoko asked halfheartedly, knowing there wasn't going to be any comprehension of what the pup would say to her. Ryoko chuckled as the pup tilted it's head in a curious manner and mirrored the expression to receive a rough giggle from the beast.
"You know, I really wish I could understand you. That would make all this easier," Ryoko said as the Clav took a seat next to her and chuckled while teasing the beast with her tail. It growled as the tail swung out of her reach and redoubled her efforts. Ryoko ruffled the hair on it's head with a chuckle as it gave up to be rewarded with a smile and another curious tilt of her head.
"Now what?" Ryoko asked as she once again mirrored the pup's expression. It's reached a hand out and gently poked her in the arm.
"Me. What about me?" Ryoko asked, slowly seeing the game of charades she was being drawn into. The pup then pointed to herself and waited in Ryoko's silence.
"I don't get it," Ryoko said as she watched the pup repeat the action and only gave it a blank, clueless stare, causing it to give up.
"Are you saying that I'm like you?" Ryoko asked after taking a moment of thought and seeing what the pup meant. It smiled up at her and nodded before tilting her head at Ryoko's now confused look.
"How did you know about that?" she asked after a moment. The Clav grinned widely before thinking of how to tell Ryoko about her father and the stories he had told her and comically held her chin in thought. She then used herself as a reference before grinning while trying to pat her back.
"You know, you're not very good at this game," Ryoko said dryly as she watched the pup prance around the clearing. It rolled it's eyes at her and poked her in the shoulder again before patting her back. Ryoko wrinkled her brow in thought before shaking her head as something seemed…familiar about what the pup was indicating. She knew what she was trying to say, but it confused her as to how she knew.
"Piggy-back rides?" she tried, testing the waters before licking her lips nervously as the pup nodded it's head vigorously. It then pointed to her again and hesitated before drawing something in the dirt. Ryoko looked over and saw the two signs that indicated male and female. The pup then pointed to herself and then to the male sign before repeating the action and giving Ryoko a hopeful look.
"You…your father?" Ryoko asked after a brief hesitation, causing the pup to agree as she excitedly jumped to her feet. Ryoko took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she let all of this filter in her mind to see if there was any connection. Her eyes then popped open as she saw a vision of a large, gray Clav flash behind her eyes.
"Putiko…" she mumbled, causing the pup to growl and whimper at her with an ecstatic jump, telling Ryoko that she had hit it right on the nose that time.
"How did I know that?" Ryoko asked, more to herself than the pup, but still received a slight tap on the head from the pup. Ryoko shook her head slightly as a few more memories popped up and stared over at the pup with a new outlook on her company.
"You're Putiko's daughter?" she asked in an uncertain voice.
Nod.
"But…what does that have to do with how you knew I was a Cl-" Ryoko started but stopped dead as she saw a small connection and smiled slightly at her cleverness.
"He told you stories about me?" she asked.
Nod.
"And that's why you're here, right? Because you know about me."
Nod.
"So I'm in the jungle with a Clav pup that had been told stories about my past from her father, who was actually the one who had been a servant of me and my mother. About that…" Ryoko stated before trailing off and giving the pup a curious look. "Why isn't my mother the one to help me through this? Why you?"
The pup merely shrugged her shoulders before tilting her head at Ryoko's downcast expression, seeing it still bothered her as to why Washu was so mad at her. She walked over to her and plopped her front end down in the pirate's lap before giving her a curious look.
"What is it this time?" Ryoko asked. The Clav reached out and poked her in the shoulder yet again before pointing to the female sign drawn in the dirt.
"My mother. What about her?" Ryoko asked, knowing very well what the pup was asking, but not really wanting to talk about it. The pup gave her the same curious look before insisting that she do just that.
***
Tsunami couldn't help but feel for Ryoko, seeing she was stuck in this place with a strange Clav and now speaking of her mother. Tsunami knew that this was the reason that they fought and felt that things could only look better from here. Hopefully. She then turned her attention to Washu to see how she was holding up and smiled broadly as she found her in the lab, sleeping. That only made things easier to understand, seeing her memories were coming out in the form of vivid dreams. Tsunami then took the liberty of joining her sister in this particular dream with hopes that things might start to make sense to the scientist.
***
The garden. Once again, it was the garden and Washu found the Putiko pup playing with a tall blade of grass near the base of a massive tree.
…Not again…
You wanna see something cool? the pup asked as it noticed Washu's presence. Washu shrugged her shoulders helplessly and followed the pup, seeing she knew she had no choice. Again, she found herself in her old lab and was now standing in front of that same invention as before.
Pretty cool, huh? the pup asked, right on queue.
…Yeah. Real cool…
What is it?
…Nothing you need to worry about…
But it confuses me the pup whined, causing Washu to wrinkled her brow slightly. This was different and it slightly motivated her to persist the matter.
…And why does it confuse you…?
Because of what happened
…What happened…?
When you were distracted. Who distracted you, Washu?
Washu wrinkled her brow as Tsunami's voice filtered her dream. She had mentioned before that someone had distracted her while she was in the cage with Kyoto, but she hadn't thought about who it had been.
…I…I don't remember…
I know what happened. I scared you the pup whimpered, causing Washu to clamp her temples as a vivid scene of her looking over her shoulder to see an awe-stricken Putiko pup in her lab. The scene went from a seemingly innocent topic to one that brought her to her knees. The pup in her vision brushed up against a motion sensor and found himself flimsily battling some of Washu's more stable robots who were ordered to keep anyone from reaching the cage.
…You didn't scare me. You pissed Kyoto off… Washu muttered as the memory burned in her mind. The Clav was, after all, female and her sense of protection for pups, whether they be hers or not, was stronger than Washu had anticipated and she had freaked out, pretty much. Washu felt her side stinging again and let out a small cry as she doubled over with the burning and sting of claw marks on her chest and abdomen.
Don't' stop now, Washu
I didn't mean to. Honest! I tried to help, but the machine-thingies were too strong for me to handle by myself the pup whined.
…I…I dropped the tray and Kyoto…she grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on… Washu grunted out as the pain increased.
What did she grab, Washu?
…It was meant for…for a different experiment. I was taking care of everything in one trip… Washu whimpered as she felt her chest and stomach burn with what she believed to be fresh claw marks before feeling the pain lift slightly.
A different experiment? the pup asked, picking up on her 'out loud' reminiscence.
…It was…it was a formula that I had created to…to help combine the genes of…of two different species… Washu said before another vision flashed behind her eyes. The Clav had used the formula without knowing what it did, but her anger had blinded her at the time, so anything seemed to be a formidable weapon.
You remember. Tell him what happened, Washu. Tell me what happened.
…I was thrown against the control panel, which was the reason for…for the cut on Kyoto's arms. It had damn near exploded, but she was in such a blind rage that it didn't slow her down… Washu said as the pain along her front side faded to be replaced by a stinging pain in her back and on the side of her face and head. She let out a small whimper and held her head as the memories flashed in her mind and bringing a small amount of understanding.
She was really mad. I had found a cubby to hide in and watched the whole thing the pup chimed, bringing Washu's thoughts back. This no longer felt like a dream, but a holding pen that trapped her mind in the memories that were starting to resurface.
And what did he see, Washu? What happened after that?
…I…I don't know, exactly. I remember…I remember feeling my hair being…being ripped out but everything after that is fuzzy… Washu said, now knowing that it was Tsunami who was pushing these memories out.
Tell me what you do remember. Fuzzy just means you have to work harder, Washu.
Washu hung her head and hugged herself as she was forced into remembering something that was buried so deep in her mind that she could see flashes of her remembered past infiltrating what she was trying to remember.
…I remember feeling angry…angry at my carelessness…
And what did you see?
…Kyoto…she was gone. I felt…odd. I wasn't sure what it was, but…
But?
…But it scared me… Washu said before shaking her head violently as her block crumbled to release all the memories she had tried to extinguish so long ago. She let out a scream and clamped her eyes shut and felt her mind race as she woke from this 'dream' before feeling her entire body crawling with pain and itching with white fur.
"Tsunami!" she gasped in panic as the fur grew thick and she found herself unable to control this in any way. She curled up in the fetal position on her bed and let out another scream that went from human to animal in a matter of seconds.
…Don't fight it, Washu… Tsunami said in a calm, reassuring voice, but it didn't do squat, seeing Washu didn't even hear her words. She just continued to scream out in pain and panic as her transformation completed itself.
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I know it's been a while and that's why this chapter is short compared to the others. I wanted to get something out there for you guys. I know where it's going now, so you can expect more after this, so keep reviewing.